U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, Acquisition Management Branch, STOP 0567, 1400 & INDEPENDENCE AVENUE, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-0567

B -- STUDY AND ANALYSIS FOR EMERGING MARKETS IN THE CARIBBEAN SOL FSA-R-0004-97DC DUE 012197 POC Nancy Dorman 202-720-9464 WEB: FSA Contracting Home Page, http://wwwaix.fsa.usda.gov/amb/amb.htm. E-MAIL: Nancy Dorman, ndorman@wdc.fsa.usda.gov. The USDA/FSA, Acquisitions Management Branch, intends to procure, on behalf of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), contractor support for the development & coordination for 3 market research studies for the following Caribbean Basin markets: Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Dominican Republic, French West Indies, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward-Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, and Turks and Caicos Islands. The 3 market research studies are: (1) an Export Guide to the Caribbean Food Market (analysis of the market for consumer food items & the export potential for US food & beverage products in selected Caribbean Basin markets. The guide will include a general overview of the current market for consumer-oriented food products, a comprehensive analysis of the structure & nature of the retail/wholesale food distribution systems, practical advice for US food & beverage exporters looking to enter the Caribbean market, and, the best export prospects for US food & beverage products); (2) Food Import Regulations and Standards for the Caribbean Basin (an overview of the generic technical requirements & standards for consumer-ready food products, & identifies market access constraints & global technical regulatory trends such as nutritional labeling & environmental packaging); and (3) A Foreign Buyers List for Selected Caribbean Markets (major food & beverage importers by commodity for selected Caribbean markets). The government reserves the right to award multiple contracts for this procurement. Interested parties capable of performing the above work should submit a written request for the solicitation to Nancy Dorman within 15 days from publication of this announcement. Facsimile requests for the solicitation may be sent to (202) 690-0689 and must be in the English language. Telephonic requests for the solicitation will not be honored. This procurement will be conducted under full and open competition procedures. The government intends on awarding a firm-fixed price contract for this work. (0006)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0007 19970108\B-0002.SOL)