Pasta Products and Mac and Cheese for use in Domestic Food Assistance Programs

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is soliciting bids for Pasta Products and Mac and Cheese to support domestic food assistance programs under Solicitation Number 12-3J14-26-B-0344, issued as an Invitation for Bid with no small business set-aside. The solicitation, posted on July 17, 2026, closes on July 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET, and is governed under the AMS Master Invitation for Bids for Domestic Commodity Procurement. Offers must comply with applicable provisions and clauses accessible via acquisition.gov, and bids will be evaluated without regard to business size. The contract is for commercial products to be delivered to federal nutrition assistance programs, with performance locations not specified beyond the issuing agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The procurement process includes a formal protest mechanism overseen by the USDA Ombudsman Program for Agency Protests, designed to resolve disputes internally before external litigation. Interested parties are expected to first engage informally with the Contracting Officer, and if unresolved, may escalate to a formal protest filed with either the Contracting Officer or the Ombudsman. Formal protests must include required documentation as outlined in FAR 33.104(a)(3), be submitted electronically to SPE.inquiry@usda.gov and the Contracting Officer, and adhere to prescribed timelines. Upon submission, contract award or performance will be suspended unless the government provides written justification for continued execution. Protest resolution is targeted within 35 calendar days, and filing a protest with USDA precludes parallel proceedings with the Government Accountability Office or any other external forum. Primary point of contact is Laura Krupka, with Philip Helmer as secondary contact, both reachable via USDA email.