Gases Cylinders and Cylinders Rental Blanket Purchase Agreement

This is a Sources Sought Announcement issued by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Research Service (ARS) for informational and planning purposes only. This is NOT a solicitation, nor is it an announcement for a forthcoming solicitation. Submission of any information in response to this notification is purely voluntary. The Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred in providing a response.

The USDA, ARS, SEA, Delta Water Management Research Unit, Jonesboro, AR location has a requirement for a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for supply and delivery of various cylinders gases, bulk CO2, N2O, CH4 and cylinder rentals from the company Airgas USA, LLC, and various parts including replacement valves, etc.

Purpose and Objectives: See attached Statement of Work (SOW).

Cylinders are the property of Airgas USA, LLC.

This is not a request for proposals, but instead market research to determine capable vendors prior to issuing a solicitation. A determination by the Government on the method of competing this requirement has not been established. The Government will not award a contract based on this Sources Sought Notice or the information received, nor will it reimburse participants for the information they provide. Responses to this notification will help to determine the acquisition strategy for any future solicitation.

Response Submission Instructions: Interested contractors are invited to submit a response to this sources sought notification on or before Monday, December 11, 2023, no later than 3:00 p.m. Central Time (CST). Response shall be emailed only to the attention of Melissa Santos, Contract Specialist, at melissa.santos@usda.gov.

Responses should be no more than ten pages and include the following information:

Organization Name;

Contact Name, e-mail address and phone number;

Organizations SAM UEI number and CAGE code;

Business size status for the applicable NAICS code;

A brief statement of Capability (no more than three pages) which demonstrates the ability to meet the specialized work requirements above. Include any past performance information on contracts of similar size and scope. Information provided will not be used as a part of any subsequent solicitation requirement.

Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. Interested contractors are instructed to provide only the data requested. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. No proprietary classified confidential or sensitive information shall be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any nonproprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). The USDA will not review any additional information. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s qualifications to perform the work. The government is not responsible for locating or securing any information not identified in the response. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation.