#Dairy Bid RFP# 2024-07-17.docx.pdf

NORTHSHORE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 417

BIDS DUE: 07/17/2024

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

NORTHSHORE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 417

3330 MONTE VILLA PARKWAY, BOTHELL, WA 98021

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

DAIRY PRODUCTS

RFP# 2024-07-17

BIDS DUE: JULY 17, 2024 at 10 AM

Notice is hereby given that bids will be received by the Northshore School District No. 417, Bothell, WA, hereinafter referred to as District, from qualified Bidders for Food & Nutrition Services dairy products.

• Bids are due at 10:00 AM, July 17, 2024.

• Estimated value of contract: $275,000.00

Each bid shall be in accordance with the Request for Proposal (RFP) Document. The Northshore School District (District) reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, and to waive any informalities or irregularities in the RFP process. The RFP document(s) are available at https://www.nsd.org/our-district/departments/business-services/purchasing/business. Small Businesses and Minority and Women- Owned Businesses are encouraged to respond.

Published in Daily Journal of Commerce: 6/12/2024 and 6/19/2024

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

Table of Contents

Section Page Numbers

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

3-4

Part 4 5-8

Part 5

11-12

16-24

Attachment A1, A2

Attachment B

Attachment C

Attachment D-D2

Attachment E

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Overview

General Instructions

Content, Form, and Evaluation of Proposals

Instructions for Bid Submittal

Evaluation, Award

Cost Proposal, Spreadsheet

Company Information/References

Bid Certification

Certifications

Cooperative Purchasing

School Addresses

Sample Contract

8-10

11-12

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

PART 1 – OVERVIEW

Northshore School District No. 417 was founded in 1959 and is located in Bothell, WA.

Over 22,000 students are currently served amongst 32 schools. Food & Nutrition Services department provides meals, snacks, and beverages that meet USDA guidelines.

1.01 OBJECTIVES: District is requesting bids from qualified Bidders to supply dairy products for the Food & Nutrition Services Department for District schools. District intends to award contract(s) to the lowest responsive and responsible Bidder that best meet District requirements.

The contract will be for an initial term from August 15, 2024 through August 14, 2025 with four optional one-year extensions. Final term date will be August 14, 2029.

1.02 ESTIMATED VALUE: Estimated District annual expense is $275,000.00

1.03 FEDERAL ACQUISITION REQUIREMENTS: District is part of National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, therefore is required to follow federal procurement guidelines for purchases and contracts, as provided in 7 CFR 210.21(d).

Federal Certification documents must accompany the bid submittal as instructed in Section 4.

1.04 INTERLOCAL COOPERATION ACT: In accordance with RCW 39.34, the District intends to follow state and federal bidding requirements and to ask that awarded bidders extend contracts and pricing to other public agencies, and/or school districts in WA State. Cooperative Purchasing Information Attachment E shall indicate whether Contractor will honor pricing and terms and conditions to other public agencies in accordance with the resulting awarded Contractor agreement’s terms and conditions. District will not have any responsibility or liability for orders issued by other public agencies utilizing the District’s contract through an Interlocal Agreement.

PART 2 – GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

2.01 Northshore School District (“District”) is requesting bids from qualified companies (“Bidders”) to supply USDA compliant milk products for District school locations. District intends to award contract(s) to the lowest, responsive, responsible Bidder(s) that can accommodate delivery schedule requests and minimum quantities per location.

2.02 Bidder shall submit their proposal through the secure Mailfile link provided:

https://mailfile.nsd.org/filedrop/bids. Ensure “Subject” line indicates RFP# 2024-07-17 Dairy Products. It is the sole responsibility of the Bidder to see that its proposal is received at the designated location by the designated time. No hard copies of quotes will be accepted. Electronic bids will be opened, read, and recorded in a public setting at the District office at the bid due date and time. District intends to award contract(s) to the responsive and responsible Bidder(s) whose bid offers the lowest price and best overall value to the District. Additional information about scoring of proposals can be found in Section 5 below.

2.03 The initial term of this contract will run from August 15, 2024 through August 14, 2025 and may be renewed annually for an additional four (4) year increments. Final term date will be

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

August 31, 2029. The successful Bidder must certify that all of the services proposed are readily available and that District will not incur costs in excess of the proposed rates for the duration of the contract period and any optional extension terms.

2.04 Distribution of this RFP or receipt of any bid/proposal shall not constitute a commitment by the District to any Bidders. If it is determined that the submitted proposals are not economically beneficial to the District or for other business reasons, the District may, at its sole discretion, reject all proposals or waive informalities in the request for proposal process.

2.05 The following is a draft schedule of procurement activities related to this RFP:

Date Activity

6/12/2024 First advertisement date in DJC

6/19/2024 Second advertisement date in DJC

7/11/2024 at 3:00 PM Last Day to Submit Questions or Requests for Clarifications

Publish addenda as necessary

7/17/2024 at 10 AM Bid Due Date – Electronic submission to mailfile:

https://mailfile.nsd.org/filedrop/bids

7/18-7/30/2024 Evaluation

8/01/2024 Notice of Intent to Award (All Bidders Notified)

8/12/2024 Board Agenda - Contract Awarded

8/15/2024 Contract Period Begins

September 3, 2024 First Day of School 2024-2025

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

PART 3 – SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SPECIFICATIONS

3.01 ITEMS/LOCATIONS: District is requesting bids from qualified Bidders to supply dairy products to District schools for the Food & Nutrition Service Department. A list of the items requested can be found on Attachment A Bid Form. School locations are listed in Exhibit A Location List. District reserves the right to add additional locations as needed. Unless the District specifies otherwise, the bid price shall include the Bidder’s total charges for supplying all products and/or services, including transportation charges to any location within District boundaries.

3.02 DELIVERY: School buildings are to be served as ordered no later than 1:00 PM on the scheduled delivery date. Each site will be delivered dairy products one (1) time per week unless requested otherwise by the Food & Nutrition Service Department. Products need to have at least 10-day shelf life from date of delivery. Delivery must be supervised by district staff and no unattended deliveries will be permitted. Safe delivery windows and locations must be adhered to.

School Administrators have the right to set safe delivery windows and locations depending on the needs of the school. Service may be required on days when school is not in session if schools do not have an adequate inventory due to non-student days.

3.03 Vendors unable to meet specified delivery times in any school shall state exceptions as part of their bid response. Vendors must be prepared to fill all orders with the sizes and quantities specified on the quote. Any items ordered but not shipped must be indicated on all packing slips and not treated as a back order for future delivery.

3.04 Unless otherwise agreed, all leftover dairy products will be picked up after lunch service from each delivery site at vacation time (example, winter, midwinter, spring, end of school year) and credit given to school account.

3.05 All products must be produced, handled and transported in a sanitary manner and must be in compliance with health and sanitary requirements of the State of Washington and of King and Snohomish County.

3.06 NAME BRAND or EQUAL: Use of Name Branded items in the solicitation shall be construed solely for the purpose of indicating the standard of quality for the product. Brands of equal quality shall be considered, provided the bidder specifies the brand, product, and description on which their bid is submitted and can submit samples upon request.

3.07 ALTERNATES: Alternates may be submitted. However, the product bid shall meet or exceed specifications. Bidders submitting bids on alternate items from those specified by the District shall be prepared to provide a sample of the products along with a full description upon request. The District will make the determination as to whether the substituted materials will be accepted. The District's decision shall be final.

3.08 ESCALATION CLAUSE: The bid shall include an escalation/de-escalation clause with a percentage of increase or decrease, based upon the price of the raw product as announced by the Administrator of Federal Milk Order No. 124 and 131, https://fmmaseattle.com, effective with the announced price for June 2024. The bidder is required to submit documentation covering all increases or decreases based on the producer level. Adjustments may be allowed each month and

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

will only become effective on the first school day of each month.

● If the district exercises the options to renew the contract for four ensuing years, all prices will be based on the Federal Milk Order No. 124 and 131 for the appropriate year.

Documentation to cover increases or decreases of raw products from the producer level must be submitted to the District Purchasing Department.

3.09 ADVERTISING: Award of this contract does not grant the right to the contractor to utilize the award in any advertising media nor may any District employee endorse a product or service covered by this contract

3.10 INSPECTION/ACCEPTANCE: All merchandise delivered is subject to inspection and acceptance or rejection to the satisfaction of the District. The bidder shall also assume all responsibility in making any necessary adjustments with freight companies or replacing any materials damaged in transit, to the satisfaction of the District.

3.11 ESTIMATED QUANTITIES: It is understood that all quantities specified in this invitation for bid are as accurate as can be ascertained at this time and that it shall be the privilege of the District to alter quantities as necessary to fit exact requirements. If the quantities are decreased, payment will be made on actual quantities at the bid unit price. The undersigned bidder shall make no claims for anticipated profits or additional compensation for any decrease in the quantities. It is expressly understood and agreed that the District may purchase any number of items from the bidder at the bid unit price. The District reserves the right to split awards by item in securing the best advantage for the District, providing quality of product is maintained.

3.12 INVOICES: District Term is Net 30. A copy of each invoice must be received with product delivery per location. Invoices must include sales tax based on delivery location.

PART 4 – INSTRUCTIONS FOR BID SUBMITTAL

4.01 PREPARATION OF QUOTE/PROPOSAL FORMS: Bidder must submit a complete bid/proposal in accordance with the requirements of Section 5 below in order to be considered responsive. All costs in submitting a bid proposal, responding to inquiries, and if requested, samples of beverage, shall be borne in full by the interested Bidder. The District is requiring firm, fixed prices for this project.

4.02 Each proposal must include the following items and organized in the following format:

A. Cover Letter B. Cost Proposal (Attachment A1, A2) C. Company Information and References (Attachment B) D. Bid Certification (Attachment C) E. Debarment, Wage, and Federal Certifications (Attachments D, D1, D2) F. Cooperative Purchasing (Attachment E) G. Appendix with any exceptions, if necessary

4.03 TAXES: Proposals are not to include sales tax. Invoices must include appropriate tax based on

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

delivery location of product/goods. District has four (4) different tax codes across King and Snohomish Counties. The District is exempt from Federal Excise Taxes.

4.04 SIGNATURES: The proposal cover letter and all required forms must be signed (or digitally signed) in the name of the Bidder and must bear the title and signature of the person duly authorized to sign the proposal.

4.05 WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSAL: Any Bidder may withdraw its proposal, either personally or by written request, at any time prior to the scheduled closing time for receipt of proposals. Proposals cannot be withdrawn once submitted and will be valid for a period of 90 days from the date due.

4.06 EXAMINATION OF INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND/OR SPECIFICATIONS:

Bidders shall thoroughly examine and be familiar with all instructions, conditions, and/or specifications. The failure of a Bidder to receive or examine any form, attachment, clarification, addendum, or other document, or visit to the site when required in order to acquaint the Bidder with existing conditions, shall in no way relieve the Bidder from obligations concerning the proposal or the contract. The submission of a proposal shall be taken as prima facie evidence of compliance with this section.

4.07 QUESTIONS: Questions or requests for interpretation of specifications must be emailed to Joy Kuhlmann, Contracts and Procurement Manager, at jkuhlmann@nsd.org, referencing the title of this RFP in the subject line. Interpretations and answers to questions shall be communicated by a formal Clarification document that will be made available to all Bidders. No oral interpretation of any provision in the proposal documents will be made to any Bidder.

4.08 During the time-period that this RFP is active, beginning with the date of first advertisement and ending with the date of contract award, no Bidder shall have any communication with any employee or contractor of District about this RFP except for Joy Kuhlmann, Contracts and Procurement Manager. Violations of this requirement may result in disqualification of Bidder.

4.09 PUBLIC INFORMATION/CONFIDENTIALITY: The District understands that Bidders may include within their proposal information that is deemed confidential in the opinion of the Bidder. The Bidder must understand that the District is subject to clear legislation governing open records and public information requests within the State of Washington. Bidders must clearly mark portions of their proposal that they feel are exempt from disclosure pursuant to RCW 42.56 or any other state and federal statute and include an explanation as to why they believe the indicated documents are exempt. The District will not be bound by any blanket confidentiality agreements, and the District makes no assurances that confidential materials will be held in confidence if they are not deemed qualified for exemption.

4.10 Bidder acknowledges the obligations for maintaining the confidentiality of student records and access to the parents and students of such records in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

4.11 SAMPLE CONTRACT

A. Bidder shall review the attached Sample Contract (Exhibit B). Bidder shall be prepared to execute this document if selected. If Bidder would like to request revisions to the Sample Contract terms, Bidder shall submit a statement in the Appendix of its proposal mailto:jkuhlmann@nsd.org

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

indicating any terms that it would like to negotiate, within the parameters of the awarded cooperative agreement. These terms should be clearly identified by reference to the Section number of the Sample Contract where the terms can be found. Bidder shall clearly indicate the suggested revisions to terms. District reserves the right to negotiate these contract terms with the selected Bidders.

PART 5 – EVALUATION, WEIGHTED CRITERIA and AWARD

5.01 EVALUATION

A. Once received, Proposals will be evaluated for responsiveness. A Proposal will receive a pass/fail determination for each of the following criteria:

1. Submission electronic mailfile bid.

a. Link: https://mailfile.nsd.org/filedrop/bids

2. Proposal contains the minimum required sections indicated in Section 4 of the RFP.

3. Bidder provided an active Washington Business License number.

4. Bidder is not debarred from receiving government funds. Confirmed by District through SAM.gov

5. All required forms have signatures of an authorized person.

6. Bidder is able to provide all products and services requested in Section 3 of the RFP.

7. Any other criteria which may be relevant to this determination. District reserves the right to follow up with the Bidder to request additional information to determine responsiveness.

B. If a Quote/Proposal receives a pass score from the responsiveness evaluation, it will proceed to responsibility evaluation. Evaluations will be based on the criteria listed below. The District will assign points to each responsive proposal at its own discretion.

RESPONSIBILITY SELECTION CRITERIA ***Awards per Price on Cost Proposal and ability to accommodate delivery schedules

Criteria Point Value

Price 60

Delivery 30

References and Previous Experience with school district 10

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE: 100

C. Points for Price will be awarded based on the proposed total cost for services.

1. Lowest price for products will receive a score of 60

2. Pricing scores will be reduced by 3 points for next lowest, etc. In the event that proposals indicate the same cost, they will receive the same numerical score.

D. Points for Delivery will be assessed based on ability to meet District schedules E. Points for experience and references will be based on previous experience working with school districts, and/or other government agencies.

F. The District reserves the right to contact Bidders to clarify proposals and/or ask for additional information or samples.

G. The District reserves the right to waive any irregularity in any proposal, to accept or decline any and/or all of the proposals, to take no action whatsoever, and/or to request the submittal of new proposals. All proposals submitted become the property of the District and will not be returned.

5.02 AWARD

A. District will issue a Notice of Intent to Award contract to the lowest, responsible, responsive Bidder(s) meeting District needs. All Bidders who submitted a proposal will be notified in writing of this decision.

B. Awarded Contractor(s) recommendation will be presented to Northshore School District Board of Directors on a consent agenda for approval.

5.03 DISQUALIFICATION OF BIDDERS

A. The District in its discretion may determine that a Bidder is not responsive and reject its proposal for any of the following reasons:

1. Evidence of collusion with any other Bidder or Bidders. Participants in such collusion shall be disqualified from submitting any further proposals.

2. If District determines that Bidder is not qualified to perform the contract.

3. Unsatisfactory performance record, and/or references, judged from the standpoint of conduct of service, or progress, as shown by past or current service for the District.

4. Failure to pay or settle bills on any former or current contracts.

5. If the Bidder has previously defaulted in the performance of a written public contract or has been convicted of a crime arising from a previous public contract.

6. Any other inability, financial or otherwise, to perform the contract.

7. For any reasons deemed improper as determined from a pre-award survey of

Bidder’s capability to perform.

DAIRY PRODUCTS RFP# 2024-07-17

8. Any proposal submitted by a Bidder who is not registered or licensed as may be required by the laws of Washington State.

5.04 EXCEPTIONS

A. Bidder is expected to provide services compliant with the requirements included in Section 3 above. If Bidder is not able to meet these requirements, Bidder may submit a statement in the Appendix of its proposal indicating any requirements which cannot be met.

These requirements should be clearly identified by reference to the Section number of the RFP where the requirements can be found. Bidder shall provide a detailed statement indicating why these requirements cannot be met. District reserves the right to evaluate these requirements and determine whether the proposal is non-responsive or remove the requirement from consideration for all proposers and equitably evaluate all proposals based on the revised requirements.

5.05 PROTEST PROCEDURE: District’s Protest Procedure can be found on the website at https://www.nsd.org/our-district/departments/business-services/purchasing/business .

***See Attachments and Exhibits included with RFP*** https://www.nsd.org/our-district/departments/business-services/purchasing/business