USDA Commodity Procurement Division Launches New Website

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Procurement Division has launched a website providing vendors and other interested parties streamlined access to information regarding USDA purchase programs.
 
    On Jan. 2, 2011, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) consolidated the Livestock and Seed, Fruit and Vegetable, and Poultry programs' commodity procurement branches to form the Commodity Procurement Division. The new site, www.ams.usda.gov/CommodityPurchasing, combines three purchasing Web locations into a single standardized, integrated and user-friendly platform.
 
"Before the consolidation of commodity procurement operations, visitors to our website had to navigate three separate portals to get information on all of our purchase requirements," said AMS Administrator Rayne Pegg. "This new, simplified site gives customers the ability to respond more quickly to our purchase requests."
 
    Vendors that want to sell meat, fish, fruit and vegetable products, poultry, and egg products to USDA can go to one source for:
 
--News about the Commodity Procurement Division;
 
--Searches for individual purchased commodities;
 
--Procedures for new vendors to participate in commodity purchase programs;
 
--Access to the Web-Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM) system; and
 
--Links to other useful resources.
 
    AMS purchases a variety of high-quality food products each year to support the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. USDA also makes emergency food purchases for distribution to victims of natural disasters.
 
Government food experts work to ensure that all purchased food is healthful and nutritious. Food items are normally required to be low in fat, sugar and sodium. The commodities must meet specified grade requirements and be USDA-certified to ensure quality. AMS purchases only products of 100 percent domestic origin.