Detainee Meals

NOTE: This Request for Information (RFI) is for conducting additional market research only and is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 and Subpart 15.201. The information provided herein is for information only. No solicitation document exists at this time. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or to issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government is under no obligation to pay for information submitted in response to this RFI, and responses to this notice cannot be accepted as offers. The contents herein are subject to change without notice. Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such. Background: Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Office of Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector has a requirement for a food service contract. There currently are no food preparation facilities within the CPC building. The CPC holds detainees that are classified as Unaccompanied Children (UAC) and/or Family Units (FMU). The USBP RGV Sector CPC holding facility is designed to house detainees for a few days before being transported out of the CPC. Each detainee is scheduled to receive three meals a day, which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, while in the custody of the USBP RGV Sector. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain information pertaining to industry's capability in providing solutions to the RGV Sector's meal requirements for detainees and Unaccompanied Minor Children (UACs Statement of Objectives: To determine industry capabilities to providing solutions to requirements described in the attached Statement of Work (SOW). What types of commercial meals do you produce and how they can be distributed. To determine industry capability to deploy large quantity of meals, a minimum of 50 meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) totaling 150 meals per day and a maximum of 1,500 (breakfast, lunch and dinner) totaling 4,500 meals per day. To determine potential vendors' capability to provide nutritional alternative meal options. To determine vendors' capability to sustain production and delivery capacity over a given period of time. - 1. Request for Information (RFI) Questions: Do you have the capability to provide the minimum number of meals within the specified time requirements? If yes, please elaborate on your proposed alternative option and nutritional value for each meal option? What is your sustainment production capability and delivery capacity over a given period of time; how many meals can you provide given appropriate notice? Recommended areas to address to ensure complete understanding: - o Do you have 24/7 customer service capabilities? - o Are you a manufacturer and/or wholesale distributor of proposed meal? - o What are your delivery capabilities? RFI Response Format: In order to better assist in the review of submittals to this RFI, respondents are encouraged to prepare a capabilities statement that closely adheres to the following format: The document format shall be either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins, and 8.5" by 11" paper and shall not exceed five (10) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. Respondents are encouraged to ensure that their submittals are complete and address all items outlined within this RFI. Respondents may provide additional promotional literature in addition to their response as long as the literature conforms to the response format. Submissions in response to this RFI shall not exceed 10 pages. Response Deadline and Point of Contact Information: CBP will only give consideration to submissions in response to this notice that are in the form of Microsoft Word and/or PDF (searchable format) documents attached to emails received no later than 5 PM EST, May 12, 2015, addressed to Teresa.Nechvatal@cbp.dhs.gov , Contract Specialist. Interested parties are requested to submit a statement of capability outlining past work that is related to this requirement. The statement of capability shall also include the information listed below: 1. Company Name/Division, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, FAX numbers, and website address (if available). 2. Single point-of-contact name, title, telephone, and email address. 3. DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), Product Service Code, and company structure. (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Please note that companies must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) to be considered potential sources (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/). 4. A statement addressing whether the company has an accounting system that has been determined adequate by DCAA or another cognizant audit agency for purposes of performing work on a Federal government cost type contract. 5. A statement addressing whether the company has a property management system that has been determined acceptable for use on a Federal government contract. 6. Applicable NAICS code under which the company customarily does business. 7. Business size for NAICS Codes _______ and ____________ and socio-economic status, if qualified as one or more of the following: a. 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA) b. Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA) c. Woman-Owned Small Business d. HUBZone firm (must be certified by SBA) e. Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (must be listed in the VetBiz Vendor Information pages) 8. If a teaming arrangement is contemplated, discuss potential team members. 9. A description of the firm's ability to perform the work and any other information you believe to be important and germane to the purposes of this RFI. The responses received will assist CBP with identifying the number and nature of the entities that consider themselves feasible technical solution providers, as well as any teaming arrangements that may evolve as a result of this requirement. Each respondent, by submitting a response, agrees that any cost incurred by it in responding to this request, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of respondent. CBP shall incur no obligations or liabilities whatsoever, to anyone, for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Industry Discussions Some respondents may be asked to provide additional information regarding the matters addressed in this RFI. Such requests will be provided approximately 4 weeks following the deadline to respond to this RFI. Those respondents will be contacted directly if there is a need for further information. Questions Respondents may submit questions regarding this RFI to the contact(s) listed below. Please send any questions you may have to the Contract Specialist, Teresa.Nechvatal@cbp.dhs.gov . Each question shall provide the section and page number of the particular item being referred to in this RFI.