Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

Background: The USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), International Services (IS) Cotton Pest program objective is to eradicate the boll weevil and pink bollworm from all cotton-pr... Background: The USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), International Services (IS) Cotton Pest program objective is to eradicate the boll weevil and pink bollworm from all cotton-producing areas of the U.S. and northern Mexico in cooperation with States, the cotton industry, and Mexico. The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, is a native of Mexico and Central America. It was first introduced into the United States near Brownsville, Texas, in about 1892. By 1922, the pest had spread into cotton growing areas of the United States from the eastern two-thirds of Texas and Oklahoma to the Atlantic Ocean. The boll weevil colonized northern and western portions of Texas during a subsequent range expansion that occurred between 1953 and 1966. By 1981, the insect was well established in parts of California, northwestern Mexico and Arizona. The Southwest Boll Weevil Eradication Program was implemented in 1985 to eradicate the boll weevil from about 233,000 acres in western Arizona, southern California and northwest Mexico. In 1988, the program expanded to include 320,000 acres of cotton in central Arizona. The pink bollworm (PBW), Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), was described from larvae recovered from infested cotton bolls in India in 1843 (Noble 1969). It has since become one of the most destructive pests of cotton in many of the major cotton-growing regions of the world. In its annual meeting on October 9-10, 2000, in El Paso, Texas, the National Cotton Council’s Pink Bollworm Action Committee recommended launching a “bilateral” PBW eradication program in the United States and northern Mexico. The plan includes coordinated efforts by cotton producer communities and federal, state, local entities in the U.S. and Mexico to combat and eliminate the PBW from cotton-producing regions of West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and northern Mexico. Currently Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua are considered States free of the plagues that are the program target: Cotton Boll Weevil and Pink Boll Worm. This “Pest Free Zones” should avoid Reinfestation trough Trapping activities. Coahuila, Durango and Tamaulipas are States considered infested zones, and require a higher density of trapping. The operational elements of the program include: 1) mapping to identify cotton field locations, acreage, and genotypes; 2) detection by trapping and visual inspection; and 3) control with minimal insecticide applications. SCOPE: USDA anticipates the award of a Five (5) Year, Single-Award, Firm Fixed-Price, Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for commercial supplies consisting of Cotton Boll Weevil (Anthonomus grandis) Pheromone Dispensers, Traps, and Insecticide Strips for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service, International Services (IS) located in Brownsville, TX. Questions: Vendor questions must be submitted to Matthew Phillips (Matthew.Phillips3@usda.gov) by 5:00 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Questions submitted after that time/date will be answered at the discretion of the USDA. Evaluation of Quotes: The following factors will be utilized to evaluate quotations: (a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factors shall be used to evaluate offers: Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. (i) Technical Specification Narrative – Vendors must provide a narrative not-to-exceed five (5) pages in length to demonstrate their capability to produce and deliver the Pheromone Dispensers, Traps, and Insecticide Strips required under the BPA. (ii) Experience and Past Performance - The quotation shall include a list of three (3) references for contracts or agreements of the same or similar product/service. The list must include a contract or agreement number, point of contact name and telephone number, description of the contract, and the approximate amount (total value) of the contract or agreement. Past Performance will be evaluated for all projects submitted to demonstrate similar experience to ascertain the probability of successfully delivering the required supplies as stated within the Statement of Work. The past performance evaluation will be specifically based upon the satisfactory completion of services performed to the services required under this solicitation, the record of conforming to contract requirements and standards of good workmanship, and the commitment to customer satisfaction. The Past Performance evaluation will also take into account any past performance information regarding predecessor companies, key personnel who have relevant experience or subcontractors that performed major or critical aspects of the requirement when such information is relevant. For joint ventures, past performance records of both firms will be considered. In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror will not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. (iii) Price - Price Quotation: The quotation must provide unit pricing (meeting all specifications) for each Ordering Period; unit pricing must be inclusive of shipping costs to the USDA-approved locations where the supplies will be delivered to F.O.B. Destination and quantity discounts. VENDORS MUST USE “ATTACHMENT 1 – VENDOR QUOTATION FORM” TO SUBMIT THEIR PRICE QUOTATION. (iv) Miscellaneous Documents: This is not an evaluation factor. However, failure to submit completed, required documents may result in the Vendor being considered non-responsive and eliminated from further consideration. Quotation Submissions must include the following: Technical Specification Narrative; Attachment 1 – Vendor Quotation Sheet Solicitation 12639525Q0165 (blue cells within sheet must be completed by Vendors); Standard Form 1449 (Complete blocks 17a., 30a., 30b., and 30c.); Signed Standard Form 30 for any amendments issued for this solicitation. The resulting award will be a Five (5) Year, Single-Award, Firm Fixed-Price, Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Cotton Boll Weevil (Anthonomus grandis) Pheromone Dispensers, Traps, and Insecticide Strips for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspections Service, International Services (IS) located in Brownsville, TX. Price reasonableness will be utilized in the evaluation of the Firm-Fixed Prices quoted. The Government may use various price analysis techniques and procedures to evaluate price reasonableness. Technical and past performance, when combined, are significantly more important than cost or price. (b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. Instructions to Vendors: All Vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (www.sam.gov). The Vendor’s SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) must be specified within the quotation (Attachment 1). The UEI will be utilized to obtain the Contractor’s SAM.gov Federal Contractors Registration within the System for Award Management (SAM) at http://www.sam.gov, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.204-7. The Contractor’s registration within SAM must be current and active in SAM at time of quote and award. The online SAM Certification and Representations for business size determination must qualify as a small business in accordance with the applicable 326199 – All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (2022 NAICS), with a Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard of 750 employees. The applicable Product Service Code (PSC) is 9310. Please note that registering in the SAM database is free of charge. Free SAM registration assistance can be obtained by calling the help desk toll free at 866-606-8220. Vendors must submit the following documents to the Contract Specialist, Matthew Phillips via e-mail at Matthew.Phillips3@usda.gov prior to the closing time/date of the solicitation as stated within SAM.gov. Please be aware that the size of the email may take longer to send. If over 2MB, you may need to send more than one email. Please make sure that you receive an email back from the Contract Specialist stating that it has been received: Technical Specification Narrative; Attachment 1 – Vendor Quotation Sheet Solicitation 12639525Q0165 (blue cells within sheet must be completed by Vendors); Standard Form 1449 (Complete blocks 17a., 30a., 30b., and 30c.); Signed Standard Form 30 for any amendments issued for this solicitation.