REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
Southern Border Food Services
U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
INTRODUCTION
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), through its component office of the United States Border Patrol (USBP), is conducting market research to gain a greater understanding of the full range of available options for the provision of USDA and FDA-approved meals delivery and distribution services to non-citizen migrants temporarily held at locations throughout the Southern Border area of operations. This RFI is released pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 Market Research.
The purpose of this RFI is to obtain market information on viable sources of supply, industry practices, answers to specific questions, and industry comments relating to the attached draft Statement of Work (SOW). Responses will assist CBP in developing and refining its Acquisition Strategy, Statement of Work, and Performance Specifications.
DESCRIPTION
CBP has a continuing requirement for meals delivery and distribution services to support non-citizen migrants temporarily held at Southern Border facilities. These services include preparation, delivery, distribution, and clean-up of meals, ensuring compliance with USDA and FDA standards and meeting age-appropriate nutritional guidelines. See the attached Statement of Work for full details of the requirements.
The meals provided under this requirement must meet the following specifications:
Three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for each migrant, with two meals being hot.
Menus categorized by age group: Tender Age Children (2 5 years), Children (6 12 years), Older Children (13 17 years), and Adults (18+ years).
Diverse dietary options, including vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free, and fiber-rich choices.
Compliance with USDA and FDA standards for food safety, preparation, and delivery.
CBP plans to establish one (1) Regional Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract to fulfill this requirement for locations within the following regions:
Region 1: USBP San Diego Sector
Region 2: USBP El Paso Sector
Region 3: USBP Rio Grande Valley Sector
Region 4: USBP Miami Sector
INFORMATION REQUESTED:
Please provide answers to the following questions:
- Company Name, Company Address, Point of Contact, Telephone Number, and e-mail Address.
- Are you under NAICS code 722310 - Food Service Contractors, Concession Operators? If not, what NAICS code do you use? What size business are you registered in SAM.GOV with this code?
- Does your company have a GSA Contract that can provide these services?
- What is your organization's experience with, and capability for, manufacturing and distributing meals in multiple locations? Does this experience include remote locations?
- Does your company currently have infrastructure in place for all the locations in the SOW?
- Do you have any recommendations, concerns or questions regarding the requirements set forth in the attached draft SOW?
RESPONSES
The information provided may be used by CBP in developing and refining its Acquisition Strategy, Statement of Work, and Performance Specifications. Responses shall be the minimum length necessary to accommodate all requested information and submitted via e-mail only. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the SAM.GOV website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement.
QUESTIONS
Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Officer, email address listed below. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions, if not answered directly to the respondee, will be answered by posting on the SAM.GOV website; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain proprietary, sensitive, or classified information.
Instructions and Response Guidelines:
Please provide the information you deem relevant in order to respond to the specific inquiries of the RFI. Information provided will be used solely by CBP as market research. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid, or Request for Quotation (RFQ), and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contract, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response to this request. All information contained in this RFI is preliminary as well as subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government.
RFI Responses shall be submitted electronically via email to the Contacting Officer, Christopher Shaw at christopher.j.shaw@cbp.dhs.gov by the due date outlined in this posting.
Telephone responses will not be accepted. The Government is not required to respond to any information provided in response to this RFI. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor SAM.GOV for additional information pertaining to this RFI.
Background
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), through its component office of the United States Border Patrol (USBP), is conducting market research to understand available options for providing USDA and FDA-approved meals delivery and distribution services to non-citizen migrants temporarily held at locations throughout the Southern Border area.
This RFI aims to gather market information on viable sources, industry practices, and comments related to the draft Statement of Work (SOW). The goal is to assist CBP in developing its Acquisition Strategy, Statement of Work, and Performance Specifications.
Work Details
The contract requires meals delivery and distribution services that include preparation, delivery, distribution, and clean-up of meals for non-citizen migrants. Key specifications include:
- Provision of three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for each migrant, with two meals being hot.
- Menus categorized by age group: Tender Age Children (2–5 years), Children (6–12 years), Older Children (13–17 years), and Adults (18+ years).
- Diverse dietary options including vegetarian, gluten-free, pork-free, and fiber-rich choices.
- Compliance with USDA and FDA standards for food safety, preparation, and delivery.
- The expected average meals required may be as high as 3000 for each meal period or 9000 total meals daily. During peak periods, this may increase to over 5000 per meal period or 15,000 total meals daily.
- Locations operate 24/7 including federal holidays.
Place of Performance
Services will be provided at various locations within the following USBP Sectors: Region 1: USBP San Diego Sector; Region 2: USBP El Paso Sector; Region 3: USBP Rio Grande Valley Sector; Region 4: USBP Miami Sector.
