UNSPSC 50406306: Delicata squash

The variety of summer squashes and summer pumpkins known as delicata squash

UNSPSC 50406306 Delicata squash is a Commodity code that encompasses fresh produce procurement by state and local education agencies, criminal justice departments, and municipal social services divisions. State and local governments buy delicata squash and other fresh vegetables under this code primarily for school nutrition programs (National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program), institutional food service (corrections facilities, senior centers), and child nutrition subsidized meal programs. The work is solicited as sealed bids, requests for proposals, or invitations for bid requiring vendors to supply produce meeting USDA quality standards, food safety certifications (HACCP plans, GAP certifications where applicable), traceability documentation, and delivery to multiple school or institutional locations on weekly schedules. Issuing bodies include school districts of all sizes, state departments of criminal justice, county boards of education, city social services departments, and independent school districts; school nutrition programs dominate the activity, with both standalone fresh produce contracts and broader grocery procurement that includes produce as a line item. Requirements across opportunities stress domestic sourcing where applicable, local/regional sourcing preferences (often within 200–400 miles), product quality standards prohibiting mold or spoilage, refrigerated transport, and compliance with Buy American Act provisions for public school meal programs.

Recent activity concentrates in Georgia, Texas, and Florida. The Bartow County School System (Georgia) issued RFP 10-2026-019 on May 21, 2026, seeking local fresh fruits and vegetables with a June 22, 2026 deadline and 400-mile sourcing requirement. The Dougherty County Board of Education (Georgia) posted an IFB on May 19, 2026, with a June 16, 2026 deadline for fresh produce covering 40 line items with estimated annual quantities ranging from 25 to 1,200 units per item. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice issued multiple solicitations—IFB IW253079 for carrots and IFB IW253121 for sweet potatoes for canning, both posted June 23, 2026, with June 23 due dates—and an earlier carrot procurement (IFB IW241979-A, posted April 7, 2026) for 1,200 tons of carrots. The Madison Metropolitan School District (Wisconsin) posted RFB 4163 on July 8, 2026, for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks requiring Wisconsin sourcing within 400 miles and delivery of approximately 5,900 servings weekly, with bids due July 29, 2026. School nutrition activity spans Georgia school districts (Bartow, Dougherty, Bryan, Bulloch, Liberty, Muscogee, Glynn, Savannah-Chatham, Henry), Texas independent school districts (Northside, Austin, McAllen), Florida school districts (Hillsborough), Connecticut (Meriden Public Schools), and Missouri (Rockwood R-VI). Pricing structures vary between fixed per-unit pricing, cost-plus models, and index-based pricing tied to USDA Agricultural Marketing Service terminal market reports, with contract terms typically running July 1 through June 30 of the following year and renewable for one to four additional one-year periods. No opportunities explicitly name delicata squash; the code captures fresh vegetable procurement in which delicata squash would appear as a seasonal line item among dozens of produce choices.