UNSPSC 50403705: Sirio fennel

The variety of fennel known as sirio fennel

UNSPSC 50403705 Sirio fennel is a Commodity code that captures fresh produce procurement by state and local food service operations, though the code name does not reflect the breadth of actual purchasing activity. Recent solicitations show state and local buyers—predominantly school districts and child nutrition programs, alongside criminal justice and senior services agencies—sourcing fresh vegetables and specialty produce items for institutional meal service. The work spans direct procurement of fresh vegetables, fruits, and prepared produce items for USDA Child Nutrition Reimbursable-compliant meal programs, with vendors required to meet food safety certifications (HACCP, GAP audit), temperature-controlled delivery logistics, traceability documentation, and compliance with Buy American provisions. School nutrition programs dominate the issuing-body mix, including Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Austin Independent School District, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, McAllen Independent School District, and multiple Georgia county school systems (Bulloch, Bryan, Glynn, Dougherty, Liberty, Muscogee, Henry). Criminal justice institutions—specifically the Texas Department of Criminal Justice—also source produce in bulk for institutional canning and food service. Senior services and child care operations represent secondary buyers, with Head Start of Greater Dallas and San Antonio's Department of Human Services both soliciting produce delivery.

Recent activity clusters heavily in Texas and Georgia, with secondary activity in Florida, Connecticut, and Missouri. Representative opportunities include Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) seeking fresh fruit and vegetable snacks via RFB 4163 due July 29, 2026, requiring delivery within 400 miles with Wisconsin sourcing preferences and $0.20 per pound organic produce discounts; Northside Independent School District (Texas) RFP 2026-048 for fresh produce delivery to 117 campuses (due May 7, 2026); Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) FFVP procurement (RFP 26039RFPDST, responses due March 11, 2026) for specialty fresh produce to 18 elementary sites with cost-plus-fixed-fee pricing; and a multi-district Georgia cooperative procurement (Douglas County School System RFP SN 26-004) covering 30 districts across two regions with estimated annual spend of $5.5 million (proposals due March 4, 2026). Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple commodity-specific IFBs for carrots, white potatoes, and sweet potatoes for bulk canning operations. Award criteria emphasize lowest responsive bidder pricing on line-item or cost-plus bases, with secondary weighting on geographic sourcing preference (particularly Texas and within-state sourcing), product quality, vendor experience, and compliance with federal food safety and Buy American standards. Set-asides for small business, minority-owned, and women-owned enterprises appear selectively in Texas and Georgia procurement (HUB status in some AISD and NISD opportunities) but are not uniform across all jurisdictions.