Description
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has announced plans to purchase ready-to-cook broiler/fryer chicken products for school lunch and other domestic food nutrition assistance programs. Invitations will be issued inviting offers due the second and fourth Monday of each month. 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. There are some important changes to this year's program. 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. Although most other provisions of the program are similar to the program operated last year, offerors are urged to carefully read all applicable terms and conditions of the Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurement dated April 2009; Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors dated April 2009; Commodity Specification for Chicken Parts dated May 2008; Commodity Specification for Bulk Pack Chicken and Chicken Parts dated May 2008; Commodity Specification for Batter/Breaded Chicken Breasts, Thighs, and Drumsticks dated May 2009; and Invitation No. 1. The frozen cut-up chicken, in either eight pieces, parts, or breast and leg quarters, and the cooked batter/breaded chicken parts are for preparation and consumption in their present form by recipients. Bulk pack chicken and bulk pack chicken parts will be purchased for delivery to a processor and are for conversion to further-processed products in accordance with contracts with recipients. For information on products offered under this program please see the electronic version of this Food Purchase Report which can be obtained through the world-wide-web via the Commodity Procurement Home Page at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/PYProcurement . 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, D.C. 20250. 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.