HALAL Vendor Questions and Agency Responses B-50555 2 4 26.docx

ILLINIOS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Vendor Questions and Agency Responses IDOC - Certified Halal Prepackaged Meals

26-426DOC-CENTO-B-50555

1. Vendor Question: Would the State accept a written guarantee from the manufacturer that it will provide a halal certificate after production of the meals?

Agency Answer: Yes.

2. Vendor Question: A.4.4 states thaw and serve options are not allowed; can you provide examples of non-thaw and serve cold breakfast meals?

Agency Answer:

Clarification - Cold also means shelf stable, not heated.

Single-serve shelf-stable cereal with aseptic milk. Dry cereal packs plus Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk cartons. Both are shelf stable.

Halal granola bars. Individually wrapped bars made without gelatin, alcohol flavoring, or non-halal fats.

Shelf-stable peanut butter packets with crackers. Commercial peanut butter squeeze packs or cups paired with sealed cracker packs.

Halal shelf-stable flatbread or crispbread with spread. Sealed naan crisps, lavash crackers, or crispbread paired with peanut butter or shelf-stable hummus cups.

Shelf-stable hummus cups. Retort-processed hummus in sealed cups (no refrigeration required until opened).

Shelf-stable breakfast pastry. Individually wrapped muffins or breakfast bread made with vegetable shortening and halal-compliant ingredients.

Shelf-stable fruit components. Whole fruit is ideal, but sealed fruit cups in juice (no gelatin, no alcohol) are also acceptable and shelf stable.

Shelf-stable oatmeal bar or baked oat square. Pre-baked, sealed oat products are formulated for ambient storage.

Powdered beverage alternative. Shelf-stable powdered milk or soy beverage packets reconstituted with potable water.

3. Vendor Question: Would Kosher/Halal dual certified meals be applicable to non-beef and chicken items?

Agency Answer: No, dual certification would not be applicable under this contract.

4. Vendor Question: Regarding Beef Meals, would beef and chicken blend be acceptable?

Agency Answer: No.

5. Vendor Question: Can the add on items be aggregated into a master box, marked appropriately?

Agency Answer: Meal box yes, but separate individual items cased up separately no.

6. Vendor Question: The industry and federal standards for proteins calculate weight on a pre-cooked basis. Can you confirm your wish for post-cooked weight? Using post-cooked weight increases cost as more meat will be used to hit weight specifications of 4 oz.

Agency Answer: National Guidelines suggest 3.5 to 4.5 servings of protein foods/day based on a 2400 calorie diet. Serving size examples of proteins that factor into this are 3oz cooked meat, poultry, or seafood; 1 egg; ½ cup beans, peas, or lentils; 1 oz nuts or seeds, 2 tbsp nut or seed butter, 3 oz soy. This would be edible or cooked weight or measurements.

7. Vendor Question: Are cold meals to be received refrigerated or room temped? Are shelf stable meals served at room temp considered a cold meal?

Agency Answer: These can be either or. Meals served at room temp would be considered “cold meal”. If refrigerated, we would need a shelf life to be long enough to be used within the time frame (month) in between deliveries.

8. Vendor Question: Would bone in proteins be acceptable?

Agency Answer: No. As stated in section A.4.5. of the RFP, boneless products only.

9. Vendor Question: If we wish to offer more than the minimum requirement for each category (breakfast, lunch/diner), how would you prefer us to submit?

Agency Answer: Offerors may propose value-added options; they must be separated from the required scope and pricing and not a condition of the proposal and will not be considered during evaluation or scoring.

10. Vendor Question: Will all twenty meals be utilized on a rotating schedule?

Agency Answer: Yes.

11. Vendor Question: Are smart milk and fruit included in the daily calorie count?

Agency Answer: Yes

12. Vendor Question: Would the State accept a daily total caloric and sodium count?

Agency Answer: Yes. These numbers are based on daily intake.

13. Vendor Question: What are the required halal laws concerning transit and storage?

Agency Answer: Shipments must be Physically segregated from non-halal items, particularly: Pork and pork derivates, Alcohol and alcohol containing products, non-Halal meat or byproducts. Protected from direct contact, leakage or cross contamination.

14. Vendor Question: Could you please clarify the difference between F.2.1 and F.2.2?

Agency Answer: F.2.1. The Offeror is required to maintain certification to distribute Halal certified meat products for the duration of this contract and must provide that information with their proposal. F.2.2. Offeror will provide proof of halal certification for each product being offered to the Illinois Department under this contract.

Clarification between F.2.1 and F.2.2.

The Offeror is required to maintain certification to distribute Halal certified meat products for the duration of this contract and must provide that information with their proposal.

Offeror will provide proof of halal certification for each product being offered to the Illinois Department under this contract.

15. Vendor Question: Regarding thaw and serve product, does this apply to only the main entrée, or does it cover auxiliary items as well? For instance, can pastries and / or bread be a thaw and serve item?

Agency Answer: It applies to all proposed items.

16. Vendor Question: Is tuna considered a meat item? Can it be viewed as cold item if served from a shelf stable pouch?

Agency Answer: Yes, as according to the National nutrition guidelines, seafood is considered a meat protein.

17. Vendor Question: Regarding Cold Meals- are lunch able meats acceptable in frozen / refrigerated packaging?

Agency Answer: Refrigerated packaging as a “lunchable” type ready-to-eat meal. For adherence to Halal preparation regulations, the Illinois Department of Corrections will not be preparing the food items. They need to be sealed products.

18. Vendor Question: Does the KCAL contribution by the State contribute to the required calorie range stated for the meals?

Agency Answer: Yes.

19. Vendor Question: Can the main Halal Certification cover all of the side accessory items that will be provided in the kits?

Agency Answer: All items need require own certificate.

20. Vendor Question: A.4.11 includes a stipulation regarding Dairy and Meat in a prepackaged meal. Our understanding is that it is a Kosher regulation, not Halal. Please clarify.

Agency Answer: This is correct. The Request for Proposal will be amended to address the correction. A.4.11 can be deleted and removed from the RFP.

21. Vendor Question: Section F.5.2 states that the pricing for the BID is an estimate, not a firm price. As the pricing is to be held for 180 days, could the State provide clarity?

Agency Answer: The use of estimated price instead of firm price is intentional as the contract utilization is driven by fluctuating demand. Holding the prices for 180 days allows for fair evaluation of Offeror proposals.