Catered Meals

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding a solicitation, likely related to food services, clarifying requirements and expectations.

• Commercial Kitchens: A rented commercial kitchen is acceptable if it is licensed, current with health and safety inspections, and its address is provided. Home kitchens are not acceptable.
• Mobile Kitchens: Mobile kitchens are acceptable, provided all licenses are submitted with the RFQ. The vendor must provide the location where the mobile kitchen will be used. The USMS cannot provide an on-site location, but SOG has a commercial kitchen available.
• Invoicing: Invoices can be submitted at the end of each training period.
• Site Visits: Site visits are required as stipulated in the PWS, even for experienced vendors.
• Backup Kitchen Location: A backup kitchen location within a 50-mile radius is required in case the primary on-site kitchen experiences an incident. This backup location must be capable of preparing meals.
• State Licensing: Vendors are required to have a State of LA license to ensure food specifications are met.
• Food Deliveries: Food deliveries must be from a licensed commercial food service distribution company (e.g., Sysco, US Foods) using climate-controlled vehicles (e.g., refrigerated trailers). Unprepared food must not be transported in personal vehicles or standard work vans.
• POV Definition: POV is defined as a Privately Owned Vehicle.
• Food Distributors: The USMS does not have a preferred list of food distributors but requires them to be licensed and commercial.

These clarifications refine requirements related to kitchen facilities, food sourcing and delivery, and operational procedures. Vendors should ensure their proposals address these points, particularly regarding licensing, backup facilities, and food handling.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services, specifically catering, for the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Special Operations Group (SOG) in Pineville, LA. The requirement is a 100% small business set-aside under NAICS code 722320 (Caterers) with a size standard of $9.0 million. The government anticipates awarding a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) contract.

• Preparation and service of three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) during specified training dates.

• Provision of two healthy and protein-rich snacks per attendee per day, between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner.

• Attendees are required to consume 3,500 – 4,500 nutrient-dense calories per day, requiring two trips through the food service line per attendee per meal.

• The attached Performance Work Statement (PWS) contains detailed food quality and quantity requirements, including specific sections on Food Specifications, General Information, and Meal Counts.

• Contract type: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP).

• Period of Performance: Includes training dates from June 6-11, 2026; June 21-26, 2026; and July 13-24, 2026.

• Estimated Value: Not explicitly stated, but the NAICS code has a size standard of $9.0 million.

• Questions Due: No later than 12:00 PM EST on April 17, 2026.

• Offers Due: No later than 12:00 PM EST on May 1, 2026.

• Submission Method: Electronic delivery via email to christopher.jones10@usdoj.gov and julie.simpson@usdoj.gov. Phone calls will not be accepted.

• Evaluation Criteria (in order of importance):

  1. Contract Catering Personnel Experience
  2. Contract Management Experience
  3. Contractor Performance (3 references required)
  4. Review of answers to questionnaire
  5. Price (used as a tie-breaker if other criteria are equal).

• Confidence Ratings: High, Some, and Low confidence ratings will be used for evaluation.

• Set-Aside: 100% small business.

• Location Requirement: Interested contractors must have a physical business location within a 50-mile radius of 1401 "F" Street, Pineville, LA 71360. Subcontractors' locations can also satisfy this requirement.

• SAM Registration: All offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) for “All Awards” prior to submitting a quote and must maintain active registration at the time of award.

• Offerors must include specific information on company letterhead, including UEI, CAGE Code, Tax ID, POC details, Quote Number, and RFQ Number.

• A draft menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner must be submitted.

• Proof of business license and insurance is required.

• Offerors must be able to receive payment via the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP); registration is not required before award but is mandatory after.

• The attached excel pricing worksheet must be completed.

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

To establish a contract for food services that provides healthy, nutrient-sufficient meals to members of the USMS undergoing training at the SOG facilities in Pineville, LA. The contractor will be responsible for food preparation, service, and clean-up.

• Provide prepared meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for multiple training classes held at and around the SOG facilities in Pineville, LA.

• Lunch meals may be served at various off-site training locations within a 20-mile radius.

• Contractor is responsible for all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and quality control, except for Government-Furnished items.

• Services include planning, purchasing, delivery, preparation, service, and site clean-up.

• Meals must meet USMS Food Specifications (Section 8.0).

• Attendees require 3,500 to 4,500 calories per day, emphasizing quality, nutrient-dense foods.

• Two servings per meal are required for each attendee.

• Performance is monitored against an Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) of 100% success rate for most objectives, with specific AQLs for menu submission (90%) and certifications.

• Period of Performance (POP) includes three training sessions in June and July 2026:

  • June 6-11, 2026 (30 students, 6 days, 540 meals)
  • June 21-26, 2026 (30 students, 6 days, 540 meals)
  • July 13-24, 2026 (40 students, 12 days, 1,400 meals)

• Primary location: Special Operations Group Tactical Center (SOGTC) Dining Facility, 1401 F. Street, Pineville, LA.

• Off-site locations include USMS Range #4, USMS Range #8, and USMS Annex Facilities and Urban Village.

• Contractor employees must have a current State of Louisiana food handler's certificate and meet hygiene requirements.

• Employees must maintain a clean and professional appearance and wear a contractor-furnished name tag.

• Contractor must possess a valid business license and insurance.

• All food deliveries must be from an accredited and licensed commercial food service distribution company.

• Contractor must comply with all installation access and security requirements, including background checks for personnel.

• Recognized US holidays are listed, and no services will be performed on these days.

• Contractor must provide a draft menu for COR review 10 days prior to implementation.

• Contractor must provide a Contract Manager (CM) and an alternate.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is a pricing sheet for a Request for Quotation (RFQ), detailing the food requirements and quantities for specific periods of performance. Bidders should use this sheet to prepare their price quotes.

• Periods of Performance:
  • 06 - 11 June 2026
  • 21 June - 26 June 2026
  • 13 July - 24 July 2026
• Food Items: Breakfast Meals, Lunch Meals, Dinner Meals, Snacks.
• Quantities: Specified per meal type and period of performance.
• Unit of Issue: Each.
• Note: No Dinner Meal on 18 July 2026.

This pricing sheet is critical for bidders to understand the exact quantities of food items required for each performance period. Bidders must use this information to calculate their unit prices and line item totals, ultimately determining their total quote for the opportunity.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document presents questions from potential bidders and outlines the expected format for responses, indicating it serves as a clarification or Q&A document related to a Performance Work Statement (PWS).

• Bidder Expertise & Experience: Companies must detail their professional food preparation expertise and experience in providing services as outlined in the PWS.
• PWS Requirements: Bidders need to explain their approach to meeting specific food specificity requirements detailed in the PWS.
• Staffing Plan: A plan for staffing the required services must be provided.
• Scenario-Based Food Service Plan: Bidders must outline their approach for serving meals to 30 personnel in a specific scenario involving multiple locations (SOGTC dining facility, SOG Range-8, SOG Range-4) with varying travel times and road conditions. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner service, considering facility amenities and travel logistics.

Responses to these questions will likely inform bidders on how to structure their proposals and demonstrate their capability to meet the PWS requirements. The detailed scenario for food service planning may directly influence how bidders propose to execute that portion of the work.

Other / Unclassified

This document is a list of applicable FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation), JAR (Justice Acquisition Regulation), DJAR (Defense Acquisition Regulation Supplement), and DOJ (Department of Justice) clauses and provisions. It includes specific clause numbers and their titles, along with dates for some provisions.

This document is highly relevant for potential bidders as it outlines the mandatory clauses and provisions that will likely be incorporated into any resulting contract. Bidders should review this list to understand their potential contractual obligations, compliance requirements, and the terms and conditions that will govern the performance of the work. The document also provides a link to www.acquisition.gov for obtaining the full text of these clauses.