Addendum 1 - Question & Answers Response.pdf
PDF 254 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Farm to School Food Hub Aggregation
- Solicitation number
- BPM053674
- Issued by
- Maryland
About this file
This Addendum 1 document contains Question & Answers responses issued by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) regarding the Farm to School Food Hub Aggregation Invitation for Bids (IFB). The addendum addresses clarification questions submitted by prospective bidders and provides official responses to ensure a consistent understanding of the procurement requirements. Key topics covered in the Q&A responses include operational procedures, eligibility requirements, product specifications, distribution logistics, pricing structures, and compliance obligations related to the centralized sourcing, procurement, and distribution of unprocessed or minimally processed local foods to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The addendum modifies or clarifies the original IFB terms and becomes part of the binding contract documents for all bidders.
The responses address various aspects of bidder qualifications, supply chain requirements, payment terms, and performance expectations for the food hub aggregation services. The addendum ensures that all prospective bidders operate under the same understanding of MSDE's requirements, timelines, and evaluation criteria. Bidders are required to incorporate the addendum responses into their proposals, and any conflicts between the original IFB and the addendum responses are resolved in favor of the addendum. This document serves as an official amendment to the procurement solicitation and is mandatory reading for all parties submitting bids.
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Text version
ADDENDUM NO. 1
IFB R00B5600179
MSDE Farm to School Food Hub Aggregation eMMA Reference No. BPM053674
Questions & Responses
1) Is this a fixed price bid? I.e. If awarded the contract, are there any stipulations or procedures regarding occasions when a producer may increase the price of a specific product, making that price different from what was initially submitted on the price form?
Answer: Yes, this is a fixed price bid. If market prices change, prior notification to MSDE staff is required before purchase/delivery.
2) Pg. 8, 2.3.4: Since managing the balance for each LEA is specified in the bid, will the contractor be given the full LFS balance for each assigned LEA upon award of contract?
Answer: Yes, the selected vendor will be given the allocated balance per Local Education Agency
(LEA).
3) Pg. 8, 2.3.6A: will contractor have to deliver to ALL school sites listed, or do certain districts have centralized drop points? If so, which districts have centralized drop points and what is the total number of direct deliveries Contractor can anticipate having to manage?
Answer: It will depend on the district how delivery will occur and which region is awarded. Two districts have central delivery sites – Montgomery County and Baltimore County.
4) Pg. 8, 2.3.6F: what kind of programming or support services would be needed for Contractor to demonstrate their organizational commitment to increasing resiliency of local/regional producers and food systems.
Answer: Outreach to local and regional producers, particularly those who have been socially disadvantaged, to supply the Contractor with produce. Produce supplied from MBE can be used toward the MBE goal. Identified subcontracting opportunities
Food, general-line 424410 Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned)
424430
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers
424480 perishable prepared food manufacturing food, preshable
311991
General freight trucking, local Container trucking services, local
484110
Agricultural products trucking, local Farm products hauling, local
484220
5) pg. 9, 2.3.7E: will Contractor need to adopt new ordering procedures or software for districts to use in fulfillment of this bid and to communicate with MSDE?
Answer: No, the vendor can utilize their current ordering procedures for this award. The vendor will need to set up each district in their software to allow for ordering.
6) Pg. 9, 2.3.8B: Do you need a copy of all individual invoices sent to schools attached to this monthly invoice, and can bills of lading serve as signed delivery receipts?
Answer: Yes, a copy of all individual invoices shall be submitted monthly to MSDE.
7) Pg. 11, 2.4: there is no Attachment XY that I could find regarding Professional Services Supplemental, where is this located? This attachment can be found on eMMA. “Farm to School Food Hub Aggregation IFB R00B4600179 Professional Services Supplemental”
8) Pg. 14, 3.3.2: there is no Appendix 3 - Bid Form. This is listed as N/A on Pg. 29 Table C- Appendices.
Where is this located?
Answer: This attachment can be found on eMMA – Appendix 10-Price Form. An optional products attachment can also be found on eMMA – Appendix 12-Price Form (Optional Products)
9) Pg. 17, 3.13.1: Is an updated COI with this information required at the time of submission? If so, there is no address or information provided to list the state as an additional insured entity. Can you please provide this information?
Answer: It is required before award. The Maryland State Department of Education, 200 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
10) Pg. 23 4.18: Are bidders allowed to provide additional attachments not specifically requested in support of their submission?
Answer: Yes
11) Pg. 23 Table A, Section C: Can you please confirm that a Bid Bond is not required for this bid? This page lists N/A, but the form is still attached. Please confirm.
Answer: The bid Bond is not needed.
12) Pg. 24 Table A, Section O: This is left blank, can you confirm what was required in this section?
Answer: Payment of Employee Healthcare Expenses Certification https://procurement.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/07/Attachment-O.- Payment-of-Employee-Healthcare-Expenses-Certification.pdf
13) Pg. 24 Table A, Section L: Can you confirm that these are the 2 required references from producers in MD or adjacent states (400 miles from delivery location) evidencing work sourcing local foods? Or are other business references needed here in addition to the 2 producer references mentioned on Pg. 6 1.1.1? If other business references are needed in addition to the 2 producer references, where would you like bidders to submit the 2 producer references?
Answer: The Bidder shall provide with its Bid two (2) references from producers in Maryland or adjacent states (within 400 miles of delivery destinations) evidencing its previous work sourcing and distributing local food within the most recent past (5 years).
14) For the column that states Meets Optional Nutrient Management Criteria Yes or No - Can you clarify what the Nutrient management requirements with the MD Dept of Agriculture are?
Answer: Please refer to the MDA website -https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/farmer_information.aspx
15) Some of the items on the bid form are not grown locally during the time of Dec 2025 - June 2026 (looking at items like Watermelon or Cantaloupe). Do you want us to list a price for the item when it is locally available and list that time frame? Or should we list the price of the item we can get from outside of 400 Miles during the time frame?
Answer: List the price for when the product is locally available.
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