3-Professional Service Solicitation - Registered Dietitian.pdf

Professional Services Solicitation: Registered Dietitian

UTAH DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) is soliciting the Professional Services of a Registered Dietitian (RD) or specialized dietary consulting firm. In accordance with Utah Code § 63G-6a Part 15 (Qualifications-Based Selection), UDC is seeking professional qualifications solely to evaluate and rank offerors based on expertise, experience, and capability.

The selected Offeror will evaluate, develop, implement, and monitor a comprehensive correctional food service nutrition program for the Utah State Correctional Facility (USCF, approx. 14,000 meals/day), Central Utah

Correctional Facility (CUCF, approx. 6,000 meals/day), and possibly six (6) Community Correctional Centers (approx.

1,500 meals/day). The primary goal is to ensure menus meet Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), maintain compliance with national correctional standards, and adequately manage medical, therapeutic, and religious diets.

IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING PART 15 COMPLIANCE: Pursuant to Utah Code § 63G-6a-1502.5(2), this is a

Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) process. Offerors MUST NOT include any cost estimates, pricing, or fee schedules in their Statement of Qualifications. Inclusion of any pricing information in the response will result in immediate disqualification. Fee negotiations will only occur with the highest-ranked Offeror after the evaluation process is complete.

2. MANDATORY MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

To be considered for evaluation, Offerors must meet all of the following Mandatory Minimum Requirements.

Failure to satisfy any of these criteria will result in the immediate rejection of the proposal.

● State Licensure: The Lead Registered Dietitian (RD) providing services under this contract must hold a current, active, and unencumbered license or certification from the Utah Division of Occupational and

Professional Licensing (DOPL) in accordance with Title 58, Chapter 49. Proof of licensure shall be requested by UDC Contract staff, and maintained throughout the term of a resulting agreement.

● Educational Foundation: The Lead RD must possess a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Dietetics, Human

Nutrition, or a related food management field from an accredited institution.

● Criminal Background Clearance: The Offeror and all personnel assigned to this project must formally agree to undergo and successfully pass a comprehensive UDC criminal background check prior to facility access.

3. REQUESTED STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Offerors who meet the mandatory minimums will be evaluated based on their narrative responses to the following areas. Responses should be detailed, comprehensive, and directly tied to the Scope of Work:

A. Correctional Expertise & Institutional Menu Engineering

Describe your firm/individual experience providing dietary and nutritional consulting within large-scale institutional environments, specifically focusing on correctional facilities.

● Detail any applicable experience in correctional/institutional menu engineering.

● Explain your methodology for balancing high-volume production (e.g., 20,000+ meals daily) with strict nutritional compliance, utilizing existing facility assets and optimizing ingredient costs.

B. Litigation Defense & Expert Witness Experience

Correctional food service carries significant legal exposure. The Offeror must demonstrate the capacity to act as an objective, third-party authority to answer to potential legal challenges.

● Provide a history of providing litigation-grade documentation for menu certifications.

● Detail any previous experience serving as an Expert Witness in court cases or administrative hearings regarding nutritional adequacy, medical diets, or religious meals in a correctional setting.

● Describe your approach to supporting state Attorney General offices in defending food service claims.

C. Capability to Execute the Scope of Work (SOW)

Provide a comprehensive technical approach to executing the tasks outlined in the SOW, including:

● Detail how you will utilize baseline data gathered by internal UDC non-dietitian staff to maximize the efficiency of your clinical analysis.

● Explain your process for distinguishing overarching Master Menu development from 1-on-1 clinical patient interactions, and how you will interface with DHHS medical staff to manage specialized therapeutic and allergy diets.

● Identify any dietetic software utilized by your firm.

D. Professional References

Include a list of at least three (3) professional references from clients for whom the Offeror has provided similar large-scale (especially institutional/correctional) menu review services within the past five (5) years. Contact

Information shall include facility/project name, contact name, phone number, and email address.

4. EVALUATION CRITERIA

An evaluation committee consisting of at least three (3) qualified UDC will review the Statements of Qualifications.

Scoring will be based on a 1000-point scale according to the rubric below.

Evaluation Criteria Max Points

A. Correctional Expertise & Institutional Menu Engineering 350

B. Litigation Defense & Expert Witness Experience 200

C. Capability to Execute the Scope of Work (SOW) 400

Evaluation Criteria Max Points

4. Professional References 50

Total Possible Score: 1000

5. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions must be uploaded directly to the Utah Public Procurement Place (U3P) platform prior to the closing date and time specified on the event posting. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Any questions regarding the solicitation shall be posted to the U3P solicitation, so they may be addressed by UDC

State Purchasing/UDC staff conducting the solicitation.

5. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES