Cacao Consultant for the Stabilization and Technical Oversight

The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service seeks a cacao consultant for stabilization and technical oversight at its Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, with quotations due August 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM Central Time and questions due August 24, 2026 at 12:00 PM Central Time. The Government intends to award on a single source basis; all timely responses will be considered, but competition determination rests solely at Government discretion.

Place of performance is Miami, Florida (13601 Old Cutler Road, Miami, FL 33158). The engagement is a 90-day, firm-fixed price requirements contract requiring 8 hours per week of on-site and remote work. The consultant must hold a Master's degree or higher in horticultural sciences, agribusiness, or a related field; possess 10 or more years of cacao cultivation experience; demonstrate expert-level proficiency in cacao grafting; and exhibit leadership and management capability.

Work comprises two phases. Phase 1 involves collection assessment and triage evaluating plant health status, cold damage impacts, pests, disease pressure, and nutritional deficiencies, with delivery of a Health Assessment Report categorizing each plant's condition (critical, declining, or stable) and an immediate triage action plan. Phase 2 requires stabilization oversight including weekly technical direction, hands-on interventions, recovery protocols for high-value selections, and monthly reports plus a recovery tracking dashboard. The consultant may transport plants requiring intensive care to their own nursery for rehabilitation before returning them to the field, and must provide preservation strategy recommendations and standard operating procedures.

The NAICS code is 111421 (Nursery and Tree Production) with a size standard of $3.25 million. Evaluation uses lowest price technically acceptable criteria, assessing technical approach for schedule capability and Statement of Work compliance, and rating past performance as acceptable, neutral, or unacceptable based on demonstrated ability to meet contract requirements, quality of work, timeliness, cost control, and contract adherence. Pine Island Nursery, represented by Erik Tieg, is identified as the proposed vendor due to real risk of mortality and loss of irreplaceable germplasm collection without their involvement.