NIGP 39028: Fruits, Fresh

NIGP 39028 Fruits, Fresh is an Item code under which state and local governments procure fresh fruits for institutional meal programs, school nutrition services, correctional facilities, senior centers, and child care operations. Recent solicitations show school districts and education agencies dominating the activity, with demand spanning individual commodity contracts (bananas, apples, strawberries) through comprehensive multi-item produce procurements. The scope reflects high-volume, recurring purchases requiring weekly or bi-weekly delivery to multiple sites, temperature-controlled logistics, compliance with USDA nutrition and Buy American standards, HACCP food safety plans, and traceability documentation. Evaluation criteria typically weight cost at 30–50 percent, with quality, delivery reliability, vendor experience, and food safety compliance making up the remainder. Issuing bodies include school districts (elementary through high school), county boards of education, city school systems, Head Start and child care agencies, senior services departments, correctional facilities, and regional cooperative purchasing consortia. No single buyer dominates; activity is distributed across dozens of jurisdictions.

Geographic activity concentrates in Georgia, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, and Utah, with recent solicitations also appearing in California, Oregon, Utah, and Massachusetts. Representative opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) bidding for petite bananas with a $78,000 estimated annual value and strict quality and delivery specifications (RFB 4162, due July 29, 2026), Hillsborough County Public Schools (Tampa, Florida) procuring specialty fruits and vegetables for the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program with an estimated $600,000 annual budget (RFP 26039RFPDST, proposals due March 11, 2026), the GEC Buying Cooperative serving 30 Georgia school districts in two geographic areas with estimated combined annual spending of approximately $5.5 million on fresh produce and eggs (RFP SN 26-004, due March 4, 2026), and the City of Edinburg, Texas requesting CACFP meal program supplies including fresh fruits and vegetables for 400 children daily (RFP 2026-017, due August 4, 2026). Contract terms typically run one school or fiscal year with optional renewals ranging from two to five years. Most awards go to lowest responsive and responsible bidders; several recent solicitations allow multiple vendor awards on a line-item basis to optimize costs across produce categories.