Inactive Total Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

1. General 1.1. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ONLY. This request is issued solely for information and planning purposes and it does not constitute a Request for Proposal ... 1. General 1.1. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ONLY. This request is issued solely for information and planning purposes and it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the 316th Contracting Squadron (316 CONS) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI/SS will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in a future RFP, if one is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov), unless the solicitation is restricted to the General Services Administration at which time it will be posted on the www.ebuy.gsa.gov website. It is the responsibility of the vendor to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 1.2. The 316 CONS in support of the 89th Airlift Wing and 1st Airlift Squadron is seeking information to determine if there are interested small business vendors possessing the capability of providing a commercially available food and beverage inventory management service to support in-flight passenger meal preparation and dining operations. The food and beverage management service must be capable of allowing air passenger specialists/flight attendants to purchase food and drink items, as well as, perform short-term storage of surplus meal items. This service is considered non-personnel. Services are expected to be cloud-based and accessible using the worldwide web. The service must allow air passenger specialists/flight attendants to create seasonal menus, establish predictable expenditures, and procure nutritious food items and ingredients on an as needed basis. 1.3. The food management service must possess the flexibility to allow air passenger specialists the ability to tailor the ordering, allocation and purchasing of food and beverage items unique to each air operation's mission needs. Unique characteristics of the system must include the capability of creating customizable recipes and as well as facilitating individual billing for each meal. The food and beverage management service must be accessible and promote meal preparations from any location within the continental United States and not limited by geographical locale. The service must be equipped with the ability to order, receive and issue meal items from local food vendors. In addition, air passenger specialists require the ability to create customized meals and place orders from multiple work stations or portable laptops. 2. Requested Information 2.1. Indicate if the service requires a certified technician to physically travel to Joint Base Andrews to properly set up, test the service and perform training. 2.2. Uninterested vendors are requested to reply to this RFI with a negative response. 3. Responses 3.1. Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. 3.2. White papers in Microsoft Word for Office or compatible format are due no later than Tuesday, 18 MAY 2021, 2:00 PM EST. Responses shall be limited to three (3) pages and submitted via e-mail only to: christopher.jackson.104@us.af.mil. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Only authorized federal employees will be permitted to review vendor responses to this RFI. 3.3. Section 1 of the white paper shall provide administrative information, and shall include the following as a minimum: 3.3.1. Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact. 3.3.2. Recommended contracting strategy. 3.3.3. Business type (small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 722310, Food Service Contractors. 3.3.4. The facility security clearance of the respondent, if applicable. 3.4. The number of pages in Section 1 of the white paper shall not be included in the 3-page limitation, i.e., the 3-page limitation applies only to Section 2 of the white paper. 3.4.1 Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed in Section 3 of this RFI/SS and shall be limited to three (3) pages. 4. Industry Discussions Representatives may call or email respondents. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks. 5. Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Specialist, christopher.jackson.104@us.af.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions will be answered by posting answers to the RFI. Questions and answers shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after Tuesday, 18 May 2021, 2:00PM EST will be answered. Interested parties are invited to monitor the beta.SAM.gov website to ensure they receive any important information updates connected with this publication. 6. Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ONLY to identify sources that can provide Food Inventory and Management Services. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.