attachment-34-rfb-2027-dph-01-formu-ri.pdf

This is a Request for Bid (RFB) document for the NEATO/WIC Retail Infant Formula Rebate Agreement involving seven jurisdictions: Cherokee Nation, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The procurement seeks sealed competitive bids from infant formula manufacturers to supply and provide rebates on all six product categories: powdered milk infant formula, powdered soy infant formula, liquid concentrate milk formula, liquid concentrate soy formula, ready-to-feed milk formula, and ready-to-feed soy formula. The successful bidder must guarantee supply of 100 percent of NEATO's caseload requirements, averaging 48,503 infants monthly, and maintain adequate distribution to all authorized WIC vendors across all jurisdictions. Sealed bids must be submitted electronically through COMMBUYS by March 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET, with public bid opening at 10:30 AM ET. Contract award is estimated for March 19, 2026, with an effective start date of October 1, 2026. The agreement period extends for 36 months from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029, with a non-negotiable renewal option for one additional two-year period or any portion thereof under identical terms and conditions.

Bidders must submit pricing data to three decimal places for the lowest national wholesale full truckload price per unit, rebate bid per unit, and net price per unit for each formula type and form, along with certified Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act registration and a Redundancy Risk Management Plan. Historical rebate data demonstrates substantial monthly values, with individual jurisdictions reporting rebate amounts ranging from approximately $127,000 to $2.4 million monthly; for example, Massachusetts invoiced $2,400,394.93 in August 2025. Abbott Nutrition is identified as the current incumbent vendor based on extensive monthly rebate invoices covering June through August 2025. The procurement is funded through federal USDA Food and Nutrition Service funding, with Massachusetts providing supplemental state funding. No specific set-aside designations or restrictions on organization types are identified. Evaluation criteria require mandatory pass/fail compliance with bid submission requirements, including submission of the signed NEATO Retail Infant Formula Rebate Bid Sheet, Certificate of Incumbency, wholesale and distribution network listing, and nationally published wholesale price lists as of the bid opening date.