Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 7 of 7 Sources Sought Notice *= Required Field Sources Sought Notice Page 1 of 7 THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT/RFI IS ISSUED SOLELY FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. THE SUBMISSION OF PRICING, CAPABILITIES FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED AND ALLOWED UNDER THIS RFI IN ACCORDANCE WITH (IAW) FAR 15.201(e). DISCLAIMER This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled accordingly. IAW FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. SOURCES SOUGHT/RFI DESCRIPTION This is NOT a solicitation announcement. This is a Sources Sought/RFI/RFI only. The purpose of this Sources Sought/RFI/RFI is to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 311991 (size standard of 700 employees). Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI/RFI will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. After review of the responses to this Sources Sought/RFI, a solicitation announcement may be published. Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI synopsis are not considered adequate responses for a solicitation announcement. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VISN 22 Long Beach Network Contracting Office, is seeking sources who can possibly provide Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) that at a minimum meet the brand name and/or can possibly provide an equal product for New Mexico VA Healthcare System, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brand Name Procurement of following quantities and diet type MREs with specific items as listed in Task 2 and compliant with Task 1. 1.) Qty 334 cases of 12 Ready-to Eat individual packaged meals. 2.) Qty 5 cases of 12 Gluten Free Ready-to-Eat individual packaged meals. 3.) Qty 5 cases of 12 Halaal Certified Ready-to Eat individual packaged meals. Contractor shall provide the listed food and drink items to Raymond G. Murphy VAMC, Nutrition and Food Services and delivered to Raymond G. Murphy VAMC Logistics Warehouse, Bldg. 46. Task 1. Military Spec Made in the USA USDA/FDA Certified FSSC22000 Certified HACCP Compliant Task 2. Meals Ready to Eat (MRE s) MRE s shall have a guarantee for 5 years from the date of sale, in a room temperature environment (70 degrees F) MRE s shall contain a heater pouch. MRE s shall be able to be eaten cold in an emergency (contents are fully cooked in a sealed pouch. Each case will contain: Entrée (6 varieties, 2 of each) 227g, Starch 40+g, Spread 24g, Side snack 56g, Dessert 56g, Isotonic fruit flavored powdered Drink Mix (5 varieties) 25g, 12 Accessory Packs, 12 Flameless ration heaters, 12 packaging bags, Master Case Each meal unit will contain: 1) 8 oz entrée, 2) starch, 3) spread product (i.e. peanut butter or jelly), 4) side snack (nuts, dried fruit, toasted corn nuts, air dried beef or toffee peanuts) dessert, isotonic fruit flavored powdered drink mix, accessory pack (spoon, napkin, salt, pepper, wet napkin, coffee, sugar, creamer, red pepper flakes, candy), flameless ration heater, packaging bag Deliverables: Upon award for one time purchase of Meals Ready to Eat. 6. Security Requirements None 7. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government-Furnished Information (GFI). None 8. Other Pertinent Information or Special Considerations. a. Identification of Potential Conflicts of Interest (COI). The NMVAHCS does not anticipate any conflict of interest because this contract is open market. b. Identification of Non-Disclosure Requirements. Non- applicable c. Packaging, Packing and Shipping Instructions. MRE s shall be in a packaging bag and in a master case of 12 complete units. d. Inspection and Acceptance Criteria. The MRE s will be inspected upon arrival for damage, inclusion of all required criteria in adherence to the Statement of Work. Any discrepancies will be noted on the packing slips and the COR will be notified. e. Warranty MRE s should be guaranteed for 5 years from the date of sale, in a room temperature environment (70 Degrees F) 9. Place of Performance. MRE s are to be delivered by the contractor or their designee to NMVAHCS, Nutrition & Food Services, 1501 San Pedro SE (120) Bldg. 41, BB110, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108. 10. Period of Performance. The period of performance will be from when the contract is awarded to delivery scheduled within 40 days or less of the contract being awarded. 11. Delivery Schedule. All product to be delivered at same time. The information identified above is intended to be descriptive, not restrictive and to indicate the quality of the supplies/services that will be satisfactory. It is the responsibility of the interested source to demonstrate to the government that the interested parties can provide the supplies/services that fulfill the required specifications. We are seeking sources for products that meet the requirements set forth by the Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 8301-8305). The purpose of this notice is to identify potential offerings that are compliant with the BAA, which stipulates that the U.S. government give preference to domestically produced goods. All products offered must be either manufactured in the United States or, if manufactured outside of the United States, must qualify as domestic end products or construction materials as defined in the BAA and its implementing regulations. By submitting a response to this notice, you certify that the products offered meet these requirements and that upon request, you can provide documentation verifying compliance. Failure to comply with these criteria may result in disqualification from consideration. If you are interested and are capable of providing the sought-out supplies/services, please provide the requested information as well as the information indicated below. Response to this notice should include company name, address, point of contact, size of business pursuant to the following questions: (1) Please indicate the size status and representations of your business, such as but not limited to: Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), Large Business, etc.)? (2) Is your company considered small under the NAICS code identified in this RFI? (3) Are you the manufacturer, authorized distributor, and/or can provide equivalent solution to the items being referenced above? If applicable, please provide the manufacturer name and business size. (4) Is the end product manufactured in the United States; and is the cost of the components made in the U.S. at least 60% of the total cost of components required to manufacture the end product? If the item is not manufactured in the U.S., please provide the country of origin. (5) If you are a large business, do you have any designated/authorized distributors? If so, please provide their company name, telephone, point of Contact and size status (if available). (6) If you're a small business and you are an authorized distributor/reseller for the items identified above or an equivalent solution, do you alter; assemble; modify; the items requested in any way? If you do, state how and what is altered; assembled; modified? (7) If you intend to subcontract any work on this contract, what portion of the total cost will be self-performed/will be performed by your organization? Please provide estimated detailed percentage breakdowns related to subcontracted work and completion of job. (8) Does your company have a Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract? If so, please provide the contract number. (9) If you are an FSS GSA/NAC/SAC/BPA/NASA SEWP or any other Federal Government contract holder, are all the items/solution you are providing information for available on your schedule/contract? Please state if all or some items are available on the contract. (10) General pricing of your products/solution is encouraged. Pricing will be used for the purpose of market research only. It will not be used to evaluate for any type of award. (11) Please submit your capabilities statement illustrating your organization's ability to meet the described salient characteristics or "equal to items" for planning purposes; show clear, compelling and convincing evidence that all "equal to items" meet all the salient characteristics. (12) Please review salient characteristics/statement of work (if applicable) and provide feedback or suggestions. If none, please reply as N/A. (13) Please provide your SAM.gov Unique Entity ID/Cage Code number. Responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to isaac.shimizu@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than 03/26/2025 by 12:00PM PST. All responses to this Sources Sought/RFI will be used for planning purposes only. If a solicitation is issued as a result of the information provided from this RFI, all interested parties must respond to that solicitation separately IAW the specifications of that solicitation announcement. Responses to this Sources Sought/RFI notice is not considered a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation.
