The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will purchase fresh citrus for distribution across U.S. food and nutrition assistance programs. The procurement will be carried out under Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935.
The planned purchase categories include grapefruit, mandarins, and tangerines in bagged formats, and bulk oranges. The listed material codes are 100281 for fresh grapefruit packed in 34–39 lb cartons, 111620 for mandarin and tangerine bags packed 6/5 lb, and 100283 for oranges in 34–39 lb cartons.
Solicitations will be released soon through the USDA's Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) platform. No hard-copy solicitation will be issued. All updates, including amendments and award notices, will be available via WBSCM and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website. The contracts are expected to be firm-fixed-price, with deliveries made on a Freight on Board (FOB) destination basis to locations across the United States.
In accordance with the Agricultural Acquisition Regulation 470.103(b), all commodities purchased must be grown, processed, and prepared exclusively within the United States to qualify as domestic products. Packaging and container components are the only elements subject to the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements, as referenced in FAR clause 52.225-5.
USDA advises interested suppliers to review all relevant documentation, including the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurement (effective November 19, 2025), the Commodity Specifications for Fresh Citrus (August 2019) and for Mandarin Oranges and Tangerines (November 2022), and the New Vendor Qualification Checklist (effective August 15, 2024). These documents are available on the AMS Commodity Procurement website.
Vendors must meet AMS qualification requirements before submitting offers. New vendor inquiries are directed to AMS contacts Diana Dau, David, and Chelsie Prange via [email protected].
Once qualified, vendors will receive access to WBSCM, where all bids, bid modifications, withdrawals, and price adjustments must be submitted. Any submissions made outside the WBSCM system will be deemed non-responsive.
For more information:
Nick Wiber
USDA
Email: [email protected]
www.ams.usda.gov
