Notice of Intent to Sole Source- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to award a sole source procurement in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 6.302-5 Authorized or required by statute.. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotes. The Government has determined that only one source is able to meet the technical requirements necessary for this procurement.

In accordance with FAR Part 5, the Government is publicizing this Notice of Intent to ensure transparency and allow interested parties an opportunity to respond. Any capability statements received will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether a competitive procurement is appropriate. If no responses are received that demonstrate an ability to meet the Government's requirements, USDA will proceed with a sole source award as permitted under FAR and AGAR.

The project is expected to be conducted in two phases. During Phase I, the contractor shall review all relevant scientific literature to ensure that the WIC food packages are scientifically based; assess current science on the nutritional needs of the WIC target population; review information on the dietary intake of WIC participants; and examine public health concerns and issues surrounding different types of eating patterns.

As part of this process, the contractor shall convene an expert committee and conduct no less than six expert committee meetings. In addition, the contractor shall conduct not less than two full day public forums to gather professional and public input. At the conclusion of Phase I, the contractor shall issue a Phase I Report that provides an assessment of the nutritional needs of the WIC population relative to current nutritional science, a discussion of how well the current WIC food packages address these needs within the supplemental framework, modeling and analyses to be conducted in Phase II, and a preview of the Phase II recommendation development process.

Phase II will include a Phase II Report containing detailed documentation of all findings and specific recommendations for changes in the foods and amounts of food provided in the WIC food packages for each of the various types of WIC food packages. The recommendations for each of the packages should be supported by a discussion of the nutritional rationale (including but not limited to discussion of the latest nutritional science and other expert recommendations), a food group and subgroup and nutrient analysis, and estimated annual costs or savings compared to baseline of the individual food changes. In addition, the recommendations for all the packages should be presented as a recommendation supported by an estimate of the annual cost or savings and change from baseline. The recommendations may include options; however, the cost of each recommended set of changes shall be estimated separately for each food package.