Invitation_for_BID_-_EV00017976_(2).docx

CITY OF BOSTON

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Food & Nutrition Services

Distribution of Food and Supplies to BPS Schools

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) - EV00017976

DEADLINE: October 5th, 2026 12:00PM EST

Michelle Wu, Mayor Mary Skipper, Superintendent, Boston Public Schools

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

1.1 WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Boston Public Schools (BPS) Department of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) requests bids to distribute food and supplies.

Food and Nutrition Services at Boston Public Schools aims to identify and implement system-level improvements in the student school meals experience. The District’s Food and Nutrition Services is responsible for providing free meals to all 49,000 district students in 123 school sites.

Over the last six years, FNS has updated its school Warehouse infrastructure to establish on-site meal preparation, with the vision that every student, at every school, is offered safe, wholesome, healthy, freshly prepared, well-presented, nutritious food choices at all service times.

There are two models of food delivery service:

● Cafeteria A Schools (47 locations): full storage areas, direct delivery from most suppliers, but also require once-a-week delivery from the Central Warehouse

● Cafeteria B Schools (76 locations): limited storage capacity; require daily delivery from BPS Central Warehouse By thoughtfully managing the entire food service system and its associated costs, FNS expects to deliver the highest quality products possible to positively impact students, operate in a financially sustainable manner, and continuously benchmark and improve upon its vision of a robust, nutritionally sound school meal program. FNS intends for the chosen provider(s) to share the common goal of ensuring all BPS students consistently have access to school meals.

The Good Food Purchasing Program In March 2019, the City of Boston adopted the Good Food Procurement Resolution Ordinance (https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/document-file-11-2018/0413.pdf) The Ordinance specifically states that in order to leverage City of Boston purchasing and procurement to improve public health, sustainability, fair working conditions, and local opportunity across the City and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Boston embraces the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) as a strategy to help improve the region’s food system through the adoption and implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program Standards, which prioritize products that come from producers, manufacturers, and suppliers that:

● Support small and mid-scale family or cooperatively owned food businesses within the six New England States

● Support producers that employ sustainable production systems that reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; avoid the use of hormones, antibiotics, and genetic engineering; conserve soil and water; protect and enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity; and reduce on-farm energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

● Provide safe and healthy working conditions, fair compensation, access to healthcare, and protect workers’ rights to freedom of association, to organize a union and collectively bargain, and document that its suppliers do the same

● Ensure farmers a fair price for their products that covers the cost of production and fair remuneration for their management and labor

● Provide healthy and humane conditions for farm animals

● Promote health and well-being by offering generous portions of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, reducing salt, added sugars, fats, and oils, and by eliminating artificial additives.

As a food and supplies distribution IFB, the goals of this ordinance related to workers' conditions listed above are applicable and relevant.

This IFB is open to any vendor who would like to respond, and the City and Boston Public Schools encourage participation from small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. To support equality of opportunity for these businesses, we also encourage respondents to solicit the subcontracting of goods and services from certified businesses.

Contact information to certify and the City’s directory of certified businesses is available at https://data.boston.gov/dataset/certified-business-directory Instructions on how to become a city of Boston Vendor can be found here:

https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/document-file-09-2016/new_vendor_registration.pdf This bid is for the entire contract period, beginning on or about January 1, 2027, and ending August 31, 2029. The City will award this contract to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest total price for all items.

1.2 IFB CONTACT

Upon release of this IFB, direct all communications in writing via email to the contact person below. No other City employee, consultant, or contractor is authorized to speak for the City regarding this IFB. Any oral communication is considered unofficial and non-binding to the City.

The IFB contact is:

Eric Stevens Interim Deputy Director Food and Nutrition Services 370 Columbia Rd Dorchester, MA 02125 Email: estevens2@bostonpublicschools.org Bidding will be conducted via the City of Boston vendor portal and opens September 21, 2026, at 12:00 PM, closing October 5, 2026, at 12:00 PM.

The deadline for written questions is September 25, 2026, 12:00 p.m., in writing, to estevens2@bostonpublicschools.org. Responses to questions will be posted by September 29, 2026.

The Website for this IFB and related documents is the City of Boston Supplier Portal which you can access via boston.gov/procurement.

All correspondence will be posted on the Supplier Portal website. It is the responsibility of Vendors to check regularly for updates and any IFB addenda.

1.3 TIMELINE

The table below shows the preliminary IFB Schedule. Dates are subject to change. Any changes will be posted in an addendum that can be found on the IFB website.

Deadline to submit questions via email to:

estevens2@bostonpublicschools.org September 25, 2026 12:00 PM

Deadline for IFB Submitted via the City’s Supplier Portal or via hard copy; IFB must be received prior to the deadline and can’t be submitted via email October 5, 2026 12:00 PM

All times are in Eastern Time *Please note that all bids will be public record. Do not submit confidential information in your Proposal.

The District may cancel this IFB, or reject in whole or in part any and all bids, if the District determines that cancellation or rejection serves the best interests of the District.

II. PURCHASE DESCRIPTION / SCOPE OF WORK

Boston Public Schools (BPS) Department of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) requests bids to distribute food and supplies. The selected contractor shall transport pallets, boxes, bags, and/or totes containing food and/or supplies from the BPS Food and Nutrition Services Central Warehouse located at 370 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02125, to designated BPS school and program sites in accordance with the requirements, schedules, routes, delivery procedures, and performance standards set forth in this Invitation for Bids (IFB).

The Contractor shall provide all labor, qualified drivers, vehicles, equipment, refrigeration capabilities, routing resources, supervision, and other resources necessary to perform the required transportation and delivery services. BPS FNS will establish delivery schedules and routes and may adjust delivery locations, quantities, routes, and schedules during the contract term based on operational needs, subject to the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

Operational Requirements

· Boxes, bags, and/or totes will be palletized, stacked, or organized by item based on the delivery routes. All products are typically staged in bulk, and drivers will be responsible for picking the order at the delivery site.

· Food will be frozen, chilled, and/or dry

· Frozen and/or Chilled: Require transport temperature of 40 (forty) degrees F or below.

· No chemicals are allowed to be delivered together with food items, and will require the driver to keep them separate

· Current Daily delivery site list is shown in (Appendix 1) and Weekly Delivery Site List (Appendix 2). Daily and weekly delivery sites can be added or removed over the course of the contract (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2).

· BPS anticipates having forty-seven (47) sites that will require a weekly delivery and seventy-six (76) sites that will require a daily delivery during the regular school year (September to June). The number of sites for each delivery model is subject to change. The summer program (July-August) might require daily or weekly delivery at up to 80 sites.

· Average drop size for a daily and weekly delivery site is currently twenty-five (25) pieces

· The average drop size for each delivery model is subject to change.

· FNS may request additional delivery days when school is not in session, for example, on school recess weeks or weekends

· FNS may request delivery to locations outside of the regular BPS school site list

· Drivers shall be available to begin loading vehicles at the Central Warehouse at 6:15 am

· FNS may adjust loading time by up to 30 minutes based on operational requirements.

· School managers are not available to receive deliveries prior to 6:30 a.m.

· Deliveries must be completed by 1:30 pm

· FNS may adjust the required completion time based on operational requirements, provided that the Contractor receives reasonable advance notice when practicable.

· Sites with loading dock access may be added or removed. (Appendix 3)

· Delivery sites may be added or removed. (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2)

· All deliveries will be accompanied by two delivery tickets. Delivery tickets will be provided by FNS.

· Drivers are responsible for checking consolidated routing paperwork before loading the trucks to ensure it matches the total quantities on the pallets.

· Drivers must immediately report any delivery discrepancies, shortages or other issues, any products remaining on the truck at the end of the route must be returned to BPS Central Warehouse

· All drivers must return to the BPS Central Warehouse at the end of each route to return signed paperwork, check in with the front office, and ensure that no BPS product remains on the truck. Trucks must be inspected at the end of each route by BPS employees (no exceptions)

· All deliveries must be inspected and signed for by an FNS staff person. Both copies of the delivery tickets must be signed by the FNS staff member. One copy will be left at the delivery site, the other copy will remain with the transportation company as proof of delivery. Delivery tickets must be sent together with invoicing as proof of delivery was made

· A signed copy of the delivery ticket is going to be used as the only proof of completed delivery.

· The vendor must provide an emergency/contingency plan in the event a vehicle or refrigeration unit breaks down.

· The vendor must inform FNS about any late deliveries, driver substitutions or any other issues that could impact the delivery time and completion.

· The vendor must provide an emergency/contingency plan in the event a delivery is missed, and/or an item is missing from a delivery. Meal service may not be impacted

· If a product was missing after the delivery manifest was signed, a recovery delivery must be made free of charge and in time for service

· In the event a delivery is not completed, or if any food items are remaining on the delivery vehicle at the end of a route, FNS must be informed, and the items must be returned to the FNS Warehouse

· The vendor must assign a lead person (manager) to supervise the drivers during the loading process (be present) and be available to check in with them at BPS Central Warehouse once they complete each route

· In the event of a freezer or refrigerator failure at a BPS site the vendor will be required to provide emergency delivery service and relocate food products to the FNS Warehouse, or another requested site. The service must be available twenty-four (24) hours per day seven (7) days per week. Vendor is expected to be on a site within one (1) to three (3) hours of request. Emergency delivery services shall be billed at the unit rates established in the Bid Pricing Schedule. No emergency service charge shall be payable unless authorized by FNS.

· Vendor must have access to a delivery routing system that ensures the most efficient and economical delivery model

· Vendor must provide detailed routing information showing the delivery sequence for each route, hours/minutes needed to complete each

Invoicing and Billing

1. The vendor is responsible for tracking the number of deliveries completed. The vendor will reconcile weekly with FNS.

2. Electronic invoices must be sent to the FNS Finance Office weekly, within ten (10) days of service.

3. A scanned copy of a signed delivery ticket must be provided with the invoices. A signed copy of the delivery ticket will serve as the only proof that delivery was completed.

4. Invoice must include:

a. Invoice number;

b. Invoice date

c. Delivery date

d. Delivery location

e. Item description F. Quantity G. Extended price subtotal by item H. Total extended price by site I. Credits, if applicable

i. Supporting information must be included for all credits: delivery date, delivery location, item description, quantity, extended price.

III. QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

Vehicle and Driver Requirements

● Vehicles must be dock high. Most schools do not have loading docks; the pickup from the FNS Warehouse is at a dock-high level. Please see Appendix 3 for a list of schools that have docks.

● It is the vendor's responsibility to ensure BOTH: vehicles have sufficient pallet space and the number of drivers and trucks is adequate to accommodate each route to complete deliveries by 1:30 PM.

● Vehicles must have sufficient space to allow the driver to pick products from all pallets for each delivery. FNS anticipates staging on approximately 7 -10 pallets per route. This number is always subject to change.

● The vendor must not transport any other items on vehicles while carrying Boston Public Schools’ items.

● The floor, ceiling, and walls of vehicles must remain clean and sanitary, and in compliance with HACCP regulations.

● Vendor vehicles cannot be swept, cleaned, or washed on BPS premises

● Delivery personnel must be dressed professionally, including a uniform shirt, appropriate work shoes, and maintain proper hygiene.

● Delivery personnel may park delivery vehicles only in authorized loading and unloading areas during regular business hours

● Delivery personnel must enter and exit all BPS buildings through appropriate doors and will not prop open or leave open any doors.

● Delivery personnel must inspect and count items, and sign a manifest, prior to loading the vehicle and departing the FNS warehouse.

● In the event of subcontracting, note that all City of Boston wage requirements must be followed and forms completed by the vendor’s subcontractor, and FNS would request the driver be trained and scheduled to a specific route to the extent possible.

● If items are damaged or lost once the drivers have signed the manifest, the vendor must reimburse FNS the price paid or entitlement value used to acquire the item.

● Vehicles must be equipped with hand trucks and any other equipment required to complete deliveries.

● Vehicles should have GPS tracking, and the vendor should have easy access to connect with the driver

● Upon delivery to the school site, delivery personnel must remove pallet wrap and place boxes and/or totes in the appropriate storage area: refrigerator, freezer, dry storage.

● Evidence of insurance for each vehicle and proper licensing for each driver must be provided

● All vehicles must have a valid state safety and emission inspection sticker.

● All vehicles must meet the City of Boston side guard ordinance requirements and have a valid sticker confirming the vehicle was inspected by Boston Inspectional Services. (Appendix 4)

● The vendor must be able to contact each driver and/or vehicle during hours of operation.

● All vehicles must be clean inside and outside, free of odor; cleaning vehicles or disposing of trash at BPS premises is not allowed.

● Vendor must submit a vehicle cleaning schedule plan showing how frequently and where the vehicles are going to be cleaned

● All vehicles must be free of ice and snow (windows, roof, lights, steps) to prevent accidents and ensure the safety of the driver and others.

● Vendor vehicles can not be parked overnight on BPS premises.

● During regular school (business) hours, no on-site parking at BPS Central Warehouse will be permitted for contractors’ vehicles, including their personal vehicles

IV. REFERENCES

Bidders must submit three (3) client references.

a. References must include business name, contact person, phone number, email address, description of products and/or services provided, and total contract amount. All references must be from the food service market segment, showing the vendor's ability to deliver time and temperature-sensitive products in high volume. At least one reference must show ability to deliver to over 100+ delivery locations. Vendor references must confirm the vendor has been in the time and temperature-sensitive delivery segment for at least 5 years, and provide proof of successful completion of contracts with similar or comparable volume

b. References are to be submitted on the References tab of the Distribution of Food and Supplies Pricing sheet. That sheet is an attachment upload required for bid response in the City of Boston portal for this event.

V. RULE FOR AWARD

One (1) award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. This is a firm bid for the entire contract period, January 1, 2027 through August 31, 2029.

VI. BID PRICING SHEET

Submit pricing on the Pricing Sheet tab of the Distribution of Food and Supplies Pricing sheet. That Pricing sheet is an attachment upload required for bid response in the City of Boston portal for this event.

VII. NON-COLUSION

Persons submitting a bid or proposal to provide supplies or services to your jurisdiction, or to purchase supplies from your jurisdiction, must submit a certification of non-collusion as a bid factor in the City of Boston vendor portal.

VIII. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

This section provides an overview of the process for submitting your proposal:

· All submissions must include:

· The pricing sheet with all elements completed

· Information for 3 references

· Directions are included for submitting your proposal online or via hard copy Please note that the City will NOT consider proposals submitted late or that do not follow these guidelines.

After the bid submission deadline, bidders may not change the price or any other provision of the bid in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the BPS or fair competition. The City shall waive minor informalities or allow the bidders to correct them.

8.2 SUBMITTING BIDS VIA BOSTON’S SUPPLIER PORTAL

Vendors should submit a proposal electronically through the Supplier Portal, accessible at boston.gov/procurement.

You will need to register with us to submit your proposal electronically; doing so will also allow you to receive email updates regarding this IFB and other opportunities. Please visit https://www.boston.gov/departments/procurement/how-use-supplier-portal for step-by- step instructions to register.

Upon logging in to your account, look for event EV00017976 Distribution of Food and Supplies to BPS Schools. In the section of EV00017976 labeled "Step 2: Enter Line Bid Responses", please enter the total bid amount by line. Next, click the icon on the far right of the screen labeled "View/Add Question Comments and Attachments." There, you will find the proper location to upload your Price details. Please visit https://www.boston.gov/departments/procurement/how-use- supplier-portal for step-by-step instructions.

Submitting your proposal via the Supplier Portal streamlines the entire process, but please allow extra time to become familiar with the system. Upload any applicable documents into the Supplier Portal and SUBMIT your submissions well before the deadline so that you have enough time to make a physical paper submission if you have any issues with the City’s Supplier Portal. We recommend submitting your proposal at least 24 hours prior to the deadline.

Please note that Supplier Portal file uploads are limited to a 59-character file name length. We strongly recommend that bidders submit via the Supplier Portal to ensure all forms, attachments, and online bid factors necessary for a bid to be considered complete are on file by bid submission close of October 5th, 12:00 p.m. EST.

8.3 SUBMITTING VIA MAIL/ DELIVERY

Hard copies of the Bids may be submitted by mail, delivery service, or in person. Vendors submitting a hard copy must submit a complete Bid in a sealed envelope. The envelopes should be clearly marked as follows:

Distribution of Food and Supplies to Boston Public Schools IFB Number: IFB EV00017976 Submitted by: [Name of Vendor] [Date Submitted] and delivered or mailed to:

Nathanial Carrington, Assistant Director Business Services Finance Department 2300 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02119

IX. INSURANCE RECOMMENDATIONS

The City recommends the following levels of insurance; if you have a different level of coverage, please explain why that is sufficient for the work required under this IFB. The Contractor shall purchase and maintain, during the term of the Contract, all insurance required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as required in this section, and will ensure that subcontractors carry similar and appropriate coverage. These requirements shall not be construed to limit the liability of the Contractor or its insurer.

Insurance will be issued by insurance companies licensed to write insurance in their domicile state and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and will have a current Best’s rating of A- VII or above. Insurance Certificates on Accord Form 25 evidencing all requirements listed below shall be delivered to the Official by the selected vendor prior to the execution of any contract.

Additionally, deliver renewal certificates within 30 days before the preceding policy expires.

Insurance Requirement :

9.1 Workers’ Compensation insurance as required under General Laws c.152 (the Workers’ Compensation Law) and including employer’s liability limits of one million ($1,000,000) per accident and per employee, including disease.

9.2 Commercial General Liability with coverage no less than ISO CGL Form, CG00 01 0413, for one million ($1,000,000) per occurrence and two million ($2,000,000) annual aggregate limit per location or project basis.

9.3 Umbrella Liability excess of Commercial General Liability, Employer’s Liability and Auto Liability for one million ($1,000,000) each occurrence. In lieu of umbrella liability, required limits may be achieved by purchasing higher limits on individual policies.

9.4 Technology Errors & Omissions / Cyber Liability / Security & Privacy: for one million ($1,000,000) per claim and one million ($1,000,000) in the aggregate with coverage continuing for one year after completion or termination of the Agreement. Policy must specifically include: a) computer or network systems attacks, b) denial or loss of service, c) introduction, implantation or spread of malicious software code, d) unauthorized Access and Use of computer systems, e) privacy liability, and f) breach response coverage equaling at least 50% of liability limit.

9.5 General Conditions:

● The City of Boston will be named as Additional Insured on all policies except, Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability.

● Above insurance shall be primary and non-contributory over any such insurance available to the City of Boston, its officials, employees, and volunteers.

● Waiver of Subrogation will be included with respect to all coverages listed above in favor of the City of Boston. The Workers’ Compensation Policy must be specifically endorsed and noted as such in the required certificate.

● All policies will be endorsed to provide thirty days' written notice to the certificate holder, the City of Boston, in the event of cancellation, non-renewal, or material changes in coverage. Such endorsements must be attached to the Certificate

X. APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Site List - Daily Delivery (76 sites expected) - 12 -15 stops per route anticipated, utilizing 5-7 trucks daily *BPS reserves the right to add or change sites as needed during contract duration*

Appendix 2 Site List - Weekly Delivery (47 sites expected) - 10-15 stops per route, utilizing one truck multiple days per week *BPS reserves the right to add or change sites as needed during the contract duration*

Appendix 3. School Sites with Loading Docks

Appendix 4. City of Boston Sideguard Ordinance image8.png image5.png image7.png image4.png image6.png