New Mexico Army National Guard (NMARNG) Dining Facility (DFAC) Food Services

1. Introduction

This is a Sources Sought Notice / Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for market research and acquisition planning purposes. The New Mexico Army National Guard (NMARNG) is conducting market research to determine the availability, interest, and technical capability of qualified businesses—including Small Businesses, 8(a), HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB), and Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB)—to provide turnkey Dining Facility (DFAC) Food Services at the Santa Fe Training Complex.

DISCLAIMER: This notice does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB), or an obligation or commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or make an award. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting responses to this notice. All submissions become the property of the Government and will be used strictly for market research and acquisition strategy formulation.

Primary Focus – Industry Feedback on Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) CLIN Structuring & Billing:
A primary objective of this Sources Sought notice is to solicit industry feedback and market expertise regarding the most effective, commercially viable, and equitable Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structures and billing methodologies for Dining Facility (DFAC) Service Attendant operations. The Government intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Price contract and is seeking insights from experienced contractors on historical best practices, fixed-unit pricing models, and administrative efficiencies to inform our future acquisition strategy. Specifically, respondents are requested to provide feedback on how routine attendant duties, fluctuating patron volumes, operating hours, and surge requirements can best be captured within an FFP pricing schedule (such as monthly flat rates, tiered fixed pricing, or fixed unit prices) to minimize administrative burden and invoicing friction while maintaining performance stability. (See Section 4 for specific submission details and questions)

2. Background and Scope of Requirement

The 515th Regiment Regional Training Institute (RTI) operates a single dining facility located at 27A Bataan Blvd, Santa Fe, NM. The facility provides full food service support primarily to military students attending the Basic Leader Course (BLC), Motor Transport Operator Course (88M), and Officer Candidate School (OCS), as well as supporting unscheduled military exercises and contingency operations.

The contractor shall furnish all qualified management, labor, supervision, uniforms, and administrative support necessary to operate the dining facility in strict accordance with the Tri-Service Food Code (TB MED 530), Army Regulation (AR) 30-22, DA PAM 30-22, and OSHA standards. Note that this notice is issued as a standalone summary; a formal Performance Work Statement (PWS) is not attached.

Key Operational Details:

• Period of Performance: Anticipated four (4) years maximum, structured as one (1) 12-month Base Period and three (3) 12-month Option Periods.

• Operating Profile & Intermittent Schedule: Unlike standard garrison dining facilities that operate continuously year-round, services under this requirement are driven by an annual military training course calendar. Active operations involve intensive multi-week training cycles interspersed with multi-week periods of inactivity between courses.

• Annual Feeding Volume & Student Headcount:

  
  

  • The DFAC feeds approximately 800 to 1,000 Soldiers annually across training courses.

  • Maximum seating capacity per meal is 112 diners.

• Historical Course Breakdown & Estimated Demand:

  
  

  • Basic Leader Course (BLC): 8 to 10 classes per year; ~25 days per class; up to 80 students per class; 3 meals per day (~232 operational days annually).

  • Motor Transport Operator Course (88M): 5 classes per year; ~27 days per class; up to 24 students per class; 3 meals per day (~112 operational days annually).

  • Officer Candidate School (OCS): 8 to 11 classes per year; 2 to 3 days per class; up to 15 students per class; 3 meals per day (~30 operational days annually).

  • Total Estimated Footprint: Combined calendar results in approximately 248 active feeding days annually (~285 total operating days when including required prep days).

• Daily Operating Window: During active training days, the contractor must provide continuous 14-hour daily coverage. Typical meal serving hours are:

  
  

  • Breakfast: 0700 – 0800

  • Lunch: 1200 – 1300

  • Dinner: 1700 – 1800
    (Extended serving hours up to 24-hour operations may be required during contingency exercises or emergencies.)

• Pre-Cycle and Post-Cycle Days: For scheduled courses, contractor staff must perform prior to course start ("pre-cycle" for deep cleaning, food staging, and receiving subsistence deliveries) and following course completion ("post-cycle" for closeout sanitation, inventory reconciliation, and menu planning).

• Remote Site Feeding: When Soldiers conduct field training, the contractor must prepare, package into insulated containers, label, and stage complete hot and cold meals and beverages for Government pickup.

• Government-Furnished Property (GFP): The Government provides the physical DFAC structure, commercial kitchen equipment and heavy appliances (ranges, ovens, tilt skillets, walk-in coolers/freezers, warmers, commercial dishwashers), utilities (electric, water, gas, internet/phone), and potable water and ice.

• Subsistence (Joint AFMIS Accountability & Ordering): The Government directly places all subsistence orders and schedules deliveries through the DoD Subsistence Prime Vendor, incorporating contractor menu recommendations. The contractor is not responsible for the financial purchase of food. Once delivered, the contractor is responsible for receiving, offloading, inspecting, storing (per TB MED 530), and preparing all meals. The contractor works jointly with Government personnel (Contracting Officer's Representative and military DFAC management) to ensure strict subsistence accountability and inventory control within the automated Army Food Management Information System (AFMIS)—conducting physical counts, tracking daily headcounts and food waste, and performing joint reconciliations.

3. Capability Statement Requirements

Interested vendors are invited to submit a Capability Statement demonstrating their qualifications, experience, and resources to fulfill this requirement. Submissions must include the following information:

a. Company Profile

1. Company Name, Address, and Website.

2. Point of Contact (Name, Title, Telephone Number, and Email Address).

3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE Code.

4. Active registration status in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

5. Business Size and Socio-economic Designation under NAICS 722310 (Small Business size standard: $47.0M; e.g., Small Business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, Large Business).

b. Technical Capability & Relevant Experience

1. Institutional Food Service Experience: Summary of experience managing and staffing institutional, military, or high-volume dining operations under rigorous sanitation guidelines (e.g., TB MED 530 / FDA Food Code, ServSafe, HACCP).

2. Workforce Management & Retention Strategy: Explanation of your company’s approach to recruiting, vetting, training, and retaining a qualified, credentialed culinary workforce during multi-week lulls between active training courses, ensuring immediate 100% readiness upon course resumption.

3. Past Performance: Descriptions of up to three (3) past or current contracts of similar scope and complexity within the last five (5) years. Include contract number, agency/customer, dollar value, period of performance, and point of contact (email and telephone).

4. Industry Feedback: Contract Structuring & Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Billing Methodology

The Government is evaluating how best to structure a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract for this requirement. Because the training calendar includes fluctuating class sizes, varying meal headcounts, and multi-week periods of inactivity between courses, structuring standard flat monthly payments or single lump sums can lead to pricing distortions, unabsorbed overhead, or contractor risk.

The Government specifically requests that industry respondents provide insights and recommendations on the following billing and pricing questions:

1. Recommended CLIN & Pricing Structure: What Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) structure is most viable for this requirement under an FFP framework. In your response please be as descriptive as possible, the rational of your recommendation.

2. Handling Intermittent Gaps & Idle Periods: How should the contract structure account for periods when no courses are conducted (e.g., multi-week gaps in December or between summer terms) so that your firm can keep key personnel and staff employed without incurring excessive overhead costs?

3. Pre-Cycle and Post-Cycle Days: How do you recommend pricing and invoicing the time before and after each class cycle?

4. Surges, Unscheduled Services, and Remote Site Feeding: How can unscheduled mission surges or remote field meal prep (insulated container staging) be captured within a fixed-price schedule to ensure transparent, predictable ordering?

5. Invoicing Frequency: Based on your recommended pricing model, what billing cadence is cleanest for administrative tracking (e.g., monthly billing based on completed operational days/meals, bi-weekly, or per-course cycle)?

5. Submission Instructions

1. Submission Format: Capability statements and billing recommendations must be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word format, not exceeding ten (10) pages (inclusive of all sections).

2. Response Deadline: October 28th 2026 at 11:00 AM MST.

3. Submission Email: Send electronic submissions via email to:

   
   

   • Primary POC: Dangela Parsons,

   • Email Address: Dangela.l.parsons.civ@army.mil

4. Subject Line Convention:
   Sources Sought Response - 515th RTI DFAC Food Services - [Your Company Name]

5. Questions: Questions concerning this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted in writing via email no later than October 26th 2026 at 11:00 AM MST. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted.