Commodity Inspection and Weighing Services, inceased dollar limit per issued order and total contact amount.

1. Sole Source Justification 2. Authority FAR 6.302-1 3. Original Solicitation for this requirement was AG-6395-S-09-0191 and the purpose for this notice is to expand the individual order ceiling limit to maximum $300,000 per order and raise the Total Contract Ceiling Amount to $1,000,000.00. See full Solicitation package attached 4. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), facilitates the marketing of U.S. grain and related agricultural products through the establishment of standards for quality assessments, and regulation of handling practices. GIPSA's Federal Grain Inspection Services (FGIS) administers the official commodity inspection and weighing program under the authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (AMA), as amended. The AMA authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to contract with private firms, institutions, and individuals for the purpose of performing specified inspection services. FGIS will use this contracting authority to supplement its workforce by contracting with private firms, institutions, and individuals to sample, or weigh commodities when requested by FGIS. 5. SCOPE OF WORK When requested by FGIS, the contractor must provide Federal processed commodity (products derived from grain) inspection services under the authority of the AMA in the geographical area serviced by the FGIS Field Operation Support Staff in Kansas City, Missouri and the FGIS Cedar Rapids Field Office. These areas may include commodity facilities in the following areas: • Atchison, Kansas; • Seneca, Kansas; • Arkansas City, Kansas; • Coffeyville, Kansas; • Salina, Kansas; • Abilene, Kansas. • Wichita, Kansas; • St. Joseph, Missouri; • St. Louis, Missouri; • North Kansas City, Missouri; • Enid, Oklahoma; • Plainview, Texas; • Lincoln, Nebraska; • Crete, Nebraska; • Champaign-Danville, Illinois • Cambria, Wisconsin The commodity inspection services that the F/O may assign to the contractor include but are not limited to, the following services (Reference § 868.1(b) (23) of the regulations): a. Plant Approval (Sanitation) Service. Determining whether a plant/mill is processing and/or packaging commodities under sanitary conditions. (Reference: FGIS Sanitation Handbook) b. Sampling Service. Drawing a sample from a processed commodity lot using FGIS-approved methods to obtain representative samples for laboratory analysis to determine quality based contract requirements, and instructions. c. Condition of Food Container Inspection. Examining the containers for condition, construction, sealing, and markings using U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers. (Reference: Agricultural Marketing Service, Part 42--Standards for Condition of Food Containers) d. Checkweighing. Weighing a selected number of containers from a processed commodity lot, determining the estimated total gross, tare, and net weight, or the estimated average gross or net weight per filled container. (Reference: Chapter 4, FGIS Weighing Handbook) e. Bulk Weighing. Monitoring the loading and weighing of commodity lots by facility weighing personnel to determine the quantity of the commodity lots inspected. (Reference: Chapters 1 and 2, FGIS Weighing Handbook) f. Carrier Stowage Examination. Visually determine if a carrier or container is clean; dry; free of infestation, rodents, toxic substances, and foreign odor; and suitable to store or carry a commodity. (Reference: Directive FGIS 9180.48) g. Checkloading. Performing a stowage examination on a carrier, computing the number of filled containers loaded aboard the carrier, observing the condition of containers loaded aboard the carrier, and sealing the loaded carrier, if practicable. (Reference: Directive FGIS 9180.50) h. Observation of Loading. Determining that an identified lot has been moved from a warehouse or carrier and loaded into another warehouse or carrier. (Reference: Directive FGIS 9180.50) i. Witness of Fumigation. Verifying the application of a fumigant to a specified cargo by a certified applicator. 6. A determination by the Government not to compete with this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Simplified procurement procedures will be used as well as commercial item acquisition regulations per FAR12. Number note 22 applies. Any inquires for this acquisition must be submitted in writing to the attention of Leigh Eberhart at [email protected] The NACIS Code for this acquisition is 424910 with a size standard of 100 people. Closing date for this announcement is submission of Statement of Capability is November 21, 2012 at 1:00 P.M. CST.