UNSPSC 50417003: Organic apio

The type of organic vegetable known as organic apio

UNSPSC 50417003 Organic apio, a Commodity code, represents fresh produce procurement by state and local school districts and education agencies. State and local governments buy fresh produce — primarily fruits, vegetables, and related items — under this code to support child nutrition programs, school lunch and breakfast services, and federally funded initiatives such as the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Recent solicitations show school districts sourcing comprehensive produce assortments (apples, bananas, berries, leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, citrus fruits, and eggs) for direct delivery to school campuses, with specifications emphasizing USDA compliance, Buy American provisions, HACCP certification, food safety traceability, minimum shelf life requirements, and often preferences for domestic, locally grown, or specialty products. The issuing bodies are predominantly school districts of varying sizes—from small rural boards of education to large urban systems serving 20,000 or more students—and occasionally state departments and cooperative purchasing consortia. School districts are the dominant repeat buyers under this code, frequently issuing annual or multi-year contracts through IFB, RFP, or ITB notice types with firm pricing and renewal options.

Geographic activity concentrates heavily in Georgia and Texas, with recent high-volume solicitations from the State of Georgia, Early County Board of Education, Liberty County Board of Education, Glynn County Board of Education, Muscogee County School District, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Douglas County School System, Northside Independent School District (San Antonio), Austin Independent School District (Travis County), Bulloch County School District, Hillsborough County Public Schools (Tampa, Florida), Rockwood R-VI School District (St. Louis County, Missouri), and McAllen Independent School District (Texas). Representative recent opportunities include the Early County Board of Education's line-item food bid (RFP, due June 8, 2026) spanning 300+ food items with domestic sourcing preferences and whole-grain specifications; the State of Georgia fresh produce IFB #4 (due May 27, 2026); Northside Independent School District's fresh produce RFP (due May 7, 2026) emphasizing USDA Child Nutrition Reimbursable compliance and Texas-grown prioritization; Hillsborough County Public Schools' Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program delivery contract (RFP due March 11, 2026, estimated award August 4, 2026, $600,000 annual budget); and the Douglas County School System's cooperative RFP serving 30 school districts across two Georgia regions (due March 4, 2026, approximately $5.5 million estimated annual spending). Evaluation criteria commonly weight price competitively (typically 30–50 points), product quality and availability (15–30 points), vendor qualifications and experience (10–20 points), and long-term cost or service capability (5–20 points). Most contracts run July 1 through June 30 with options for renewal for one to four additional years, and vendors must carry general liability insurance ($500,000 to $2,000,000 minimum), comply with debarment certification, E-Verify requirements, and federal food safety standards including HACCP plans and recall procedures.