[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65185-65186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23513]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 208 / Friday, October 28, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 65185]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc No. AMS-CP-22-0014]


Barriers Facing Small Firms and Businesses Providing Halal, 
Kosher and Organic Products in Commodity Contracting With the 
Agricultural Marketing Service

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: In keeping with ongoing efforts to increase the number of 
small and underserved businesses participating in the USDA food 
procurement program, as well as increasing access to culturally 
appropriate foods, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking 
public input on perceived barriers that small businesses, those owned 
by underserved businesses, and providers of organic, kosher, and halal 
agricultural products face in working with AMS' Commodity Procurement 
Program (CPP). This input will be used to update CPP's Small Business 
and New Vendor Strategy as appropriate.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 27, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this notice. All comments must be submitted through the 
Federal e-rulemaking portal at https://www.regulations.gov and should 
reference the document number and the date and page number of this 
issue of the Federal Register. Instructions for submitting and reading 
comments are detailed on the site. All comments submitted in response 
to this notice will be included in the record and will be made 
available to the public. Please be advised that the identity of the 
individuals or entities submitting comments will be made public on the 
internet at the address provided above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Lang, or Diana Dau David, New 
Vendor Coordinators, USDA, AMS, Commodity Procurement Program, at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each year the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) collaborates 
with the Food and Nutrition Service, Foreign Agricultural Service and 
the U.S. Agency for International Development to purchase and 
distribute over $4 billion of U.S. agricultural products for 
distribution to schools, food banks, Tribal organizations, and 
international food aid operations, among others. AMS solicits for a 
large variety of products from vendors qualified to do business with 
the Agency. It is AMS's ongoing goal to increase the number of small 
and underserved businesses participating in the USDA food procurement 
program, as well as to increase the availability of culturally 
appropriate foods.
    President Biden issued Executive Order (E.O.) E.O. 14017, 
``America's Supply Chains''; E.O. 13985, ``Advancing Racial Equity and 
Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government''; 
and E.O. 14036, ``Promoting Competition in the American Economy.'' E.O. 
14017 focuses on the need for resilient, diverse, and secure supply 
chains to ensure U.S. economic prosperity and national security. E.O. 
13985 focuses on identifying potential barriers that underserved 
communities and individuals may face in taking advantage of agency 
contracting opportunities. E.O. 14036 focuses on reviewing the state of 
competition within the agricultural market, including areas where a 
lack of competition may be of concern. In support of these executive 
orders, AMS is focusing on identifying and reducing barriers to 
becoming an approved vendor in order to increase competition and the 
availability of vital agricultural commodities for use in the USDA's 
nutrition assistance programs.
    Commodity food products are purchased and delivered to schools, 
food banks, and households in communities on a domestic and global 
scale. Small and underserved companies play a crucial role in supplying 
food to the USDA. Last year, AMS awarded a record $1.4 billion dollars 
to small businesses through prime contracts, of which 13.73% of the 
contracts were awarded to small, underserved businesses; yet there is a 
need for more participation in the commodity procurement program. In 
addition to increasing the participation of small and underserved 
businesses, AMS is interested in purchasing larger volumes of halal, 
kosher, organic, and other culturally appropriate products.
    This notice requests comments and information from the public to 
assist AMS in updating CPP's Small Business and New Vendor Strategy as 
appropriate.
    AMS is particularly interested in comments and information directed 
to the policy objectives listed in E.O. 14017, E.O. 14036, and E.O. 
13985 as they affect the U.S. and global supply chains. AMS is seeking 
input on the following topics:
    i. Government business practices that might inhibit or deter small 
or underserved businesses, as well as halal, kosher, and organic 
providers, from participating in the USDA commodity procurement 
program, i.e., by producing and/or providing goods, services, and 
materials for CPP contracts;
    ii. Regulations and business practices which may strain rather than 
strengthen the relationship between CPP and these providers;
    iii. The use of past performance information during the vendor 
qualification process, source selection, contract performance, and the 
collection of such information;
    iv. Increasing the CPP's utilization of small and underserved 
businesses, as well as halal, kosher, and organic providers;
    v. CPP's efforts to assist businesses that seek to do business with 
the government, including experiences in working with CPP's contracting 
workforce;
    vi. Contracting timelines (e.g., annual procurement schedule, 
length of advertising of opportunities, time between bid opening and 
contract award, delivery lead times, etc.) and the impact of those 
timelines;
    vii. The availability of skilled labor and other personnel to 
sustain a competitive ecosystem;
    viii. Policy recommendations or suggested executive, legislative,

[[Page 65186]]

regulatory action to foster more resilient supply chains, greater 
competition in the agricultural market, and/or more small or 
underserved business participation in the procurement process;
    ix. Any additional comments concerning small or underserved 
businesses and halal, kosher, organic, or others relevant to the 
assessment of supply chain resilience.
    AMS plans to hold a listening session open to the public so that 
interested parties can provide verbal as well as written input. A date 
and time will be provided.
    AMS encourages respondents to structure their comments using the 
same text above as identifiers for the areas of inquiry to which they 
are responding. This will assist the AMS in more easily reviewing and 
summarizing the comments received in response to these specific areas. 
For example, a commenter submitting comments responsive to (i), 
``Government business practices that might inhibit or deter small or 
underserved businesses, as well as halal, kosher, and organic 
providers, from participating in the USDA commodity procurement 
program, i.e., by producing and/or providing goods, services, and 
materials for CPP contracts'' would use that same text as a heading in 
the public comment followed by the commenter's specific comments in 
this area. AMS encourages the use of an executive summary at the 
beginning of all comments and information to assist AMS in a more 
efficient review of the submitted documents.

Erin Morris,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-23513 Filed 10-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P