Pork and Ham products for use in Domestic Food Assistance Programs

This solicitation, numbered 12-3J14-26-B-0368, is a combined synopsis and invitation for bid issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service for pork and ham products intended for use in domestic food assistance programs. The acquisition is structured as a partial small business set-aside, encouraging participation from small business concerns while allowing larger firms to compete for a portion of the contract. Bids must be submitted by August 6, 2026, with the solicitation posted on July 28, 2026, and no separate written solicitation will be issued. The North American Industry Classification System code for this procurement is 311612, and all provisions and clauses are incorporated by reference through www.acquisition.gov. The contract will be awarded to a vendor capable of supplying the required products to the designated federal program, with performance tied to USDA’s needs across its domestic assistance initiatives. The USDA has established a formal process for resolving procurement disputes through its Ombudsman Program for Agency Protests, designed to offer an efficient internal alternative to external litigation. Interested parties are first encouraged to address concerns informally with the Contracting Officer, Chyra Lewis, or Carrie Meyers, and if unresolved, may escalate to the Ombudsman for an independent review. Formal protests must be filed in writing and include all information required under FAR 33.104(a)(3), and must be submitted to both the Ombudsman and the Contracting Officer via email before the deadlines specified in the FAR. Agency protests trigger an automatic suspension of contract award or performance unless an urgent exception is documented, and the USDA aims to resolve disputes within 35 calendar days. Filing a protest with the USDA prevents the protester from pursuing the same issue through the Government Accountability Office or any other external forum while the internal process remains active.