Flour Products for use in Domestic Food Assistance Programs

The solicitation numbered 12-3J14-26-B-0257, issued by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), invites offers for flour products intended for use in Domestic Food Assistance Programs. This solicitation is a combined synopsis/solicitation issued as an Invitation for Bid (IFB), requesting responses by May 8, 2026, at 6:00 PM. It is partially set aside for small business concerns, encouraging such entities to participate, and includes provisions and clauses referenced electronically on acquisition.gov. The contracting office is based in Washington, DC, with Philip Helmer serving as the primary point of contact. The USDA emphasizes a fair, transparent, and timely procurement process facilitated through its Ombudsman Program for Agency Protests (OPAP). Interested parties who feel a solicitation is unfair are encouraged first to resolve issues with the Contracting Officer and then, if necessary, to engage the Ombudsman for an informal resolution process. If unresolved, formal protests may be filed, triggering an independent review and potentially suspending contract award or performance during the review period, unless urgent government interest requires otherwise. Protests must comply with FAR requirements, be timely filed, and be submitted electronically to the designated USDA contacts. By pursuing a USDA agency protest, protestors agree not to take up the same matter with external forums like the GAO until the internal protest is resolved.