Evaporative Cooling Specialty Supplies

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) as part of a market research initiative to identify domestic manufacturers and vendors capable of supplying specialty evaporative cooling products. The agency is seeking information on the availability of five specific items: Cooling Hat Liner (FSIS-98), Evaporative Cooling Hard Hat Brow Pad (FSIS-98A), Evaporative Cooling Hard Hat Pad (FSIS-99), Evaporative Cooling Bandana (FSIS-100), and Miracool Tie Hat or equivalent (FSIS-101). A primary objective of this market research is to confirm the country of origin and verify compliance with the Buy American Act (BAA) or Trade Agreements Act (TAA) as applicable. Interested vendors must submit a capability statement and complete vendor product profile for each item, including country of origin confirmation, BAA compliance status, lead times, and technical specifications. The response deadline is 4:00 PM EST on May 4, 2026, with submissions to be directed to Angela Carey at angela.carey@usda.gov.

This pre-solicitation notice carries no small business set-aside designation at this time. No incumbent contractor or award value has been identified in the notice, as this is preliminary market research rather than a formal solicitation. The government will use the information gathered from this RFI to determine whether the requirement can subsequently be set aside for small businesses or whether a waiver for domestic preference requirements may be necessary due to insufficient American-made product availability. Vendors should be prepared to demonstrate their business size classification and provide documentation supporting their country of origin claims and compliance with applicable trade legislation. While this RFI does not constitute a promise to issue a formal solicitation, interested parties should respond promptly to position themselves for potential future contracting opportunities with FSIS.