Agricultural Marketing Service Designated Laboratory (ADL) Meat Testing Services

This is not a solicitation, but rather part of a market research effort to determine available sources and the feasibility of set-asides for small business contractors. This announcement does not commit the Government to the issuance of a solicitation or award of a contract. No contract award may be made based on the responses, as this source sought notice is for informational purposes only. The Government will not reimburse participants for information they provide. Information provided is strictly voluntary. No phone calls will be accepted or returned. Responses must be received within 10 calendar days of publication of this notice. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), is currently seeking sources to provide meat testing services for meat procured for the National School Lunch Program and other Federal food and nutrition assistance programs. Companies interested in competing for this requirement must submit a 1-2 page statement of capabilities detailing their ability to meet the below requirements (i.e., demonstrate their ability to provide the required meat testing services). This statement should include a Tax I.D. number, DUNS number, point of contact information, past performance and references regarding your ability to provide the required item. This statement shall be emailed to: james.sprandel@usda.gov with (ADL) Meat Testing Services Sources Sought Response in the subject line. The National American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this requirement is 541380 - Testing Laboratories. The largest a firm can be and still qualify as a small business under this NAICS code is $16.5 Million in average annual receipts. All responses to this announcement should specify if the firm is a small business according to this standard to assist AMS in determining future acquisition strategies. Meat Testing Requirement: The proposed meat testing requirement will be for an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a one-year base period and four one-year option periods for testing required on an as-needed basis, NTE approximately $15 million ($3 million per one-year period). Geographical location(s) of the testing laboratories is undetermined as of this time and will depend on the laboratory locations of the successful offerors of future synopsis/solicitations. The Government is flexible as to laboratory locations as long as they can meet the timeliness requirements of sample testing of AMS meat suppliers who are located in various locations across the United States. The following are the tests that will be required: Microbiological Testing Testing for all microbes as specified within the applicable AMS Federal Purchase Program Specifications (FPPS). Tests will be done for both presence and quantification level microbes. Testing for quantification levels of the following will be required: Aerobic (standard) plate counts Total Coliforms Generic Escherichia coli (E. coli), and The following presence-only tests will be required: Salmonella[1], and Shiga-toxigenic E. coli O157 (including 0157O157:H7 and O157:Non-Motile (NM)) Non-O157 Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (including O126, O111, O103, O121, O45, and O145) Fat Testing Requirements Samples will be tested for fat content as specified within the applicable AMS FPPS. Contractor(s) shall be responsible for providing the sampling procedures to all meat suppliers, conducting the required tests for microbiological and fat tests, and reporting the test results on a timely basis simultaneously to AMS and the meat supplier. All testing laboratories to be used by the contractors must meet the following accreditation standards: Documentation that the laboratory and methods used by the laboratory to perform testing for AMS Federal Purchase Program requirements are assessed for compliance with the quality system requirements for ISO/IEC 17025, General Requirements to Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories assessed for technical competency to perform specific tests ( including proficiency testing), and accredited by an accreditation body that is a signatory and in good standing with the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International ADL Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). The accreditation body must have technical expertise in the fields of biological/microbiological and chemical testing of meat and meat products. The ADL's scope of the accreditation must expressly include test methods in accordance with the requirements of this solicitation. ADLs shall stay current with their ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and shall provide the AMS Contracting Officer with up-to-date documentation (Certificate of Accreditation and Scope of Accreditation) of their ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. See Attached AMS FPPS and Contract Line Item Descriptions. [1] AMS may require enumeration of Salmonella at some point during the course of the contract. Contractor(s) shall describe its ability to do such testing.