Grass-Alfalfa and Timothy Hay Cubes IDIQ

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation number 12505B23Q0274 is issued as a request for quote (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2023-04. The associated NAICS code is 111940 - Hay Farming, with a small business size standard of less than $2.5 Million and the PSC code is 8710. This solicitation is a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside. The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has need of the following products: 001) Grass-Alfalfa Hay Cubes 002) Timothy Hay Cubes Scope of Work: The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS) Midwest Area (MWA) Administrative Office's Acquisitions & Personal Property/Fleet Team on behalf of the USDA-ARS Animal Resources Unit of the National Animal Disease Center (NADC) located at 1920 Dayton Avenue, Building 13, Ames, IA 50010 is requesting quotes for grass-alfalfa hay cubes and timothy hay cubes with delivery coverage of 09/08/2023 through 09/07/2024. Background: The mission of the USDA-National Animal Disease Center Animal Resources unit in Ames, IA is to provide animal care and support services for internal users that rely on animal products for research, testing and training. Fresh, clean, high-quality feed is critical to support animal health and well-being of a variety of animals used in laboratory research at the USDA Laboratories in Ames, IA. Since diet is an essential control factor necessary in the Center's research, no substitution or deviation from the specifications is permissible without approval from the USDA. Only Clean, high-quality ingredients are to be used. Combining/Blending with like ingredients of low quality or possible contamination is not acceptable. This would include but not limited to mold and mycotoxins within feed ingredients. Technical Requirements: Specifications for Hay Cubes Anticipated usage: (1) Grass-Alfalfa Hay Cubes - Minimum 20 tons and not to exceed 90 tons. (2) Timothy Hay Cubes - Minimum 0 tons and not to exceed 75 tons. Item 1 - Grass-Alfalfa cubes: Content shall be a mixture of grasses (minimum 40%, maximum 75%) and alfalfa (minimum 25%, maximum 60%). Grasses shall be brome, orchard, and/or timothy. Protein content shall be no less than 11% and moisture content shall be no more than 13.0% and not less than 11.5%. Crude fiber shall be less than 33%. Item 2 - Timothy cubes: Content shall be timothy grass only. Protein content shall be no less than 7% and moisture content shall be no more than 13.0% and not less than 11.5%. Crude fiber shall be less than 35%. The minimal guaranteed protein. Crude Fiber and Moisture content of the cubes in percent shall be placed on a tag attached to the bag or stamped on the bag. Hay shall not contain injurious foreign materials. The cubes shall be approximately 2 inches long x 1.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick. The cubes shall be delivered in multi-walled bags that shall not be less than 50/50 all-natural Kraft paper only (Plastic liners are not allowed.). Individual bag weight shall not exceed 60 pounds nor be less than 40 pounds (ideally 50 pounds). All bags within the same shipment must be consistent (NTE 1 pound difference) and shall not be tied with, nor contain wire, or backing boards or any other nonflammable materials. Bag size shall be approximately 20 inches wide x 5 inches deep and 38 inches long to facilitate stacking. Only new bags shall be used. The hay cubes shall be made in the field during haying season or hay baled directly off field and stored/processed in clean facilities free of possible contaminates. Hay cubes shall be cured in a ventilated building, a minimum of twenty (20) days prior to bagging. All fines shall be screened prior to or during the bagging process. The cubes shall be bagged in the same facility as they are cured in. Hay Cubes must have been manufactured NTE 120 days from delivery. NOTE: The hay cubes will be used to feed animals in the conduction of research. Since diet is an essential control factor necessary in the Center's research, no substitution or deviation from the formulations is permissible without approval from the USDA. Only clean, high-quality ingredients are to be used. Combining/Blending with like ingredients of low quality or possible contamination is not acceptable. This would include but not limited to mold and mycotoxins within feed ingredients. Hay Cubes should not contain: Antibiotics Hormones Chemical growth promotants Animal Products or by-products Bactericides, Bacteriostats or Coccidiostats If the mill to be used has processed feeds containing any of these materials prior to processing Government feed, it shall be flushed with at least two tons of feed which does not contain any of the above-mentioned additives immediately before processing. This is to be done at the expense of the Contractor. Security Requirements: Contractor will require state-issued identification to gain access to the facility for escorted delivery to the feed storage building. The following rules and regulations apply to all property at the NCAH, Ames, Iowa, under the custody of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and to all persons entering on such property. Admission to Property: The campus is closed to the general public. Admission to the facility is restricted to authorized persons and approved visitors. Upon entry, visitors: Will be required to present Government or other identifying credentials to the Officer at the Visitor Gate (photo driver's license, passport, or other official photo identification). Will be issued a visitor's badge and must wear and display the badge at all times while visiting the facilities. Delivery Requirements: Deliveries shall be made from the plant in which the hay cubes are manufactured and bagged in clean, closed vehicles not used in the transportation of livestock. Each shipment shall be made as through shipment to the National Animal Disease Center (NADC) without transfer from truck to truck or trailer or through terminals and unloaded at location specified by the NADC. Shipment by rail is not acceptable. Deliveries shall be made to: USDA, ARS, MWA, NADC, 1920 Dayton Avenue, Building 13, Ames, Iowa 50010. Deliveries shall be made during normal business hours of 7:30 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. (CST) Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. If the Monday is a Federal Holiday or the Observance of the Federal Holiday, then the delivery will be made on Tuesday of that week. The Contractor shall make deliveries within ten (10) working days after receipt of a written order from an authorized Government employee. Partial deliveries of a minimum quantity may be requested. Contractor to confirm delivery timeline within 3 business days of placement of order. It will be requested that contractor call - TBD at time of award prior to delivery. The Contractor shall provide all resourced necessary to accomplish the tasks and deliverables described in the Statement of Work. The Contractor shall assure that the material conforms to the specifications in the contract prior to delivery. Upon delivery, at destination, the Government reserves the right to reject any or all parts of a shipment, if in the opinion of the Government, does not meet the requirements contained herein. Bags that are torn so that hay cubes are exposed on arrival at the NADC will not be accepted for use. The Government reserves the right to inspect the processing and storage plant of hay cubes before, or any time after, the contract is consummated. Final inspection will be made at destination for condition and quality. Bags shall be loaded and delivered on returnable or disposable pallets so that hay cubes can be unloaded by a Government Forklift Operator at the Government facility. If returnable pallets are used, they shall be provided at no additional cost to the Government and the Contractor shall be responsible for pick-up and return of these pallets after delivery. It is required by the ICC that both the empty and loaded weight must be obtained from the same weighing station. The Contractor shall provide the Government with a certified copy of the loaded weight ticket at the time of each delivery, which must be obtained at an Official Weighing Station with the firm's name inscribed on the weigh ticket. A DELIVERY TICKET must accompany the weigh ticket also, allowing for a signature of a person making the delivery and a signature of government personnel receiving the hay cubes. The delivery ticket must list the number of tons per load. A delivery ticket must be presented with each delivery (allowing for a signature of person making the delivery and signature of Government personnel receiving the delivery) and must list the number of bags. NOTE: Exception to weigh tickets would be for bags that have certified equal weights and each bag is marked, thus weigh tickets would not be required. If weigh tickets are not presented, the Government reserves the right to weigh random bags upon delivery. Period of Coverage: 09/08/2023 through 09/07/2024. Key Deliverables: Grass-Alfalfa Hay Cubes; Minimum: 20 tons, Maximum: 95 tons. Timothy Hay Cubes; Minimum: 0 tons, Maximum: 70 tons. Evaluation Factors: Pursuant to FAR 52.212-2, the criteria for evaluation and basis for award will be Lowest Price, Technically Acceptable (LPTA). Technical acceptable is define as meeting ALL of the technical requirements identified on the Statement of Work and reiterated in the solicitation description. The Government intends to make one Firm-Fixed Price award based on the lowest price technically acceptable (LPTA) quote received. "LPTA" means the best value is expected to result from selection of the technically acceptable quote with the lowest evaluated price. The lowest priced quote will be evaluated first; if NOT found technically acceptable, the next lowest priced quote will be evaluated, and so on until a technically acceptable quote is identified. The Government will NOT review higher priced quotes if the lowest (or a lower) priced quote is determined to be technically acceptable. Submitting a Quote: Failure to demonstrate compliance with ALL instructions presented herein will constitute sufficient cause to reject a quote without further discussions. All responsible sources may submit a quote which will be put into considered for award. Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote in accordance with FAR 52.212-1. The applicable FAR clauses and provisions for this acquisition are included in the attachments to this solicitation. The Government anticipates making one Firm-Fixed Price award. Vendors responding to this announcement shall submit their quote along with all other requested and required documentation (such as completed FAR provisions) to be included as part of ALL offeror's responses. The quote should include any and all fees, charges, and/or surcharges. This will be a tax-exempt purchase. The solicitation attachments include FAR clauses, a Statement of Work, and FAR provisions. Be sure to read and review ALL of the attachments and to complete any and ALL additional documentation required as part of your quote submission. Of critical importance is to review the SOW as it contains the requirements for this acquisition. In addition, all submissions should include the FAR clauses and provisions completed in their entirety. The FAR clauses and provisions constitute the terms and conditions for submitting a quote in response to this solicitation as well as the terms and conditions of the anticipated award. The FAR provisions apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes. The FAR clauses apply to the solicitation and submission of quotes as well as to the resulting award. The FAR clauses will be included as part of the resulting award. Please review ALL of the FAR clauses and provisions and be certain to complete all of the FAR clauses and provisions that require the offerors impute (i.e. all boxes are checked, blanks are filled in, and tables are completed). Please provide a completed copy of the FAR provisions FAR 52.204-24 (Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment) and FAR 52.212-3 (Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Products and Commercial Services), with all quote. Please ensure your quote will be current and that the price quoted will NOT expire for a minimum of 30 days. To be eligible to be put into consideration for award, ALL vendors who respond to this solicitation must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration at the time their quote is submitted. A vendor can contact SAM by calling +1 (555) 000-0000 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required in order to register. Vendors must also include their UEI# on their quote. Vendors should also include their SAM status as well as the business size and socio-economic status(es) for the applicable NAICS code. Also, be certain all quotes included your full legal name, physical address, individual unit prices for all items quoted, the total quoted price, the quote submission date, the quote expiration date, and all other relevant information. The submission and payment of invoices on the resulting award will be made through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). As such, vendors must be currently registered or register in IPP in order to be able to submit and receive payment on invoices for the resulting award. Questions in regards to this combined synopsis/solicitation must be submitted through email to contact@example.gov (NO calls with questions will be accepted) and are due by NO later than Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). Answers to any questions received by that time will be posted as an amendment to this combined synopsis/solicitation. No questions will be answered after this date unless determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Only electronic submissions made via email will be accepted (NO verbal quotes made by phone call, quotes submitted by USPS mail, or quotes submitted in the body of an email). Please email all quotes in writing along with completed FAR provisions as well as ALL other requested and required documentation to contact@example.gov by NO later than Monday, August 21, 2023 at 11:59 PM Central Time (CT). NOTE: Be absolutely certain to reference the RFQ number - 12505B23Q0274 and/or title of the solicitation - Grass-Alfalfa and Timothy Hay Cubes IDIQ in the subject, body, and/or attachments on your quote submission email to ensure your submission can be located and attributed to this solicitation. Failure to do so could potentially result in your submission being deemed - unresponsive and as a result your quote may NOT be put into consideration for award (as your quote may NOT be located when searching the recipients email to ensure all responses to the solicitation have been logged before making an award determination).