12319826R5000 Retailer Investigations

The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service seeks nonpersonal investigative services to support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailer investigations, with proposals due July 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time and questions due June 22. The solicitation is unrestricted and open to all responsible sources.

Place of performance is nationwide across two regional assignments: Eastern Region (24 states and territories) and Western Region (26 states and territories). The Government will award two separate firm-fixed-price requirements contracts, one per region, with a one-year base period and four one-year option periods. Offerors may propose on both regions but will receive award for only one. Base year investigative passes are estimated at 23,410 per region, increasing 3 percent annually to 26,347 passes in Option Year Four. Travel costs are reimbursed on a cost-reimbursement basis not to exceed $100,000 annually with no profit or markup allowed.

Investigators must possess a minimum of five years of investigative experience, U.S. citizenship, valid state driver's licenses, and successful background screening including criminal history checks and drug testing. All contractor personnel require National Agency Check Inquiries (NACI) Tier 1 background investigations. Key personnel designated as Program Manager and Alternate Program Manager must hold bachelor's degrees and possess minimum five years each of investigative and senior management experience, with availability during core hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. Contractors must maintain multilingual investigative staff capabilities and ensure all personnel meet individual state licensing requirements. Investigators must be bona fide employees; subcontractors, 1099 workers, and temporary staffing agency personnel are prohibited.

Deliverables include daily investigative results submissions within 24 hours of completion, case reports within 12 calendar days of the last pass, and monthly management reports due by the 5th of each month. Performance standards require 95 percent acceptable quality levels for timeliness and quality, investigations completed within 30 days of assignment, a minimum 90 percent sanctionable attempt rate, and a 60 percent trafficking attempt rate. The Government provides access to FNA data systems and Electronic Benefit Transfer cards but furnishes no facilities, workspace, or equipment.

Proposals must be submitted in three separate volumes: Technical Proposal (maximum 25 pages, 12-point Times New Roman font), Past Performance (three references from the past three of five years), and Price Proposal using the Government-supplied Excel spreadsheet. Service Contract Labor Standards apply with wage determinations required by region from sam.gov. Evaluation uses a Highest Technically Rated with Fair and Reasonable Price approach, with Technical Approach as the primary factor, followed by Past Performance and Price. NAICS code is 561611; PSC code is R499.