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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTIFICATION (SSN) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT of RICE in PUERTO RICO and the US VIRGIN ... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTIFICATION (SSN) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT of RICE in PUERTO RICO and the US VIRGIN ISLANDS A. Notification This is a Sources Sought Notice. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the 1) availability and capability of qualified sources and 2) availability of capable firms to provide the contemplated requirement listed below. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not itself constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government does not intend to award a contract based only on responses to this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to the notice will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice. The Government will not pay for information received in response to this notice. There is no commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, make an award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by industry responses to this notice. The Government does not request any proprietary information be submitted, nor shall it be liable for any consequential damages for proprietary information. Any information submitted for this notice (e.g. capability statement) is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC 552 (a). All information received in response to this notice marked “Proprietary” will be protected and handled accordingly. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. B. Background Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Logistics Management Directorate has a national emergency response meal requirement to support 20% of the Island’s population of 3.4 million habitants for 10 consecutive days during presidentially declared national disasters. This represents a total of 680,000 impacted individuals. Due to the massive amounts of commodities that are required to feed the population, courses of action have been identified to ensure options are considered to address the feeding needs of the impacted individuals. FEMA seeks to identify vendors that may possess the capabilities of being able to distribute at a moment’s notice (within 72 hours of receipt of FEMA’s request) to support disaster survivors during emergency responses. In the recent years, FEMA expanded its footprint of warehouses in Puerto Rico to store initial response resources (IRR). As part of supporting feeding plan, resources requested include approximately 150,000 – 3lbs bags of medium grain rice (details on section D.1). C. Objectives For Market Research Only - FEMA is seeking information regarding vendor capabilities, from either manufacturers or distributors. The goal is to be able to readily distribute the rice after a disaster event to the Virgin Islands and/or Puerto Rico, therefore the capability to meet a 72 hour delivery requirement is being considered. 1. To determine industry capability to deliver large quantities of rice within 72 hours of receipt of FEMA’s request for shipment to designated locations during a disaster or emergency response on the island of Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands. 2. To determine vendor’s capability to provide FEMA the following information: location, lot#, and expiration date when rice are accepted into the vendor’s inventory. 3. The vendor’s ability to comply with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) delivery requirements including safety, fire and inspection regulations. 4. The vendor’s ability of independently transport and track assets. D. Conditions The following are additional considerations for the requirement: The following items are recommended to be included for survivors: • 3 lbs. bags Medium Grain White Rice 1. Delivery. Preference is for the vendor to provide transportation of the rice to the determined locations (may include multiple stops). The vendor shall have rice palletized and must use the required transportation vehicle as deemed necessary for transfer of products (20’- 53’ containers, lifted box trucks, pallet jacks, if needed). Expiration date of the rice shall be no earlier than 12 months after production date. The vendor shall be capable of providing transportation to destination within 72 hours of FEMA’s notification. Proper documentation of truckload contents must accompany each container. During disaster response, have capability to provide a point of contact for delivery services 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. 2. Potential Delivery Locations. i. Puerto Rico • Arecibo • Bayamon • Caguas • Canovanas • Mayagüez • Ponce • Cayey • Aguadilla • Ceiba ii. United States Virgin Islands • St. Thomas • St. John • St. Croix E. Questions to the Industry Interested parties are requested to submit as part of their statement of capability how they are capable of meeting below requirements and recommendations to the Government on alternative solutions. 1. What are your capabilities for fulfilling below requirements? o How long would it take from the time of award to complete delivery of 150,000 bags of 3lbs medium grain white rice to the potential delivery locations listed above in section D.2 (Potential Delivery Locations)? o Do you have warehousing capability that meets the above criteria, in section D.1 (Delivery)? o Do you have in-house or contracted transportation capability to deliver to the potential delivery locations identified above in section D.2 (Potential Delivery Locations) during an emergency response? 2. Will this requirement impact in any way with your current business with grocery industry? How? Is there a potential way of mitigation if challenges are foreseen? 3. Is your facility equipped with backup power generator and a water cistern system? 4. Historically how long did it take or was needed for your business to return to full production after a disaster event, such as an earthquake or hurricane landfall? Does your business have a continuity of business plan in case of disaster events? 5. What is your typical lead time for delivery to your commercial customers after order request during emergency situations? 6. Do you have unique or special capabilities you’d like to highlight? 7. Administratively, the vendor’s statement of capability shall also include the information listed below. • Company Name/Division, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, and website • Single point-of-contact name, title, telephone, and email address • DUNS number and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Please note that companies must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) to receive an award from federal agencies. https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ • Applicable NAICS codes under which the company customarily does business. • Business size for NAICS Codes, such as socio-economic status, if qualified as one or more of the following: o 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA) o Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA) o Woman-Owned Small Business o HUB Zone firm (must be certified by SBA) o Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business F. Response Format In order to better assist in the review of submittals to this RFI, respondents are encouraged to prepare a capabilities statement and respond to the above questions in a format that closely adheres to the following: The document format shall be either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, and 8.5” by 11” paper and shall not exceed ten (4) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. Respondents are encouraged to ensure that their submittals are complete and address all items outlined within this notice. Respondents may provide additional promotional literature in addition to their response as long as the literature conforms to the response format. G. Response Deadline and Point of Contact Information FEMA will only consider submissions in response to this notice that are in the form of Microsoft Word and/or PDF (searchable format) documents attached to emails received no later than 5 PM EST, Friday, April 21, 2023. No phone calls will be accepted or returned. Point of Contact: Oneko Dunbar Contracting Officer FEMA Office of Chief Procurement Officer Oneko.dunbar@fema.dhs.gov