Frozen Potato and Vegetable Products for Domestic Food Assistance Programs

This solicitation, numbered 12-3J14-26-B-0330, is a combined synopsis and invitation for bids for Frozen Vegetable Products intended for domestic food assistance programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The acquisition is open to all interested vendors without set-aside status for small businesses, and the solicitation is issued under NAICS code 311411 for food manufacturing. Offers must be submitted by the deadline of July 28, 2026, and all terms, conditions, provisions, and clauses are incorporated by reference, with full text accessible via www.acquisition.gov. The contracting office is located in Washington, D.C., with Claudius Price as the primary point of contact and David Cottrell as secondary, and all responses must be directed through the SAM.gov portal. The USDA has established an internal Agency Protests Ombudsman Program to resolve procurement disputes efficiently without resorting to external litigation. Parties with concerns are first encouraged to engage informally with the Contracting Officer, and if unresolved, may escalate to the Ombudsman for an independent review. Formal protests must be submitted electronically to SPE.inquiry@usda.gov and the Contracting Officer, include all information required by FAR 33.104(a)(3), and adhere strictly to timing requirements. Once a protest is filed with USDA, the protester waives the right to pursue the same issue with the Government Accountability Office or any other external forum until the agency process concludes. The agency aims to resolve formal protests within 35 calendar days, and contract performance may be suspended during this period unless the government demonstrates urgent, compelling, or overriding interests to continue.