FY26 Tractor Lease with Four Option Years

The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) is soliciting quotations for a tractor lease agreement through Request for Quotation (RFQ) number 1232SA26Q0248. The procurement seeks to lease three new agricultural tractors—two Case IH Magnum 405 AFS Connect tractors (or equivalents) with 340+ horsepower and one Case IH Magnum 295 AFS Connect tractor (or equivalent) with 295+ horsepower—to support the Prairie du Sac research station in Wisconsin. Critical requirements include 4-wheel drive configuration with dual tires, power shift transmissions, open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for seamless ISO controller data transfer across platforms, CAB4 heavy-duty drawbars, suspended front axles, and high-capacity hydraulic systems. The tractors must be capable of hauling Jamesway triaxle manure tankers and interfacing with fertilizer applicators and pesticide sprayers. Award will be made to the single offeror providing the best value based on comparative evaluation of relevant experience, past performance (assessed using three contract references from the preceding three to five years), technical approach (including a four-page maximum plan for docketing, tracking, paying, and reporting), and pricing. Quotations must be submitted by March 6, 2026, with technical questions due to Dennis Hancock (dennis.hancock@usda.gov) and contract questions to Tucker Davis (tucker.davis@usda.gov) by March 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM EST, and completed Past Performance Questionnaires must be returned by March 6, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST.

This acquisition is designated as a Total Small Business Set-Aside with a small business size standard of 1,250 employees, meaning only small business concerns are eligible to compete. No incumbent contractor information is provided in the solicitation documents. The lease agreement spans a one-year base period (March 10, 2026 through March 9, 2027) with four optional one-year renewal periods extending through March 9, 2031, resulting in a potential five-year contract duration. The lease must include annual service with 48-hour response times, full warranty coverage, replacement with new machines at the beginning of each option year, and all operating costs except GPS accuracy subscriptions, with usage limited to 600 hours per year per tractor and an annual usage cap of 1,800 hours across all three tractors. Delivery to the MWA U.S. DFRC Research Farm located at S8822 Sunset Drive, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, is required before March 10, 2026, with all quotation prices to be held firm for 60 calendar days from the offer receipt date.