This notice establishes Fiscal Year 2025 cut-off dates for processing procurement requests, interagency agreements (IAAs), and cooperative agreements (CAs). These cut-off dates ensure that the Agency can obligate its funds in a timely manner through acquisitions by September 30, 2025. These dates will aid Program Areas in planning purchases throughout the year. 

PROGRAM AREAS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Program Areas are to send completed purchase request packages entered into the Integrated Acquisition System (IAS) to the Office of Management (OM) Administrative Services Division (ASD), Procurement Management Branch by the cut-off dates listed in the Attachment for the referenced dollar amounts. The dollar amounts identified below include option years, if any. 

2. To avoid processing delays, Program Areas are to ensure requisitions submitted into the Integrated Acquisition System include the following:

   1. In the Description box:

      1. Detailed description of product or service;
      2. State “Option Year Renewal” if you are exercising an option year or “Additional Funding” if adding funds to an existing order and provide award number to be modified;
      3. If services are being procured, provide the name of the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) to be appointed; and
      4. Excepted or Non-Excepted: State in the description if the requirement is excepted or non-excepted in the event of a government shutdown. (Excepted means essential and needs to continue in the event of a government shutdown; Non-Excepted means non-essential and work will stop if there is a government shutdown). The Chief Operating Officer can provide clarification as to whether a procurement is excepted or not).
   2. If ordering IT equipment and services over $25,000, AAR and Investment Submission ID numbers must be entered into IAS.
   3. Supporting documentation: Ensure Requisition Package Checklist, quotes, attachments, Statement of Work/Performance Work Statements and Acquisition Plans are attached prior to submitting the requisition.

3. Program Areas are to ensure that requisitions are moving through all processes to allow sufficient time to coordinate approvals.

4. Program Areas are to obtain pre-procurement approvals as early as possible in the procurement process.

5. The requisitioner is to obtain approvals for information technology requirements, including receipt of Acquisition Approval Requests, in accordance with policy set forth by the USDA Office of the Chief Information Officer.

6. Program Areas shall review the USDA Contracting Desk Book, Part 407 regarding Acquisition Planning to determine if applicable.

7. Program Areas shall submit Option Year Exercises 90-days prior to the Period of Performance End Date.

8. Contract award before the end of the fiscal year is not guaranteed for requisitions submitted after these established cut-off dates or if an incomplete package is submitted. 

9. Program Area purchase card holders should make sure USBank transactions are reconciled by the date below. If the transaction cannot be reconciled due to goods/services not being received, Program Areas are to account for the charges on the Period End Estimate form provided by the Budget Office.

LATE REQUISITIONS
Requisitions received after the cut-off date are considered late and may not be processed. Program Areas are to follow these instructions if there is a late requisition:

1. Enter requisition in IAS with all required documentation;

2. Prepare a late requisition approval request memo, which is to be signed by the Assistant Administrator (AA) of the respective Program Area and submitted to the OM AA for signature;
3. Send OM-AA approved late requisition procurement request via email to: FSISProcurement@usda.gov;
4. The ASD Procurement Management Branch will review the requisition package to ensure that it is complete;
5. If the IAS requisition package is complete, ASD will proceed in working the requirement; and
6. If it is not complete, the ASD Contracting Officer is to notify the requisitioner that no action can be taken until the IAS requisition package is complete. Late requisitions will be returned unprocessed.

QUESTIONS
Refer questions or for assistance with acquisition planning, to: FSISProcurement@usda.gov.