UNSPSC 50306301: Crimson red rhubarb

The variety of rhubarb known as crimson red rhubarb

UNSPSC 50306301 Crimson red rhubarb is a Commodity code that encompasses fresh produce items supplied to state and local nutrition and food service programs, though recent opportunities reveal that state and local agencies actually procure a much broader range of fresh fruits and vegetables under codes proximate to this one rather than rhubarb specifically. School districts dominate the issuing bodies, with secondary procurement from county school systems, municipal school boards, child care food programs (CACFP and Head Start), senior services divisions, and correctional facilities. The actual work being solicited spans fresh produce distribution—apples, bananas, berries, leafy greens, root vegetables, citrus, and stone fruits in bulk cases—delivered weekly to school nutrition departments, early childhood centers, and institutional feeding operations. Vendors must maintain HACCP plans, comply with Buy American provisions (typically 51% domestic content for processed items), provide traceability documentation, carry general liability insurance ($500,000 to $2,000,000 depending on contract value), and meet food safety and nutritional standards including whole-grain and low-sodium requirements. Cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm fixed-price models predominate; some districts apply USDA market index pricing with escalator/de-escalator clauses, while others require prices firm for the contract term with quarterly or semi-annual redetermination windows supported by USDA Agricultural Marketing Service or Consumer Price Index documentation.

Geographic activity concentrates in Georgia, Texas, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, and California, with the heaviest recent solicitation flow in Georgia school districts and Texas independent school districts. Representative recent opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) RFB 4162 for petite bananas, 70–90 cases weekly at estimated annual value of $78,000, due July 29, 2026; Meriden Public Schools (Connecticut) RFP 026-41 for commercial groceries, beverages, and produce across 13 school sites with estimated contract value of $3.1 million, proposals due February 25, 2026; Austin Independent School District (Texas) RFP 26RFP034 for fresh produce and a la carte beverages across multiple campuses, due March 11, 2026, emphasizing Good Food Purchasing Program compliance and domestic sourcing; the GEC Buying Cooperative (Georgia) SN 26-004 serving 30 districts across two geographic areas with estimated combined annual spending of $5.5 million, proposals due March 4, 2026; and Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) RFP 26039RFPDST for USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program specialty produce to 18 elementary schools, approximately $600,000 annual budget, proposals due March 11, 2026. Most school district procurements specify weekly or bi-weekly delivery windows (commonly 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday–Friday), require 97–98% fill rates with 24-hour substitute delivery for rejections, and include pre-bid or pre-proposal meetings. Local and regional preference programs appear in several jurisdictions—Texas code Section 271.9051 applies in Edinburg; Wisconsin awards small-business preferences; Georgia permits diverse-owned-business status scoring; and Texas encourages HUB and in-state vendor participation. Activity is steady across Q1–Q2 2026 with multiple solicitations closing in March–June and contract start dates clustering at July 1, 2026, indicating annual procurement cycles aligned to fiscal-year transitions.