UNSPSC 50416617: Organic turk's turban squash

The variety of organic winter squashes and organic winter pumpkins known as organic turk's turban squash

UNSPSC 50416617 Organic turk's turban squash (Commodity) appears in state and local procurement activity almost exclusively within child nutrition and school food service contexts, where school districts and county education boards solicit fresh produce for National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program operations. Recent opportunities show school nutrition departments buying comprehensive produce portfolios—apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, potatoes, and specialty items—delivered weekly or twice weekly to multiple school sites. The code's nominal specificity to a single squash variety does not reflect actual procurement practice; instead, districts issue blanket produce solicitations using broader UNSPSC commodity codes and evaluate line-item pricing across dozens of produce categories simultaneously. Issuing bodies are predominantly school districts and county boards of education across Georgia, Texas, Missouri, and Florida, with occasional state-level food-procurement activity. Representative recent opportunities include Early County Board of Education (RFP SN 26-004, Georgia, due June 8, 2026, seeking 300+ food items and 60 non-food products with domestic sourcing preference and HACCP compliance), Northside Independent School District in San Antonio (RFP 2026-048, due May 7, 2026, for USDA Child Nutrition Reimbursable-compliant produce with Texas-grown prioritization), and Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa (RFP 26039RFQDST, due March 11, 2026, for specialty fruits and vegetables in the federally funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program serving 18 elementary schools).

Geographic concentration is heaviest in Georgia, which generated roughly half of the recent solicitation volume; Texas and Florida each account for significant activity. Procurement timelines typically run from late February through late May with awards in June and contract starts July 1. Most school districts require HACCP certification, Buy American compliance, general liability insurance ($1 million minimum), E-Verify work authorization, debarment certification, and weekly or twice-weekly deliveries between 6:00 AM and 2:30 PM Monday through Friday. Pricing evaluation emphasizes lowest responsive bid or cost-plus-percentage models; many districts use USDA Agricultural Marketing Service or Urner Barry reporting to cap price escalation (typically 3–5% annually). Cooperative purchasing vehicles appear frequently—the GEC Buying Cooperative (serving 30 Georgia school districts) issued a $5.5 million produce and eggs RFP (SN 26-004, due March 4, 2026). Contract terms run July 1 through June 30 with automatic or optional renewal for up to three additional years. No incumbent vendors or small-business set-asides are identified in the source material; all solicitations are open competitive.