attachment-47-rfb-2027-dph-01-formu-vt-return.pdf

This file comprises Vermont's WIC Policy and Procedures Manual guidance for handling returned infant formula, in conjunction with the NEATO/WIC Retail Infant Formula Rebate Agreement procurement 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 all six product categories—powdered milk and soy infant formula, liquid concentrate milk and soy formula, and ready-to-feed milk and soy formula—to meet NEATO's monthly caseload of approximately 48,503 infants. 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 and contract award estimated for March 19, 2026. The contract will be effective 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, plus provisions for successive one-month extensions not exceeding three months during public exigencies. Bidders must guarantee supply of 100 percent of caseload requirements, maintain adequate distribution to all authorized WIC vendors across jurisdictions, provide substitute formulas within 24 hours during supply disruptions or recalls, and remit monthly rebate payments within 30 days of invoice receipt.

Abbott Nutrition is identified as the current incumbent vendor, with historical monthly rebate invoices ranging from approximately $127,000 to $2.4 million across jurisdictions; Vermont invoiced $139,727.87 in August 2025. Pricing submissions must include three decimal places for lowest national wholesale full truckload price per unit, rebate bid per unit, and net price per unit for each formula type and form, with cent-for-cent adjustment provisions for automatic rebate adjustments based on changes in national wholesale prices. Mandatory pass/fail compliance requirements include submission of the signed NEATO Retail Infant Formula Rebate Bid Sheet, Certificate of Incumbency, wholesale and distribution network listings, and nationally published wholesale price lists as of bid opening date. The procurement is funded through federal USDA Food and Nutrition Service funding with Massachusetts providing supplemental state funding. Questions must be submitted by January 27, 2026, with responses provided by February 19, 2026. The Vermont manual specifies that all formula returned by WIC families must be destroyed per FNS policy, with disposal documented on a Returned Formula and Foods Tracking Sheet maintained for the current year plus three previous years.