Description
Please Note:New vendors and subcontractors must supply all required paperwork (Appendix 1, Financial Statement, and 3 Reference Letters) and must register in the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). In addition, all vendors must also be registered in the CCR, within 48 hours after bid opening or your company may be considered non-responsive. This Invitation is for Small Business Set-Aside only; see FAR 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invites offers to sell canned juice as indicated below and per the Announcement for distribution to the needy families and other domestic food assistance programs. Offers are due by 1 p.m., Central time, Wednesday, August 8, 2007. Acceptances will be announced by midnight, August 22, 2007. Deliveries are to be made from October 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. Offers are invited from the trade for the following Canned Juices: Product Container Size Number of Cases Apple Juice 12/46 oz. can 46,648 ? Vitamin C fortification is required (except for orange and grapefruit juices), as specified in the Commodity Specifications for Canned Juice, dated April 2004 (FV305-CS1). ? All prime vendors are reminded that they are prohibited from subcontracting with companies or individuals that have been suspended or debarred. ? All invitations with orders for the state of New York must have the pack date stamped on the outside of each carton. The pack date should be annotated as per the following example: (05/01/2003). Orders for the state of New York requiring this special marking will be indicated by (**). This applies to New York orders ?Only,? if and when they appear on an invitation. Bids must be submitted electronically via the Domestic Electronic Bid Entry System (DEBES) on the internet. Offerors who submit bids using other than DEBES, will be deemed non-responsive. Offeror must be assigned a Logon ID by USDA to access the site. The Internet address is: http://pcsd.usda.gov/debes which translates into a connection of https://pcsd.usda.gov:3077/mdbc1000.exe? Once connected, follow the online procedures. A ?HELP? button provides detailed instructions for using the system or call 202-720-4517 for assistance. Bidders are cautioned to bid only quantities they can reasonably expect to produce and deliver in accordance with the contract. Inquiries about Announcement FV-305, Appendix-1, the Commodity Specification for Canned Juice dated April 2004, CID A-A-20327 (for cranberry/apple juice), or this Invitation should be directed to the Contracting Officer, USDA/AMS/ Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Commodity Procurement Branch STOP 0239, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, telephone (202) 720-4517. An electronic version of this Invitation can be obtained through the World Wide Web via the Commodity Procurement Home Page at http://www.ams.usda.gov/cp. Purchases will be made on a delivered to destination basis, subject to Announcement FV-305, to the listed locations. Delivery by trucks or railcars is optional to the contractor, except for those destination(s) which specify delivery by truck only or rail only.