Plant and Soil Analyses Service Contract - Sources Sought

A market survey is being conducted to determine if there are adequate Small Business, SBAcertified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), Women-Owned, or Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) contractors available for a proposed project who meet the specific criteria outlined below. This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation Announcement or Request for Quote. It does not constitute any commitment by the Government. No award will result from this notice. The purpose is to conduct market research to gain knowledge of potentially qualified sources and to determine the capability of Small Business and/or Large Business companies to provide the supplies/services described below. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will be used by the Government to make an appropriate acquisition decision. Department of Agriculture (ARS) requests responses from ALL socioeconomic categories in order to gain a more complete understanding of the market for these products and service. The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will not award a contract on the basis of responses or pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. After completing an analysis of the responses, the Government will determine whether to limit competition to 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, Women-Owned, or other small business firms, or to proceed with issuing an unrestricted solicitation, inviting full and open competition. The NAICS code for the expected acquisition is 541380 - Testing Laboratories, with a Size Standard of $16.5 Million and the PSC B529. Any subsequent procurement will be conducted as a commercial item purchased in accordance with FAR Part 12 and as a Simplified Acquisition Procedure in accordance with FAR Part 13. The Department of Agriculture (ARS) has the need for the following products: 001) Plant and Soil Service Contract Scope of Work : The USDA-Dairy Forage Research Center at Madison, WI will be seeking a service contract for plant and soil analyses to be carried out on samples collected from research trials. Background : Research programs at the US Dairy Forage Research Center are interdisciplinary, and include the development of cropping systems that enhance forage production while protecting cropland and water resources. Results from these analyses will be published in peer reviewed journals and be used to formulate management recommendations for farmers planning to interseed alfalfa in silage corn for use as a dual purpose cover and forage crop. Technical Requirements: 1. General Vendor must be a well-established and reputable forage and soil analysis laboratory. 2. Analyses will be carried out in the following manner. Tissue dry matter, total nitrogen and total mineral (P,K,Ca,Mg,S,Zn,Mn,B,Fe,Cu) analyses must be carried out by the Kjeldahl procedure and by nitric acid/peroxide digestion followed by ICP-OES or by alternative well-established methods demonstrated to give comparable results. Soil nitrate and ammonium will be extracted by KCI solution and analyzed by Lachat-FIA or by alternative well-established methods demonstrated to give comparable results. Routine soil analysis of pH, P, K and organic matter should be carried out by 1:1 water/pH probe. Bray 1/spectrophotometer, LOI/muffle furnace methods. Other minerals should be determined as follows: calcium and magnesium by ammonium acetate extraction and ICP-OES analysis, boron by hot water extraction and spectrophometric analysis, manganese by phosphoric acid extraction and AA analysis, zinc by hydrochloric acid extraction and AA analysis, and sulfate by calcium phosphate extraction and spectrophotometric analysis. Contractor’s Key Personnel: Personnel must have experience carrying out analyses as described in the specifications . Key Deliverables Plant analyses of 360 dry matter tissue samples for total nitrogen and total minerals (P,K,Ca,Mg,S,Zn,Mn,B,Fe,Cu). Soil analyses of 180 samples for nitrate and ammonium (extraction and analysis). Routine soil analyses of 8 samples for pH, P, K and organic matter (calcium, magnesium, boron, manganese, zinc, and sulfate). Note: Award will NOT be made based on price alone. The vendor must be certified by the National Forage Testing Association (NFTA) with a wet chemistry grade or "A" or "B" in 2020 and be a soil testing laboratory certified in 2020 by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) or by another state agricultural department in the USA. Please include these two certifications with the submission of your capabilities statement. The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed Price contract. Delivery: Samples will be sent to vendor starting in September 2020. Following receipt of samples, analyses will be carried out according to specifications. Data will be emailed to Dr. John Grabber ([email protected]) before the final due date. The final delivery of data is due by no later than January 31, 2021. Capability Statement: Companies who have the experience, as well as an interest in doing business with ARS, should submit a Capabilities Statement which, for this notice, is not expected to be a proposal, but rather short statements regarding the company’s ability to demonstrate their expertise and experience in relation to the areas specified in this notice. Companies should also indicate whether they are a Small Business, SBA-certified HUBZone, SBA-certified 8(a), SDVOSB, or Women-Owned Small Business. To be eligible, all vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) with a current and active registration. A DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number is required in order to register in SAM. A vendor can contact SAM by calling 1-866-606-8220 or e-mail at www.sam.gov. NO EXCEPTIONS. Vendor must include their DUNS# on their capability statements. Submitting a Capability Statements: Responses should be submitted via email by Friday, August 7, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. (CST) to the attention of Aaron Dimeo at [email protected]. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions should be directed to Aaron Dimeo at [email protected] by no later than Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. (CST). Disclaimer: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Respondents are also advised that under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of information or provide feedback about any of the information received. After review of the responses received, the Government may issue a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation. No proprietary, sensitive, confidential or classified information shall be included with your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation.