HELC Food Service Provider RFP_Final 102224.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section I: Request for Proposal

Section II: Instructions to Proposers

Section III: Form of Proposal

Section IV: Evaluation Criteria

Section V: Calendar of Events

Section I. Request for Proposal

A. Intent and Scope for Auburn University to select a qualified food service provider.

B. Background: The Harris Early Learning Center is a state-of-the-art early care and education facility located in downtown Birmingham. The Center serves approximately 200 children of employees from the corporate community of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The children range in age from Infancy to Pre-K 4/5 years of age, thus the prime years for exposing children to new foods and establishing healthy eating habits. In addition, the Center has over 50 adult employees who also partake of some or all of the breakfast; lunch or afternoon snack offerings that are served on a daily basis.

The Center is owned by Auburn University and is managed through the College of Human Sciences. The purpose of the Center is to serve as a model program for the state of Alabama and beyond, reflecting quality early care and education practices. Therefore, the needs of the Center are quite different from those of most companies looking for a food supplier including your typical childcare facility or public school.

• Goals/Objectives: Auburn University Harris Learning Center seek a qualified food service provider for miscellaneous food items per the attached food list (Attachment A).

B. Proposal Overview and Definitions

• Proposals will be received until 10:30 AM CDT on the specified date.

• Throughout the remainder of this Request for Proposal, all entities involved will be referred to as follows:

o Auburn University will be referred to as “University” or “AU”.

o Food Distributor will be referred to as “Contractor” or “Supplier”.

o This document will be referred to as “RFP”.

C. Term of Agreement & Contract Expectations

• Term of Agreement:

o Initial term of one year with the option to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year terms.

• Contract Expectations: The contract can be discontinued with a 30-day notice should it be found that the supplier cannot sufficiently meet the food service needs of the Center. The University reserves the right, on an at least annual basis, to re-negotiate the core list with the distributor to ensure the core list of items purchased matches the customers’ buying o Price/Quality:

While price is definitely an important factor, quality of the product carries just as much weight in the decision regarding what is served on the menu. The nutritional value of merchandise, especially as it relates to the positive growth and development of preschool children is extremely important in making our decisions. Over the years, parents have had consistent input into items on the menu and concerns related to nutritional value, caloric content and the wholeness of foods. Thus, when looking at an item, always going with the lowest priced product would not fit our site.

o Products:

Attached is a listing of the varied products we have ordered in a two-month period. As will be noted, a variety of breaded/non-breaded, frozen or canned and fresh, whenever feasible- especially with fruit, items are served. Again, as noted above, the quality of the item is just as important as the cost.

o Orders:

It is important for our facility to have a "product consultant" so that the chef is able to discuss not only our needs but also varied products that will fit our unique needs. While having the option to place orders online and with the use of apps provides a time-saving feature from time to time, having a "product consultant" who will meet weekly for placing and discussing the order is vitally important.

o Delivery:

Due to the nature of our population, weekly delivery of groceries and an additional delivery each week of milk is a requirement. Milk is served daily for our 200 children and keeping this on hand and fresh is a vital requirement of our needs.

o Local:

Because of the needs of the Center, having a food supplier that is local to the Birmingham-Metro area is imperative. Throughout the 25-year history of the center, there have been instances in which an emergency need arose. By having a local supplier, either we or the “product consultant” were able to make a quick pick up or delivery in order to meet our emergency need.

o Additional Needs:

Due to parental concerns regarding what their children are offered and consume, having the availability of a registered/licensed dietician for consultation through the food service company is a plus. We have found when particular products become questioned, the advice of a registered/licensed dietician to guide the “product consultant” in what might be a better substitution or different manner of preparing the product has been helpful.

o Substitutions

Substitutions of any kind shall be used only in the event of an item not being available, or in order to save the Customer money.

Said substitutions cannot occur without first obtaining written permission of the Customer.

If a higher priced item is used to fill the order, the Customer shall be billed at the lower price of the item that was out of stock, not the higher priced item.

o Return Policy

Distributor shall provide “hassle free” returns and adjustments. Full credit is to be provided to the customer on all returns that meet the following conditions:

All merchandise is in original packaging and in re-sellable conditions. Original packaging may not have Customer’s writing on them

Merchandise is returned within 30 days of delivery.

o Discontinued Products In the event that a product is discontinued, the awarded distributor shall provide a product of same or greater quality at the same discount.

o Restocking Policy There shall be no re-stocking fees for returned foods.

o Sustainability Policy

AU is committed to sustainable practices and will seek to procure sustainable products whenever possible. The Distributor must provide an overview of its organization’s environmental and/or sustainability policies, and specifically identify information relating to:

• Recycling Programs

• Reuse of Products

• Waste Minimization

• Waste Disposal

• The Distributor will comply with all environmental legislation and policies relating to the products and services offered.

Every effort will be made to perform the negotiated services in a manner that reduces environmental impact whenever possible, while minimizing conflicting objectives sus as low cost and sustainability, o Customer Support

Each Distributor shall have a single point of contact for any customer support.

This individual may support multiple Customers.

Customers shall have access to their corresponding customer service representative during normal business hours of every business day (7:45 am (FCST) to 4:45 pm (CST)).

C. Pricing Expectation: This discount from list must be guaranteed for the entire life of the contract period awarded. No taxes are to be included in the bid prices. As an instrumentality of the State of Alabama, AU is exempt from sales tax.

Section II. Instructions to Proposers

A. Proposal Response

• Proposals should be submitted to the Procurement & Business Services Sourcing Event Portal on or before the time and date set for closing.

• Pursuant to the provisions of the State of Alabama Competitive Bid Law rules and regulations adopted there under, sealed bids will be received on the items noted herein by Procurement and Business Services of Auburn University until the date and time stated.

• All bids are to be "F.O.B. Destination - Freight Prepaid and Allowed."

• Alabama law (Section 41-4-116, code of Alabama 1975) provides that every bid submitted and contract executed shall contain a certification that the contractor, contractor, and all of its affiliates that make sales for delivery into Alabama or leases for use in Alabama are registered, collecting, and remitting Alabama state and local sales, use, and/or lease tax on all taxable sales and leases into Alabama. BY SUBMITTING THIS BID, THE BIDDER IS HEREBY CERTIFYING THAT THEY ARE IN FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ACT NO. 2006-557, they are not barred from bidding or entering into a contract pursuant to 41-4-116, and acknowledges that the awarding authority may declare the contract void if the certification is false.

Bidder certifies that neither it, nor any of its employees who will provide or perform services under this contract have been debarred, suspended, or declared ineligible as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR 48 C.F.R. Ch. 1 Subpart 9.4). Bidder will immediately notify the University if the Bidder or any of its employees who will provide or perform services under this contract is placed on the Consolidated List of Debarred, Suspended, and Ineligible Bidders.

• AU reserves the right to award in whole or in part, by line item, or make multiple awards, where such action serves Auburn University’s best interest.

• Proposers may withdraw proposals at any time prior to the time and date set for opening.

• The University reserves the sole and exclusive right to reject or accept any or all proposals and to waive any informality in proposal. The best interest of the University and their subsequent facilities shall be considered as the number one determining factor in selecting or not selecting a Proposer.

• No department, school, or office at the University has the authority to solicit official proposals other than Procurement and Business Services. All solicitation is performed under the direct supervision of the Director of Procurement and Business Services and incomplete accordance with the University policies and procedures.

• The University reserves the right to conduct discussions with proposers, and to accept revisions of proposals, and to negotiate price changes. The University will make reasonable efforts to protect proprietary information, but all records are subject to State of Alabama open records laws.

• Proposers submitting proposals which meet the selection criteria, and which are deemed to be the most advantageous to the University may be requested to give an oral presentation to a selection committee. Procurement and Business Services will schedule the presentations.

• The University is committed to the development of Small Business and Small Disadvantaged business (SB & SDB) suppliers. If subcontracting is necessary, the contractor will make every effort to use SB & SDB in the performance of this contract. Reporting will be required throughout the duration of the contract indicating the extent of SB & SDB participation.

• The Suppliers shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the University, its officers, agents, and employees from any claims, damages, and actions of any kind or nature arising from or caused by the use of any materials, goods, equipment, or services furnished by the Supplier, provided that such liability does not attribute to the sole negligence of the University.

• The successful supplier will have to attest to the following: By signing this contract, the contracting parties affirm, for the duration of the agreement, that they will not violate federal immigration law or knowingly employ, hire for employment, or continue to employ an unauthorized alien within the state of Alabama, Furthermore, a contracting party found to be in violation of this provision shall be deemed in breach of the agreement and shall be responsible for all damages resulting therefrom.”

• Read and comply with all instructions, specifications, General Terms and Conditions, and Bid Conditions.

B. Insurance

• All insurance guidelines can be found on the Auburn University Risk Management & Safety website. https://ba.auburn.edu/rms/risk-management-insurance/insurance-requirements/

• By submitting responses, each respondent certifies that it understands this RFP and has full knowledge of the scope, nature, quality of the work to be performed, the detailed requirements of the services to be provided, and the conditions under which the services are to be performed.

Each respondent also certifies that it understands that all costs relating to preparing and responding to this RFP will be solely the responsibility of the respondent.

• Respondents are cautioned to read the information contained in this RFP and on Auburn University’s Risk Management & Safety website carefully and to submit a complete response to all requirements and questions as directed.

https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fba.auburn.edu%2Frms%2Frisk-management-insurance%2Finsurance-requirements%2F&data=05%7C02%7Ccmc0122%40auburn.edu%7Cfd1c40fc32374a92755f08dcefbb734f%7Cccb6deedbd294b388979d72780f62d3b%7C0%7C0%7C638648835631646760%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sfRD%2FtFSEyX1f%2Bbx4cJRHpuMiAt8BtHU5RvdQvgKG98%3D&reserved=0

Section III. Form of Proposal

A. Proposal Format

• Proposals should be submitted in Excel® and/or Adobe PDF® formatting only.

o If there is any information or required submittals, which due to size limitations cannot be incorporated following the preferred formatting, please note for the evaluator where the information can be found in the response.

B. Tabular / Paginated Format

Tab 1: The proposer shall provide a cover letter describing a brief history of the Proposer and its organization. The letter will list the Principal or Officer of the organization who will be the University’s primary point of contact during clarifications or negotiations.

Tab 2: A one to two-page executive summary of the respondent’s proposal, including a brief description of the company’s expertise in procuring a contract of the size and scope described in the RFP, and how the proposer plans to address the university’s requirements.

Tab 3: Attachment A

Tab 4: A listing of the company projects/customers similar in size and scope to the services described in the RFP. This list must include the name, telephone, and email address of the client contract administrator. If applicable, please list examples of services rendered in the state of Alabama, particularly within institutions of higher learning.

Tab 5: Description of the process of producing “best value” for the Harris Early Learning Center and its users, through creative marketing and/or other programs.

Tab 6: Description of any financial considerations and flexibility of the bidder.

Tab 7: Description of environmental and sustainability policies of the bidder.

Section IV. Evaluation Criteria

• In awarding the contract, the University may take into consideration the skill, facilities, capacity, experience, ability, responsibility, previous work, reputation, financial standing of the bidder or respondents, and the amount of other work being carried on by the bidder. The inability of any bidder to meet the requirements mentioned above may be cause for rejection of the proposal.

• Selection shall be made in the best interest of the University. An Agreement will be awarded to the successful respondent who, in the opinion of the University, has best-demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of services required at fair and reasonable prices/compensation and whose proposal is deemed to be in the best interest of the University.

• Where contract negotiations with a respondent do not proceed to an executed contract within a time deemed reasonable by the University (for whatever reasons), the University may reconsider the proposals of other respondents and, if appropriate, enter contract negotiations with one or more of the other respondents. Proposals shall remain valid and current for the period of 90 days after the closing date and time for submission of proposals.

• The respondent and University agree that time is of the essence in all respects concerning the award of contract and performance hereunder.

1) Pricing – 50%

• Pricing schedule

• Agency having the highest dollar amount given per student to the university.

2) Quality of Products – 45%

3) Customer Service (with supporting documentation) – 15%

4) Sustainability Focus – 5%

• Recommendation of environmentally friendly/packaged products

Section V: Timeline

TASK Date

RFP Bid Issue Monday, November 04, 2024

Deadline for Questions Wednesday, November 13, 2024 @4:45 pm CST

Provide Answers to Q&A Friday, November 15, 2024 @4:45 pm CST

RFP Bid Opening Tuesday, November 26, 2024 @10:30 am CST

Contract Negotiations & Executed Contract TBD