Advisory Services for Nursery Crop Insurance Program for Subtropical and Temperate Plants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and Risk Management Agency are seeking advisory services for the Nursery Value Select Pilot Crop Insurance Program, which focuses on subtropical and temperate plants. A qualified contractor must provide horticultural expertise to support RMA personnel across all 10 Regional Offices, offering guidance on nursery plant production practices, plant classification and taxonomy, hardiness zone limitations, storage procedures, risk assessment, wholesale marketing, and crop insurance procedures. Key requirements include attending RMA and industry meetings as needed, participating in large claims evaluations, and maintaining current knowledge of program modifications while ensuring strict confidentiality of government information and avoiding organizational conflicts of interest. The award will be made using a tradeoff evaluation process in which Technical Capability and Past Performance are weighted equally and considered significantly more important than Price, with all quoters required to achieve at least a "Meets Expectations" rating on non-price factors to be eligible for award. Critical deadlines include April 6, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time for submission of questions and April 15, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time for quote submissions to the designated USDA contacts.

This is a 100% Small Business Set Aside procurement with no incumbent contractor identified in the available documentation. The contract will be structured as a labor-hour agreement with an estimated utilization of approximately 380 hours per year, plus travel costs capped at $1,250 annually on a time and materials basis. The base period of performance runs from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, with two optional one-year renewal periods available for a potential maximum contract duration of three years. Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) prior to quote submission and should be classified under NAICS code 541611 (Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services) with a size standard of $24.5 Million. Specific pricing information has not been disclosed in advance, as quoters must submit their hourly rates and travel cost estimates using the provided Price Schedule document.