USDA Fruit Purchase Program Announced

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced plans to purchase canned and frozen fruit products for the National School Lunch Program and other Federal food nutrition assistance programs. Offers may be solicited in the following or similar forms:

Solicitations will be issued in the near future for deliveries beginning October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021. Offers to sell these products must be received not later than the date specified on the solicitations. Solicitations will be available electronically through the Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM)  system. A hard copy of solicitations will not be available. Public WBSCM information is available without an account on the WBSCM Public Procurement Page. All future information regarding this acquisition, including solicitation amendments and award notices, will be published through WBSCM, and on the Agricultural Marketing Service's website at https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food. Interested parties shall be responsible for ensuring that they have the most up-to-date information about this acquisition. The contract type is anticipated to be firm-fixed price. Deliveries are expected to be to various locations in the United States on an FOB destination basis.

Pursuant to Agricultural Acquisition Regulation 470.103(b), commodities and the products of agricultural commodities acquired under this contract must be a product of the United States, and shall be considered to be such a product if it is grown, processed, and otherwise prepared for sale or distribution exclusively in the United States. Packaging and container components under this acquisition will be the only portion subject to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements, as addressed by FAR clause 52.225-5.

Offerors are urged to review all documents as they pertain to this program, including the latest —

• AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements (MSCP), October 1, 2019 (pdf)
• Applicable commodity specification(s) identified in the subsequent solicitation(s); Commodity Specification for Canned Fruit, March 2020 (pdf) and Commodity Specification for Frozen Fruit, April 2020 (pdf) and
• Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors Selling Commodities to USDA, March 1, 2017.

These documents are available on the AMS Commodity Procurement website.

To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the AMS vendor qualification requirements. The AMS point of contact for new vendors is Andrea Lang who can be reached by email at NewVendor@usda.gov. Details of these requirements are available online at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/becoming-approved. Once qualification requirements have been met, access to WBSCM will be provided. Bids, modifications, withdrawals of bids, and price adjustments shall be submitted using this system. Submission of the above by any means other than WBSCM will be determined nonresponsive.

To receive e-mail notification of the issuance of AMS solicitations, contract awards, and other information, subscribe online by visiting: “Stay up to date on USDA Food Purchases” available on the AMS Commodity Procurement website.

Inquiries may be directed to the Contracting Specialist, Blake Bergen, via email at Blake.Bergen@usda.gov.

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