Soil Fertility Testing IDIQ

This contract is a Firm-Fixed-Price Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) award for soil fertility testing under the USDA Agricultural Research Service, solicited under number 1232SA26Q0625 and set aside entirely for small businesses as defined by NAICS code 541380. The contract has a base period with an optional one-year extension, allowing for a minimum of 90 and maximum of 1,000 soil sample analyses throughout the ordering period, with deliveries and performance occurring at the Pullman, Washington location. Offers are evaluated under a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) methodology, where price acts as the primary screening criterion—only the lowest-priced quotation advances to technical and past performance assessments, which are binary pass/fail evaluations. Technical acceptability requires strict adherence to USDA analytical protocols for 14 specified soil properties, compliance with accreditation standards from NAPT or ALTA, and delivery of results with a Certificate of Conformance within 90 days of sample receipt. The contractor must designate a Prime Contractor Representative with full authority to act on contract matters and ensure that only trained personnel conduct testing. Data handling is tightly controlled: all results must be transmitted electronically, with no sharing of landowner Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and full compliance with privacy training requirements under FAR 52.224-3 and the Geospatial Data Act. Security of information systems is enforced through clauses mandating basic safeguarding practices and prohibiting unauthorized access, network monitoring, or third-party restrictions. Payment must be submitted electronically through the Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform, and no physical submissions or hard copies are accepted. Offerors must hold a valid Unique Entity ID, certify small business status through multiple FAR clauses, and affirm compliance with anti-discrimination, DEI, and ethical conduct requirements, including prohibitions against incentivizing confidential internal agreements and trafficking in persons. The contract incorporates standard commercial clauses regarding subcontracting, payment, whistleblowing, and labor standards, and requires all proposals to be emailed as a single package including the completed SF1449, Performance Work Statement, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, and Certificate of Conformance, with the solicitation number included in the subject line.