This is a Sources Sought Notice ONLY.  This is NOT a solicitation for quotations.  The Government will not award a contract based on this Sources Sought Notice or the information received, nor will it reimburse participants for the information they provide.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is conducting market research and seeking capability statements from businesses capable of meeting the following requirement:

Complete inspection, repair, and upgrade of an Almaco 4R CTS research planter.

Place of Performance: Ames, Iowa

Respondents shall furnish sufficient technical information necessary for the Government to conclusively determine that they are capable of meeting the technical requirements identified above. Firms believing they can meet the requirements are encouraged to respond electronically with no less than the following information:

• Business name, DUNS number, business address, business website, business size status (i.e., SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone SB, SDB, WOSB, LB), point of contact name, mailing address (if different from business address), phone number, and email address;

• Sufficient descriptive literature that unequivocally demonstrates that offered services will meet or exceed above specifications;

• Descriptive material necessary for the government to determine whether the service offered meets the technical requirements;

• If a large business, provide if subcontracting opportunities exist for small business concerns;

• Though this is not a request for quote, informational pricing is encouraged.

Interested parties must respond with capability statements by email to [email protected] on or before September 4, 2020 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

Disclaimer and Important Notes:  This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. The government is not responsible for locating or securing any information, not identified in the response. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Beta.SAM.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate response to a solicitation.

Confidentiality:

 No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).