DRAFT SOW MRL.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work for

MRL Specialty Crop Quick Reference Sheets

Contents Project

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

2.0 Background

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

4.0 Deliverables / Schedule

5.0 Travel

6.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

7.0 Security Requirements

8.0 Data Rights

9.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

10.0 Place of Performance

11.0 Period of Performance

Project MRL Specialty Crop Quick Reference Sheets

General Information

1.0 Scope of Work

Through this contract, USDA will obtain access to up-to-date, comprehensive information on pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs) / import tolerances for U.S. specialty crop exports for different international markets. This contract will produce and maintain a total of sixty (60) commodity-specific informational MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS) for U.S.

specialty crops with information on MRLs approved in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, and additional export markets.

2.0 Background

MRL/tolerance represents the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food and/or feed when a pesticide is applied according to label directions (Good Agricultural Practices/GAP). Exported crops and products must meet MRL standards to be accepted in foreign destination markets. The Codex Alimentarius, an international standard-setting body jointly administered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, establishes science-based MRL standards for specific pesticide-commodity/crop combinations.

Many countries refer to the Codex Alimentarius standards and some also establish and enforce different national standards. This results in divergent MRLs or, in many cases, the absence of established MRL standards needed for trading some food and agricultural products and crops. The divergences in national standards, coupled with and frequent changes in these standards, create challenges for the international agricultural marketplace. Producers and exporters cannot assume that an MRL established by the United States and/or Codex Alimentarius will be accepted by any particular trading partner. This uncertainty can inhibit trade and result in the rejection of agricultural products upon arrival in the destination market. Such rejections can negatively affect the entire agricultural sector due to adverse publicity and increased testing requirements.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements

For the performance of this work, the contractor shall provide technical expertise, knowledge and support that includes:

• Experience with international pesticide MRL regulatory standards for agricultural and food products.

• Experience working with United States domestic and international pesticide MRL data and or MRL regulatory systems, including Codex.

• Experience working with agriculture and trade data sources. Examples include familiarity with the FAS Global

Agricultural Trade System (GATS) and the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics Services’ (NASS) Census of Agriculture and Agricultural Chemical Use Survey.

• Experience and ability to work with U.S. specialty crop exporters, either directly, through agricultural cooperatives, through USDA or land-grant university extension, or through another mechanism and experience in data presentation appropriate for technical and non-technical audiences.

3.1 Tasks

3.1.1 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS)

The contractor shall produce and maintain a total of sixty (60) crop-specific (i.e. one sheet for each crop or product) informational MRL Quick Reference Sheets for U.S. specialty crops with information on MRLs in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, and ten additional export markets. The sheets shall include a minimum of fifty (50) chemical compounds (unless fewer than 50 chemicals are registered domestically for that crop/use) used by growers in the United States for each crop as determined by consulting with growers and trade industry associations, as relevant for the particular crops.

These shall be disaggregated by active ingredient and contain information on the class of product (herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, etc.), and also include the trade names used in the United States. The sheets shall contain MRLs in parts per million in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, as well as Canada, European Union, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom and the top three additional foreign markets by dollar amount exported for each crop which are different from either U.S. or Codex MRLs. The contractor will validate the top markets with FAS and agriculture industry groups familiar with the crop.

The QRS shall include warning markings where foreign market MRLs are lower than U.S. tolerances and identify the top substances of concern for growers. The contractor shall develop the reference sheets for the fifty-three (53) crops listed in the table below, and seven (7) to be determined in consultation with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) during the course of the contract. FAS will provide the remaining seven (7) no later than six (6) months after the date of the award.

Crops/Products:

Crops/Products

1. Almond 17. Grapefruit 33. Pear 49. Tomatoes

2. Apple 18. Hazelnuts 34. Pecan 50. Walnut

3. Apricot 19. Hops 35. Peppers 51. Watermelon

4. Asparagus 20. Lemon 36. Pistachio 52. Wine grapes

5. Avocado 21. Lentil 37. Plum 53. Wine

6. Blueberry 22. Lettuce 38. Pomegranate

7. Broccoli 23. Lime 39. Potato

8. Cantaloupe 24. Macadamia 40. Prune

9. Cauliflower 25. Mandarins 41. Raisin

10. Celery 26. Nectarine 42. Raspberry

11. Cherry 27. Olive 43. Seed Potato

12. Coffee 28. Onion 44. Shallots

13. Cranberry 29. Orange 45. Strawberry

14. Dry beans 30. Papaya 46. Sweet potato

15. Fig 31. Pea 47. Table Grapes

16. Ginseng 32. Peach 48. Tangerines

The sheets and the underlying information will be submitted to USDA in Adobe® PDF format, for the purposes of publication on the USDA public facing website and through such other channels as USDA may deem fit, such as email. In addition, an editable version (not PDF) of the QRS will also be submitted to USDA. The data shall be inclusive of standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Codex Alimentarius, and MRL tolerances for those same compounds in selected key foreign markets, or their analogues.

The contractor will ensure the quick reference sheets are intuitive and easy to navigate, and that users are able to find the information needed without requiring any specialized technical knowledge, recognizing that the eventual target audience of specialty crop producers are, in general, not MRL experts. Each quick reference sheet shall also include links to the latest FAS Food and Agriculture Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS and FAIRS Certificate) reports for the relevant markets in each QRS, the links to the official source where the various markets’ MRLs are posted (if available online), a link to existing MRL resources in the United States so exporters can verify the latest data, and a link to the ASCE webpage (https://fas.usda.gov/programs/assisting-specialty-crop-exports-asce-initiative) for additional resources for specialty crops exporters.

Offerors shall be cognizant that there is not a single source of information for these data; even individual markets may not necessarily promulgate changes in a clear, transparent, or consistent manner. As such, offerors must demonstrate the ability to compile information from a variety of sources to determine the current status of MRLs in a particular market. Some information sources include the FAS Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) for U.S. agriculture export data (https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx?publish=1), the Regulatory Limits pesticide MRL database https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx?publish=1

(https://bcglobal.bryantchristie.com/db#/register), Codex Pesticides Residues in Food Online Database (https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/dbs/pestres/en/) and foreign market pesticide MRL compendia such as Canada’s Pesticide Product Information Database (https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html).

The sheets shall include the date of publication and clearly state “This MRL Quick Reference Sheet does not guarantee the acceptance of shipments to foreign markets and that the decision whether to ship and responsibility for shipping remains that of the shipper taking all relevant information into consideration.”

3.1.2 The Maintenance of MRL Quick Reference Sheets

The contractor shall ensure that the information provided in the quick reference sheets is current on a semi-annual basis, no later than (NLT) July 31st and January 25th each year for the length of the contract and each QRS shall contain a date to indicate when it was last confirmed. Each quick reference sheet shall note, where applicable, instances in which discrepancies have been reported between formal written requirements of particular markets and conditions experienced by agricultural traders in those markets.

3.1.3 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets User Guide

The contractor shall submit a brief (not more than 5 page) user guide, explaining the QRS categories, the data sources, and context for interpreting the data. The user guide shall clearly note that the sheets do not guarantee the acceptance of shipments to foreign markets and that the decision whether to ship and responsibility for shipping remains that of the shipper taking all relevant information into consideration.

3.1.4 Meetings and Discussions

The contractor shall participate in meetings or discussions with USDA/FAS pertinent to the work performed under this contract four (4) times per year. USDA will communicate the meeting date to the contractor 30 days in advance making efforts to schedule the meetings at a mutually agreeable time. Meetings shall be conducted virtually on any common web meeting platform, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

4.0 Deliverables / Schedule

Item No.

Deliverable / Item Title

Description Frequency Reference Delivery Format Due By

1 60 MRL Quick Reference Sheets created

PDFs are submitted to FAS, accessible, and current

On completion

Section 3.1.1 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

6 due within three months of date of award 18 due every three months thereafter

2 MRL Quick Reference Sheets validated and updated

PDFs are validated and updated

On completion

Section 3.1.2 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

Twice annually

3 MRL Quick Reference Sheets User Guide

Brief (not more than 5 page) user guide

On completion

Section 3.1.3 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

Within 3 months from date of award

4 Meetings or Discussions with

USDA

Meetings or discussions with USDA/FAS four times per year

4 times per year

Section 3.1.4 Virtually Scheduled date

5.0 Travel

Contractor travel is not required for the performance of this contract.

https://bcglobal.bryantchristie.com/db#/register https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/dbs/pestres/en/ https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html

6.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

USDA does not identify any key personnel for this contract. Offerors will be expected to demonstrate that they have the ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel for the performance of this work.

7.0 Security Requirements

All work under this contract is unclassified. No specific security requirements are applicable to this contract, beyond the industry standard requirements that would ordinarily apply to any such undertaking. Contractor personnel will not have access to any USDA network or computer system as part of this effort.

8.0 Data Rights

The MRL Quick Reference Sheets (PDF and editable version) products delivered to FAS will be consider property of the U.S. Government, will be published by USDA, and be made available to the general public.

9.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the contractor shall ensure, to the greatest extent technically practical, that MRL Quick Reference Sheets are accessible to persons with disabilities, including but not limited to persons who require the use of screen readers, and persons who are unable to use a mouse for navigation. More information about Section 508, including current standards, can be found at https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/

10.0 Place of Performance

All work will be performed consistent with the offeror’s normal business practices and policies; work at government facilities will not be authorized.

11.0 Period of Performance

Base Year: 07/01/2024 – 06/30/2025 Option Year 1: 07/01/2025 – 06/30/2026 Option Year 2: 07/01/2026 – 06/30/2027 Option Year 3: 07/01/2027 – 06/30/2028 Option Year 4: 07/01/2028 – 06/30/2029 https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/ https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/