USAFA Herbarium Digitization Project

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products prepared in accordance with (IAW) Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) part 12.201-1(c)(1).  This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

The purpose of this solicitation number FA700026Q0089 is for a firm-fixed-price purchase order to provide the Herbarium Digitization Project at the US Air Force Academy, Dean of Faculty Department of Biology (DFBI). DFBI is in need of digitization for DFBI’s herbarium. In 1978, Col Alvin Young along with cadets and faculty members who followed him, started an impressive herbarium with over 1800-2400 dried plant specimens. Each plant specimen is filed in cabinets in folders and grouped by family, genus, and species.Thus, the herbarium is an irreplaceable record of the ecological history of the flora on the 18,000 acre USAFA reservation over the past 48 years. Specifically, it serves as a permanent record of what plants grew in a particular location on the Academy reservation.The herbarium currently is housed and accessed by department faculty and cadets for teaching and research. This request seeks USAFA’s herbarium to be boxed and shipped to a company that specializes in the digitization of museum collections worldwide. They have digitized millions of specimens for some of the most famous botanic gardens in the world. This company will receive, handle, barcode, photograph, create a searchable database for USAFA and return the specimens to USAFA for preservation. The necessary salient characteristics of this requirement are found in Attachment 1 -  Salient Characteristics.

This acquisition is a 100% small business competitive set-aside. All responsible and eligible Small Business concerns may submit a quote, which if received timely, may be considered by the 10th Contracting Squadron at the USAFA. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

Notice to Offeror(s)/Supplier(s): Funds are not presently available for this effort. No award will be made under this solicitation until funds are available. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs.

It is USAFA’s preference/intent to acquire only domestic end products per the Buy American Statute (41 USC Chapter 83), except as provided in RFO 25.103. Foreign offers will be evaluated per R-DFARS 225.502 when comparing domestic and foreign offers. This requirement is for commercial items; therefore, the manufacturing country of origin will determine if the quoted product is foreign or domestic. The Buy American – Balance of Payments Program Certificate (R-DFARS 252.225-7000), Attachment 2 –252.225-7000 Buy American – Balance of Payments Program Certificate, must be completed and submitted with the quote.

DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE. For the quote to be considered by the Government, it must meet the description specified. Include any applicable descriptive literature, such as illustrations, specification sheets, or product brochures that clearly identify that the quote meets the Government’s requirements.

Submission Package Requirements:

To be considered responsive, contractors must email the following to marissa.morris.4@us.af.mil and melinda.lingley@us.af.mil by 20 August 2026 at 10:00am MDT, Direct any questions to Marissa Morris and Melinda Lingley by 13 August 2026:

1. Completed and signed SF1449 (Blocks 17a include SAM UEI, 30a-c). Price for CLIN 0001 on page 3 of the SF1449, valid for a minimum of 60 days. 
2. Technical capability documentation/Descriptive Literature.
3. Authorized reseller's certificate (if applicable).
4. Verification of active SAM.gov registration with completed FAR and DFARS representations and certifications to include FAR 52.240-90 (Security Prohibitions and Exclusions Representations and Certifications).
5. Completed and signed Buy American Certificate (Attachment 2).

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation--Commercial Products and Commercial Services.

Paragraph (a) is amended as follows:

(a) The Government may submit an offer in the form of a purchase order to the quoter that represents the best value to the Government. All quotes submitted will be reviewed for completeness. Quotes that are incomplete or missing information may be considered non-responsive and excluded from the evaluation. Supplier Risk Management Scores will be evaluated IAW DFARS 252.204-7024 Notice on the Use of the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) (Mar 2023). The Government will select the awardee that represents the best value based on price, past performance, and technical capability.

The Government will evaluate technical capability on an acceptable/unacceptable basis (meeting all requirements in Attachment 1). As a critical element of technical capability, the Government will perform a security and supply chain compliance review in accordance with FAR 52.240-91 (Security Prohibitions and Exclusions).

To maximize efficiency, the Government will utilize the following phased evaluation methodology:

Phase 1 (Price Ranking): All received quotes will be ranked by total evaluated price, from lowest to highest.

Phase 2 (Technical & Past Performance): The Government will initially evaluate only the three (3) lowest-priced quotes for technical capability (meeting all requirements in Attachment 1) and past performance. 

Phase 3 (Award Selection): If one of the three lowest-priced quotes is determined to represent the best value and is technically acceptable, award will be made to that offeror. If none of the first three quotes are determined to represent the best value to the Government, the evaluation team will evaluate the fourth lowest-priced quote, and so on, in ascending order of price, until a best value awardee is selected.

(End of provision)