UNSPSC 50406303: Costata romanesca squash

The variety of summer squashes and summer pumpkins known as costata romanesca squash

UNSPSC 50406303 Costata romanesca squash is a Commodity code that captures state and local procurement of specialty fresh produce items for institutional food service, particularly school nutrition programs and child care operations. Recent solicitations under this code show school districts and institutional food service operators sourcing fresh produce—including squash varieties, carrots, potatoes, and other vegetables—as components of broader fresh-produce contracts that serve the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program. The mix of issuing bodies spans multiple states and includes school districts (elementary through high school systems), state departments (particularly the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for institutional food service), county boards of education, and specialized child nutrition programs serving 1,000 to 83,000+ students. School nutrition programs and institutional food service operations dominate solicitation activity, typically awarding to single or multiple vendors on a line-item or consolidated basis, with contracts running July through June calendar years aligned to school fiscal years.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia and Texas, with secondary activity in Florida, Missouri, and Connecticut. Representative recent opportunities include the Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) RFB 4163 for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks, due July 29, 2026, emphasizing locally sourced produce within 400 miles with organic pricing preferences and Ready-to-Eat delivery requirements; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice IFB IW253121 for sweet potatoes for canning, due June 23, 2026; and the Bartow County School System (Georgia) RFP 10-2026-019 for local fresh fruits and vegetables from farms within 400 miles, with proposals due June 22, 2026 and contract running July 20, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Additional activity includes Dougherty County Board of Education (Georgia) IFB for fresh produce with bids due June 16, 2026, and Glynn County Board of Education (Georgia) IFB 27-02 for fresh produce with sealed bids due April 14, 2026. Evaluation criteria across these solicitations weight cost heavily (typically 30–50 percent), with remaining points distributed across product quality, delivery capability, local or regional sourcing compliance, and vendor qualifications including insurance, food safety certifications (HACCP), and traceability documentation. Most contracts include renewal options (typically two to four additional one-year terms) and require firm pricing for the initial contract term with price redetermination or escalation provisions thereafter based on USDA Agricultural Marketing Service reports or Consumer Price Index data.