Grinding Equipment- USDA, ARS, Burlington, VT

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is seeking quotations for three pieces of grinding equipment: one Impeller Grinding Mill, one Blade Grinding Mill, and one NIRS Spectrometer through Solicitation 1232SA26Q0246. This is a firm-fixed price requirements contract for commercial items, and contractors must submit pricing for all three items to be considered responsive. The evaluation will follow lowest price technically acceptable criteria, assessing quotations based on price (including quantity discounts, prompt payment discounts, and shipping), technical acceptability (demonstrating products meet all salient characteristics with brand name, make, and model number), and past performance (rated as acceptable, neutral, or unacceptable). Only the lowest priced offer will be initially evaluated for technical acceptability and past performance; if deemed unacceptable on either criterion, evaluation continues with the next lowest priced offer. Questions must be submitted by March 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET, and quotations are due by March 11, 2026, with prices held firm for 90 calendar days from receipt date.

This is a Total Small Business Set-Aside with a small business size standard of 1,000 employees, meaning only small business concerns are eligible to submit quotations. All equipment must be delivered within 180 days of award to USDA-ARS, 105 Carrigan Drive, Patrick Leahy Building Room 212, Burlington, VT 05405 with F.O.B. destination. The Impeller Grinding Mill must process dry samples up to 15% moisture and 10% fat at a grinding rate of 4 g/s with 10,000 rpm impeller speed and handle sample sizes up to 40mm, while the Blade Grinding Mill must handle high-moisture, high-fat, and fibrous samples at 16,000 rpm with grinding times of 2-10 seconds. The NIRS Spectrometer must operate at wavelengths of 850-2500 nanometers in reflectance mode with analysis time under one minute per sample. No specific budget range or incumbent contractor information is provided in the solicitation materials.