USDA Rural Development Audit Guide Development

This solicitation, numbered 12C0BZ26Q0002, is a total small business set-aside under NAICS code 541219 for the development and pilot testing of audit guides for lenders participating in USDA Rural Development’s Guaranteed Loan Programs. The acquisition is structured as a fixed-price commercial item contract in accordance with FAR Part 12, using a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) evaluation methodology where price is the primary factor followed by technical acceptability and past performance. The contract has a base period from May 15, 2026, to January 14, 2027, with two optional eight-month periods extending performance through April 14, 2028, and a potential six-month extension under FAR 52.217-8. All submissions must be made electronically to Christopher.Bany@usda.gov by the revised deadline of May 22, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time, following specific formatting requirements including 12-point Times New Roman font, single spacing, and one-inch margins. Technical proposals are capped at 30 pages, past performance at two pages, and pricing must be submitted using the prescribed Price Workbook. The scope of work includes developing standardized review guides for Rural Business Cooperative Service (RBCS), Single Family Housing (SFH), and Multifamily Housing (MFH) programs, conducting at least five lender reviews per program, and delivering comprehensive summary reports that identify systemic risks and recommendations. Deliverables must comply with Section 508 accessibility standards, use government-furnished equipment, and adhere to strict PII and data security protocols aligned with FISMA, NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5, and NIST SP 800-171 Rev.3. Contractors must assign key personnel with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and relevant auditing experience, disclose any organizational conflicts of interest with current or former lenders, and ensure all staff obtain USDA credentials and complete security training. All work products are government property with no reuse rights retained by the contractor. Offerors must be registered in SAM with a valid UEI, certify compliance with numerous federal representations including tax matters, anti-discrimination policies, and prohibitions on inverted domestic corporations, and submit a completed Past Performance Questionnaire along with the revised Performance Work Statement, Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan, and Price Workbook. Invoicing is