Advisory Services for Nursery Crop Insurance Program for Subtropical and Temperate Plants

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0001) provides questions and answers (Q&A) related to the solicitation for Advisory Services for the Nursery Crop Insurance Program for Subtropical and Temperate Plants.

• Horticulture Specialist Experience: A Master's degree is generally expected, but lower degrees with extensive experience will be considered. RMA will consider all horticulturally related research and experience for past performance.
• Credentials/Certifications: Not required, but vendors are encouraged to list relevant certifications or credentials.
• Staffing Model: Offerors proposing a single technical specialist supported by administrative personnel will be considered, though administrative personnel are not required.

This amendment clarifies requirements related to the horticulture specialist's qualifications and experience.

No changes to proposal deadlines or submission requirements are indicated. The anticipated period of performance is June 1, 2026, through May 30, 2027, with two possible option years.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for obtaining expert technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)/Risk Management Agency (RMA) Nursery Value Select (NVS) pilot crop insurance program. The program provides coverage for wholesale nurseries producing field-grown and containerized plants nationwide.

The contractor will provide advisory services related to:

• Nursery plant production practices

• Plant classification and taxonomy

• Hardiness zone limitations

• Storage and plant protection procedures

• Risk assessment

• Wholesale marketing

• Nursery crop insurance procedures

• Advising on modifications to the NVS pilot program

• Assisting RMA personnel and other interested parties

• Attending industry meetings

• Aiding in large claims, as necessary

• The contractor must possess sufficient expertise in horticultural sciences.

• The contractor must be able to accurately assess and establish plant categories, hardiness zone limitations, and winter storage requirements.

• The contractor must be able to advise RMA personnel on horticultural issues related to crop insurance coverage.

• Period of Performance: One year, with four one-year options (not guaranteed).

• Place of Performance: Primarily at the Contractor's facilities.

• Non-Personal Services: The government will not supervise contractor employees or control their methods.

• Key Personnel: Resumes of key personnel submitted with the proposal must be assigned, and substitutions require CO/COR approval.

• Travel: May be required to all 50 states, possessions, and territories. Travel costs are reimbursable on a cost-reimbursable basis and require pre-approval. Trip reports and supporting documentation are required for reimbursement.

• Invoicing: Must be submitted electronically via the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

• Identification of Contractor Personnel: Contractor employees must clearly identify themselves as such when interacting with government personnel or in situations that could be construed as acting as government officials.

• Restrictions Against Disclosure: Contractor must maintain strict confidence of government-furnished information and obtain written approval before disclosing any information concerning the work.

• Organizational Conflicts of Interest: Contractor must avoid, neutralize, or mitigate organizational conflicts of interest as per FAR Subpart 9.5.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document is a combined synopsis/solicitation (RFQ) for Advisory Services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)/Risk Management Agency (RMA) Nursery Value Select Pilot Crop Insurance Program for subtropical and temperate plants. This announcement serves as the only solicitation, and no separate written solicitation will be issued.

• Provide advisory services in a horticulture specialist capacity to assist RMA personnel and other interested parties.

• Advise on nursery issues related to subtropical and temperate plants across 10 RMA Regional Offices.

• Specific tasks include advising on plant production practices, classification, hardiness zones, storage, plant protection, risk assessment, wholesale marketing, and crop insurance procedures.

• Attend relevant meetings and assist with large claims as necessary.

• Provide knowledge of the NVS pilot crop insurance program to advise on modifications.

• Attachment 3 contains the Performance Work Statement (PWS) with additional details.

• Anticipated Period of Performance: June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027, with two possible one-year option periods.

• Contract type: Labor hour.

• Total contract duration not to exceed three (3) years.

• Quotes are due no later than April 15th, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Questions are due no later than April 6th, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Quotes must be submitted via email to jill.craft@usda.gov and Lizabeth.kuhaneck@usda.gov.

• Offerors must hold prices firm for 90 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers.

• Evaluation will be based on a tradeoff process, considering Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price. Technical Capability and Past Performance are significantly more important than Price.

• Offerors must receive at least a "MEETS EXPECTATIONS" rating on non-price factors to be eligible for award.

• Pricing will be evaluated for reasonableness after technical acceptability is determined.

• This acquisition is set-aside 100% for small business concerns.

• The applicable North American Industry Classification Standard (NAICS) Code is 541611.

• All responsible sources may submit a quotation.

• Contractors must be registered with System for Award Management (SAM.gov) prior to providing a quote.

• The solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference, accessible at www.acquisition.gov.

• Key FAR clauses and AGAR clauses are listed, including those related to DEI compliance, contract closeout, and prohibitions.

• Attachment 2 is the Pricing Sheet, which must be completed by vendors.

• Past performance information is required, detailing similar projects completed within the last five years.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing a price schedule for advisory services and travel related to nursery crop insurance. It outlines the pricing structure for the base year and subsequent option years (OY1, OY2).

• Advisory Services: Priced per hour for Base Year, OY1, and OY2.
• Travel: A not-to-exceed amount of $1,250.00 per year (Base, OY1, OY2) is specified for travel, noted as Time & Materials (T&M).
• Total Hours: Estimated at approximately 380 hours per year (12-month period).
• Award Basis: The award will be based on labor hours.
• Travel Modification: The travel amount may be increased via bilateral modification if additional travel is required. Contractors are instructed not to bill more than the amount shown on the travel line.

This pricing sheet is crucial for bidders to understand the cost structure and expected expenditures for providing advisory services and travel for nursery crop insurance. It provides line items for services and travel for the base year and option years, along with an estimated annual hour utilization and a cap on travel costs. Bidders will use this to formulate their pricing proposals.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing a price schedule for advisory services related to nursery crop insurance. It outlines the pricing structure for different contract periods.

• Line Items: Includes base year and Option Years 1 (OY1) and 2 (OY2).
• Services: "Advisory Services Nursery Crop Insurance - Plants" is the primary service, priced per hour.
• Travel: A "Travel - NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT" is listed for each period at $1,250.00 (T&M).
• Total Hours: Estimated at approximately 380 hours per year (12 months).
• Pricing Structure: The award will be labor-hour based.
• Travel Modification: The travel amount may be increased via bilateral modification if additional travel is required. Contractors must not bill more than the amount shown on the travel line.

This pricing schedule is critical for bidders to understand the cost structure for providing advisory services and associated travel. Bidders must use this to formulate their pricing proposals, considering the hourly rates for services and the not-to-exceed amount for travel. The estimated hours provide a basis for calculating the total potential labor cost.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation (RFQ) for Advisory Services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)/Risk Management Agency (RMA) Nursery Value Select Pilot Crop Insurance Program for subtropical and temperate plants. The services are requested in an advisory capacity.

• Provide advisory services on nursery issues related to subtropical and temperate plants.

• Assist RMA personnel and other interested parties with questions on plant production practices, classification, hardiness zones, storage, plant protection, risk assessment, wholesale marketing, and crop insurance procedures.

• Attend relevant meetings.

• Assist with large claims.

• Advise on modifications to the NVS pilot crop insurance program.

• Detailed requirements are in Attachment 3 - Performance Work Statement.

• Contract Type: Labor Hour.

• Period of Performance: Base year (12 months) with two (2) possible one-year option periods. Anticipated start June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027.

• Total duration not to exceed three (3) years.

• One award is anticipated.

• Quotes are due no later than April 15th, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Questions are due no later than April 6th, 2026, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

• Evaluation will be based on a tradeoff process, considering Technical Capability, Past Performance, and Price.

• Technical Capability and Past Performance are combined and significantly more important than Price.

• Offerors must receive at least a "MEETS EXPECTATIONS" rating on non-price factors to be eligible for award.

• Pricing will be evaluated for reasonableness after technical acceptability is determined.

• Offerors must submit pricing for all CLINs.

• This acquisition is set-aside 100% for small business concerns.

• Applicable NAICS Code: 541611.

• Contractors must be registered with System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

• This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

• Full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

• Attachment 2 – Pricing Sheet is required for pricing submission.

• Attachment 3 – Performance Work Statement provides additional details.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To provide expert technical advisory services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)/Risk Management Agency (RMA) Nursery Value Select (NVS) pilot crop insurance program for subtropical and temperate plants.

• Advise and coordinate with RMA personnel and interested parties on nursery plant production practices, plant classification and taxonomy, hardiness zone limitations, storage and plant protection procedures, risk assessment, wholesale marketing, and nursery crop insurance procedures.
• Attend RMA and nursery industry meetings as necessary.
• Assist RMA personnel with large claims.
• Provide knowledge of the NVS pilot crop insurance program to advise RMA on program modifications.

Not explicitly detailed, but performance is tied to achieving required objectives and acceptable quality levels.

• Period of Performance: One year, with four one-year options (Government not obligated to exercise options).

• Places of Performance: Primarily at the Contractor's facilities.

• Contractor must possess sufficient expertise in horticultural sciences.

• Contractor must be able to advise on horticultural issues related to crop insurance coverage.

• Contractor employees must identify themselves as such when interacting with the Government.

• Strict adherence to confidentiality and restrictions against disclosure of information.

• Avoidance of organizational conflicts of interest as per FAR Subpart 9.5.

• Travel may be required to all 50 states, possessions, and/or territories, with costs being cost-reimbursable and requiring pre-approval.

• Invoicing to be submitted electronically via the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) outlines the requirements for obtaining expert technical assistance for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC)/Risk Management Agency (RMA) Nursery Value Select (NVS) Pilot Crop Insurance Program for subtropical and temperate plants.

• Provide advisory services on nursery crop insurance issues related to field-grown and containerized plants.

• Advise on plant production practices, plant classification and taxonomy, hardiness zone limitations, storage and plant protection procedures, risk assessment, wholesale marketing, and nursery crop insurance procedures.

• Attend relevant RMA and nursery industry meetings.

• Assist RMA personnel with large claims as necessary.

• Possess knowledge of the NVS pilot crop insurance program to advise on program modifications.

• Expertise in horticultural sciences is required to assess and establish plant categories, hardiness zone limitations, and winter storage requirements.

• Ability to advise RMA personnel on horticultural issues related to crop insurance coverage of plants.

• The base period of performance is one year.

• Four one-year options may be exercised by the Government.

• Performance will primarily take place at the Contractor's facilities.

• Services are to be provided on a non-personal services basis.

• Key personnel must be assigned, and substitutions require CO/COR approval.

• Travel may be required to all 50 states, possessions, and/or territories, and will be cost-reimbursable with pre-approval.

• Invoices must be submitted electronically via the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP).

• Contractor employees must clearly identify themselves as such when interacting with the Government.

• Contractor must maintain strict confidentiality of Government-furnished information.

• Contractor must avoid, neutralize, or mitigate organizational conflicts of interest.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document contains questions submitted by potential vendors and the government's responses, clarifying aspects of the solicitation.

• Q1: Vendors are asked to provide company details including name, address, Unique Entity ID, Point of Contact information, business size and status, and any potential subcontractors or teaming arrangements.
• A1: The government acknowledges the request for information for Q1.
• Q2: Vendors are asked if they can meet all requirements outlined in the Statement of Work.
• A2: The government acknowledges the question for Q2.

This Q&A document serves to clarify vendor inquiries. Bidders should review these responses to ensure their understanding of the requirements and their ability to meet them. No specific impact on solicitation requirements or due dates is mentioned within this excerpt.