Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO THE 

AMS MASTER SOLICITATION

FOR THE PURCHASE OF 

MISCELLANEOUS BEEF 

ITEMS FOR DISTRIBUTION 

TO FEDERAL FOOD AND 

NUTRITION ASSISTANCE 

PROGRAMS 

 APPROVED

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification (SSD) Division

Room 2628 Stop 0258, Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: Supplement 210 August 2017 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

Effective: October 2022

100 Overview

110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of Frozen 

Beef Roasts and Diced Beef by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the 

applicable Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A and A1).

200 INSTRUCTIONS TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS

210 The frozen beef roasts and diced beef shall be purchased on a competitive bid basis 

from qualified suppliers who have met the requirements described in this Section. 

Interested suppliers may submit a production plan at any time during the purchase 

program. Suppliers should allow 10 working days, from USDA’s receipt of the

production plan for notification of evaluation results. A supplier is deemed eligible upon 

notification of approval of the production plan by the Standard Specification (SSD) 

Division. 

220 Submission of a production plan is not binding on USDA. Actual purchases shall be 

described in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements and 

Solicitations.

230 Documentation Requirements

231 Technical Proposal Requirement

231.1 Include a description of the products offered and each of the production steps that are 

taken to meet or exceed the minimum product requirements set forth in the FPPS. 

(Plan/Do)

231.2 Describe all the quality assurance methods used to verify conformance to all 

requirements. This shall include the monitoring and measurements taken during the 

process to verify conformance with each requirement. All measurement results shall 

be recorded and made available to AMS. (Check)
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

231.3 Identify all corrective actions to be taken if deviations from contractual and FPPS 

requirements occur during production, and all preventative actions to be taken to 

preclude a reoccurrence. (Act)

231.4 The technical proposal shall follow the format as shown in Exhibit C. Technical 

Proposal should be brief and concise. 

231.5 The technical proposal shall be preceded by the following, as required by the 

template: 

231.5.1 Table of Contents listing the major areas as they appear in the technical proposal; 

and 

231.5.2 List of attachments, forms provided with the technical proposal, if appropriate with 

232

 the applicable document name and reference number. 

The Standard and Specification Division shall review each technical proposal to

determine if it is adequate and shall notify the supplier of the status of their eligibility

to bid.

233. Animal Welfare Requirements

233.1 All eligible suppliers shall meet the animal handling and welfare requirements set 

forth in the FPPS for Animal Handling and Welfare, effective March 2021 (Exhibit B). 

300 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

310 The following procedures establish the acceptable minimum requirements for 

the format and content of the production plan:

310.1 The Government has provided a technical proposal format to be used in preparing the 

technical proposal (see Exhibit C). The supplier shall submit the technical proposal as 

an email file attachment to AMS (Angelia.Gale@usda.gov and 

TechnicalApprovals@usda.gov). The technical proposal shall be saved in a nonportable document file format (not PDF, e.g., Microsoft Word). The technical proposal

shall be submitted in its entirety. If the file size of the technical proposal is too large to 

send in a single email, it may be divided and sent in multiple emails (i.e., Part 1, Part 2, 

Part 3, etc.). The collection of attachments and appendices may be submitted as a

separate document as well. 

310.2. The technical proposal shall be submitted by an authorized agent of the company.

310.3 While it is not the desire of the Government to penalize a supplier for non-compliance 

with formatting instructions, technical evaluators may have difficulty evaluating the 

production plan to the fullest extent possible if the plan is not presented in the proper 

format. Technical evaluators shall not be required to search other subsections or 

sections of the supplier’s production plan for information requested in the evaluation.

320 Technical Proposal Revisions

321 Changes to a supplier’s technical proposal may be submitted at any time or at the 

request of the SSD. All technical proposal revisions shall meet the following criteria:
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

321.1 Any changes to a technical proposal made by the supplier after its initial submittal 

shall be accomplished by submitting an entire technical proposal. A cover letter shall

be submitted with the changes identified and an explanation of the need for the 

change. The supplier shall include the revision date and the appropriate page 

number(s).

321.2 Changes from the original production plan shall be highlighted and deletions in

strikeouts. 

400 FOOD DEFENSE

410 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 4A52.246-2 of the Master 

Solicitation for Commodity Procurements.

420 The USDA, AMS, LP Quality Assessment Division (QAD) shall conduct a food 

defense audit on the contractor’s and/or subcontractor’s documented and 

operational Food Defense Plan for approval. 

430 A QAD-approved Food Defense Plan is required prior to the bid opening date for 

submitted bids to be considered.

500 AMS CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

510 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-basedMonitoring and 

 Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for assessing contract 

 compliance of the finished product. AMS will seek to honor the request but reserves 

 the right to make a final determination Once an option is implemented, the contractor 

 shall remain under that service until completion of the contract, at which time it may 

 request a change in oversight option for any subsequent contract.

520 The cost of all audits, grading and certification services performed by theAMS 

 agents shall be borne by the contractor. This includes, but is not limited to, audits, 

 examinations, supervision, official documentation, and related services. 

530 Questions concerning charges and the availability of AMS agents can bedirected to

 a USDA/AMS, LP Program’s Quality Assessment Division (QAD) field office or to 

 USDA,AMS, LP, QAD Business Operations Branch, 10809 Executive Center Drive, 

 Suite 318,Little Rock, AR 72211-6022; phone: 501-312-2962 or email:

 QAD.BusinessOps@usda.gov

540 Option A: QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification 

540.1 Monitoring of production and processing and product certification shall be conducted 

through the direct continuous supervision of a USDA grader in accordance with the

requirements listed in the FPPS and AMS/LP/QAD Policies and Procedures for 

certifying USDA commodity foods. A technical proposal is not required to be

submitted when the contractor is operating under Option A. Beef raw materials 

will be subjected to QAD audit-based verification and the raw material supplier 

is required to submit a technical proposal. 

540.2 Pre-Production Onsite Plant Survey
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

540.2.1 QAD shall contact the contractor to set-up a pre-production plant survey and discuss 

 production and certification requirements.

540.3 Post-Award Monitoring and Certification

540.3.1 The USDA grader shall be present at all times during production and processing of 

 the commodity food.

540.3.2 The USDA Grader may select samples for laboratory analyses or inspect the 

 commodity at any point in transit and after delivery to point ofdestination.

540.3.3 The contractor shall perform checkloading examinations as described in the FPPS at 

 the time of shipment and issue an acceptance document to accompany each 

 shipment.

540.3.4 The AMS Grader shall be responsible for certification of compliance with the 

550

requirements of the FPPS for raw material, formulation, marinating, cooking,

freezing, packaging and packing, metal detection, labeling and marking and 

net weight. 

Option B: Audit Based Verification

550.1 Verification of production and processing shall be conducted through routine audits 

performed by QAD according to the suppliers’ and contractor’s approved 

technical proposal (see section 520 Technical Proposal Requirements) and the 

applicable FPPS. Beef raw materials will be subjected to the QAD gradingbased certification process prior to being utilized to manufacture finished 

products. 

550.1.1 Interested contractors may submit sample(s) and a technical proposal at any time 

 during the purchase program. Contractors should allow 10 working days, from 

 USDA’s receipt of the product sample(s) and technical proposal for notification of 

 evaluation results. A contractor is deemed eligible upon notification of approval of 

 the sample(s) and technical proposal by theSSD.

550.1.2 Once a contractor is notified by the SSD that the technical proposal meets the

applicable criteria, QAD shall contact the contractor to set up a pre-award 

 onsite capability assessment audit

550.2 Pre-Award Onsite Capability Assessment Audit

550.2.1 QAD shall conduct an onsite capability assessment that shall consist ofreviewing:

550.2.2 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 400 of thisSupplement.

550.2.3 Production of the commodity that complies with the applicable FPPS and approved

550.2.4 Records related to purchasing, receiving, production, quality control, inventory, 

 shipping, and,

550.2.5 Interviews with management and production personnel.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

550.2.6 Upon completion and if necessary (due to time constraints), QAD may provide the

 SSD either with a verbal or email notification of the audit findings. SSD shall notify

 the vendor of their status based on the audit findings as well as QAD and the 

 Commodity Procurement Program (CP). The official final audit report shall be sent to

 the contractor once released from QAD.

550.2.7 After bid opening, CP shall contact QAD and SSD to determine that vendors have

 met all requirements to deem the bids responsive ornon-responsive. 

550.2.8 Bids that are determined to be non-responsive bids, CP shall notify the 

contractor(s) directly.

550.3 Post-Award Assessment Audit

550.3.1 Contractors who receive contracts shall have their required documentation readily 

 available for review upon request by SSD, QAD, or other AMS agents. Records 

 may be maintained in hard copy or electronic media. However, records maintained

as electronic media shall be made available in printed form immediately upon 

 request.

550.3.2 QAD shall conduct an onsite audit of the contractor’s and subcontractor’s facility(s) 

 and processes when production commences for the first contract awarded. 

 Additional audits, and their frequency, shall be conducted as determined by the

 QAD, but not less than once per month for contractors or subcontractors with 

 continuous or multiple contracts, or once per contract for intermittent contractors. At 

 the discretion of the QAD, more frequent audits may be conducted when audit

 deficiencies are detected.

550.4 Post-Award Actions

550.4.1 Any deviation from contractual requirements shall be immediately reported by the 

 contractor to the Contracting Officer and SSD. The Contracting Officer or SSD 

 shall notify the contractor regarding eligibility to continue to participate as a 

 contractor.

550.4.2 Contractor shall assure that the delivered product complies with the provisions of

 the FPPS, the applicable assessment by USDA, and the contractor’s technical

 proposal approved by the SSD.

550.4.3 In the instance that any non-conformance is cited by the USDA auditor, or when 

 a complaint is received by commodity recipient agencies, the supplier or 

 contractor shall submit a cause-and-effect analysis and corrective actions to 

 address the non-conformance or complaint.

600 DOMESTIC ORIGIN CERTIFICATION CLAUSE

610 The supplier shall include the below domestic origin certification clause in its entirety 

in all subcontracts for meat or meat products used in fulfilling any contracts awarded 

under this Supplement and Master Solicitation. The burden of proof of compliance is 

on the Contractor. All raw materials shall be shipped in containers labeled as 

“Domestic Only Product” on the principle display panel and the bill of lading 

accompanying the shipment shall contain the statement “Domestic Only Product.”
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

700 CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (COC)

710 In addition to the referenced payment documents required in the Master Solicitation,

please include a copy of the Contractor’s Certificate of Conformance (Exhibit D).

800 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

810 Contractor shall perform checkloading examinations as described in the FPPS

at the time of shipment and issue contractor’s certificate to accompany each 

shipment that includes all of the following information:

810.1 Purchase Order Number,

810.2 Sales Order and Sales Order Item Number,

810.3 Name of product, 

810.4 Shipping Date,

810.5 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced,

810.6 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production 

lot, 

810.7 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as 

applicable

810.8 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS,

810.9 Count and projected net weight verified, and

810.10 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading. 

900 EXHIBITS
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM 

SPECIFICATION (FPPS) 

FOR FRESH BEEF ROUND 

ROASTS, BONELESS, 

FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry and Seed (LPS) Program 

Standard and Specification (SS) Division

Room 2628 S-Bldg Stop 0258, Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS-BR-2019 – Changes from previous 

requirements in blue

Effective: October 2022

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022

100

110

200

210

300

310

320

321

ITEM DESCRIPTION

Fresh Beef Round Roasts, Boneless, Frozen – This item consists of beef round 

roasts that weigh 2-3 pounds, inclusive, individually vacuum packaged and 

frozen, derived from USDA Select, Choice, or Prime beef carcasses.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Institutional Meat Purchase Specification (IMPS) for Fresh Beef - Series 100,

effective November 2014. 

CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS 

All items shall be produced in accordance with Food Safetyand Inspection 

Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to 

the Standards and Specification Division (SSD), shall adhere to the following 

Checklist of Requirements. A technical proposal is not required to be 

submitted when the contractor is operating under the Quality Assessment 

Division (QAD) Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service option.

(See Section 1020). 

MATERIALS 

The contractor’s production plan shall describe a documented quality control 

program that includes procedures, records, forms, pictures, etc., that 

demonstrate conformance with the following Checklist of Requirements. 
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 2 

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 Beef shall be the only meat component allowed. Roasts shall be intact muscles 

portioned from any combination of the following IMPS items:

167D – Beef Round, Sirloin Tip (Knuckle), Peeled, 2-Piece

169A – Beef Round, Top (Inside), Cap Off

171C – Beef Round, Eye of Round (Individual Muscle (IM))

171D – Beef Round, Outside Round, Side Muscle Removed (IM)

171E – Beef Round, Outside Round, Side Roast (IM)

332 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef shall originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as defined in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity 

Procurements – Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and this Supplement. 

333 Grade – USDA Select, Choice or Prime.

334 Harvesting – Cattle shall be harvested in facilities that comply with the following 

requirements:

334.1 Humane Handling – All cattle shall be humanely handled in accordance with all 

applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

334.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps – The harvest process shall include at least two 

pathogen intervention steps. One of the intervention steps shall be a critical 

control point (CCP) in the establishment’s FSIS recognized harvest process 

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

334.3 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord material shall be removed during the 

harvesting process.

335 Boneless Beef – Only fresh-chilled boneless beef that complies with the 

requirements of the previous sub-sections (334.1-334.3) of this section and the 

following additional requirements and has never been previously frozen shall be 

allowed:

335.1 Traceability – Contractor shall provide sufficient product traceability and shall

have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each production lot.

335.2 Handling – All boneless beef shall be maintained in excellent condition. The 

contractor’s production plan shall include time and temperature controls 

necessary to maintain excellent condition of the boneless beef.

335.3 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:

335.3.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral and popliteal) and the sciatic (ischiatic) nerve 

(lies medial to the outside round).
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 3 

335.3.2 All bone, cartilage, silver skin on the outside round, sacrosciatic ligament, 

opaque periosteum, tendinous ends of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar 

ligament (associated with the stifle joint), and achilles tendon.

336 Mechanically Separated – Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with 

automatic deboning systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems 

is not allowed.

340 NON-MEAT COMPONENT

341 Seasonings and Other Ingredients – Seasonings and other ingredients are not 

allowed in the manufacture of this beef item.

350 FAT LIMITATIONS

351 Peeled/Denuded (≥90% lean exposed). Remaining “flake” fat not to exceed 

1/8-inch (3mm) in depth.

360 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

361 Product shall be frozen to an internal temperature of not higher than 

0°F (-17.8°C) within 72 hours from the time of final fabrication of the lot.

370 METAL DETECTION

371 All product shall be free of metal contaminates. Detection of stainless steel, 

ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) metals is required. 

The contractor's production plan shall identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures.

380 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

381 The contractor shall assure that all packaging, packing, labeling, closure, 

marking, and palletization comply with the National Motor Freight Regulations, 

FSIS regulations, and the requirements listed below.

390 PACKAGING

391 All roasts shall be individually vacuum packaged prior to freezing.

400 PACKING

401 Each individual roast shall weigh 2-3 pounds.

402 Sixteen (16) individually packaged roasts shall be snuggly packed in a 38 ± 2

pound (net weight) shipping container.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 4 

410 CLOSURE

411 Shipping containers shall be strapped or taped.

420 LABELING

421 Both immediate and shipping containers shall be labeled to include all 

information required by FSIS regulations. Labels shall be illustrated in the 

contractor’s production plan and contain the following information: 

421.1 Immediate Container Labels – Immediate container labels will be commercially 

labeled (e.g. “Brand X”) and contain the following information:

421.2 Product name.

421.3 Manufacturer name and address.

421.4 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

421.5 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or wheat; 

e.g. Allergen: Contains ______.

421.6 A traceability code that includes information regarding production 

establishment, production date and production lot.

421.7 Nutrition Facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

421.8 Cooking Instructions.

421.9 Safe handling instructions.

421.10 A “Best-If-Used-By” date that is 365 calendar days from the date of production.

422 Shipping Container

422.1 USDA shield at least 2-inches high and appearing on the top of the container or 

on the principal display panel. 

422.2 Applicable purchase order number.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 5 

422.3 A traceability code that is traceable back to establishment number, production 

lot, and date.

422.4 Material number: 111578. 

422.5 Product Name “Beef Round Roasts, Boneless, Frozen”.

422.6 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

422.7 Nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

422.8 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or wheat; 

e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

430 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

431 All products shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and palletized 

with shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the invitation. Pallet loads 

shall be stacked in a manner that minimizes the overhang of the shipping 

containers over the edges of the pallets and exposes each shipping container’s 

principal display panel to facilitate certification examinations.

440 DELIVERY UNIT

441 The delivery unit shall consist of a 1000 shipping containers and be between 

36,000 - 40,000 pounds (net weight). 

450 DELIVERED PRODUCT

460 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

461 Only one size and style of shipping container shall be used in any one delivery 

unit.

470 TEMPERATURE

471 Product temperature shall not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

480 SEALING

481 All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under seal with 

tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security seals that meet 

the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F1157-04 

and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013 as 

required under the Master Solicitation. Seals shall be 1⁄8th-inch diameter cable, 

high-security bolt, or equivalent.

500 PRODUCT ASSURANCE
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 6 

510 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

511 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

specification requirements, production plan declarations, and provisions set 

forth in the Master Solicitation and Supplement. 

512 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

included in the production plan. These procedures shall include: a point of 

contact, investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product 

replacement or monetary compensation. The procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or AMS.

520 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

521 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading

Based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based 

 Verification service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished 

 product.

522 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and

Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Section 500

of Supplement 210. 

523 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD

Audit based Verification service option will be used.

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

610 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure 

that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan 

shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal 

of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial 

production, cooked or destroyed).

620 The Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply to USDA purchase

 programs (while under contract) should one of the following 

circumstances arise:

620.1 The Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Beef Items.

620.2 The Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class Irecall for

that ingredient.

620.3 The Contractor shall be ineligible until it: 

620.3.1 Submits a written corrective action to the SSD. 
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/2022 7 

620.3.2 The SSD approves the written corrective action.

620.3.3 The Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the 

 written corrective action through an onsite audit.

630 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

630.1 Contractor shall perform checkloading examinations at the time of shipment and 

 issue a contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment that includes all of 

 the following information:

630.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

630.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

630.1.3 Destination of shipment;

630.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

630.1.5 Shipping Date;

630.1.6 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced along with shipping 

container and immediate container code(s) and the code used that provides

traceability to establishment number, production lot and date;

630.1.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production

lot;

630.1.8 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as

applicable;

630.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification

(FPPS-BR-2022);

630.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

630.1.1 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM 

SPECIFICATION (FPPS) 

FOR DICED BEEF, 

FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry (LP) Program 

Standards and Specification (SSD) Division

Room 2628 Stop 0258, Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS April 2016 – Changes from previous 

requirements in blue

Effective: October 2022

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Diced Beef – This item may be prepared from any portion of the carcass which 

yields product that meets finished product limitations.

120 Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube and not more 

than a 3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1 inch in length.

130 Fat content shall not exceed 10 grams per 100 gram basis.

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

210 Institutional Meat Purchase Specification (IMPS) for Fresh Beef - Series 100, 

effective November 2014. 

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

310 Diced Beef shall be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS) regulations and the AMS Checklist of Requirements. The 

contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to the Standards and Specification

Division, shall adhere to the following checklist requirements.

320 MATERIALS

321 The contractor’s technical proposal shall describe a documented technical 

proposal that includes procedures, records, forms, pictures, etc., that 

demonstrate conformance with the following Checklist of Requirements.

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 Diced Beef may be prepared from any portion of the carcass which yields 

product that meets the end-item requirements by either hand or mechanical 

dicing (grinding is not permitted).
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 2 

332 Shank, detached cutaneous muscles, and heel meat shall be excluded.

333 Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube and not more 

than a 3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1 inch.

334 To facilitate dicing, boneless beef cuts may be frozen and/or tempered, one 

time only.

335 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef shall originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as defined in the Master Solicitation and Supplement. 

336 Grade – USDA Select, Choice or Prime.

337 Harvesting – Cattle shall be harvested in establishments that comply with the 

following requirements:

337.1 Humane Handling – All cattle shall be humanely handled in accordance with all 

applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

337.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps – The harvest process shall include at least two 

pathogen intervention steps. One of the intervention steps shall be a critical 

control point (CCP) in the establishment’s FSIS recognized harvest process 

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

337.3 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord material shall be removed during the 

harvesting process.

338 Boneless Beef – Only fresh-chilled boneless beef that complies with the 

requirements of the previous sub-sections (337.1-337.3) of this section and the 

following additional requirements shall be allowed:

338.1 Traceability – Contractor shall provide sufficient product traceability and shall

have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each production lot.

338.2 Handling – All boneless beef shall be maintained in excellent condition. The 

contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed production scheduling that 

addresses time and temperature controls necessary to maintain excellent 

condition of the boneless beef. Frozen boneless beef may be used provided it 

is processed into the final product within 60 days from the date of pack

338.3 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:

338.3.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral and popliteal), and the sciatic (ischiatic) nerve 

(lies medial to the outside round).

338.3.2 All bone, cartilage, silver skin on the outside round, sacrosciatic ligament, 

opaque periosteum, tendinous ends of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar 

ligament (associated with the stifle joint), achilles tendon, back strap and 

abdominal tunic . 
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 3 

338.4 Mechanically Separated – Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with 

automatic deboning systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems 

shall notbe allowed.

340 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

341 Fat - Surface and/or seam fat shall not exceed 1⁄8-inch at any point. The 

maximum surface fat thickness at any one point is evaluated by visually 

determining the areas on the edges of either side of the dice which have the 

thickest amount of fat and measuring the thickness of fat in these areas. The 

maximum seam fat thickness at any one point is evaluated by visually 

determining the areas of fat between layers of lean on any side of the dice 

which have the thickest deposits of fat and measuring the width in these areas. 

The resulting fat content shall not exceed 10 grams per 100 gram basis.

342 Dimensions - Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube 

and not more than a 3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1

inch.

343 Objectionable Materials - Dices shall be free of objectionable materials listed in 

Section 338.3.

344 Dices not meeting these requirements shall not exceed 10 percent, by weight, 

of the finished product.

360 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

361 Product shall be frozen to an internal temperature of not higher than 

0°F (-17.8°C) within 72 hours from the time of final fabrication of the lot.

370 METAL DETECTION

371 All product shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, 

ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) metals is required. 

The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures. 

400 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

410 The contractor’s technical proposal shall assure that all packaging, packing, 

labeling, closure, marking, and palletization comply with the National Motor 

Freight Regulations and FSIS regulations and the requirements listed below.

420 PACKAGING

421 Product shall be bulk packaged without use of plastic liner material directly into 

leak-proof shipping containers with fiberboard that is wax impregnated, have a 

moisture barrier coating, or have plastic laminated interior panels.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 4 

430 PACKING

431 Diced Beef shall be packed to a net weight of 60 pounds.

440 CLOSURE

441 Shipping containers shall be closed by strapping or taping.

450 LABELING

451 Shipping containers shall be labeled to include all information required by FSIS 

regulations. Shipping container labels shall be illustrated in the contractor’s 

technical proposal and contain the following information:

451.1 USDA shield at least 2 inches high and appearing on the top of the container or 

on the principal display panel.

451.2 Applicable purchase order number.

451.3 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production lot, 

and date.

451.4 Material Number: 110196

451.5 The product name “Diced Beef, Frozen”

451.6 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

451.7 Nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

451.8 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or wheat; 

e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

460 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

461 All product shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and palletized 

with shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the invitation. Pallet loads 

shall be stacked in a manner that minimizes the overhang of the shipping 
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 5 

containers over the edges of the pallets and exposes each shipping container’s 

principal display panel to facilitate certification examinations.

470 DELIVERY UNIT

471 The delivery unit shall be 700 shipping containers with a net weight of 42,000 

pounds. No tolerance shall be allowed.

480 DELIVERED PRODUCT

490 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

491 Only one size and style of shipping container shall be used in any one delivery 

unit.

500 TEMPERATURE

501 Product temperature shall not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

510 SEALING

511 All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under seal with 

tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security seals that meet 

the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F1157-04 

and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013 as 

required under the Master Solicitation. Seals shall be 1⁄8th-inch diameter cable, 

high-security bolt, or equivalent.

520 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

530 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

531 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

specification requirements, technical proposal declarations, and provisions set 

forth in the Master Solicitation and Supplement. 

532 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

included in the technical proposal. These procedures shall include: a point of 

contact, investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product 

replacement or monetary compensation. The procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or AMS.

540 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT 

541 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading

 Based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based 

 Verification service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished 

 product.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 6 

542 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and

 Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Section 500

 of Supplement 210. 

543 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD

 Audit Based Verification service option will be used. 

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

610 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure 

that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan 

shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal 

of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial 

production, cooked or destroyed).

620 The Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply to USDA purchase

programs (while under contract) should one of the following 

circumstances arise:

620.1 The Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Beef Items.

620.2 The Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class Irecall for

 that ingredient.

620.3 The Contractor shall be ineligible until it: 

620.3.1 Submits a written corrective action to the SSD. 

620.3.2 The SSD approves the written corrective action.

620.3.3 The Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written

 corrective action through an onsite audit.

630 CONTACTOR CHECKLOADING

631.1 Contractor shall perform checkloading examinations at the time of shipment 

and issue a contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment that includes 

all of the following information:

631.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

631.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

631.1.3 Destination of shipment;

631.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22 7 

631.1.5 Shipping Date;

631.1.6 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced along with shipping

container and immediate container code(s) and the code used that provides

traceability to establishment number, production lot and date;

631.1.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production

lot;

631.1.8 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as

applicable;

631.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification

(FPPS-DB-2022);

631.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

631.1.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR ANIMAL 

HANDLING AND WELFARE

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS-AHW-2020 November 2020 –

Changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: March 2021

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21

100 GENERAL

101 This document is for use by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), AMS, LP

Program to ensure that the animal handling and welfare requirements for 

Federal nutrition assistance programs reflect industry best practices.

110 PROGRAM APPROACH

111 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and 

ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must 

develop and implement a written program that is consistent with a systematic 

approach to humane animal handling and welfare as outlined in 69 FR 54625. 

The program will ensure proper animal handling and welfare techniques are 

conducted from the time the transportation conveyance enters the facility’s 

premises through the stunning and exsanguination of the animal. 

120 PROGRAM SUBMISSION

121 The program will be submitted as a supporting document to the organization’s 

approved technical proposal and must address the requirements outlined in 

Section 200 – PROGRAM COMPONENTS. 

200 PROGRAM COMPONENTS

201 The contractor must ensure that any facility that harvests animals has a:

210 MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

211 Steering Committee (internal) which is ultimately accountable for animal 

handling and welfare initiatives within the organization.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 2 

212 Mission Statement on animal handling and welfare that is distributed to all 

employees and conspicuously displayed at the premises.

220 TRAINING PROGRAM 

221 Training program on Animal Handling and Welfare that:

221.1 is provided to all employees interacting with animals;

221.2 covers the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Recommended Animal 

Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare.

221.3 is facilitated by an employee that has earned and maintained a certification of 

animal handling and welfare training, such as that offered through the 

Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) or an 

equivalent.

221.4 is conducted no less frequently than once a year for each designated 

employee; and,

221.5 requires signed documentation from each employee and confirmation by 

signature of the designated, certified trainer upon successful completion of 

training.

230 QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

231 Written quality management plan (internal) which addresses all provisions of 

Chapter 4: Transportation Audit Guidelines, 7 Core Criteria and Chapter 5: 

Auditing Animal Handling and Stunning, 7 Core Criteria, of the NAMI 

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic 

Approach to Animal Welfare, found at the following web site address: 

231.1 http://animalhandling.org/producers/guidelines_audits

232 This internal quality management plan must also provide for routine 

assessment and monitoring of humane handling through the use of a numerical 

scoring system conducted by a trained employee.

233 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and 

ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must have 

a fully functioning back-up stunning device onsite wherever animal stunning is 

performed.

240 REGULATORY OVERSIGHT

241 For all species, animals/carcasses that are inspected and passed by the Food 

Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) are eligible for AMS purchase programs.

300 PROGRAM EVALUATION AND ELIGIBILITY
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 3 

301 The program will be audited (external) by AMS or a firm accredited by AMS. 

The accreditation of the firm will be conducted by the Quality Assessment

Division (QAD) through the USDA ISO Guide 17065 Program. 

302 Audit findings will be communicated to the establishment’s Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) Inspector in Charge (IIC) or designee. 

310 AUDIT FORMAT

311 Audits will be conducted utilizing the following format:

312 TRANSPORTATION SEGMENT (CHAPTER 4: NAMI Recommended Animal 

Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare). 

312.1 Audited organizations must pass Core Criteria 1 and 6 with a minimum scoring 

of excellent, Core Criteria 2 through 5 with a minimum scoring of acceptable 

and Core Criteria 7 must be adhered to with full compliance (zero tolerance) 

each time an audit is performed.

313 ANIMAL HANDLING AND STUNNING SEGMENT (CHAPTER 5: NAMI 

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic 

Approach to Animal Welfare).

313.1 Audited organizations must adhere to Core Criteria 1, 2, 6 and 7 with full 

compliance (zero tolerance) and to Core Criteria 3, 4 and 5 with a minimum 

scoring of Acceptable each time an audit is performed.1/

313.2 The auditor shall inform FSIS and organization officials in writing of all audit 

findings, including any observations of missed stuns and/or animals regaining 

sensibility following stunning, upon completion of the audit during the exit 

interview. 

320 INITIAL AUDIT

321 Initial audit must be performed prior to award of contracts.

330 AUDIT FAILURE

331 If an audit is failed for any of the Core Criteria, the organization is not eligible to 

provide product until such a time that corrective and preventative actions are 

approved by the Standards and Specification (SS) Division, implemented and 

proven effective.

340 AUDIT FREQUENCY AND STATUS

341 STANDARD - Until four (4) consecutive successfully passed audits are 

attained, an audit must be conducted within 3 months of the previous audit.

1/Religious harvest (Kosher and Halal) shall be exempt from the AMS auditing of Core Criteria 6: Effective Stunning.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 4 

342 MONTHLY - If at any time an audit identifies any of the Core Criteria not 

meeting the pass requirements while in the STANDARD phase, auditing will be 

required to be conducted on a monthly basis once corrective and preventative 

actions have been approved by the SS Division, implemented and proven 

effective. This schedule will be for a period of time until four (4) successive 

audits are found to meet the passing requirements noted in SECTION 310 – 

AUDIT FORMAT; at which time audits shall be conducted on the STANDARD 

basis. 

342 MONTHLY - If at any time an audit identifies any of the Core Criteria not 

meeting the pass requirements while in the STANDARD phase, auditing will be 

required to be conducted on a monthly basis once corrective and preventative 

actions have been approved by the SS Division, implemented and proven 

effective. This schedule will be for a period of time until four (4) successive 

audits are found to meet the passing requirements noted in SECTION 310 – 

AUDIT FORMAT; at which time audits shall be conducted on the STANDARD 

basis. 

343 If four successfully conducted audits are sequentially completed within a oneyear period while in STANDARD auditing phase, the facility may move to a 

SEMI-ANNUAL audit basis.

344 SEMI-ANNUAL - Semi-annual audits may continue until such time that a failed 

audit is reported or a period of greater than six months has elapsed without any 

audits being performed; at which time the audits must resume as described for 

STANDARD audits.

345 FOR-CAUSE – Any official enforcement actions issued by FSIS for missed 

stuns or for an animal regaining sensibility following stunning shall result in an 

immediate for-cause animal handling and welfare audit by AMS. Subsequent 

audit frequency will be determined by results of the AMS audit, as described 

above.

400 SS DIVISION

401 The SS Division can declare an organization’s Animal Handing and Welfare 

Program out of compliance at any time.

402 The organization shall immediately notify the SS Division when any animal 

handling and welfare official enforcement action is issued by FSIS. 
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01//22

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT C

Cover Page:

Company Name

Company Address

Contact Person, including title, phone number, including emergency contact information, email address (must be authorized to represent the company).

Technical Proposal for: [Supplement Number] and [FPPS] 

Table of Contents (all pages and attachments shall be number and identified – any 

attachments shall be identified and referenced in the Production Plan).

The production plan should document a quality control program that includes procedures, 

records, forms, pictures, etc., which demonstrates conformance with the following checklist of 

requirements:

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

320 MATERIALS

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 IMPS Items 

332 Domestic Origin Of Meat Component 

333 Grade

334 Harvest (Slaughter)

334.1 Humane Handling

Non-Ambulatory Cattle

334.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps

334.3 Spinal Cord Removal

335 Boneless Beef

335.1 Traceability

335.2 Handling

336 Mechanically Separated
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01//22

340 NON-MEAT COMPONENTS

370 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

380 PACKAGING

390 PACKING

400 CLOSURE

420 LABELING

430 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

440 DELIVERY UNIT

450 DELIVERED PRODUCT

460 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

470 TEMPERATURE

480 SEALING

500 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

510 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

511 Warranty

512 Complaint Resolution

520 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

630 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

Attachments or Appendixes - Please attach all referenced documents with the applicable 

document name and reference number.
Approved by 

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 08/01/22

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT D

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE 

LIVESTOCK, POULTRY AND SEED PROGRAM

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCEFOR

THE PROCUREMENT OF BEEF ROASTS OR 

DICED BEEF, FROZEN

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE

I certify the following: 

(1) On [delivery date(s)], [Supplier’s name] furnished the (insert the appropriate commodity

description) called for by Purchase Order Number via [Carrier] under Sales Order

Number/Item number(s): .

(2) The (insert the appropriate material name) is of the quality specified and conforms in all

respects with the purchase order requirements, including [Supplier’s name] Production Plan

as approved by the AMS, LP Program, SS Division.

(3) Product identification, (i.e. production lot number(s)) is in the quantity shown on the

attached acceptance document.

(4) Supplier assures all meat or meat products used in fulfilling this contract was produced in

the United States as defined in the AMS Master Solicitation Section I.E.

Date: 

Signature: 

(Signed by an officer or representative authorized to sign offers) 

Title: