SOURCES SOUGHT - Soil Sample Analysis

The USDA Agricultural Research Service is conducting market research through a Sources Sought notice to evaluate the availability of qualified contractors capable of performing soil sample analysis for a proposed project centered around the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE) initiative. The requirement involves analyzing approximately 10,000 soil samples collected from farms across all 50 U.S. states, with results needed within 90 days of sample receipt. Interested parties, regardless of business size, are invited to respond by submitting the completed 1232SA26Q0499 Capability Survey form, which serves as the minimum requirement, along with any supporting statements demonstrating technical expertise in the specified analytical methods. The Government will use responses solely to determine whether to restrict future competition to small businesses or proceed with full and open bidding; no award will be made based on this notice, and no compensation will be provided for response preparation. The project requires contractors to hold current accreditation from NAPT, ALTA, or an equivalent program, demonstrate at least two years of commercial experience in each required analytical method, and comply with strict quality assurance standards including a 100% acceptable quality level and adherence to approved protocols such as dry combustion for total carbon and nitrogen and the Yoder method for aggregate stability. All analyses must follow non-substitutable methods without modification, and results must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformance as prescribed by FAR 52.246-15. The contractor will be responsible for shipping samples from the USDA facility in Columbia, Missouri, under a firm-fixed-price model, bearing all associated shipping costs, and must comply with data privacy requirements, including strict prohibition on handling landowner Personally Identifiable Information and adherence to FAR 52.224-3 for privacy training. Invoicing, if a contract is later awarded, must be processed exclusively through the Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform. The response deadline is April 30, 2026, and submissions must be emailed to christopher.c.turner@usda.gov with the exact subject line “1232SA26Q0499 Sources Sought”. The performance location is the contractor’s own laboratory, and the potential contract, if issued, will be an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) with a one-year base period and a one-year option period.