FedBizOpps - Request for Information (RFI) DeCA - NUTRITION LABELING SYSTEM STUDY This Request for Information (RFI) is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e). The Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) with headquarters at Fort Lee, VA., operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families. DeCA seeks information from commercial sources regarding their interest and ability to support the Nutrition Information and Labeling needs of the agency. DeCA currently operates 248 military commissaries worldwide with annual sales estimated at nearly $6 billion. Of that total, 181 stores are located within the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. A military commissary is a Government facility providing grocery products and other merchandise to authorized individuals, termed "patrons". It is a facility designed and operated similar to commercial supermarkets. DeCA's goals are to provide a significant price savings when compared to commercial markets; to provide courteous and informative assistance; to offer a variety of items in quantities and of a quality level to satisfy patron demands; and to provide products in a clean, safe, and wholesome environment. Overall management and operation of a commissary is the responsibility of the Store Director of each store, operating within Agency policy and standards. Interested commercial sources are asked to provide information detailing the feasibility of DeCA launching a program to help customers make nutrition choices in commissaries and on the Agency website at www.commissaries.com . The program will include (at a minimum) estimated costs, action plan, and timeline for 181 store locations within the U.S. and 67 stores located outside of the U.S. The contractor or contractors that may receive awards under any resulting solicitation would serve as the primary point-of-contact for the labeling system, and would be responsible for all requirements from determination of appropriate equipment and materials (as defined by DeCA) to product acquisition, program coordination for the website, and store delivery. In-store operations (coordination, handling, display, promotion, maintenance, etc.) may be performed by third-party contractors. DeCA is interested in receiving information from interested commercial sources that addresses the following, as a minimum: 1. The concepts that a commercial source would employ to provide the necessary products and/or related services that are available. 2. The concepts should include such things as the methodology to be used for nutrition labeling system selection, throughout DeCA's worldwide 248 locations and on the Agency website. DeCA has identified specific target standards that it expects to be addressed (see Attachment). Contact with the individual DeCA stores is discouraged. In the event that an offeror has any specific questions or a need to visit a store or stores, that will be coordinated from a central location at Fort Lee, Virginia. Any questions regarding this initiative should be referred via e-mail to the point-of-contact cited below. Completed packages in response to this RFI may be sent via regular mail or electronically. The mailing location and e-mail contact information is as follows: Defense Commissary Agency Directorate of Sales (PSP) Attn: Karen Hawkins 1300 E Avenue Fort Lee, VA 23801-1800 E-mail contact information:
[email protected] Project Reference # : DECA-NLS-2011 DeCA maintains a commercial website ( www.commissaries.com ) that can be accessed to find additional information about our organization and stores. This is not a formal "Request for Proposal" (RFP), and no award will be made as a result of any submittals received in response to this request. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future associated RFP that may be issued. Information provided in no way binds the Government to solicit or award a contract. DeCA will use the information provided for planning purposes only. In the event that DeCA determines that it wishes to pursue a formal contract for this requirement, a separate advertisement will be issued, following federal acquisition guidelines.