Commercial_and_Commodity_RFP.docx

City of New Haven, CT

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2026-RFP-031

COMMERCIAL AND COMMODITY ITEMS

RELEASE DATE:

RESPONSE DEADLINE:

Please refer to the project timeline in this document for all important deadlines.

Table of Contents

Project Summary

1.1 Summary

Contract Name: Commercial and Commodity Items Solicitation #: 2026-RFP-031 Department: Food Service-NHPS The City of New Haven and Board of Education Food Service (BOE), which oversees the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program, is soliciting this Request for Proposals (RFP) for Commercial and Commodity food items shipped directly from manufacturers for the 2026 summer year and 2026-2027 School Year. There are approximately 224 service days in the program, and the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program serves approximately 20-17,500-19,000 meals per day.

In soliciting request for proposals, it is the City’s intent to establish a vendor or vendors with the primary objective to improve services, expedite deliveries, streamline paperwork, reduce administrative costs and contain food costs. To achieve these goals, it will also be necessary to maintain continuity of supply for its food service needs as changing brands could potentially introduce unnecessary hardships to our student customers thereby jeopardizing the integrity of our programs. Therefore, the successful Respondent must be both capable and willing to purchase the brands as specified and from a third-party producer if requested by the City. The City will reserve the right to utilize secondary suppliers if the City determines that doing so would be in the City’s best interest.

The City of New Haven reserves the right to award this request for proposal to a prime vendor or multiple vendors or any variation deemed to be in the best interest of the City.

CONTRACT PERIOD

This is a one-year contract. The contract will begin July 1, 2026 and will continue through June 30, 2027. At the sole discretion of the New Haven Public Schools, Food and Nutrition Department, any award under this request for proposal can be renewed for two (2) additional one-year periods.

I. 1st Option to renew period July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 II. 2ND Option to renew period July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2029

1.2 Timeline

1.3 Procurement Contact

Shawn Garris Procurement Analyst 200 Orange Street New Haven, CT 06510

Instructions to Respondents

2.1 Internet Access

A. The City cannot guarantee that equipment involved in Solicitation Submission and/or solicitation technology will be available to provide information or receive transmittals. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have current information and that your Submission is received at the designated location complete and on time. The City is not responsible for the confidentiality of information transmitted over the Internet.

B. Downloading solicitations of any type does not obligate the City to send you future notifications of solicitations or addendum updates.

C. It is the Respondent's responsibility to review your status on our website and update your contact information accordingly.

D. The City does not recommend waiting till the last day to start and/or submit your response.

2.2 Solicitation Downloads

A. Every part of this document may be downloaded from the website at no cost to you. If you require a third party to print the specifications and/or drawings, that cost will be borne by you.

B. Drawing File Format: PDF C. Click on the "Downloads" to download the drawings.

D. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat and you wish to view the files in PDF format, Download the application here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/ E. Drawings - The following three local firms are examples of companies that can reproduce drawings and/or any portion of the documents. These suggestions are not to be considered endorsements in any way. Any other firm with the AutoCAD, DWG, DXF, DWF & CSF Viewers will also be able to reproduce the drawing files.

2.3 Inquiries for Clarification

A. The City will not respond to a Respondent's request(s) for oral interpretation and/or clarification of the Solicitation Specifications for any reason.

B. The City will respond to a Respondent’s written request(s) for interpretation and/or clarification of the Solicitation Specifications.

1. Any written Inquiry for Clarification must be received seven (7) or more business days prior to the Closing Date. Any request received by the City after this deadline will not be given consideration.

2. Every request for such an interpretation shall be made in writing via City’s e-Procurement Portal's Question & Answer feature.

3. Please do not send questions or requests for clarification in a PDF format.

4. Every interpretation made to a Respondent will be in the form of an Addendum or Question & Answer to the Solicitation Documents.

2.4 Addendum to Bid Documents

A. All Addenda to the Solicitation Documents shall become part of the Solicitation. Respondents are required to check the Website for Addendum. Each Respondent shall be bound by such Addenda whether or not received/viewed by the Respondent.

B. Questions are submitted through your account and the selected solicitation Web Address: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/newhavenct/projects/92865, through the “Question & Answer” section to submit your question(s).

C. We will endeavor to post Addendums regarding Inquires for Clarification, not less than five (5) calendar days prior to the Bid Closing Date and Time.

D. Addendums regarding extension of time will be posted on the City website, any time prior to the Solicitation Closing Date and Time.

2.5 Contract Term

The term of the contract is one (1) year with 2 - one (1) year renewal option(s). All renewals will be at the sole discretion of the City and pursuant to the same terms and conditions.

2.6 Insurance Requirements

The City requires all contractual work to be insured as identified in the following sections.

The term “Contractor” and/or “subcontractor” as used in this section, shall mean, and include Contractors and subcontractors of every tier.

Each Solicitation, Agreement and/or Award will include a specific Risk Template which will detail all the insurance requirements for the project.

Any policies maintained by the contractor and its owned and/or rented equipment and materials shall contain a provision requiring insurance companies to waive their rights of subrogation against the City of New Haven (Owner) and all other Indemnities named in the contract.

Certificates of Insurance The successful bidder shall provide certificates of insurance showing coverage by an insurance carrier authorized by the State of Connecticut to write insurance in the State. The certificates shall show the City as an additional name insured. Said certificate should contain the following endorsements.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL CERTIFICATES OF INSURANCE MUST INCLUDE:

A. The City of New Haven shall be named as an additional insured with subrogation.

B. Endorsement shall include the work description, Contract/Project name and location.

C. An endorsement that the insurance company will give at least thirty (30) days written notice to the City prior to any modification or cancellation of any such insurance coverage.

POLICY REVIEW AND APPROVAL

At the discretion of the City, the Contractor may be asked to submit to the City copies of insurance policies for review and approval. The City may, in writing, notify the Contractor of any disapproval of any such policies, and satisfactory policies shall be provided in place of those disapproved.

The Contractor shall submit an insurance certificate in addition to a copy of each policy. The Contractor shall require its subcontractors to obtain policies of similar insurance before each commences work. All such insurance shall be carried with financially responsible insurance companies, licensed in the State and approved by the City and shall be kept in force until the Contractor’s work is accepted by the City, which expire before the Contractor’s work is accepted by the City shall be renewed and submitted to the City for its approval.

A. Insurance will be required for the entire term of the contract. COI are to be emailed to your project contact (see award notice) and NHpurchasingCOI@newhavenct.gov.

B. Renewal Certificates of insurance should email to your project contact.

Contractor/Vendor shall agree to always maintain in force during the contract the following minimum coverage and shall name the City of New Haven as an Additional Insured (1) on a primary and non-contributory basis to all policies except Workers Compensation and Professional Liability. All policies, except Professional Liability, should also include a Waiver of Subrogation. (1). Insurance shall be written with Carriers approved in the State of Connecticut and with a minimum AM Best’s rating of “A- “VIII.”

2.6.1 General Liability

Minimum Limits (dollar amount indicates required minimum) Additional Insured (Y indicates required) Waiver of Subrogation (Y indicates required)

Products/Completed Operations Aggregate

2.6.2 Additional Information

If any policy is written on a “Claims Made” basis, the policy must be continually renewed for a minimum of two years from the completion date of this contract. If the policy is replaced and/or the retroactive date is changed, then the expiring policy must be endorsed to extend the reporting period for claims for the policy in effect during the contract for two) years from the completion date.

Original, completed Certificates of Insurance must be presented to the City of New Haven via Certifiable prior to contract issuance. Contractor/Vendor agrees to provide replacement/renewal certificates at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the policies. Should any of the polices be cancelled, limits reduced, or coverage altered, 30 days written notice must be given to the City.

2.6.3 Notes

· Additional Insured & Waiver of Subrogation boxes must be checked off on the COI.

· If contractor/vendor will be providing a service in proximity or serving youth under the age of 21, Abuse and Molestation coverage must be included.

· City of New Haven is the Certificate holder and the additional insured.

City of New Haven 200 Orange Street Rm 301 New Haven, CT 06510

2.7 Certification and Licenses

If the service(s) that you are providing is a service for which a certification, license or other form of qualification is required, please provide documentation with your statement of qualifications.

2.8 Unit Prices, Solicitation Quantities and Tax-Exempt Status A. The Unit Prices for each of the Solicitation items include its pro rata share of overhead so that the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the quantity shown for each item by the unit price represents the total Bid. Special attention is called to this section because in the event it is necessary to revise the quantities, increase or decrease thereof may be made without limit and adjustment and compensation shall be made on the basis of the Unit Prices for such items.

B. Unit Prices should not include federal excise or state sales taxes. State Sales Tax is exempt under Connecticut General State Statute Sec. 12-412. The City is also exempt from transportation taxes when goods are consigned to the City. Tax Exemption certificates will be furnished by the Supervisory Auditor - Accounts Payable upon satisfactory proof of delivery to the City.

C. It is understood an agreed that the Unit Prices shall control the Contract award.

D. The quantities noted in this Solicitation are approximate (estimated only for use in comparing Bids); and that the sums obtained by multiplying the Unit Prices by the estimated quantities, and also the Total of these sums, are inserted for the purpose of checking this Solicitation and for the convenience of the Respondent. The Unit Prices paid are for the actual ordered quantities only.

E. Shipments should be consigned to the City in care of the Contractor.

F. Unbalanced high or low Bid Unit Prices will be reviewed and may be grounds for rejection.

G. Pricing and Supply of Good and Services submitted by vendor as a result of this solicitation must be maintain for at least twelve (12) months from the date of bid submission, unless an increase in length is noted in the specification section of this solicitation.

Buy American Provision The Buy American provision (7 CFR Part 210.21(d)) is one of the procurement standards SFAs must comply with when purchasing commercial food products served in the school meals programs.

For unprocessed foods, the agricultural commodities must be domestic, and for processed foods they must be processed domestically using domestic agricultural food components that are comprised of over 51% domestically grown items, by weight or volume. The following are two limited exceptions when nondomestic foods may be purchased:

· The food or food product is not produced or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or

· Competitive bids reveal the cost of a United States food or food product is significantly higher than the non-domestic product.

If the above exceptions apply to a food product on your bid proposal, fill out the Exception Documentation Worksheet to be submitted with your bid proposal. Fill out one form for each food item requiring an exception to the Buy American Provision.

2.9 Local Preference Ordinance

A. For this section, "City Based Business" shall mean a business with a principal place of business located within the City of New Haven. A "City Based Business” shall maintain such status throughout the term of any Contract with the City. Failure to maintain such status shall be grounds for the City to terminate said Contract.

B. To be considered a City Based Business you must submit satisfactory proof to the Purchasing Agent of your current City of New Haven address. Some examples of proof include are, but not limited to:

1. Proof of payment of City of New Haven Real Estate tax bill(s)

2. A current, long term lease in the City of New Haven

3. Proof of payment of City of New Haven personal Property tax bill(s) C. The Local Preference ordinance can be found in Section 2-483 of the City of New Haven’s Code. Please review for further details.

2.10 Equal Employment Opportunity

A. A pre-award conference concerning equal employment opportunity compliance by the Awardee will be scheduled the week prior to the City’s authorizing the award. The contractor will receive forms and other documentation that must be completed and returned to the City prior to the date of the pre-award conference. The Contractor's Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity compliance report will represent the major focus of discussion at the pre-award conference. The contractor is responsible for satisfying the affirmative action/equal opportunity provisions as set forth in or referred to in these Solicitation Documents.

B. Any proposed subcontract under this Contract must submit a certification regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, similar to that submitted by the Respondent. Approval of the subcontractor award cannot be given by the owner unless and until the proposed subcontractor has submitted the certification and/or other evidence that it has fully complied with any reporting requirements to which it is or was subject.

C. Although the Respondent is not required to attach such certification by proposed subcontractors to its Response, the Respondent is herein advised of this requirement so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent subsequent delay in subcontract awards.

D. The Equal Employment Opportunity ordinance can be found in Section 12 ½ of the City of New Haven’s Code. Please review for further details.

2.11 Construction of Related Permits

The contractor is responsible for all fees associated with Permits.

2.12 Alternate Responses

No alternate responses will be considered unless alternate responses are specifically requested by the City.

2.13 Pricing Sheet

A. Please provide your pricing matrix via Response Submittals. The City of New Haven must be readily able to discern your pricing Qualifications at a quick glance.

B. A brand name, model number or other designation that identifies the product of a manufacturer may be indicated. Other brands will be considered, provided they meet the quality standards of the brands listed within. Product literature, i.e. (M.S.D.S.) must accompany any substituted product with your submission.

2.14 Solicitation Process

A. Early Submittal of Digital Responses - Responses received prior to the advertised hour of closing are kept sealed on the City's e-Procurement Portal.

B. Solicitation Closing - At the time fixed for the submission deadline of responses, the City will open the Digital Response received by the submission deadline utilizing the City's e-Procurement Portal. Pricing information will be available publicly and can be accessed at: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/newhavenct/projects/92865 in the "Results" tab. Respondents and other interested parties can visit the City's e-Procurement Portal for the list of respondents and their respective pricing information. To receive notifications regarding the pricing results, interested parties must click on "Follow" on the Public Solicitation Portal.

C. Late Submittals – with the advent of complete digital bidding, no submission will be accepted after the closing date and time.

D. Withdrawal of Responses - Responses may be withdrawn by you prior to the submission deadline of responses by you retracting your digital response submission.

E. Response Rejections - The City reserves the right to reject any and all responses which do not meet the requirements. Some reasons for rejection include, but are not limited to: altered or qualified contractual terms, non-conforming Response, incomplete or erroneous paperwork, and/or not habitually performing with the Respondent's own forces.

F. Solicitation Rejection Notification - Should the City reject a response for any reason, the Submitter shall be notified. In case of such rejection, the City will return the Bid Bonds to the Respondent(s). No other part of a Respondent's Submission will be returned.

2.14.2 Solicitation Submission

A. Electronic/digital Submissions - Follow instruction on the portal for bid submission – all required forms are indicated as such.

B. Each solicitation response must be submitted in the prescribed format. All blank spaces must be filled in as noted. Responses must give the prices in numerical figures. No changes shall be made to the City’s documents for any reason.

C. The Respondent shall sign their Response in the blank space provided for this purpose. If the solicitation response is made by a partnership or corporation, the name and address of the partnership or corporation shall be indicated and the Response Submission must be acknowledged by a corporate officer as applicable. Any partner of corporate stockholder owning 25% or more of the business shall also be disclosed.

D. The City may consider any Submission not prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions hereof, and may, at its option, waive any informalities.

E. No Respondent may withdraw a submission within one hundred twenty (120) days after the actual date of the opening thereof.

2.15 Solicitation Report

A. Any Solicitation protest must be submitted in writing. Respondents may file a written protest of the Solicitation results with the City's Purchasing Agent, within 48 hours of the posting of the Solicitation results on the City Website.

B. A protest must be submitted via email, purchasing@newhavenct.gov, or Fax, 203-946-8206.

C. The City will acknowledge receipt of written protest. If the Purchasing Agent or representative has not acknowledged receipt of the protest by the close of business on the following day, please contact the Bureau of Purchases at 203-946-8201 or by Fax at 203-946-8206.

2.16 Award of Contract

A. The City will endeavor to award a contract for this Solicitation within one hundred and twenty (120) days after the date of the Solicitation opening. All Respondents acknowledge their Response submittal will be valid for the duration of the one hundred and twenty (120) days’ timeframe.

B. The City reserves the right to separately Solicitation or secure pricing from additional contractors that may relate to the goods and/or services in the instant Solicitation, whether or not such goods and/or services are additional to the quantities stated in the instant Solicitation.

C. The City of New Haven reserves the right to award one or more contracts as a result of this solicitation.

D. The City will not award to any contractor who is ineligible under any of applicable regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor and United States Department of Labor.

E. The City will not award to any contractor who is not qualified under applicable State and local laws and regulations.

F. Without limiting the generalities of the foregoing, a contractor will be deemed ineligible if they are not current with any taxes or other outstanding obligations to the City of New Haven.

G. Should a Contract be awarded, it will be awarded by the City to the lowest responsible qualified Respondent based on the lowest Base Bid.

H. Availability of funds – The awarding of all contracts is contingent upon the availability of appropriate funds. If funding is not available at the time of award and/or execution of the contract the City reserves the right to cancel the Solicitation.

I. All Bid Bonds will be returned to all Respondents upon the execution of the contract documents to the awarded Respondent.

J. Certificate of Insurance must be email to project manager (see award notice) and to NHpurchasingCOI@newhavenct.gov.

2.17 Execution of Contract

A. In executing the Agreement, the Awardee will be required to reaffirm and restate all representations made in its Response Submission.

B. After the notice of award and within ten (10) days after the prescribed forms are presented for signature, the Awardee shall execute and deliver to the City the Agreement in the form included in the Contract Documents, in such number of copies as the City shall require.

C. The failure of the Awardee to execute such Agreement, pay any taxes due, to supply the required bonds or submit the Certificate of Insurance, all within ten (10) days after the prescribed forms are presented for signature, or within such extended period as the City grants based upon reasons determined sufficient by the City, shall constitute a default and the City reserves the right to any remedies available at law or in equity including pursuit of Bid Bond. The City may either award the Contract to the next lowest responsible Respondent or re-advertise the Solicitation.

D. Performance Labor and Material Bonds - (see Project Summary for applicability)Having satisfied all conditions of award as set forth elsewhere in these documents, the successful Respondent shall, within the period specified in paragraph "A" above, furnish a bond in a penal sum not less than the amount of the Contract as awarded, as security for the faithful performance of the Contract, and a labor and material bond for payment of all persons, firms or corporations to whom the Contractor may become legally indebted for labor, materials, tools, equipment, or services of any nature including utility and transportation services, employed or used by him in performing the work. Such bonds shall be in the same form as those included in the Solicitation Documents and shall bear the same date, or a date after that of the Agreement. These bonds shall be signed and issued by a guaranty or surety company satisfactory to the City, authorized and qualified to do business in the State of Connecticut, and listed in the latest issue of the U.S. Treasury Circular 570, and the penal sum of any such bond shall be within the maximum specified for such company in said Circular 570. The current power of attorney for the person who signs for any surety company shall be attached to such bonds.

E. Commencement of Work – The City will not be responsible for payment of any work performed or materials supplied by the successful respondent before the Contractor receives a fully executed agreement unless an emergency situation has been declared by a City employee duly empowered to do so, and the vendor receives written authorization from this individual to proceed. Note: Responsibility for payment shall be limited to only that work deemed necessary by the City to alleviate the immediate emergency.

2.18 Notice to Proceed

Once a contract is executed the City department responsible for requesting the work will issue a Notice to Proceed.

2.19 No Purchase – No Payment Policy

https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/purchasing-division/no-po-no-pay-policy The City of New Haven has implemented a 'No Purchase Order, No Payment Policy’ effective July 1, 2019 to reduce cost overruns, unauthorized work, while automating the steps for payment of invoices. This means that without an official Purchase Order number and/or enough unencumbered funds available, payment of supplier invoices will be rejected or significantly delayed until the change order or adjustments can be processed and approved.

This policy aims to ensure that:

A. All spend shall be supported by an authorized PO prior to requesting the provision of goods/services.

B. Efficient processes are implemented so that goods are delivered when required.

C. The recipient of the goods shall receipt in Munis as soon as the goods are delivered/services performed (i.e. not upon receipt of the invoice);

D. Cost control is effective and therefore:

E. all expenditure incurred by the City of New Haven is valid and appropriately authorized; and F. minimizing transactional costs associated with payment for goods and services.

2.20 Electronic Invoice Policy

https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/purchasing-division/e-invoicing-policy

2.21 Payment Policy

https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/purchasing-division/payment-policy

Project Details

3.1 Proposal Specifications

The City of New Haven and Board of Education Food Service (BOE), which oversees the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program, is soliciting this Request for Proposals (RFP) for Commercial and Commodity food items shipped directly from manufacturers for the 2026 summer year and 2026-2027 School Year. There are approximately 224 service days in the program, and the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program serves approximately 17,500-19,000 meals per day.

In soliciting request for proposals, it is the City’s intent to establish a vendor or vendors with the primary objective to improve services, expedite deliveries, streamline paperwork, reduce administrative costs and contain food costs. To achieve these goals, it will also be necessary to maintain continuity of supply for its food service needs as changing brands could potentially introduce unnecessary hardships to our student customers thereby jeopardizing the integrity of our programs. Therefore, the successful Respondent must be both capable and willing to purchase the brands as specified and from a third-party producer if requested by the City. The City will reserve the right to utilize secondary suppliers if the City determines that doing so would be in the City’s best interest.

The City of New Haven reserves the right to award this request for proposal to a prime vendor or multiple vendors or any variation deemed to be in the best interest of the City.

CONTRACT PERIOD

This is a one-year contract. The contract will begin July 1, 2026 and will continue through June 30, 2027. At the sole discretion of the New Haven Public Schools, Food and Nutrition Department, any award under this request for proposal can be renewed for two (2) additional one-year periods.

III. 1st Option to renew period July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 IV. 2ND Option to renew period July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2029

Procurement Code of conduct Respondents responding to this solicitation must abide by the USDA Procurement Code of conduct. Please see the attached NHPS policy

UNIT PRICING:

All pricing for items shall be firm fixed price for the duration of the contract unless there is a materially dramatic and reasonable unanticipated change in the market.

Such request for proposal shall contain costs for each product contained in bid specifications and a maximum percentage markup to cover freight of products and include a fee that covers their warehousing, financing, delivery, sales costs, fuel, and any charges for NHPS The City may entertain a request for a price change (increase or decrease) upon a written request submitted together with details of reasoning and accompanied by supporting documentation to substantiate the request. This is if the City agrees to a price change.

If the parties cannot agree on the amount of the change that is in dispute, the price may then be negotiated with the City with input from the Purchasing Agent. Respondents will be monitored and evaluated to the level of satisfaction during their performance and quality.

Respondents should submit Commercial Pricing and Commodity pricing for this RFP.

QUANITIES:

All quantities are estimated and the City reserves the right to award separate items to different Respondents. Total quantities and cases per delivery are estimated amounts only. The District reserves the right to increase or decrease quantities as need dictates.

MINIMUM ORDERING

There will be no minimum orders required. The awarded Respondent(s) shall have products available. The ordering schedule shall be mutually agreed by the awarded Respondent(s) and Food Service Director.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

Respondent must agree that there will be no cancellation of products to be delivered without an equal and acceptable replacement of product(s). Should a manufacturer or processor discontinue a product that is regularly ordered The City of New Haven and Board of Education Food Service (BOE), such notification must be communicated, in writing, to the City in advance of such discontinuation. During the notice period, the awarded Respondent agrees to work with the City to identify and implement alternative options that maintain and or reduce costs associated with any replacement product. In addition, samples for testing any suggested alternative may be required by the City to ascertain suggested alternative product quality and acceptability before final approval for use.

SUBSTITUTIONS

During the term of the contract, the awarded Respondent shall not make any substitutions, unless the awarded Respondent has successfully contacted the Food Service Director and has received approval for substituting the contract product for another product. If a substitution is to be made due to the awarded Respondent or manufacturer(s) error or shortage, the City shall not have to pay an increase or any adverse delivery charge(s) for the substitution.

PRODUCT SUBSTITUTION/MANUFACTURER’S BRAND CHANGE/PRODUCT REFORMULATION:

The Respondent(s) shall state the brand name and product number on the RFP. The successful Respondent may not make substitutions, brand changes, or reformulations of products without the written authorization by the Food Service Department. If during the course of the contract there is a manufacturer’s brand change or reformulation of the product, the awarded Respondent shall not automatically substitute the product. The awarded Respondent shall submit a child nutrition label product specification sheet, Product Formulations Statement, Nutrition Facts, ingredient lists, sample, and/or other pertinent product information as deemed by the Nutrition Services for approval prior to further shipment.

QUALITY GUIDE:

The awarded Respondent must ensure that the condition, quality, and quantity of sold to the BOE complies with the product specification. Failure of the awarded Respondent to provide products meeting the standards will result in the return of the product for a full refund and possible termination of any existing contracts with the supplier.

REPORTING:

The City collects specific data to analyze and assess compliance with and successes in meeting its purchasing goals. To prove responsiveness to this solicitation, Respondents must show that they have the ability and willingness to provide reports annually, at minimum, on all products purchased under any contract or agreement that results from this solicitation. Velocity reports must include the following information for each product delivered to the City by the awarded Respondent:

· Time period of purchase (such as month and year, or range of months)

· Farmer AND/OR Processor/Shipper/Manufacturer/Broker/Wholesaler (whichever is applicable)

· Brand (if applicable)

· Farm location AND/OR processing or manufacturing location at the city level (whichever is applicable)

· Vendor item number

· Manufacturer product code (if applicable)

· UPC code (if applicable)

· Product description

· Known certifications (if applicable)

· Pack size

· Quantity purchased and UOM

· Net weight per quantity (in lbs.)

· Total weight (in lbs.)

· Cost per unit

· Total cost per quantity purchased

· Total dollar value spent for all food items purchased as part of this contract Respondents must submit a sample velocity report containing this information as a required document in this Request for Proposal.

DELIVERY:

Time and manner of delivery are essential factors in proper performance under the contract. Delivery will be directly to Central Kitchen (insert address). Delivery day and time shall be established by mutual agreement between the awarded Respondent and the Food Service Director or designee.

Deliveries for Central Kitchen must be made inside the facility at the mutually agreed area. Delivery should be made inside the building through the loading docks – the actual final placement will be left to both parties mutually agreed upon.

If the material is not received within the time specified for delivery, it will be received at the discretion of the City. Should it be necessary to refuse delivery of any material contained in the RFP/Bid document, the awarded Respondent shall be responsible for all associated costs.

AWARD CRITERIA:

Proposals that are submitted on-time and are not subject to disqualification will be reviewed in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth below in this solicitation. In addition, the City may conduct a pre-award audit. The District intends to award to the responsible Respondent whose proposal is most advantageous to the District’s program(s) with price and other factors considered.

Criteria 1 The following requirements, in addition to the requirements, terms and conditions identified throughout this document, will be considered as part of the selection process, and are not listed in order of relative importance.

Important Note: All substitutions must be of equal or better quality than the product originally ordered. Should there be a price difference between the ordered product and the substituted product, the City of NH/NHPS will be charged either the price of the normally ordered product or the price of the substitute, whichever is lower.

Criteria 2 All pricing for items shall be Firm Fixed Pricing for the duration of the contract time period. The City reserves the right to visit the vendor to audit the awarded vendor’s accounting books with a reasonable notice. Vendor must respond to the audit request within requested deadline.

The successful bidder will be expected to supply all items as specified on the attached market basket.

A. Excellent level of Firm Fixed Pricing (25 points) B. Reasonable level of Firm Fixed Pricing (15 points) C. Fair level of Firm Fixed Pricing (15 points) Criteria 3

1. Contractor must Quality Assurance Programs and ability to provide breadth and depth of contract list items (i.e., licenses, IPM, HACCP, audits, controls, recalls, product availability, fill rates, requested brands, etc.)

2. Contractor must provide must provide day-to-day Delivery to all New Haven Public Schools (NHPS). Contractor to provide written proof that they provided day-to-day delivery services to school districts that are similar in size and scope to NHPS.

3. Contractor must have ability to partner with and provide data with MWBE. The NHPS Food Service is actively involved in a program of diverse purchasing. A portion of this program is dedicated to enlisting the participation of City contractors to partner with "Minority and Women Owned Businesses" (MWBE's), to provide a growing percentage of the value of the contract without additional cost to the City. The Program works to create an environment which supports this effort and actively acknowledges and values diversity. An MWBE is a business which is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned and operated by a woman or a minority. We invite you to be creative in your plan. Your MWBE plan may provide detail, including naming the MWBE's with which you intend to partner, a description of how you will partner with these organizations, the work or product which the MWBE's will supply, and the dollar value of participation (if available) which you anticipate reporting to the City.

A. Excellent written proof of day-to-day delivery services and ability to partner with and provide data with MWBE (30 points) B. Good written proof of day-to-day delivery services and ability to partner with and provide data with MWBE (20 points) C. Fair written proof of day-to-day delivery services and ability to partner with and provide data with MWBE (10 points) Criteria 4 Contractors affiliated with a GPO (Group Purchasing Organization) must supply information as to how a GPO will benefit the City of New Haven (City of NH) and NHPS. Information provided should identify the merits and what would be required by the City of NH. This information must include, but not be limited to information such as: 1) identify if contract with suppliers decision process is staff driven or member driven; 2) demonstrate if there is the opportunity to procure from a larger portfolio of vendors; 3) how the GPO delivers value (through rebates, off-invoice or both); 4) what are the value added programs provided; 5) define how compensation is established for the GPO (through supplier rebate or negotiated member discount, collect marketing fees from manufacturers, etc.)

1.

a. Contractor must be able to provide Implementation/transition/training programs.

b. On-line Capabilities: The successful bidder must be able to set up an electronic interface between the City’s HORIZON system (When available from HORIZON) and the vendor’s system to enable electronic transfer of orders and product pricing updates.

A. Excellent ability to supply information as to how a GPO will benefit the City of NH and NHPS, ability to provide Implementation/transition/training programs and ability to set up an electronic interface between the City’s HORIZON system (20 points) B. Reasonable ability to supply information as to how a GPO will benefit the City of NH and NHPS, ability to provide Implementation/transition/training programs and ability to set up an electronic interface between the City’s HORIZON system (15 points) C. Fair ability to supply information as to how a GPO will benefit the City of NH and NHPS, ability to provide Implementation/transition/training programs and ability to set up an electronic interface between the City’s HORIZON system (10 points) Criteria 5

1. Contractor must provide written proof of Business/Financial Stability.

2. Contractor must provide a list Account staff team qualifications, training and customer service experience with large scale entities.

3. Contractor must provide information on Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) Efforts.

A. Excellent written proof of Business/Financial Stability, excellent list Account staff team qualifications, training & customer service experience and ability to provide information on EPP efforts. (10 points) B. Reasonable written proof of Business/Financial Stability, excellent list Account staff team qualifications, training & customer service experience and ability to provide information on EPP efforts. (5 points) C. Fair written proof of Business/Financial Stability, excellent list Account staff team qualifications, training & customer service experience and ability to provide information on EPP efforts. (0 points) Criteria 6 Contractor must be able to provide a list containing a complete detailed description of each item including but not limited to: pack size and case size, reference sheet name and number. List of items must be attached on a separate document and included with RFP submission.

A. Excellent description of items on list.

B. Good description of items on list.

C. Fair description of items on list.

PAYMENTS AND INVOICING

Net terms for invoice payment are normally between 30-60 day depending on the payment schedule for the City/BOE.

The City, through E-Invoicing, may accommodate ACH payment options to vendors. Vendors must provide all banking information necessary at the time of award.

Electronic Invoicing The City of New Haven processes invoices using the information provided on the Purchase Order. The Purchase Order is a legally binding agreement between 3rd party vendors and the City of New Haven.

Please visit the following link for full details;

https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/purchasing_division/e_invoicing_policy.htm If vendors are not able to meet the requirements of E-Invoicing, Invoices shall be submitted, as provided for herein, with the Contract Number, Work Order Number and location(s) of the school(s) where work was performed clearly identified. Should an invoice not contain the required information as described below, it will be returned unpaid to the Contractor.

Minimum invoice information includes:

1. Complete description of the work performed.

2. Clear summary of labor hours and costs, with extensions.

3. Clear summary of materials used, and costs, with extensions

4. Grand total.

5. In addition, the following must be attached to the invoice:

· Service Ticket signed on-site by NHBOE representative displaying hours on site (arrival and departure times).

· All material delivery receipts.

· Completed Work Order.

Sample Velocity Report* Please upload a sample velocity report in Microsoft Excel format that demonstrates how the Respondent will report the information requested in the Reporting section of this solicitation. The complete dataset example spreadsheet linked/included in this solicitation can be used to develop a velocity report if the Respondent’s systems do not currently provide all required information.

Complete dataset example.xlsx

The Buy American Provision Vendors bidding on this solicitation have to abide by the USDA Buy American Provision. This is required by the USDA and State of Connecticut. Attached as separate document is a memorandum dated May 02, 2016, from Kevin W. Concannon, Under Secretary Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, USDA.

The Buy American provision was added to the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) by Section 104(d) of the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-336). Section 12(n) to the NSLA (42 USC 1760(n)), requiring school food authorities (SFAs) to purchase, to the maximum extent practicable, domestic commodity or product.

“Domestic Commodity or Product” are defined as an agricultural commodity that is produced in the United States and a food product that is processed in the United States using substantial agricultural commodities that are produced in the United States.

“Substantial” means that over 51 percent of the final processed product consists of agricultural commodities that were grown domestically.

Products from Guam, American Samoa, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands are allowed under this provision as territories of the United States.

The Buy American provision (7 CFR Part 210.21(d)) is one of the procurement standards SFAs must comply with when purchasing commercial food products served in the school meals programs.

Procurement Code of conducts Vendors bidding on this solicitation have to abide by the USDA Procurement Code of conduct. Please see the attached NHPS policy

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS:

Nutritional analysis must be signed and dated by the manufacturer’s/processor’s representative, signifying the information provided is current and accurate and must include the following information:

· Product label listing ingredients

· Grams of fat, carbohydrate and protein per serving or unit of product

· Grams of saturated fat per serving or unit of product

· Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A & C content per serving or unit of product

· Calories per portion or unit of product

· Sodium in grams/mg

· Statement to verify enrichment when applicable

· Statement to verify absence of trans-fats when applicable, all food products and ingredients must contain zero grams of added trans-fats per serving (less than 0.5 grams per serving as identified by the FDA) according to the nutritional labeling or manufacturer’s specifications

· Additional information to verify product meets specifications when applicable

· Product analysis must also accompany nutritional analysis

· CN label or CN statement for protein & grains must be received for each product

DOCUMENTATION OF NUTRITION PROGRAM REQUIREMENT:

NHPS requests that ingredient statements, and nutritional analysis of all products be provided. The information must include, at a minimum, number of grams of protein, carbohydrate and fat (including amount of saturated fat), iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, sodium and calories. Additionally, ingredient statements and nutrition analysis are required for each item listed in the SOLICITATION.

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS:

Inventory Reconciliation: Please include in your proposal your current system to reconcile inventory at predetermined intervals. (physical and/or book inventory).

Required Submittals: The following must be provided with your proposal in electronic format. A compact disk is an acceptable means of providing this information, if submitting a hardcopy response.

· Your company’s recall program.

· HAACP Program.

Inspection:

In addition to Article 4.35, NHPS has the right to inspect Provider’s facility, and inspect safety reports and inventory practices.

Quality Guide:

The successful bidder must ensure that the condition, quality and quantity of produce sold to the BOE complies with the product specification.

Failure of the supplier to provide products meeting the standards will result in the return of the product.

Credit shall be given for bad product that has been delivered based on national standards.

Product Expiration:

Shall be no less than 2 weeks after date of delivery.

PRODUCT SAMPLES AND SENSORY/QUALITY EVALUATION:

The District shall be the sole judge of whether a product meets or exceeds product specifications.

Samples shall be furnished free of cost to the District, and when requested by the District in the RFP form, shall be submitted as noted in the RFP. The District reserves the right to reject the RFP of any Responder failing to submit samples as requested. Samples should be plainly marked with name of Responder, RFP number, date of RFP opening, and description of the product sample. Samples of successful Responder(s) may be retained for comparison with deliveries. Responder(s) (or their agent) hereby assume all risks of loss or damage to samples whatever the cause.

Samples are to be submitted by 12:00 PM, on the closing date of the solicitation, for a sensory/quality evaluation (taste testing). Samples are to meet RFP specifications.

One package, at no cost to Food service, of each product marked with an X shall be provided and sent to:

NHPS – Food Service Division 75 Barnes Avenue New Haven CT 06519 Attn: Baron Young Ten samples of the following should be supplied.

The following should be sent Fresh and not frozen.

The preferable method for submitting invoices is email on a weekly or Bi-Weekly basis. Invoice can also be mailed or delivered as well. The contact for invoicing:

Email Baron Young – Executive Director; baron.young@new-haven.k12.ct.us Jennifer Punzo – Account Clerk; Jennifer.Punzo@new-haven.k12.ct.us Melanie Gibson – Account Clerk; Melanie.Gibson@new-haven.k12.ct.us Mail NHPS Central Kitchen 75 Barnes Avenue New Haven CT, 06513 ATTN: Jennifer Punzo A monthly statement (In Excel Format is Preferable to reconcile in a timely manner) of New Haven Public Schools – Food Service should also be emailed to:

Baron Young – Executive Director; baron.young@new-haven.k12.ct.us Jennifer Punzo – Account Clerk; Jennifer.Punzo@new-haven.k12.ct.us Melanie Gibson – Account Clerk; Melanie.Gibson@new-haven.k12.ct.us

Response Submittals

1. Technical Proposal (without cost) * *Response required

2. City Forms Signature Sheet* Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

· 1A-_Signature_Form_2023r11-...

*Response required

3. DISCLOSURE & CERTIFICATION AFFIDAVIT*

Please download the below documents, complete and have notarized. An online notarization option will be provided for you when responding.

· 5-1421DiscloseEForm-Rev.520...

*Response required

4. Current Workforce Certificate* Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

· Current_Workforce_Certificate...

*Response required

5. PPP - Priority Payment Program Application* Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

· Priority_Payment_Program.pdf *Response required

6. Sample Velocity Report* Please upload a sample velocity report in Microsoft Excel format that demonstrates how the Respondent will report the information requested in the Reporting section of this solicitation. The reporting template provided can be downloaded and used to develop a velocity report if the Respondent’s systems do not currently provide all required information.

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