Certification_of_Independent_Price_Determination.pdf

This is a Certification of Independent Price Determination document required for the Polk County School Board's competitive solicitation (Bid Number 011-DW-0325) for Commodity Processing Foods in Florida. The solicitation seeks vendors to process USDA commodity products into approved end products for delivery to the district's central warehouse located at 965 Highway 60E in Bartow, Florida. The required processed products include applesauce cups (cinnamon and banana strawberry varieties) and beef products such as fully cooked meatballs and beef patties, all of which must meet USDA Child Nutrition Program standards. The bid deadline is February 3, 2025, at 3:00 PM (ET), with electronic submissions required through www.myvendorlink.com. The initial contract period begins July 1, 2025, for one year with potential extensions for four additional one-year periods. Three vendors have been recommended for award: Tyson Prepared Foods, Inc. (Items 1-4), JTM Provisions Co., Inc. (Items 5-6), and Peterson Farms Fresh LLC (Items 7-8), representing a multi-vendor procurement approach.

The certification document requires all offerors to certify that their prices have been independently determined without consultation or agreement with competitors regarding pricing, submission intentions, or calculation methods. Offerors must also confirm that prices will not be disclosed to competitors before bid opening and that no attempts have been made to induce or restrict other concerns from submitting bids. The estimated annual contract value is $1,500,000, though this is not a guaranteed purchase amount. Vendors must maintain $1,000,000 per occurrence Commercial General Liability insurance coverage and comply with federal and state regulations including Buy American provisions, E-Verify requirements, drug-free workplace certification, and debarment exclusions. Price adjustments for contract extensions will be based on the Producer Price Index-Commodities, and vendors must ensure that at least 51 percent of the final processed product consists of domestically grown agricultural commodities. All bidders must be approved processors by the Department of Agriculture and submit processor certification, non-collusion affidavits, and this price determination certification with their proposals.