Pre-Proposal Conference Slide Deck.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 26-85265

USDA FOODS WAREHOUSING AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

ON BEHALF OF

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE

ROBERT COHEN

IDOA/PROCUREMENT DIVISION

■ General Information

■ Purpose of RFP

■ Term of Contract

■ Key Dates

■ Proposal Preparation

– Executive Summary

– Attestation Form

– Confidential Information

– Indiana Economic Impact Form

– Business Proposal

– Technical Proposal

– Cost Proposal

■ Evaluation Criteria

■ Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (M/WBE)

■ Submission Requirements

■ Optional Forms/Documents

■ Required Forms/Documents

■ Additional Information

■ Questions (Attachment G)

Agenda

General Information

■ Potential Respondents (prime contractors and subcontractors) will be given the opportunity to express interest in this solicitation and to have their company and contact information posted to the solicitation website by submitting the Pre-Proposal Network Opportunities Form (Attachment I) to rfp@idoa.in.gov no later than 3:00 PM ET on October 27, 2025.

This form is optional.

■ Potential Respondents to the solicitation are encouraged to submit any questions pertaining to the RFP via the Question/Inquiry process. Please use Attachment G of this RFP for this purpose. Questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted by 3:00 PM ET on October 27, 2024.

■ Proposal submission process is due no later than 3:00 PM ET on November 17, 2025.

mailto:rfp@idoa.in.gov

Purpose of the RFP

■ The purpose of this solicitation is to select a respondent that can satisfy the State’s need for USDA Foods Warehousing and Distribution Services. Foods allocated to Indiana are shipped to specified contract warehouses by USDA. Received foods are stored until delivery by contractor to Indiana public and private schools and other eligible Recipient Agencies.

Term of Contract

■ The term of the contract shall be for a period of five (5) years from the date of contract execution.

There may be one (1) one-year renewals for a total of six (6) years at the State’s option.

Key Dates Activity Date

Issuance of RFP October 15, 2025

Deadline to Submit Pre-Proposal Networking Form (Optional) October 27, 2025 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Deadline to Submit Written Questions October 27, 2025 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Response to Written Questions/RFP Amendments November 3, 2025

Submission of Proposal

(Online Submission)

November 17, 2025 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

Submission of Reference Check Forms to the State November 17, 2025 by 3:00 PM Eastern Time

RFP Award Recommendation January 2026

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary must be completed and submitted via the online submission process. At a minimum, your Executive Summary must address the following (also outlined in Section 2.2 of the RFP):

■ Summarize your ability and desire to supply the required services

■ Make sure the Executive Summary is signed by an authorized representative

– Include your primary contact

■ State your understanding of the respondent notification

■ Indicate status regarding Secretary of State registration

■ You may include additional “cover letter” information within the Executive Summary if desired.

Attestation Form

■ The Attestation Form (Attachment J) must be completed.

– Mandatory Submission and Requirements

– Confirm Mutual Understanding and Submission

– Claim Clarification (Buy Indiana), if applicable

– Subcontractors per RFP 2.3.10

– Confidential / Redacted File Information

Confidential Information

■ Confidential Information (RFP Main Document - Section 1.15)

– All materials contained in proposals are subject to the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) and can be accessed by any member of the public after contract award. The responses are deemed to be “public records” unless a specific provision of IC 5-14-3 protects it from disclosure.

– In order to request certain information be kept confidential, Respondents must claim a statutory exception to the APRA in their Attestation Form (Attachment J), including describing which specific provision applies to which specific part of their response.

– Confidential information must also be clearly marked and kept separate from the proposal in the electronic copies. IDOA recommends sending a “public” file that has the confidential information redacted (may be in PDF format) and a “final” file that includes all required information (must be in format provided).

– DO NOT LABEL YOUR ENTIRE RESPONSE AS CONFIDENTIAL

Indiana Economic Impact Form (IEI)

■ Indiana Economic Impact, Attachment C

– Respondents must submit this completed attachment, but it will not be used for evaluation purposes.

– Definitions of FTE (Full-Time Equivalent)

– Example: If a Respondent has five (5) full time employees, is bidding on its 5th contract, and all contracts get an equal amount of commitment from the employees, then each employee commits 20% of his/her time to the new contract:

■ 0.2 x 5 employees – 1 FTE

Business Proposal (Attachment E)

■ Company Financial Information (Section 2.3.4)

– Respondents must provide documents to demonstrate financial stability including, for example, the most recent Dunn & Bradstreet Business Report (preferred) or audited financial statements for the two (2) most recently completed fiscal years. If neither of these can be provided, Respondents must explain why and include an income statement and balance sheet for each of the two (2) most recently completed fiscal years.

– If the documents are from a parent or holding company, Respondents must explain the business relationship between the entities and demonstrate the financial stability of the entity which is directly responding to this

RFP.

■ Contract Terms (Section 2.3.6)

– Respondents should review sample State contract and note exceptions to State non-mandatory clauses in Business Proposal and Executive Summary. Mandatory clauses are non-negotiable.

■ References (Section 2.3.7)

– Respondents must have at least three (3) references who:

■ Can speak to the Respondent’s experience in providing products and/or services that are the same, or similar, to those products and/or services requested in this solicitation

■ Can speak to the Respondent’s performance on contracts of similar scope for government clients

– Respondents must ask each reference to complete Attachment H - Reference Check Form and email it directly to IDOA (idoareferences@idoa.in.gov) by November 17, 2025.

mailto:idoareferences@idoa.in.gov

Technical Proposal (Attachment F)

■ The Technical Proposal Template is Attachment F.

■ Every point made in each section must be addressed in the order given. The same outline numbers must be used in the response.

■ Where appropriate, supporting documentation may be referenced by a page and paragraph number. However, when this is done, the body of the Technical Proposal must contain a meaningful summary of the referenced material. The referenced document must be included as an appendix to the technical proposal with referenced sections clearly marked. If there are multiple references or multiple documents, these must be listed and organized for ease of use by the State.

Cost Proposal (Attachment D)

■ Please complete the template provided for the Cost Proposal by populating ONLY the yellow shaded cells. The Total Cost will populate automatically. The Cost Proposal (Attachment D) must be returned in the original Excel format (No PDFs).

■ Cost Proposals will be scored based on the Total Bid Amount for the initial five (5) year term.

The lowest cost proposal receives a total of 30 points. The normalization formula is as follows:

Respondent’s Cost Score = (Lowest Cost Proposal / Total Cost of Proposal) X 30

■ The Respondent should provide a brief narrative (not longer than two pages) in support of each Cost Proposal item and return this document in a PDF format, labeled as “Cost Proposal Narrative.”

■ The Respondent should list and describe as part of its Cost Proposal any special cost assumptions, conditions, and/or constraints relative to, or which impact, the prices presented. The Respondent should return this document in a PDF format, labeled as “Cost Assumptions, Conditions and Constraints”.

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Points

1. Adherence to Mandatory Requirements Pass/Fail

2. Management Assessment/Quality (Business and

Technical Proposal) 50 points

3. Cost (Cost Proposal) 30 points

5. Minority Business Enterprise Subcontractor

Commitment

5 points

(1 bonus point is available, see Section 3.2.5)

6. Women Business Enterprise Subcontractor

Commitment

5 points

(1 bonus point is available, see Section 3.2.6)

Total 90 (92 if bonus awarded)

Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises

Mission/Vision

– Promote, monitor, and enforce the standards for certification of minority and women’s business enterprises.

– Provide equal opportunity to minority and women enterprises in the state’s procurement and contracting process.

Nondiscrimination and Antidiscrimination Laws

– Pursuant to Indiana Civil Rights Law, specifically IC §22-9-1-10, every state contract shall contain a provision requiring the contractor and subcontractors to not discriminate against any employee or applicant with respect to Protected Characteristics

Contact Information

– Phone: 317-232-3061

– E-mail: mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov

– Web: www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe

Complete Attachment A, MBE/WBE Form

- Include sub-contractor letter of commitment

Goals for Proposal

- 8% Minority Business Enterprise of Total Bid Amount

- 11% Women’s Business Enterprise of Total Bid Amount mailto:mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe

Prime contractors must ensure that the proposed subcontractors meet the following criteria:

■ Are listed in the IDOA Directory of Certified Firms, on or before the proposal due date, national diversity plans are generally not accepted. The directory can be found here:

http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/2743.htm.

■ Serve a Valuable Scope Contribution (VSC) on the engagement, as confirmed by the State.

■ Provide the goods or services specific to the contract and within the industry area for which it is certified.

■ National Diversity Plans are generally not acceptable.

http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/2743.htm

Prime contractors should note the following:

■ Subcontractors’ MBE/WBE Certification Letter, provided by IDOA, must accompany the proposal to show current status of certification.

■ Each firm may only serve as one classification – MBE or WBE (see section 1.22)

■ Pursuant to 25 IAC 5-6-2(b)(d), a Prime Contractor who is an MBE or WBE must meet subcontractor goals by using other listed certified firms. Certified Prime Contractors cannot count their own workforce or companies to meet this requirement.

■MBE/WBE Scoring Methodology: MBE/WBE scoring is conducted based on 10 points plus a possible 2 bonus points scale

- MBE: Possible 5 points + 1 bonus point

- WBE: Possible 5 points + 1 bonus Point

■Professional Services Scoring Methodology:

- The points will be awarded on the following schedule:

MBE:

WBE:

- Fractional percentages will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole percentage

- If the respondent’s commitment percentage is rounded down to 0% for MBE or WBE participation the respondent will receive 0 points.

- Submissions of 0% participation will result in a deduction of 1 point in each category

- The highest submission which exceeds the goal (“exceeds” defined as a commitment percentage that is equal to or greater than 9% before rounding) for the MBE participation or equal to or greater than 12% before rounding) for the WBE participation will receive 6 points (5 points plus 1 bonus point). In case of a tie both firms will receive 6 points.

% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8%

Pts. .45 .9 1.35 1.8 3.125 3.75 4.375 5.0

% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 11%

Pts. 0.45 0.9 1.35 1.8 2.25 2.7 3.15 3.6 4.05 4.5 5.0

IDOA Subcontractor Scoring

RFP MBE/WBE/IVOSB Scoring Example

Pay Audit System

■ Tool utilized to monitor the state’s diversity spend for subcontractors

■ Selected primes and subcontractors are required to report payments submitted or received through this web-based tool

■ Based on contract terms payments should be reported monthly or quarterly

■ Questions? Contact Division of Supplier Diversity

– mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov

– www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm

Subcontractor Compliance

Pay

Audit

System

Prime

Subcontractor

Payment mailto:mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov?subject=Pay%20Audit%20Inquiry mailto:mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov?subject=Pay%20Audit%20Inquiry http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm

Submission Requirements

■ You must be a registered bidder to submit a proposal.

– Please refer to section 1.8 of the RFP document for instructions regarding the online submission process using the Supplier Portal.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents and forms are submitted prior to the due dates.

Failure to complete or submit required documents and forms may result in disqualification or loss of points.

Optional Submission Forms/Documents

Submission of these documents is optional and does not impact your ability to submit a proposal.

Due Date Document/Form 10/27/2025 Pre-Proposal Networking Opportunity Form (Attachment

I)

10/27/2025 Questions and Answers Form (Attachment G)

Required Submission Forms/Documents

Use the templates provided for all responses and do not alter any templates.

Responses must be submitted per the RFP instructions. See RFP Sections 1.8 and 2.1 for additional details. Late submissions, emailed or hand-delivered submissions will not be accepted.

Due Date Document/Form 11/17/2025 MWBE Participation Plan Form (Attachment A)

• Letter(s) of Commitment

• Certification Documentation

11/17/2025 Indiana Economic Impact Form (Attachment C)

11/17/2025 Cost Proposal Template (Attachment D)

11/17/2025 Business Proposal Template (Attachment E)

11/17/2025 Technical Proposal Template (Attachment F)

11/17/2025 Reference Check Forms (Attachment H) – Must be completed by the reference and emailed directly to the State.

11/17/2025 Attestation Form (Attachment J)

Additional Information

IDOA PROCUREMENT LINKS AND NUMBERS

A. Link to the bidder registry with IDOA and Secretary of State.

http://www.in.gov/idoa/2464.htm

B. Secretary of State of Indiana:

Can be reached at (317) 232-6576 for registration assistance. www.in.gov/sos

C. See Vendor and Supplier Resource Center:

http://www.in.gov/idoa/3106.htm

D. Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises:

Link to more information and full listing of IDOA Minority and Women Owned Businesses http://www.in.gov/idoa/2352.htm http://www.in.gov/idoa/2464.htm http://www.in.gov/sos http://www.in.gov/idoa/3106.htm http://www.in.gov/idoa/2352.htm

Thank You Robert Cohen rcohen@idoa.in.gov

Division Of Supplier Diversity mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm mailto:rcohen@idoa.in.gov mailto:mwbecompliance@idoa.in.gov http://www.in.gov/idoa/mwbe/payaudit.htm