Source:Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 8/16/18


USDA announced plans to purchase up to $60 million in chicken products and an unspecified amount of beef for distribution to various food nutrition assistance programs.

The chicken purchases will include whole bagged chicken, consumer split breast, and dark meat parts.

The purchases will be made under the agency's Section 32 program and are not associated with the administraton of Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corp. related to trade mitigation, USDA said.

National Chicken Council President Mike Brown said the program will help balance the supply and demand situaton in the market.

“As such, it will provide continued and improved employment in the poultry industry, underpin steadier family farm grower incomes, and enhance better feed demand for the on-coming expected bumper harvest of corn and soybeans," Brown said in a statement.
The program will benefit financially stressed families, group feeding kitchens, disaster-relief operations, schools and consumers needing food assistance, Brown added.

Solicitations will be issued in the near future, and will be available electronically through the Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system, USDA said.  Public WBSCM information is available without an account on the WBSCM Public Procurement Page.

Future information, including solicitation amendments and award notices, will be published through WBSCM, and on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s website. Interested parties are responsible for ensuring they have the most up-to-date information about the acquisition, USDA said.

The contract type is anticipated to be firm-fixed price. Deliveries are expected to be to various locations in the United States on an FOB destination basis, USDA said.

Offerers are urged to review all program documents including the latest:
• AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements (MSCP), April 12, 2017
• Applicable commodity specification(s) identified in the subsequent solicitation(s)
• Qualification Requirements for Prospective Contractors Selling Commodities to USDA, March 1, 2017

The documents are available on the AMS website.

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