UNSPSC 50304600: Melons

The type of fruit known as melons

UNSPSC 50304600 Melons, a Class code, covers fresh produce supply and delivery to institutional food service operations, with recent activity centered on school nutrition programs, correctional and mental health facilities, senior services, and child care providers. State and local governments procure melons as part of broader fresh produce contracts that typically bundle multiple fruit and vegetable line items, often with strict quality, freshness, and delivery standards tied to federal meal programs (USDA National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Head Start). Issuing bodies include school districts, state departments of corrections and mental health, county boards of education, city human services departments, and regional health care consortia. School nutrition programs dominate recent solicitation volume, with individual districts and multi-site networks seeking weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of standardized produce to central warehouses or multiple school locations. Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple fresh produce solicitations for food warehouse supply, while Illinois Department of Corrections and Illinois Department of Mental Health have each issued procurement notices. Evaluation typically weights cost heavily (30–40% of total scoring), with secondary emphasis on vendor qualifications, compliance with food safety standards (HACCP plans, traceability documentation, E-Verify), delivery reliability, and product quality. Set-asides and preferences vary: Wisconsin applies a 5% diverse-owned business status preference and local-sourcing filters; Collier County offers a 10-point local-vendor preference; Georgia school districts emphasize the 51% Buy American agricultural commodity requirement; several procurements carry small-business set-asides.

Recent activity spans Texas (TDCJ Palestine and Snyder facilities), Illinois (Department of Corrections Joliet Treatment Center, Department of Mental Health Madden Center), Florida (Collier County parks), Wisconsin (Madison Metropolitan School District), Connecticut (City of Bridgeport), Georgia (multiple school districts including Hancock County, Dougherty County, Bartow County, Bryan County, Early County), Mississippi (DeSoto County School District), and Texas cities (Edinburg, San Antonio, Dallas). Representative recent solicitations include the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's fresh fruit and vegetables procurement for Palestine Food Warehouse (IFB IW267376, due October 19, 2026) and Wynne Food Warehouse (IFB IW267411, due October 14, 2026); the Illinois Department of Corrections' fresh produce delivery to Joliet Treatment Center (RFQ 27426DOCJOLIEB53849, due September 3, 2026, with small-business set-aside); Madison Metropolitan School District's petite bananas RFB 4162 (due July 29, 2026, estimated value $78,000) and fresh fruit and vegetable snacks RFB 4163 (due July 29, 2026, with Wisconsin local-sourcing requirement and 5% diverse-owned preference); Hancock County Board of Education fresh produce IFB SN002-2027 (due June 26, 2026); and DeSoto County School District fresh produce distribution (bid due June 22, 2026, requiring 97% delivery service level across 41 sites). Contracts typically run one school year (July 1 through June 30) with options for one to four additional one-year renewals; correctional and mental health facilities often contract on annual or multi-year cycles with quarterly or monthly ordering. Insurance requirements range from $500,000 to $1,000,000 general liability; prevailing-wage compliance applies in Illinois and selected other jurisdictions.