IDIQ for Proficiency Samples for all FSIS labs

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is procuring, through the OCP Service and Supply Division in Kansas City, Missouri, an IDIQ contract for meat-based proficiency testing samples for FSIS laboratories under Solicitation 124PSA27Q0017, with questions due November 19, 2026. This is a Total Small Business set-aside, issued as a commercial-item RFQ under FAR Part 12 with a NAICS 541380 size standard of $19 million, and it will be awarded on a lowest price technically acceptable basis.

Deliveries go to the Eastern Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, the Midwestern Laboratory in Normandy, Missouri, and the Western Laboratory in Albany, California, on F.O.B. destination terms with early deliveries accepted. No contractor facility access is required, and travel is not applicable.

The contractor must be an ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing provider and maintain that accreditation throughout performance. Sample sets for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and sanitary indicators must be delivered to all three laboratories at least twice per year, with positive and negative controls, verified homogeneity and stability, traceable temperature-controlled packaging, and written instructions. Per the SOW, food chemistry samples (fat, protein, salt, moisture) are required for the Eastern Laboratory only. An annual PT event schedule is due at the start of each calendar year, and a final PT event report is due within three months of final result submission. The contractor must protect laboratory data confidentially and comply with USDA/FSIS data rights policies and Section 508.

The base period runs January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027, with four one-year option periods through 2031.

Offerors price six sample categories across the three laboratories on the Schedule of Items, each with an associated shipping charge. The attached schedule is a blank template. Quotations must include the Unique Entity ID, vendor point of contact, country of origin, mailing and remittance addresses, and applicable discounts. The RFQ text sets the quotation deadline at December 1, 2026, 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, by email to alexis.galloway@usda.gov, while the structured due date reads December 12, 2026. Evaluators assess only the lowest-priced offer for technical acceptability and move to the next lowest-priced offer only if that offer receives an unacceptable rating. Buy American requirements apply, and payment is by electronic funds transfer through SAM.