USDA Pilot Project for the Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables

This solicitation is for a commercial item, performance-based, firm fixed-price contract. This solicitation shall be conducted under FAR Part 12 in conjunction with FAR Part 13 procedures. This solicitation is totally set-aside for small businesses.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) anticipates awarding a performance based firm fixed-price contract for a contractor to conduct a study to evaluate the impacts of the USDA Pilot Project for the Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, conducted in cooperation with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The study is designed to collect data from the eight (8) State agencies participating in the pilot program in each school year. It is the intent to issue a contract for two years of data collection (School Year 2015-16 and School Year 2016-17) with optional data collection to occur the following two school years, if the pilot project continues. The study will provide quantitative and qualitative information on the impact of the pilot program on the following: (1) quantity and cost of each type of fruit and vegetable purchased in pilot States; (2) the pilot States' unprocessed fruit and vegetable procurement operations and States' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of those procurements.

The base period of performance will be twenty-four (24) months from the date of award with two (2) additional twelve (12) month option periods. Total period of performance, if options are exercised will be four (4) years.

Please send questions regarding the solicitation via e-mail to Kevin Alexander at Kevin.Alexander@fns.usda.gov and Thu Vo at Thu.Vo@fns.usda.gov. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be received by June 25, 2015 NLT 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.