The National Guard has put out feelers for a vendor to feed troops in Washington D.C. until the end of January, according to federal contracting documents.
The documents were posted on the SAM.gov website for federal government contracting which solicits bids for products across the military, from weapons to base security to feeding troops. Details in contracting documents often offer a glimpse into the military’s future plans — like this Army solicitation for new campus-style dining halls.
In this case, the documents indicate that the National Guard is at least considering contingencies that could keep troops in Washington into the new year, even if formal plans for the deployment haven’t been settled.
According to the SAM.gov posting, the National Guard Bureau and D.C. National Guard is “conducting market research” to identify contractors who can provide catered and boxed meals to support DCNG units during law enforcement missions throughout the District of Columbia.”
The vendor would provide “high-quality, nutritious meals to approximately 2,300 service members, with potential reductions based on weekly strength and feeder reports.” They should also “plan for increased attendance expected at Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as other federal holidays with additional service hours if necessary,” according to the performance of work statement.
After CNN reported that National Guard troops in DC were being extended through December, Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, interim commanding general of the D.C. Guard released a video acknowledging an extension but did not provide specifics.
Task & Purpose inquiries sent to JTF-DC about the federal contracting notice were referred to the White House, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.
“This market research announcement is not tied to operational requirements and is routine practice,” an Army spokesperson said in a statement.
Richard Howard, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who was a procurement officer and now runs a business with Air Force and Space Force contracts, said the military is a planning organization, and this notice could indicate that the National Guard is doing research in order to be prepared for any scenario.
“Is this telling us something that maybe isn’t in the media right now? Or just maybe good planning and saying, ‘Hey, we don’t know how long those guys are going to be out there. We need to be prepared for it,’” Howard said.
The vendor pitch is listed as a “sources sought” notice, which is not an official contract solicitation backed by money that the government intends to spend. However, the documents do indicate that the National Guard is looking at options for vendors that could cater troop meals through the holiday season.
“Sources sought” notices are used when the government “wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes,” according to a Defense Department guidebook on the federal contracting process.
Chelsea Meggitt, CEO of Collaborative Compositions LLC a federal contractor consulting firm said a “sources sought” notice does not mean there’s an official “commitment” by the government to fund a contract on these services.
“Typically one of the reasons that they’ll do ‘sources sought’ is because they either don’t have the funding necessarily available yet, they want to figure out what the markets like and if there are sources that are available to do this in the time frame that they specify, or they are trying to figure out what their their acquisition plan will look like,” Meggitt said.
The small business contractor would be tasked with meal planning, food preparation, delivery, setup, service, and cleanup at multiple guard locations like the Armory and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in southeast D.C., and throughout the capital region until Jan. 31, 2026, according to the documents.
Howard said contracting actions can take months of planning and the government “can’t just materialize something in a couple of weeks.”
“There’s certainly a more conservative view of the whole thing, which is probably where I’ve landed. Probably just, hey, ‘we’ve got troops out there. We got to support them. And these are some of the contracting actions that we have to take now, or at least investigate,’” Howard said. “It’s market research.”
The document spells out specifics for three meals: “A full American breakfast” with an entree, coffee, tea, juice, toast, and a side of fruit; a hot lunch with an entree choice, side dish, and beverage; and dinner that adheres to U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines and includes a protein, starch, vegetable, bread and beverage. The vendor should also be able to offer food for a range of dietary needs like vegan, vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-Free, and allergies like shellfish and peanuts.
