UNSPSC 50304614: Eclipse melons

The variety of melons known as eclipse melons

UNSPSC 50304614 Eclipse melons is a Commodity code that covers fresh melon procurement for institutional food service — primarily school nutrition programs, correctional facilities, mental-health centers, senior services, and child-care operations. State and local governments under this code purchase eclipse melons alongside broader fresh produce requirements, though the recent opportunities block shows no dedicated eclipse melon solicitations. Instead, eclipses appear as line items within comprehensive fresh produce bids that bundle melons with apples, bananas, leafy greens, root vegetables, berries, and other produce to meet USDA meal program standards. Issuing bodies include state departments (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois Department of Mental Health), county school districts (Hancock County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Early County, DeSoto County in Georgia; Madison Metropolitan in Wisconsin), municipal school systems (Bridgeport, Edinburg), county parks and recreation (Collier County), county health-care coalitions (Marion Health Care Coalition), and Head Start and senior-services programs. The work solicited consists of bi-weekly or weekly fresh produce delivery to central warehouses or individual facility sites, with vendors responsible for temperature maintenance, HACCP compliance, and substitution of damaged items at no cost. Contracts typically run one school or fiscal year with renewal options.

Recent activity concentrates in Texas (TDCJ Palestine and Snyder-Wynne food warehouses, Edinburg CACFP program, Head Start of Greater Dallas, San Antonio senior services), Georgia (Hancock County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Early County, Bartow County school districts), Wisconsin (Madison Metropolitan petite bananas and fresh-fruit snacks), Illinois (Joliet Treatment Center, Madden Mental Health Center), Connecticut (Bridgeport Board of Education), and Florida (Collier County parks). Representative opportunities include the Texas Department of Criminal Justice solicitation for fresh fruit and vegetables delivery to Palestine (IW267376, due October 19, 2026), the Illinois Department of Corrections solicitation for bi-weekly produce delivery to Joliet Treatment Center under small-business set-aside (27426DOCJOLIEB53849, due September 3, 2026, with prevailing-wage requirement), the Madison Metropolitan School District bid for petite bananas at $78,000 estimated value for school year 2026–2027 (RFB 4162, due July 29, 2026), and the Bartow County Schools local-produce procurement with 400-mile sourcing requirement (10-2026-019, due June 22, 2026). Evaluation criteria across these opportunities weight cost heavily (30–40%), with secondary emphasis on vendor qualifications, service capability, and compliance with food-safety and Buy American provisions. No federal set-asides appear in recent postings; state and local preferences (local-vendor discounts in Collier and Bartow County, diverse-owned business status scoring in Madison Metropolitan and Head Start of Greater Dallas, small-business set-asides in Illinois) drive competitive positioning.