USDA; HF ALE RADIO SYSTEMS

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL SERVICES

SOLICITATION NO. 12314426Q0028

High Frequency (HF) Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) Radio System – Test, Maintenance and Training

Office of Homeland Security (OHS), National Security Systems Program (NSSP)

1. Action Code-                                                         This is a combined synopsis and solicitation procedure IAW FAR 12.603 for commercial items.
2. Date:                                                                      01/16/2026
3. Year:                                                                      2026
4. Contracting Office ZIP Code:                                 80521
5. Product or Service Code:                                      5810
6. Contracting Office Address: 301 S. Howes St., Suite 321 Fort Collins, CO 80521-2795
7. Subject:                                                                 HF ALE Radio Systems
8. Proposed Solicitation Number:                             12314426Q0028
9. Closing Response Date:                                         9 February 2026 / 1:00 p.m. MT
10. Contact Point or Contracting Officer:                 Karmella Van Stockum (CO)

1. Contract Award and Solicitation Number:          Contract Award # assigned at time of award.

Solicitation number is 12314426Q0028

1. Contract Award Dollar Amount:                         To be negotiated
2. Line Item Numbers:                                            0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001

1. Contract Award Date:                                         Prior to 1 March 2026
2. Contractor:                                                          Unknown
3. Description.
   1. This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the

only solicitation; quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation will not be issued.

1. 1. See attached solicitation number 12314426Q0028, which is a Request for Quote (RFQ) and is attached to this combined synopsis/solicitation notification IAW FAR 12.603(b).
   2. A statement that the solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-06.
   3. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 334220 –Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing. This requirement is Full and Open.

1. 1. The USDA Office of Homeland Security (OHS), National Security Systems Program (NSSP) is seeking to continue operations for the HF ALE Radio Systems. The requirement is to secure a contract for a Base Year and Four (12-mos) Option Years.

Base Year:  March 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027

Option Year 1:  March 1, 2027 – February 29, 2028

Option Year 2:  March 1, 2028 – February 28, 2029

Option Year 3:  March 1, 2029 – February 28, 2030

Option Year 4:  March 1, 2030 – February 28, 2031

1. 1. See “Attachment 1: Performance Work Statement” for a description of the requirements needed for these services.  It is important to note specific qualifications are necessary.  See pg 8 Factor 1; Technically Acceptable of this solicitation and para 3.0 of the PWS for specific qualification requirements.
   2. Services for the HF ALE Radio Systems will be coordinated with a USDA OHS-NSSP Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for the Period of Performance dates referenced in paragraph v above.

1. 1. FAR Clauses 52.212-1, 52.212-3, 52.212-4, and 52.212-5 are referenced in Solicitation 1231426Q0028 as well as other FAR Clauses that apply to this acquisition.
   2. Award will be made to the vendor deemed the best value to the government in response to Solicitation 12314426Q0028.
   3. See Section 1 (below) for Question and Quote due dates. Questions will be answered and returned via an amendment to all interested Offerors.
   4. Point of Contact for information regarding this combined synopsis and solicitation is: Contracting Officer: Ms. Karmella Van Stockum  Email: Karmella.vanstockum@usda.gov
2. Place of Contract Performance: On-site work will be conducted at USDA locations referenced in the table below:

Location name                       Agency            Address 1                          City   /    State

 USDA Headquarters (HQ)      OHS            1400 Independence Ave SW      Washington DC

U.S. Forest Service Office      OCIO            200 Sycamore St                         Elkins   WV 

Bannister Federal Complex    OCIO           2306 E. Bannister Road              Kansas City MO

1. Set-aside Status:                                                 Not applicable (Full and Open)

Solicitation Contents:

Section 1: Solicitation Information, Dates, and Deadlines

Section 2: Overview of Solicitation

Section 3: Submission Instructions

Section 4: Basis of Award Criteria Section 5: Attachments

Section 1: Solicitation Information, Dates, and Deadlines

1. 1. Solicitation Amendment History

Amendment         Action                               Date

      N/A                Solicitation Issued      16 January 2026

1. 1. Point(s) of Contact / Contract Administration

Points of Contact: The following point of contact is to be used to communicate with the Government during the solicitation through award, the Contracting Officer shall be the primary point of contact:

Contracting Officer (CO):                                              

Name: Ms. Karmella Van Stockum

Email: karmella.vanstockum@usda.gov

Solicitation Due Date and Delivery

Quotes must be submitted on or prior to 1:00 pm MT, 9 February 2026. USDA will not accept quotes received by fax or mail. Offerors are to submit quotes electronically via email to the Contracting Officer listed above.

Subject line of the submittal email shall be formatted as follows: HF ALE Radio Systems, RFQ 12314426Q0028, and Vendor Name.

Volumes I, II, and III of the vendors quotes must be in separate volumes. All volumes are to be delivered by the closing date and time as stated above.

1. 1. Questions – Are due 11:00 am MT on 23 January 2026. All questions shall be submitted electronically via email to the CO listed above. Please be advised the Government reserves the right to transmit those questions and answers of common interest to all prospective Offerors. They will be posted via an amendement to the RFQ on SAM.gov (https://sam.gov) and GSA eBuy at (https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov/ebuy).

Section 2: Overview of Solicitation

1. 1. Acquisition Details / Type of Contract
      • This solicitation is a Request for Quote (RFQ) being published on SAM.gov & GSA eBuy.
      • This is a FAR Subpart 12.603 competitive acquisition.
      • This acquisition will result in a single open market award.
      • The order will be Firm Fixed Price contract.
      • No Set aside used
   2. Period of Performance

Period of Performance for this requirement is anticipated to be a Base Year (12 mos) plus Four (12-mos) Option Years as referenced below:

Base Year:  March 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027

Option Year 1:  March 1, 2027 – February 29, 2028

Option Year 2:  March 1, 2028 – February 28, 2029

Option Year 3:  March 1, 2029 – February 28, 2030

Option Year 4:  March 1, 2030 – February 28, 2031

Section 3: Quote submittal instructions

Quotes shall be neat, indexed and assembled in an orderly manner. Please try and mirror the requirements document as much as possible so a stated fact or reference may be directly attributed to a requirement. Each volume shall stand alone.

ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS SOLICITATION PACKAGE SHALL BE IDENTIFIED ON A SEPARATE PAGE WITHIN THE COVER LETTER SUBMISSION. EXCEPTIONS MAY DISQUALIFY YOUR SUBMITTAL FOR AWARD CONSIDERATION.

The company must be based out of The United States of America to submit a quote. This will be verified in the vendors SAM.gov registration system.  If the company is not US-based, they will be removed from competition.  The Vendor is required to be registered in SAM.gov with an active registration at the time of RFQ closing.

Formatting

Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches with one-inch margins. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. The font size shall be 12-point, Times New Roman, with single-line spacing. 11-point font size is allowable only for tables and graphics. Offerors shall include a cover letter as described below. Tabs, table of contents, and cover page are not included in the page count. Quote pages exceeding the page limits shall not be evaluated.

If the Offeror uses a different format (font size, margin, etc.), the Government reserves the right to adjust the quote to fit the parameters of the format as stated in the RFQ.  If this results in the quote exceeding the page limitations in any one area, the Government will not evaluate those excess pages.

Table 1 –Volume Page Limits

Contract Quote Information           Page Limit             Format

Cover Letter                                      2 Pages                  PDF ( Submit w/ Vol I)

Volume I – Non-price Factor             5 Pages                   PDF   

(Prior Experience)

Volume II – Non-price Factors         25 Pages                PDF

(Written Technical Package)

Volume III – Price Quote                No Page Limit        Excel or PDF

(See below for how pricing structure should be set up)

• Volume I, Non-Price Evaluation Factor: Cover letter (2 pages) and Prior Experience Narrative (5 pages).

Cover Letter:

Must have the following:

      UEI Number

      Company name and mailing address

      Date submitted

      Business size

      Point of Contact (Name, email, phone) for the representative the Government should contact with questions regarding the quote.

      Clear label business submission (Joint Venture (JV), teaming arrangement and subcontractors) otherwise the business status is presumed to be standalone standard submission.

      All of the above-cited information for each entity on the proposed team, if a teaming arrangement, JV, or subcontractor is proposed.

Prior Experience Narrative:

The offeror shall submit relevant experience for a maximum of five (5) in the past five

(5) years and provide references and contact information from these sources. Provide at least one (1) experience as prime contractor. Include a description of the project, project title, contract number, client identification (including agency or company name, contracting and technical reviewing official, address, and telephone number). Show how the offeror has performed similar work. The offeror's proposal must connect the relevance of past experience on similar projects to this project and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the Government's requirements. Experience of key personal can substitute for offeror's experience.

The Prior Experience Evaluation Factor includes evaluation of Complexity (difficulty), Magnitude ($ value), Similarity (task similarity) as compared to the services described in the Performance Work Statement.

For each example of prior experience provided, the Offeror shall, at a minimum list:

      Name of project, duration, and dollar value

      Government Agency for whom work was performed. Name, title, e- mail and phone number for a representative of that client agency that can attest to the work performed and who can confirm level and quality of the Offerors demonstrated Prior Experience.

      Description of project (enough to establish relevance of experience to the USDA services requirement), and role of the company which clearly identifies the level and type of services performed under the contract and the role performed.

      Clear demonstration of how each Prior Experience example correlates to the service requirement as described in the Performance Work Statement with respect to complexity, magnitude, and similarity, The burden of providing thorough and complete demonstrated prior experience remains with the Offeror.

• Volume II, Non-Price Evaluation Factor: Written Technical Package (25 Pages)

The technical package responding to the non-price evaluation factors in accordance with solicitation provision 52.212-2, EVALUATION-COMMERCIAL ITEMS. The non-price evaluation factor written technical package shall demonstrate how the Offeror shall perform the effort required in this RFQ. The following items will be evaluated from this submission:

The Contractor shall conduct annual on-site, for all three (3) sites, physical inspection and maintenance of all components of the HF ALE systems.  (Refer to Task 1 PWS)

The contractor shall also make system configuration changes as needed to maintain optimum system performance.  (Refer to Task 1 PWS)

The contractor shall provide a “HF ALE Testing and Preventive Maintenance Site Visit Report” deliverable no later than 14 days after each maintenance visit.  (Refer to Task 1 PWS)

The contractor shall respond and initiate diagnostic testing upon notification of system outages and degradations within 1 business day.  (Refer to Task 2 PWS)

The contractor shall provide remote and/or hands-on system operator training.  (Refer to Task 3 PWS)

• Volume III, Price:

All pricing proposed in response to this RFQ shall be Firm Fixed Price (FFP) in accordance with the supplied pricing schedule.

1. All Firm Fixed Prices shall be for the government site. Descriptions of offered labor categories, including Roles and Responsibilities, shall be included in the Price Proposal.
2. There is no page limit for pricing.
3. DO NOT include technical documentation in the pricing volume. It will NOT be forwarded to the Technical Evaluation team.
4. Travel must be built into pricing, on a firm-fixed price basis, for all tasks and sites.

The Government shall evaluate all offers by total price (including option years). The Government will evaluate pricing by utilizing Volume III. The Government will review the price quote for completeness and accuracy. The Offeror’s quote will be checked for mathematical correctness to include:

1. 1. Verifying adherence to the model to check computations.
   2. Making sure all price/costs are summarized correctly (for base and option years)

An analysis of the Offerors’ price quotes will be made to determine if they are fair and reasonable for the work to be performed, reflect a clear understanding of the requirements, and are consistent with the quote.

Section 4: Basis for Award Criteria

The Government intends to award one (1) firm fixed price contract from this solicitation.

The Government shall evaluate and award a contract in accordance with FAR Parts 12 and 13, on a Best Value basis representing the best interest of the Government. The Best Value basis uses the Trade-off Methodology in accordance with the specified evaluation criteria. To this end, the Government evaluates proposals using the tradeoff process and reserves the right to award to other than the lowest priced Offeror.

Performance Price Trade-Off (PPT): This acquisition utilizes a modified PPT technique to make best value award decision. All quotes must be technically acceptable. Once verified as technically acceptable, Price and Past Performance will be treated as approximately equal areas and may be traded off, one against the other.

The Government reserves the right to award the contract based on initial offers received, without discussion or negotiations. Therefore, it is important that each offer fully address the requirements stated in this RFQ, including any exceptions thereto or deviations there from. However, the Government also reserves the right to conduct discussions, if later determined to be necessary, with Offeror’s making the competitive range.

The Government reserves the right to make award based on fewer than all work elements proposed for any given Offeror. The Government reserves the right to make no award pursuant to this solicitation. To be accepted and eligible for evaluation, proposals must be prepared in accordance with, and must comply with, the instructions given in this solicitation document. Only vendors that have a valid DUNS and Bradstreet Number (DUNS Number) are registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov/SAM/) shall be eligible to be awarded a contract from the federal government. Unless exempted by an addendum to this solicitation, by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the SAM database prior to award and during performance. If the Offeror does not become registered in the SAM database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered Offeror.

FACTOR 1: TECHNICALLY ACCEPTABLE: The offeror’s technical approach has no deficiencies and complies with the minimum technical requirements. The offeror must be active in SAM.GOV

Each offeror will receive a Pass (P) or Fail (F) rating for technical acceptability.  It is important to recognize the individual(s) performing the work must have the following qualifications:

• Be certified on CODAN brand radios
• Be certified on DATRON brand radios
• Be approved by the respective radio manufacturers to perform component level maintenance, installation, operation, and provide training on the device(s).

FACTOR 2: PRIOR EXPERIENCE:

The offeror shall submit relevant experience for a maximum of five (5) in the past five

(5) years and provide references and contact information from these sources. Provide at least one experience as prime contractor. Include a description of the project, project title, contract number, client identification (including agency or company name, contracting and technical reviewing official, address, and telephone number). Show how the offeror has performed similar work. The offeror's proposal must connect the relevance of past experience on similar projects to this project and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the Government's requirements. Experience of key personal can substitute for offeror's experience.

FACTOR 3: PRICE:

All pricing proposed in response to this RFQ shall be Firm Fixed Price (FFP) in accordance with the supplied pricing schedule.

All Firm Fixed Prices shall be for the government site. Descriptions of offered labor categories, including Roles and Responsibilities, shall be included in the Price Proposal. 

There is no page limit for pricing.

DO NOT include technical documentation in the pricing volume. It will NOT be forwarded to the Technical Evaluation team.

STATEMENT REGARDING ASSUMPTIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

The offeror shall state any assumptions and exceptions to the requirements, terms and conditions contained in this RFQ. Please note that any exceptions to the Government's requirements may adversely affect the evaluation of the offeror's proposal.

Section 5: Attachments

Attachment 1: HF ALE Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Attachment 2: Vendor Questions Matrix

Attachment 3: HF ALE Radio System Price Sheet