27NUTRL4-Map of District Regional Assignments - Final.pdf

This is a regional district assignment map document related to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Office for Nutrition's request for proposals for warehouse distribution services. The RFR solicits qualified warehouse distributors to purchase, receive, store, and deliver Massachusetts-procured food products, including USDA Processed Foods, to schools, child and adult care centers, and other recipient agencies across four distinct regional zones within Massachusetts. The scope encompasses approximately 18,000 cases annually valued at $1.1 million based on 2026 data, with bidders permitted to respond for one or more regions: Region 1 (Greater Boston, ~82 agencies), Region 2 (Southeast Massachusetts, ~120 agencies), Region 3 (Central Massachusetts, ~110 agencies), and Region 4 (Western Massachusetts, ~74 agencies). Questions are due by June 18, 2026, with proposals due June 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. The contract term runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with no renewal options specified in the opportunity summary.

Pricing is structured on a flat-rate per-case basis with tiered warehousing periods (days 1-30, 31-60, 61-90) and separate 30-day storage fees, plus tiered delivery fees based on case volume. Bidders must commit to a minimum 1% of contract sales with Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) certified diverse business enterprises or nonprofits, with at least 25% of total evaluation points allocated to SDP submissions. Massachusetts small businesses meeting Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) criteria—including Massachusetts principal place of business, at least one year in operation, 50 or fewer full-time equivalents, and gross revenues of $15 million or less—receive award preference when satisfying best value standards. Contractors must maintain separate frozen, chilled, and dry storage at a single site, carry "All Risk" warehouse contents insurance with minimum $1.1 million coverage, and maintain a $25,000 performance bond. Evaluation criteria include financial resources (25 points, 5x multiplier), fee reasonableness (20 points, 4x), contract manageability (20 points, 4x), computer/reporting capabilities (20 points, 4x), and prior relevant experience (15 points, 3x). All responses must be submitted through COMMBUYS.