Set-Aside Pulse: Dry Ice Weekly Supply (Amendment 0001) — what changed and how to respond fast

Executive takeaway

This is a small-business set-aside RFQ from the Defense Health Agency for weekly dry ice supply under a firm-fixed-price structure. Amendment 0001 is primarily a quantity correction (base year and option periods) plus a small PWS wording change related to surge planning. The practical impact: you must use and submit the provided conforming amendment document with your quote, and you may need to revalidate your unit pricing if quantity assumptions changed.

What the buyer is trying to do

The Defense Health Agency contracting activity intends to procure a firm-fixed-price contract for solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) on a weekly supply basis. The buyer issued Amendment 0001 to correct quantities across multiple CLINs and to adjust a surge-demand statement in the PWS. The solicitation is structured as an RFQ and uses an SF 1449 with clauses generated through the Enterprise Contract Writing system.

What work is implied (bullets)

• Provide weekly supply of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) under an RFQ that will result in a firm-fixed-price award.
• Price and support corrected annual quantities for CLINs 0001–4001 (changed from 15,000 to 16,200) and CLIN 5001 (8,100).
• Account for PWS surge language update: the statement changed to “quantity is adjusted by 600 pounds per year.”
• Complete and submit the Conform Solicitation Amendment - HT940626QE0060001 document with the quote.
• If you already submitted: either resubmit with revised pricing (if impacted) or acknowledge Amendment 0001 and state it did not affect unit price.
• Review the attached updated questions and answers document(s) issued with the notice.

Who should bid / who should pass (bullets)

• Should bid if you can reliably supply dry ice on a weekly cadence and your operations can support the corrected CLIN quantities without destabilizing unit pricing.
• Should bid if you are comfortable working a streamlined RFQ process under FAR-based terms (SF 1449) and can turn a compliant update quickly.
• Should pass if your pricing model depends heavily on a specific annual volume and the change from 15,000 to 16,200 materially shifts your cost structure and you can’t re-price by the deadline.
• Should pass if you cannot complete the required conforming amendment document submission (or are likely to miss the amendment acknowledgement requirement).

Response package checklist (bullets; if unknown say 'verify in attachments')

• Completed quote per the RFQ instructions (verify in attachments).
• Completed and submitted Conform Solicitation Amendment - HT940626QE0060001 with your quote.
• If previously submitted: an amendment acknowledgement statement or a revised quote reflecting any unit price changes due to updated quantities.
• Completed SF 1449-generated requirements as applicable (verify in attachments).
• Review and incorporate any clarifications in the updated questions and answers document (verify in attachments).

Pricing & strategy notes (how to research pricing; do not invent pricing numbers)

The amendment corrects quantities and slightly reframes the surge adjustment statement, so treat this as a pricing-validation exercise rather than a scope rewrite.

• Recalculate unit economics using the corrected CLIN quantities (16,200 for CLINs 0001–4001 and 8,100 for CLIN 5001) and confirm your unit price still holds.
• Pressure-test delivery cadence assumptions implied by “weekly supply” against your production, packaging, and delivery plan (details to verify in attachments).
• Use the Q&A attachment to identify any government expectations that might affect cost drivers or risk allowances (verify in attachments).
• If you quoted prior to Amendment 0001, decide whether to keep unit pricing unchanged (with a clear acknowledgement) or resubmit to align with revised quantities.

Subcontracting / teaming ideas (bullets)

• Consider a local logistics/delivery partner if weekly delivery reliability is your primary constraint (verify delivery requirements in attachments).
• Pair with an upstream dry ice production source if your internal capacity is tight and the revised quantities increase volume commitments.
• Use a contingency supplier arrangement to reduce risk associated with “unexpected surges in demand” (as referenced in the PWS language).

Risks & watch-outs (bullets)

• Compliance risk: quotes “must” include the conforming amendment document; omission is an easy disqualifier.
• Pricing risk: the quantity correction could change your effective cost per unit (even if your unit price is stable, your internal margin picture may shift).
• Amendment handling risk: prior submitters must either resubmit with changes or explicitly acknowledge the amendment and state unit pricing is unaffected.
• Interpretation risk: the PWS surge statement changed—make sure your operational plan aligns to the updated wording and any related Q&A clarifications (verify in attachments).
• Timing risk: response deadline is close; plan for rapid internal review and final packaging.

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How to act on this

1. Open the amendment attachments and confirm the corrected CLIN quantities and the updated PWS bullet language.
2. Decide whether your unit pricing changes; if yes, revise and resubmit. If no, prepare an acknowledgement statement.
3. Complete the Conform Solicitation Amendment - HT940626QE0060001 and include it with your final quote package.
4. Scan the updated Q&A attachment(s) for any compliance or delivery expectations that affect your approach (verify in attachments).
5. Submit electronically by the solicitation deadline shown on the opportunity page.

If you want a fast compliance check and a submission-ready quote package strategy, engage Federal Bid Partners LLC to support your response planning and final review.