UNSPSC 50406401: Beauregard sweet potatoes

The variety of sweet potatoes known as beauregard sweet potatoes

UNSPSC 50406401 Beauregard sweet potatoes (Commodity) shows modest but concrete activity in state and local procurement, with school districts, state correctional agencies, and child nutrition programs sourcing both fresh sweet potatoes and canned sweet potatoes for institutional food service. Recent opportunities include sealed bids by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for sweet potatoes for canning (IFB IW253121, due June 23, 2026) and a related carrot procurement (IFB IW241979-A, demanding 1,200 tons of carrots with amended deadlines in March 2026). Beyond TDCJ, school nutrition programs across Georgia — Bartow County Schools, Bulloch County Schools, and others — have posted RFPs for fresh local produce that explicitly include sweet potatoes as line items, typically sourced within 200–400 miles and delivered weekly to central warehouses or individual school sites. Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin issued an RFB for fresh fruit and vegetable snacks (RFB 4163, due July 29, 2026) that includes institutional sourcing within 400 miles, with organic produce drawing a $0.20-per-pound price preference. School districts dominate the recent opportunity set, with secondary demand from Head Start programs (Head Start of Greater Dallas seeking frozen and fresh produce under a multi-supplier IFB) and state agencies. A Georgia state procurement for fresh produce (PE55645NONST2026000000009, due June 22, 2026) and a broad Texas TDCJ cafeteria food products solicitation (IFB 304T-26-300CF, due May 4, 2026, covering approximately 382 line items with canned and fresh vegetables) round out the mix. The code sees activity concentrated in Texas, Georgia, and Florida, with secondary postings in Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Missouri. School nutrition contracts typically run July 1 through June 30, feature firm pricing for 60 to 90 days post-award with market-indexed escalation clauses thereafter, and award to single or multiple vendors on a line-item basis. Evaluation emphasis falls on cost (30–50 percent weight), product quality and availability, geographic sourcing preference (including local-mile radius requirements), and vendor compliance with USDA Buy American and HACCP standards.

Recent activity shows institutional buyers prioritize advance notice of shelf life, farm-of-origin traceability, ready-to-eat or minimal-processing formats for school snack programs, and bulk quantities for canning or central preparation. Sweet potatoes appear more frequently in processed or canned state (for TDCJ institutional meals) and as fresh, locally sourced produce (for school nutrition and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program delivery). The code itself is narrow — Beauregard is a specific variety — but opportunities are being tagged at broader fresh-produce and canned-vegetable class levels, suggesting that vendors sourcing Beauregard as part of a regional or institutional produce supply chain have the clearest entry. Set-asides and preferences vary: Texas-based vendors receive priority in some TDCJ procurements; Wisconsin and Georgia prefer in-state or within-radius sourcing with explicit preference scoring; diverse-owned business certifications draw modifiers (5 percent preference in Madison, weighted scoring in others). Procurement volume at school districts is substantial — weekly deliveries to 12–60 school sites, estimated annual quantities in the hundreds of cases — but individual opportunities are rarely disclosed with dollar ceilings, indicating budget opacity and negotiated pricing post-award.