Solicitation
AMS Designated Laboratory Meat Testing Services (ADL)
Department of Agriculture · Agricultural Marketing Service
AI summaryThe U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) wants accredited labs to test meat samples for germs and fat for its food-purchase programs. Bidders must first be registered and approved in the Web-Based Supply Chain Management system (WBSCM, USDA's online buying system), because offers go only through it. AMS plans firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price per test) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ: orders placed as needed) contracts from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2032, and expects at least two awards. The response due date is November 20, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern. More in the summary
A newer version of this notice was posted Oct 27, 2026. See the latest version.
AI summary Beta
Summary of the version posted Oct 20, 2026. The notice was amended Oct 27, 2026. Check what else changed on SAM.gov. The notice looks incomplete: Section E, the proposal instructions (page limits, how many references, how factors are weighted), was not in the text read; check the solicitation on SAM.gov. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) wants accredited labs to test meat samples for germs and fat for its food-purchase programs. Bidders must first be registered and approved in the Web-Based Supply Chain Management system (WBSCM, USDA's online buying system), because offers go only through it. AMS plans firm-fixed-price (FFP: one set price per test) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ: orders placed as needed) contracts from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2032, and expects at least two awards. The response due date is November 20, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern.
Who can bid (4)
- ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for all test methods in the solicitation, kept current for the full contract term
- Independent third-party lab, not owned by any company that bids on AMS meat, poultry, egg or aquatic product contracts, with no financial or management ties to such companies
- WBSCM vendor registration approved before an offer can be uploaded
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- Active SAM.gov registration to submit invoices and receive payment
How to submit: Upload PDF files into WBSCM; offers sent any other way are nonresponsive. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (7)
- Serious: WBSCM registration needed before you can offer. Offers can only be uploaded in WBSCM, and new suppliers must register and be approved first, so a firm not yet registered may not be able to submit.
- Serious: ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation required for all test methods. Labs without accreditation covering these microbiological and fat methods, from an ILAC-recognized accreditation body, cannot meet the requirement.
- Worth checking: Independent lab and conflict of interest rules. A lab owned by, or affiliated with, a meat company that sells to AMS is not eligible, and a later conflict can end the contract.
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- Worth checking: Lab pays for the AMS on-site audit. The audit comes after award and before any work, a failed audit can mean another paid audit, and the contract can be terminated if the lab can't perform as proposed.
- Worth checking: Only a $10,000 minimum is guaranteed. The yearly quantities are not-to-exceed amounts, so actual testing volume, and your revenue, depends on task orders AMS places.
- Minor: Shipping supplies must be built into unit prices. The lab must provide sample containers and tamper-proof bags to meat plants at no separate charge, so those costs belong in each test price.
- Minor: Source Selection Plan does not match the lab testing work. The plan describes proposal parts and sample reports for loading, discharge and delivery observation, which differ from the four proposal parts in the checklist, so ask the contracting officer which evaluation criteria apply.
Read from the notice and 4 attachments. Show which files.
- SF1449 - ADL.pdf (read)
- Solicitation - 2026 ADL.pdf (read)
- Amendment A01-CO signed.pdf (read)
- FY26 ADL SSP.docx (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Run microbiological tests on boneless beef, boneless bison, ground beef and ground bison samples: aerobic plate count (APC), total coliforms and generic E. coli, plus Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) tests
- Run fat tests on ground beef and similar samples using AOAC INTERNATIONAL or American Oil Chemists' Society methods
- Yearly not-to-exceed quantities per contract line item number (CLIN: one priced line of the order), each in EA (each): 69,500 each for APC, total coliforms and generic E. coli; 31,000 for Salmonella; 500 Salmonella confirmatory; 31,000 for E. coli O157:H7; 100 O157:H7 confirmatory; 2,400 non-O157 STEC; 240 non-O157 confirmatory; 3,100 fat tests
- Give meat vendors sampling instructions, sample forms, sampling bags and shipping materials, and record results with process capability values on spreadsheets
- Report all results to AMS and the vendor at the same time, and notify AMS and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of presumptive or confirmed pathogen positives
- Send a daily status report on each vendor's samples to the contracting officer and AMS technical staff, and keep AMS data secure
- Keep ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation (the international standard for testing lab competence), complete yearly proficiency testing and pass on-site AMS audits
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price IDIQ (indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity); the Government may make multiple awards and anticipates at least two
- Period of performance
- Base period April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2028, plus four option periods ending March 31, 2032 (5 years in all)
- Place of performance
- USA per SAM.gov. Bidders state the geographic areas they serve and the locations of their testing labs.
- Estimated value
- Government order limits: orders totaling a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $15,000,000 (AGAR 452.216-73); guaranteed minimum of $10,000 per contract for the base period
- How they'll choose
- Best value to the Government; the Government may award without discussions, so the first offer should hold the best pricing
- Offers due
- November 20, 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern (from the version posted Oct 20, 2026; amended since)
- How to submit
- Upload PDF files into WBSCM; offers sent any other way are nonresponsive
What they'll judge offers on
- Proposal Part 1, Technical Information
- Proposal Part 2, Management and Workforce Practices and Policies
- Proposal Part 3, Past Performance Information
- Proposal Part 4, Prices (CLIN price schedule with not-to-exceed amounts)
What to include when you submit
- Complete block 17a of the Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449, the form you sign and return as your offer); sign block 30a, print your name in block 30b, date block 30c; upload as PDF in WBSCM
- Acknowledge every amendment (SF 30), including Amendment A01
- Upload four proposal parts as PDFs: Part 1 Technical Information, Part 2 Management and Workforce Practices and Policies, Part 3 Past Performance Information, Part 4 Prices (CLIN price schedule)
- Technical proposal: include a bookmarked table of contents and your ISO/IEC 17025 Certificate of Accreditation and Scope of Accreditation from an accreditation body that is a signatory in good standing of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement
- Technical proposal: include a time schedule for testing and reporting, how you ensure valid results, how you amend reports, data management, complaint resolution policy, the location of each lab and the tests done there, and a conflict of interest statement
- Prices: enter a unit price and not-to-exceed (NTE) amount for every test CLIN in the base period and each option; unit prices must include sample shipping containers and tamper-proof sample bags
- List the location of every testing facility you would use and the geographic areas you can serve (write "all states" if nationwide); state which area each price applies to
After award, you must have
- Pass an AMS on-site capability audit before receiving any samples; the lab pays all audit costs From Solicitation - 2026 ADL.pdf:
…the ADL must complete an on-site capability assessment.
Current contractor
No incumbent is named. AMS anticipates at least two awards, and the Statement of Work states it replaces an earlier July 2021 version.
Not in the notice text
- Section E, the proposal instructions (page limits, how many references, how factors are weighted), was not in the text read; check the solicitation on SAM.gov.
- The Amendment A01 questions and answers document is mentioned but its text was not provided.
- SAM.gov does not state a set-aside; the SF 1449 set-aside block can't show which program is marked, so check the form on SAM.gov.
- The order of importance of the four evaluation factors is not stated in the text read.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Upload PDF files into WBSCM; offers sent any other way are nonresponsive. Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Notice type
- Solicitation
- Office
- USDA Ams 3J14, Washington, DC
- Product/service code
- H389 · Inspection – Subsistence
- Business type
- Engineering, architecture & research (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 541380)
- Versions
3 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 27, 2026 · Amendment 0002Due Nov 20, 2026
- Oct 20, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Nov 20, 2026 (changed)
- Oct 13, 2026 · SolicitationDue Nov 6, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
- How to respond to a solicitation (8 steps)
- How to read a government solicitation
- How to price a government contract
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is issuing Solicitation 12-1NTS-26-R-0002 to obtain proposals from responsible, accredited analytical laboratories to perform microbiological and fat testing in support of AMS meat, poultry, egg, and aquatic product procurement programs. This requirement establishes AMS Designated Laboratories (ADLs) responsible for conducting all required microbiological and chemical analyses on samples submitted by AMS vendors, ensuring compliance with Federal Purchase Program Specifications (FPPS) and supporting food safety and quality verification efforts. AMS intends to award an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) firm?fixed?price contract, consisting of a Base Period and up to four option periods, covering performance from April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2032. Offerors must be fully capable of meeting all technical, accreditation, reporting, and quality assurance requirements outlined in the Statement of Work (SOW) and must maintain ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for all applicable microbiological and chemical test methods throughout the contract term. Offerors are required to submit a complete proposal package in accordance with Section E of the solicitation, including all technical, management, past performance, and pricing components, as well as a properly completed and signed SF-1449. Offerors must ensure all requirements, instructions, and submission details—such as WBSCM electronic submission processes—are fully reviewed and followed. Incomplete proposals may not be considered for award. Key expectations under this solicitation include: • Performance of all required microbiological and fat analyses using approved methods (FSIS MLG, AOAC, AOCS, or AMS?approved alternatives). • Comprehensive sample preparation, receipt, testing, reporting, and data management in accordance with AMS SOW requirements. • Timely reporting of results, including notification of presumptive or confirmed pathogen positives to AMS, FSIS, and vendors. • Secure handling and management of proprietary AMS data. • Full compliance with FAR, AGAR, and USDA?specific contract clauses incorporated into the solicitation. Prospective offerors are strongly encouraged to read the entire solicitation package, including the SOW, exhibits, and all referenced clauses, to ensure a complete and conforming submission.
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