This is a Sources Sought Notice for commercial food distributors. This notice is not a request for proposals and it is being published solely for the purpose of assessing the availability of qualified sources. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this type of work is 422410, “General Line Grocery Wholesalers”. To qualify as a small business in this Industry, a firm must have less than 100 employees. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is seeking qualified sources for a potential performance based contract to: 1) procure food items meeting USDA commodity specifications, 2) accept food orders from eligible recipients via an internet based ordering system, and 3) deliver the food to the eligible recipients. Additionally, the firm must be capable of accepting, storing and delivering selected food items provided by USDA to the agencies participating in the three Programs identified in this notice, as well as victims of natural disasters. All food orders must be complete upon delivery and may be for less than truckload quantities, with a potential for dry, cooler and freezer accommodations in a single truck. Interested firms shall respond by submitting written documentation that clearly demonstrates: (1) corporate experience meeting this requirement; (2) extent of subcontracting, i.e., transportation; (3) three references that can provide past performance information for services similar in size and scope; and (4) information regarding the firm’s business size based on the NAICS size standard above. Relative to experience, the government is interested in receiving as much corporate information as possible in order to determine the firm’s capability to perform. Information addressing the extent of subcontracting should include how much subcontracting would be anticipated and the identification of the work that would be subcontracted. Respondents should provide the following information for past performance - company or entity name, contact name, phone number, e-mail address if known, and a description of services performed. Information is due no later than October 30, 2003, to Patricia Palmer, Chief, Contract Management Branch, Food and Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302. She can be reached at
[email protected] or by calling 703-705-2251. Requests for a solicitation and responses submitting little or none of the information as required by this notice will not be considered in our assessment. Background Information: The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are federally mandated food distribution programs which operate in the Food and Nutrition Service’s Midwest Region. The States include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The total quantity of product delivered to programs located in these States averages approximately 570,000 cases per year. Approximately 80 food items in household size packages must be available at all times to fill food orders. All food items must comply with the “Buy American” provisions contained in the Food Distribution Program regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), reference 7 CFR Part 250.23. The various food items have different temperature requirements, and the distributor must have the capability of making deliveries in vehicles that can handle food items with multiple temperature requirements. The food is delivered to approximately 51 different locations, some to remote locations such as Dowagiac, MI; Mahnomen, MN; and Bayfield WI. The food shipments will include primarily FDPIR and CSFP, with occasional shipments to other programs, such as TEFAP. The regulations for these programs may be found under the CFR; FDPIR (7 CFR Part 253) and CSFP (7 CFR Part 247). The CFR may be accessed at www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr. FDPIR is a federal program that provides commodity foods to low-income households living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations. Many Native Americans participate in the FDPIR as an alternative to the Food Stamp Program, usually because they do not have easy access to food stores. The CSFP supplements the diets of low-income, pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one-year postpartum, infants, children up to age six, and elderly people at least 60 years of age. TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost, usually through food banks, which, in turn, distribute the food to soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public. DISASTER FEEDING - On occasion, commodities are shipped from federal inventory for use in disaster assistance. USDA must be able to respond within 24 hours following a natural disaster. USDA provides commodity foods to shelters and mass feeding sites; distributes commodity food packages directly to households in need; and supplies food to disaster relief organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.