01-26 EXHIBIT L SCHOOL FOOD PROGRAM.pdf

This is a Request for Proposal Exhibit document issued by the Town of Saugus School Committee in Massachusetts for food service management procurement. The RFP seeks a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) to operate the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and a la carte food services across the school district beginning in school year 2026-2027. Qualified vendors must demonstrate a minimum of one year of experience managing K-12 school food service programs in comparable districts, employ a Food Service Director meeting USDA Professional Standards, and maintain a clean contracting history with no defaults on school food service contracts within the prior five years. 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 are due by March 13, 2026 with responses provided by March 17, 2026. Sealed proposals (four copies each of Price and Non-Price submissions) must be delivered to the Town of Saugus DPW at 515 Main Street by March 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM. Contract award is targeted for April 9, 2026, with draft contracts due 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.

The procurement operates as a cost-reimbursable contract structure whereby the FSMC will be reimbursed for direct costs including food, labor, and supplies, plus fixed Administrative and Management Fees, with a guaranteed minimum financial return to the School Food Authority with any shortfall paid by the FSMC. 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. Financial projections must be detailed in Schedule E including revenues from student meals, adult meals, and federal and state reimbursement rates calculated using USDA-provided formulas for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, 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, and no incumbent vendor information is specified in the procurement materials.