This is a PRE-SOLICITATION/SOURCES SOUGHT notice to request information for Government planning purposes only. Responses will assist the Government in planning its acquisition strategy for a potential future acquisition. The Government is not committed to issue a solicitation or award a contract because of this announcement. The USDA/AMS Commodity Procurement Program is seeking qualified and capable potential vendors. Since this is a sources-sought notice and not a solicitation for receipt of proposals or bids, the Government does not encourage questions concerning this market research.
Pre-solicitation Notice
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to purchase the materials listed below for distribution to various food nutrition assistance programs. Purchases will be made under the authority of Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act.
| 111232 | APRICOTS FRZ CTN-12/2LB |
| 110623 | BLUEBERRY HIGHBUSH FRZ CTN-12/2.5 LB |
| 100242 | BLUEBERRY WILD FRZ CTN-8/3 LB |
| 111120 | STRAWBERRY WHOLE UNSWT IQF CTN-12/2.5 LB |
| 110872 | CHERRIES SWEET PITTED IQF BAG-12/2.5 LB* |
| 100295 | RAISINS PKG-24/15 OZ |
| 100298 | CHERRIES DRIED PKG-8/2 LB* |
Solicitations will be issued in the near future and will be available electronically through the Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system. A hard copy of the solicitation will not be available. Public WBSCM information is available without an account on the WBSCM Public Procurement Page. All future information regarding this acquisition, including solicitation amendments and award notices, will be published through WBSCM, and on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s website at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food. Interested parties shall be responsible for ensuring that they have the most up-to-date information about this acquisition. The contract type is anticipated to be firm-fixed-price. Deliveries are expected to be to various locations in the United States on a FOB destination basis.
Pursuant to the Agricultural Acquisition Regulation 470.103(b), commodities and the products of agricultural commodities acquired under this contract must be a product of the United States and shall be considered to be such a product if it is grown, processed, and otherwise prepared for sale or distribution exclusively in the United States. Packaging and container components under this acquisition will be the only portion subject to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements addressed by FAR clause 52.225-5.
Potential offerors are urged to review all documents as they pertain to this program, including the latest –
- AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements (MSCP), March 1, 2022
- All applicable commodity specification documents.
- Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors Selling Commodities to USDA, December 21, 2022.
To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the AMS vendor qualification requirements. The AMS point of contact for new vendors can be reached by phone at (202) 720-4237 or by email to NewVendor@usda.gov. Details on these requirements are available online at https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/becoming-approved. Once qualification requirements have been met, access to WBSCM will be provided. Bids, modifications, withdrawals of bids, and price adjustments shall be submitted using this system. Submission of the above by any means other than WBSCM will be deemed nonresponsive.
Sources Sought Notice
This request for Sources Sought is for the materials identified in this notice. The Government is seeking to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities, and qualifications of various members of the industry, to include both small and large businesses. If your company is interested and can demonstrate the firm’s ability, capability, and responsibility to deliver the products summarized in this notice, we encourage you to respond to this announcement with a statement of your qualifications and capability. In order to do so, you need to provide:
- Name and address of the firm
- UEI number and CAGE Code (valid System for Award Management (SAM) is MANDATORY)
- Your firm’s point of contact (name, phone number, and email address)
- Your firm’s business size status (small or large) (including Service-Disabled veteran-owned, if applicable). If claiming small business status, the information must be verifiable in SAM.
- If your firm is an approved vendor with USDA/AMS. See Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors Selling Commodities to USDA, December 21, 2022.
- Your firm’s monthly delivery capability in truckload quantities MUST be provided in the table below. Please note that inflation of estimated quantities may be detrimental to the success of the program.
