Chuck Parrot from the USDA Farm to School Team presented this slideshow.

1. USDA PROCUREMENT
OVERVIEW
Charles Parrott
Associate Deputy Administrator
Agricultural Marketing Service
May 19, 2010

2. MISSION
Purchase fresh and processed fruits,
vegetables and specialty items to remove
surplus production from the domestic
marketplace and provide needy people
safe and nutritious food that is low in fat,
sugar, and sodium.

3. Purchases
1. Entitlement Purchases
– Based on law
– Amounts purchased are relatively constant from year to year
2. Bonus Purchases
– Based on domestic agriculture need
– Amounts purchased fluctuate from year to year

4. USDA Recipients
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
(FDPIR)
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• Nutrition Services Incentives Program (NSIP)

5. Percentages for Each Program
FDPIR OTHER
CSFP
3% 0%
8%
NSLP
TEFAP TEFAP
28% NSLP
CSFP
61%
FDPIR
OTHER

6. Ordering Process
• Entitlement purchases begin with a
recipient survey sent by FNS
• Bonus purchases begin with an Industry
request, and if approved, results in a
recipient survey sent by FNS

7. AMS Pre-Award Process
• FNS receives orders, reviews them, and
provides them to AMS for purchase
• AMS releases an invitation for bid
– Email sent to vendors on distribution list
– Public release on our website
• All line items are FOB Destination to the
location FNS recipients indicate

8. Approved Vendors
• Anyone can be on our distribution list, even if not
an approved vendor
• To become an approved vendor, see the Doing
Business with USDA and Forms webpage
(www.ams.usda.gov/fvprocurement)
• Or call our office for assistance

10. Invitation Process
• Approved vendors will receive an email
• Invitation for Offer
– Quantities and destinations
– Delivery periods
– Bid submission date
– Contract award date

11. Bid Process
• Approved vendors use ID and password to
enter bidding website (DEBES)
• Bids are placed by line item to specific
destinations, and must be timely
• Bids must include cost of product,
inspections and delivery to destination

12. Award Process
• Bids are opened electronically, and we use bid
evaluation software to determine the awards that
are most advantageous to the Government
• Once bids are evaluated, contracts are then
awarded and winning vendors notified
• All documents are publicly displayed on our
website, and are accessible for at least one year

13. Small Business Set Asides
• Government is required to support various
categories of small businesses
– Businesses with less than 500 employees (SB)
– Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone)
– Small disadvantaged (8a)
– Service disabled veteran owned (SDVOSB)
• If two or more bid on an invitation, the next one
can be set aside for that category

14. Questions?