attachment-39-rfb-2027-dph-01-formu-vt-aug.docx

This is a rebate invoice from the State of Vermont Department of Health Division of Maternal and Child Health to Abbott Nutrition for infant formula products supplied to the Vermont WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program during August 2025. The invoice covers rebate-eligible formula products purchased between August 1-31, 2025, and is part of the broader NEATO (New England and Tribal Organizations) WIC Retail Infant Formula Rebate Agreement that serves seven jurisdictions including Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and the Cherokee Nation. The contract requires participating infant formula manufacturers to supply 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—to meet 100 percent of caseload requirements across authorized WIC vendors. The overall procurement solicitation for the NEATO agreement required sealed competitive bids submitted electronically through COMMBUYS by March 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET, with contract award estimated for March 19, 2026, and 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 successive one-month periods not exceeding three months during public exigencies.

Abbott Nutrition is the current incumbent vendor and submitted the August 2025 rebate invoice for Vermont in the amount of $139,727.87, due on or before October 10, 2025. Historical rebate data demonstrates substantial monthly invoice values across all participating jurisdictions, with individual states reporting amounts ranging from approximately $127,000 to $2.4 million monthly; Massachusetts invoiced $2,400,394.93 in August 2025, Connecticut invoiced $1,144,724.35 for June 2025, and Vermont invoiced $139,727.87 for August 2025. The contract includes cent-for-cent adjustment provisions wherein rebate amounts automatically adjust with changes in the manufacturer's national wholesale prices for full truckloads, and the manufacturer's pricing is non-negotiable once accepted. The procurement is funded through federal USDA Food and Nutrition Service funding, with supplemental state funding provided by Massachusetts. 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.