RFI - Afghanistan Prime Vendor

Synopsis: This is a Request for Information (RFI). There is no solicitation available at this time. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this RFI, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing the information provided to the Government. This RFI does not constitute a commitment by the Government. Any information provided in response to this market survey will be used for informational purposes only and will not be released. Any proprietary information submitted will be protected if appropriately marked. Vendor participation is not a promise of future business with the Government. The purpose of this RFI is to conduct Market Research to identify potential avenues / zone specification / identification for supporting the Army and Air Force customers within the Afghanistan Area of Responsibility (AOR). Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP) is an agency of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). DLA provides supply support and logistics services to the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and other federal agencies (customers). The Subsistence Operations, a Directorate of DSCP, is planning to award a Subsistence Prime Vendor (SPV) five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract. The estimated solicitation issue is Spring 2010. The intended contract base period is anticipated to be 18 months with one 18 month option, and a final option period of 24 months. It is anticipated that there will be a ramp up period although the actual time for ramp up may be subject to change depending on Market Research findings. DSCP Subsistence Supplier Operations is seeking information with the intent to solicit and award a Subsistence Prime Vendor (SPV) service platform in Afghanistan. The SPV Program has been successfully implemented around the world. There are some Outside Continental United States (OCONUS) SPV open solicitations currently on the street. Interested vendors are encouraged to view active solicitations from other regions by visiting FedBizOps.gov. This will provide prospective offerors some idea of Contract Terms and Conditions, Statement of Work, Contract Administrative Data, Solicitation Provisions, Price Definitions, Rebates and Discounts Language, 832 requirements, Evaluation Criteria/ Past Performance and Reporting Requirements, etc. The SPV is the primary distribution channel (single distributor) for procurement and delivery of a full range of commercial and Government Furnished Material (GFM) food and beverage items in a geographical region. Customers order directly from the Prime Vendor via the Subsistence Total Ordering and Receipt Electronic System (STORES) with a scheduled delivery date (commonly referred to as Required Delivery Date (RDD). Dependent upon the specific customers, deliveries shall average 1-3 times per week to each customer, unless the customer and the prime vendor agree upon more or less frequent stops. The estimated annual dollar value is $780,000,000.00. Please note that the numbers of customers, frequency of ordering and dollar value are estimates and are subject to change. The SPV provides all Subsistence products for which it has been authorized to distribute by DSCP Subsistence (via STORES customer ordering catalogs). Designated contracting instruments include, but are not limited to, Manufacturer Pricing Agreements (MPAs) and National Allowance Pricing Agreements (NAPAs). All commercial items are brand name specific or generic products that are identified by a National Stock Number (NSN) or Local Stock Number (LSN). GFM items are generally ration type items. The offeror that is awarded the prime vendor contract under this solicitation may become a potential backup supplier for other prime vendors, including but not limited to prime vendors in the: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti, should a Prime Vendor be unable to support (for any reason) customers covered under its contract. Offeror's agreement to perform as a potential back-up is required. DSCP is required to have quantitative metrics to evaluate contractor performance. These include, but are not limited to, Contracting Officer Representative (COR) reports, food audit reports, Not in Stock (NIS) reports, Fill Rate, Rejection reports, CPARS and product recalls. One measure currently utilized under current contracts is fill rate. This measure only allows for inclusion of items defined as - usage items by the customer. The fill rate metric is calculated by number of cases delivered divided by number of cases ordered. DSCP is seeking ideas, recommendations, and other metrics based on commercial practices used for evaluating contractor performance. Your responses are requested by the close of business on January 13, 2009 and may be sent via mail or email. If email is your preferred source of transmission, we recommend that you look for a confirmation within 48 hours of submission by the point of contact provided below. Any responses received after this date may not be reviewed or considered in our contract formation process.