UNSPSC 50406400: Sweet potatoes

The type of vegetable known as sweet potatoes

UNSPSC 50406400 Sweet potatoes (Class) names a produce category that state and local governments buy primarily for institutional food service—school nutrition programs, corrections facilities, and child care operations source sweet potatoes in bulk for meal preparation and processing. Recent solicitations show two distinct buying patterns: school districts and child-serving agencies procure fresh sweet potatoes alongside mixed-produce contracts for regular menu rotation, while corrections departments purchase sweet potatoes specifically for canning operations in on-site food processing. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has posted multiple solicitations for sweet potatoes as a canned-goods commodity, distinguishing this work from the fresh-produce buying that dominates school nutrition procurement. Issuing bodies are predominantly school districts (elementary through high school systems) across Georgia, Texas, Florida, and other states, alongside county boards of education, independent school districts, state corrections facilities, and child nutrition authorities such as Head Start programs and school food authorities. Many school districts solicit produce through cooperative purchasing vehicles—the GEC Buying Cooperative in Georgia and Texas Cooperative Purchasing contracts in Texas appear repeatedly—which aggregate demand across multiple jurisdictions and create larger contract values than single-district buys.

Geographic activity concentrates in Georgia (Bartow County, Dougherty County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Liberty County, Muscogee County, Glynn County, Henry County, and Douglas County school systems), Texas (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, multiple independent school districts including Northside, Austin, and McAllen), and Florida (Hillsborough County Public Schools). Recent solicitations include the Bartow County School System RFP 10-2026-019 (Local Fresh Fruit and Vegetable, due June 22, 2026) seeking local produce within 400 miles including sweet potatoes as one of 24 items, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice IFB IW253121 (Sweet Potatoes for canning, due June 23, 2026) requiring electronic submission through the TDCJ Procurement Portal, and the Bulloch County IFP (Local Produce, due May 4, 2026) specifying sweet potatoes among 24 locally grown items within 200 miles. School nutrition contracts typically run one fiscal year (July through June) with optional renewal periods extending to five years; corrections and institutional canning operations post more ad hoc, commodity-specific bids. Pricing is usually firm for the initial contract term with adjustments allowed thereafter based on USDA Agricultural Marketing Service or Consumer Price Index documentation. Most school solicitations emphasize local sourcing within 200–400 miles, USDA compliance, HACCP certification, and traceability by farm of origin, with insurance requirements (typically $500,000 to $2,000,000 general liability) and strict delivery scheduling (weekly Monday–Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to school sites or central warehouses). Set-asides and preferences are not standard under this code, though some districts encourage small-business participation or apply score weight to diverse-owned vendor status without formal restrictions.