FSA Food Aid Marine Cargo Survey Services

The United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency has awarded a Master Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for marine cargo survey services to support United States Agency for International Development (USAID) food aid shipments. The contract enables third-party inspection and documentation of food aid cargo unloading across eight international locations, including Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Senegal, Central America, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania. These survey services are designed to ensure the proper handling, condition, and delivery of humanitarian food aid shipments under the P.L. 480 Title II program.

Task orders under this contract are consistently small-dollar, firm fixed-price delivery orders ranging from $970 to $10,349, with typical durations spanning several months. The task orders specifically focus on container devanning and marine cargo inspection services at international ports, with a primary emphasis on South Africa and other designated countries. None of the task orders utilized small business set-asides, suggesting the work may be performed by larger international logistics and surveying firms. The primary funding source appears to be USAID, with task orders consistently described as supporting "USG Food Donations" and P.L. 480 Title II food aid programs. The contract's original award date was April 1, 2017, with a last ordering date of September 30, 2019, indicating a time-limited procurement vehicle for specialized food aid logistics support services.