Description
USDA TURKEY THIGH MEAT PURCHASE PROGRAM ANNOUNCED (PY-356): The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced plans to purchase bulk pack boneless skinless (B/S) turkey thighs for school lunch and other domestic food nutrition assistance programs. Offers will be invited from the trade for bulk, chilled boneless skinless turkey thighs produced from ready-to-cook young turkeys, packed for further processing. Frozen may be specified in the Invitation. The commodity must be packed in commercial containers as required in the Commodity Specification for Bulk Pack Boneless Skinless Turkey Thighs dated October 2009. A purchase unit will total 36,000 pounds (16,329 kg). Invitation No. 1, inviting offers due by 12 noon, Central Time, Monday, Nov. 16, is being issued in the near future. Acceptances will be announced by midnight, Friday, Nov. 20, for delivery from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15, 2010. There are some important changes to this year's program. While last year's pilot program allowed thigh meat produced from young, yearling, or mature turkeys, the specification has been revised to allow thigh meat produced only from young turkeys. Under the food defense requirements, all non-conformances listed in the audit report must be addressed in writing to both the Contracting Officer and Auditor within 14 calendar days of the audit. Plans must also have been audited since March 1, 2009. Also, qualified bidders must provide annual financial updates to Dun & Bradstreet as detailed in the Qualification Requirements. All offers must be submitted electronically through the Domestic Electronic Bid Entry System (DEBES) website at https://pcsd.usda.gov:3077/mdbc1000.exe?. Offers submitted by any means other than DEBES will be considered nonresponsive. All certifications in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) must be completed prior to submitting a bid. Offerors are urged to carefully read all applicable terms and conditions of the Agricultural Marketing Service Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements dated April 2009; Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors dated April 2009; the Commodity Specification for Bulk Pack Boneless Skinless Turkey Thighs dated October 2009; and Invitation No. 1. Inquiries may be made by telephoning (202) 720-7693 or addressing the Contracting Officer; USDA/AMS/Poultry Programs, Commodity Procurement Branch STOP 0260; 1400 Independence Ave., SW; Washington, DC 20250. An electronic version of this Food Purchase Report can be obtained through the world-wide-web via the Commodity Procurement Home Page at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/PYProcurement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.