Pre-Solicitation Notice - Independence Day Catering Service, the U.S. Embassy Ankara, Türkiye

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Türkiye, is preparing to procure catering services for the Independence Day Reception scheduled for 9 September 2026, from 14:00 to 17:00 at the garden of the U.S. Embassy Residence. This pre-solicitation notice indicates intent to issue a formal Request for Quotation (RFQ) on SAM.gov, but no solicitation is currently active, and no award has been made. The requirement is open to all responsible sources, with no set-aside or socioeconomic preferences applied, and no restrictions on brands or vendors. Offerors must propose freshly prepared catering that complies with Turkish food safety and health regulations and is sufficient for the expected number of guests. The award will follow the Lowest-Priced Technically Acceptable (LPTA) process, meaning the Government will select the lowest-priced offer among those deemed technically acceptable, without trade-offs between cost and non-price factors. Contract type will be firm-fixed-price, with no options or extended performance periods indicated. The place of performance is exclusively in Ankara, Türkiye, and no packaging, marking, or FOB terms are specified, as this is a service event rather than a delivery of goods. While the formal RFQ has not yet been issued, specific evaluation factors, weights, inspection criteria, and detailed performance schedules remain undefined and will be provided in the upcoming solicitation. The Government will conduct inspection and acceptance on-site at the Embassy residence, with responsibility resting solely with the contracting authority. Offerors will be required to meet identification requirements under FAR clauses 52.204-90 and 52.204-91, which serve as deviations from standard SAM.gov registration due to the overseas nature of the procurement. Registration in SAM.gov is not mandatory at this stage, but may be required upon issuance of the RFQ. Invoices will be submitted electronically after award, though the specific system (e.g., WAWF) has not been named. All submissions will be made via email, limited to 30 MB per message, with multiple emails permitted if labeled sequentially. The Procuring Contracting Officer is Sean Buckley, reachable at BuckleyST@state.gov, with the secondary point of contact being the U.S. Embassy Ankara Acquisitions Office at Ankara-GSO-Procurement-DL@state.gov. No contract value, line items, or payment details are available at this stage; these will be included in the official RFQ. The NAICS code is