01-26 EXHIBIT K SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM.pdf

This is an Exhibit K supporting document for a Request for Proposal issued by the Town of Saugus School Committee in Massachusetts for food service management operations. The RFP seeks a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) to provide nutritionally compliant meals meeting USDA regulations for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and a la carte food services across multiple schools beginning in school year 2026-2027. A mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference and facility tour is scheduled for March 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM at 25 Dow Street, Saugus, MA 01906. Written questions must be submitted by March 13, 2026 with responses provided by March 17, 2026. Sealed proposals (four copies each of Price and Non-Price submissions) are due to the Town of Saugus DPW at 515 Main Street by March 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM. Contract award is expected by April 9, 2026, with draft contracts submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by April 24, 2026 and executed contracts due by June 5, 2026. The initial contract term runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with options for up to two additional one-year renewals for a maximum three-year contract period.

Qualified vendors must demonstrate a minimum of one year of experience managing K-12 school food service programs in comparable districts and must employ a Food Service Director meeting USDA Professional Standards with a clean contracting history showing no defaults on school food service contracts within the prior five years. The FSMC must guarantee minimum lunch participation rates of 35 percent. A bid bond equal to 5 percent of total budgeted costs is required at submission, and performance bonds may be required if the FSMC operates the Summer Food Service Program for contracts exceeding $100,000. The contract operates as a cost-reimbursable structure whereby the FSMC is reimbursed for direct costs including food, labor, and supplies plus fixed Administrative and Management Fees, while guaranteeing a minimum financial return to the School Food Authority with any shortfall paid by the FSMC. Financial projections through Schedule E must include revenues from student meals, adult meals, and federal/state reimbursement rates calculated using USDA-provided formulas, with all discounts, rebates, and applicable credits credited to the School Food Authority. No set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to specific organization types are indicated.