Insulated Shipping Containers

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is procuring specialized Sonoco Thermosafe insulated shipping containers and related materials for their Eastern Laboratory in Athens, Georgia and Midwestern Laboratory in St. Louis, Missouri. These custom containers must maintain frozen or refrigerated samples between 0-15°C for a minimum of 72 hours and feature unique USDA labeling, identification numbers, and self-sealing capabilities with velcro lining to support the agency's inspection activities under federal food safety acts. The procurement requires vendors to be authorized Sonoco Thermosafe resellers, as no other shipping containers on the market meet FSIS's specific technical requirements. The government will use a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable evaluation method to award a firm fixed price delivery order. Critical dates include a question submission deadline of September 11, 2025, government responses posted by September 12, 2025, and quotation submissions due by 12:00 p.m. Eastern on September 16, 2025.

This solicitation is set aside 100% for small businesses under NAICS code 322211 (Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing) with a size standard of 1,250 employees. The procurement involves substantial quantities of materials, including 2,000-3,456 container overwraps and hard gel packs for the Eastern Laboratory, and 250-28,000 units of various components including container overwraps, corrugated spacer pads, absorbent pads, and 125 large containers for the Midwestern Laboratory. Amendment 1, issued on September 12, 2025, corrected line item descriptions to specify "Large shipping containers without gel packs." All deliveries must be completed by December 31, 2025, with performance occurring at the Athens, Georgia location. The specialized nature of these Sonoco Thermosafe products allows FSIS to save money, reduce waste, and improve sample testing efficiency through the use of reusable containers.