UNSPSC 50401604: Lucullus asparagus

The variety of asparagus known as lucullus asparagus

UNSPSC 50401604 Lucullus asparagus is a Commodity code that in recent state and local procurement activity spans fresh produce supply to school nutrition programs, criminal justice institutional food service, and child care operations—work substantially broader than the code name suggests. State and local issuing bodies soliciting under this code include school districts (elementary through high school), county school boards, state criminal justice departments, Head Start child care agencies, and municipal senior services programs. The code's actual scope reflects acquisition of fresh fruits and vegetables, often alongside eggs and prepared produce items, sourced for USDA Child Nutrition Program compliance, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program distribution, National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program fulfillment, and institutional dining operations. Representative recent activity includes Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) issuing an RFB for approximately 5,900 weekly servings of fresh fruit and vegetable snacks with 400-mile regional sourcing requirement and a 5% preference for Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program vendors (response due July 29, 2026); Head Start of Greater Dallas soliciting an IFB for approximately 32,409 cases of frozen foods, produce, and meats for Child and Adult Care Food Program compliance totaling approximately $969,460.94 in estimated value (bids due June 24, 2026); the Texas Department of Criminal Justice soliciting multiple IFBs for carrots, sweet potatoes, and white potatoes for institutional canning and food service (bids due June 23, 2026); and Northside Independent School District in Texas seeking sealed bids for fresh produce delivery to 127 campuses via RFP 2026-048 with weekly five-day delivery required and pricing indexed to USDA Specialty Crops Terminal Markets Standard Reports (proposals due May 7, 2026).

Geographic activity concentrates heavily in Texas, Georgia, and Florida, with secondary activity in Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Missouri. Texas dominates the recent opportunity set through TDCJ institutional procurement (multiple IFBs posted in June and March 2026), Northside Independent School District and Austin Independent School District in the San Antonio and Austin areas (RFPs posted in February and April 2026), and McAllen Independent School District in the Rio Grande Valley (RFP posted March 6, 2026). Georgia school districts drive sustained volume—Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Glynn County, Henry County, and Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools all posted produce solicitations between March and May 2026, frequently emphasizing local-sourcing preferences (200–400 mile radii) and farm-of-origin traceability. Florida activity includes Hillsborough County Public Schools' substantial USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program procurement (RFP posted April 13, 2026, estimated annual budget $600,000). Contract structures across the base reveal firm fixed pricing for 12-month school-year terms (typically July 1 through June 30), weekly or twice-weekly delivery requirements to multiple school sites, HACCP certification mandates, buy-American compliance, and general liability insurance minimums ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000. Set-asides and preferences vary by jurisdiction: Wisconsin highlights supplier diversity preferences, Texas emphasizes HUB status and Texas-principal-place-of-business scoring, and Georgia school districts frequently encourage but do not mandate small/minority-owned participation. Award timelines typically span 60 days post-bid-opening; response dates cluster in late April through mid-June 2026 for school-year contracts commencing July 1, 2026, and March through May 2026 for institutional procurement cycles. This code sustains steady seasonal procurement cycles tied to school-year funding and institutional dining operations; pursuit viability depends on demonstrated capacity for high-volume weekly multi-site delivery, food safety certification compliance, regional sourcing capability, and pricing competitiveness against indexed market reports.