Meal, Cold Weather (MCW)
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support is soliciting proposals for Meal, Cold Weather (MCW) assemblies (NSN 8970-01-467-1753) under an Indefinite-Quantity Contract (IQC). This acquisition has a minimum quantity of 30,000 boxes and a maximum of 300,000 boxes. The opportunity is Unrestricted with a HUBZone price evaluation preference. Proposals are due March 24, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST.
Scope of Work
This solicitation seeks contractors to provide complete MCW assemblies, including specific menu requirements (Menus #1 through #12) and Contractor Furnished Material (CFM) components such as various entrees, starches, soups, desserts, snacks, beverages, and accessory packet items. Key requirements include:
- Submission of Product Demonstration Models (PDMs).
- Compliance with Performance-Based Contract Requirements (PCR), Commercial Item Descriptions (CID), and Packaging Requirements and Quality Assurance Provisions (PKG&QAP).
- Adherence to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis.
- Submission of a stand-alone Food Defense Plan (FDP) and an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Plan.
- Compliance with the Buy American Act and all applicable Federal and State regulations for food preparation, processing, packaging, labeling, storage, and distribution.
- Deliveries are F.O.B. Destination to Tracy, California.
Contract Details
- Contract Type: Indefinite-Quantity Contract (IQC).
- Period of Performance: Five (5) consecutive tiered delivery periods, each 365 days.
- Quantities: Minimum 30,000 boxes, Estimated 150,000 boxes, Maximum 300,000 boxes.
- Set-Aside: Unrestricted, with a HUBZone price evaluation preference.
Submission & Evaluation
Proposals, excluding initial Product Demonstration Models, must be submitted via email to Contract Specialist Darren Gregory (Darren.Gregory@dla.mil) and Contracting Officer Tiendung Nguyen (Tiendung.Nguyen@dla.mil). Email attachments are limited to 5MB each, with a total email size limit of 10MB. Offerors must be registered in SAM.gov. Evaluation will follow a Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) approach, considering technical proposals (including PDMs) and business proposals (price and price realism). The government reserves the right to award without discussions and may utilize a Reverse Auction.
Key Dates & Contacts
- Response Due: March 24, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST.
- Published Date: February 18, 2026.
- Primary Contact: Darren Gregory (darren.gregory@dla.mil, 445-737-1749).
- Secondary Contact: Tiendung Nguyen (tiendung.nguyen@dla.mil, 4457370927).
Amendments & Notes
An amendment extended the proposal deadline from February 24, 2026, to March 24, 2026. It also incorporated updated specifications for packaging and quality assurance (PKG&QAP A-A-20164 for Nuts and PKG&QAP A-A-20295 for Cookies), available on the Subsistence Frozen Site. Bidders should ensure they use these updated specifications. Detailed assembly requirements and a component spreadsheet are also provided as attachments.