Measuring and Classifying Household Food Waste

This SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE is to determine the interest and technical capability of small businesses to perform the task described below. This notice is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the United States (U.S.) Government, nor will the U.S. Government pay for information solicited. The information from this notice will help the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS) plan their acquisition strategy.

Task Requirements

FNCS uses information on household food waste in the development of the USDA Food Plans: the Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans, which are developed with the assumption that 5, 10, 20, and 30 percent of purchased foods and beverages are not consumed, respectively, due to factors including plate waste and spoilage. The USDA Food Plans have included allowances for food waste since at least the creation of the Family Food Plans in 1962, however, these factors have not been recently updated.

To inform future reevaluations of the USDA Food Plans, FNCS is seeking a professional to develop and execute a methodology to address the following research topics:

• Measuring and classifying household food waste, particularly in how such waste varies by food category (e.g., fruits, vegetables, and grains) and by the forms in which foods and beverages are purchased (e.g., fresh, frozen, canned, and dried)
• Classification and measurement of the various types, sources, and/or mechanisms through which purchased foods and beverages are not consumed (e.g., plate waste and spoilage).
• Estimating of the current distribution of household food waste, especially among households that engage in best practices related to minimizing food waste.
• Assessing the association between household food waste and household characteristics, including but not limited to household income, food at home expenditures, size, and composition.

Capability Statement

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, NO SOLICITATION CURRENTLY EXISTS.

FNCS is conducting market research to identify qualified small business sources that can address the below questions in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502-2(b).  Specifically, interested firms responding to this notice must submit a capability statement demonstrating their experience, skills, and qualifications with projects of similar scope and size completed within the last five (5) years and describe in appropriate detail, competency in each of the following points (A through E).  The Capability statement shall not exceed twelve (12) pages total and shall provide sufficient enough detail that the Government can determine the experience and capability of your firm to fulfill the requirements. Expound, utilizing specific examples, on how the firm has undertaken and/or demonstrated the prerequisites listed below:

1. What experience do you have measuring and classifying household food waste?
2. What experience do you have developing methods to address novel research questions?
3. What experience do you have interpreting the existing literature on food loss and best practices in minimizing household food waste?
4. What experience do you have collecting data from households related to food and beverage acquisition, storage, preparation, use, and disposal?
5. What experience do you have organizing, documenting, and delivering data sets?

The capability statement needs to include a list of three customers (Government/non- Government) within the past 5-years highlighting work of a similar nature, scope, and complexity to the tasks described above.  The Government technical review team will then assess the experience and capabilities based on relevance to the described requirements.

Please specify one primary and one alternate Point of Contact (POC) within your firm, including telephone numbers and email addresses.  Interested firms responding to this Sources Sought Notice shall submit the following: Company name, address, point of contact, telephone number, email address, and Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), and NAICS code.  Provide business size and status, if appropriate, such as Small Business, Disadvantaged, 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB) Zone, Woman Owned, Minority Owned, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, or Other Than Small Business.  Provide contract vehicles you participate in such as General Services Administration (GSA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC), or any other vehicle.

Submission Requirements:

1. 1. Limit the length of the packages to 12 double spaced pages. Note: Packages over 12 pages will not be evaluated.
   2. 1-inch margins (top, bottom and sides)
   3. Times New Roman font - 12 point
   4. Page limitation does not include appendices, but contains 1 cover page or 1 letter of introduction page
   5. Do not include promotional materials

Only electronic copiesof capability statements will be accepted and should be emailed to: Danette Cole, Danette.Cole@usda.gov

The e-mail shall contain the following subject line: Response to Sources Sought Notice – Measuring and Classifying Household Food Waste.

A determination by the Government to proceed with the acquisition as a set-aside is within the discretion of the Government. If capability statements are not received from at least two responsible small businesses or if the Government determines that no small business concerns are capable of performing this requirement based upon an assessment of the capability statements submitted, the Government may proceed with a full and open competition.

Please submit all information to Danette Cole at Danette.Cole@usda.gov no later than March 22, 2024 by 12:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time.  NO TELEPHONE REQUESTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.