RFP 201-26-040_Child Nutrition Information Management System.pdf

SOLICITATION NUMBER 201-26-040 VDOE PAGE 1 OF 37

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) 201-26-040

for

Child Nutrition Management Information System

Issue Date: June 19, 2026

Due Date/Time: July 24, 2026, at 2:00PM Eastern Time

Single Point of Contact (“SPOC”): Arielle Griffith, Procurement Specialist

E-mail Address: Arielle.griffith@doe.virginia.gov

Contract(s) resulting from this solicitation are available to Virginia Department of Education as defined by § 2.2-4304 of the Virginia Public Procurement Act (“VPPA”), as set forth in the Code of Virginia (“Code”).

Note: Agency does not discriminate against faith-based organizations in accordance with Code §2.2-4343.1 of the VPPA, or against a bidder or offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, or status as a service disabled veteran or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment. Agency is committed to increasing procurement opportunities for small and micro businesses, including small or micro businesses that are owned by minorities, women, or disabled veterans, and strengthening the Commonwealth’s overall economic growth through the development of its IT suppliers.

mailto:Arielle.griffith@doe.virginia.gov

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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 4

A. RFP OBJECTIVE AND OVERVIEW 4

B. SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT (“SPOC”) 4

C. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE 4

D. SUPPLIER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 5

E. AMENDMENTS 5

F. TIMETABLE 5

G. EVA PROCUREMENT WEBSITE AND REQUIRED REGISTRATION 5

PRESENT SITUATION AND DESIRED FUTURE STATE 7

A. BACKGROUND 7

B. HISTORICAL SPEND 8

C. CURRENT CHALLENGES 9

D. SCOPE 9

E. NUMBER OF USERS/RECORDS 14

F. BUSINESS OBJECTIVE 17

REQUIREMENTS 19

PROPOSAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 21

A. OVERVIEW 21

B. PROPOSAL ADMINISTRATION 21

1) VIRGINIA PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ACT 21

2) ANTI-DISCRIMINATION - CODE § 2.2-4310 AND § 2.2-4311, AND § 2.2-4343.1(E) 21

3) ETHICS IN PUBLIC CONTRACTING – CODE § 2.2-4367 ET SEQ. 21

4) AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSACT BUSINESS IN THE COMMONWEALTH – CODE § 2.2-4311.2 21

5) PROHIBITED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES – CODE § 2.2-5514 22

6) PROHIBITED CONTRIBUTIONS AND GIFTS – CODE § 2.2-4376.1 22

7) EXCLUDED PARTIES LIST 22

C. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS 22

1) SUPPLIER PROPOSAL COMPLIANCE 22

D. LIABILITY 22

3) TRADE SECRETS AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION 22

4) PROTOCOL FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION 23

PROPOSAL FORMAT 24

EVALUATION AND AWARD PROCESS 28

A. EVALUATION PROCESS 28

B. PREREQUISITE(S) 29

C. EVALUATION CRITERIA 29

SUPPLIER PROFILE 32

SUPPLIER PROCUREMENT AND SUBCONTRACTING PLAN 33

PRICING INFORMATION 34

AGENCY STANDARD CONTRACT 35

COV RAMP SECURITY QUESTIONNAIRE AND CLOUD TERMS AND CONDITIONS 36

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Attachments to RFP:

Administrative Appendices:

Appendix A - State Corporation Commission Form Appendix B - Supplier Proprietary Information Form Appendix C - Supplier Profile Appendix D-1- COVRamp Security Questionnaire Appendix D-2 -COVRamp Nondisclosure Agreement Appendix E – Supplier Exceptions to Agency's Standard Contract Appendix F - CoVA W9

Exhibits:

Exhibit A – Requirements Exhibit B – Pricing Exhibit C – Implementation Statement of Work (SOW) Template Exhibit D – Change Order Template Exhibit E – Cloud Terms & Conditions Exhibit F – Federal Terms & Conditions Exhibit G – Certification Regarding Lobbying Exhibit H – Small Business (SWaM) Subcontracting Plan Exhibit I – Service Level Agreements Exhibit J –Master Contract Template Exhibit K - Internal Revenue Service Publication 1075

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INTRODUCTION

A. RFP Objective and Overview

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), issued by Virginia Department of Education (“Agency”), is to solicit proposals to provide a CHILD NUTRITION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

SYSTEM.

Agency’s expectation is that this RFP will result in the establishment of a contract, or contracts, that will provide the means to satisfy the majority of the Commonwealth’s immediate and future needs.

Alliances among Suppliers are acceptable to meet the requirements of this procurement. However, Agency is interested in simplifying processes by having a single point of interface wherever possible.

The Commonwealth encourages all Suppliers to bring innovative ideas and/or solutions to government—ideas that result in cost and operational efficiencies or improvements while enhancing the services that governments provide its citizens.

For the purposes of this RFP, the following definitions shall apply:

“Administrative Appendix” means an attachment to the RFP that serves an administrative purpose relating to the RFP process; specifically, a document that will assist in the review of the proposal but not become an Exhibit to the resulting contract

“Amendment” means a material change to this RFP that requires Supplier acknowledgement; see Table 2 in Section 5 of this RFP for instructions.

“eVA” means the Commonwealth’s procurement portal located at http://www.eva.virginia.gov

“Exhibit” means an attachment to the RFP that will become an exhibit to the resulting contract only upon award. Certain of these Exhibits are to be populated by Supplier as part of its response to this RFP; see Table 2 in Section 5 of this RFP for instructions.

“Supplier” or “Offeror” means any entity that submits a proposal in response to this RFP.

For the Requirements (Exhibit A), the following definitions apply:

• Out of the Box (OOTB): Functionality that is delivered as part of the vendor’s standard, commercially available product and is available for use without modification or custom development

• Configurable is functionality that can be tailored by VDOE or authorized users using built-in system tools (e.g., settings, rules engines, workflows, form builders) without vendor custom development.

• Customizable is functionality that requires vendor-developed code, enhancements, or extensions beyond standard product capabilities to meet VDOE-specific requirements.

Agency Overview – Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) provides leadership, oversight, and technical assistance to Virginia’s public education system, serving more than 130 local school divisions and over one million students across the Commonwealth. VDOE administers state and federal education programs, establishes academic standards, and ensures accountability and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The agency works in partnership with local education agencies (LEAs), policymakers, and stakeholders to support high-quality instruction and improve student outcomes statewide.

http://www.eva.virginia.gov/

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Within VDOE, the Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs administers federally funded child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, which provide millions of meals annually to students and children throughout Virginia. VDOE is committed to delivering these programs through efficient, secure, and data-driven systems. As part of this effort, the agency is undertaking the replacement of its current child nutrition management information system, SNPWeb, to enhance program administration, improve reporting and data quality, and better support LEAs and state staff in meeting federal and state requirements.

B. Single Point of Contact (“SPOC”)

Submit all inquiries concerning this RFP in writing by email, subject:

“Questions on RFP # 201-26-040” to:

SPOC: Arielle Griffith Email: arielle.griffith@doe.virginia.gov

All communications regarding this RFP must be directed exclusively to the Single Point of Contact (SPOC). Contact with any other agency personnel regarding this RFP may result in disqualification.

C. Pre-Proposal Conference

There will be an optional, virtual pre-proposal conference held on the date specified in Table 1 in Subsection 1.F below. The pre-proposal conference is open to all interested Offerors, attendance is encouraged. There will be no opportunity for a private or individual conference. Offerors are encouraged to submit questions in writing at least 72 hours prior to the pre-proposal teleconference.

These questions will be answered as part of the pre-proposal teleconference.

mailto:arielle.griffith@doe.virginia.gov

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To participate in the pre-proposal teleconference, register with the Arielle Griffith at Arielle.griffith@doe.virginia.gov by sending an email stating your firm’s name and your participating representative(s). Suppliers will be emailed with the information to virtually attend the conference.

It is strongly recommended that you register no later than 4:00pm local time on the business day prior to the teleconference. Agency cannot guarantee a response to registration requests sent after 4:00pm local time on the business day prior to the conference.

D. Supplier Questions and Answers

All questions and requests for clarification of the RFP should be submitted to the SPOC in writing via email. No questions will be addressed orally. Agency cannot guarantee a response to questions received after the deadline specified in Table 1 in Section 1.F below. Questions and answers shall be publicly posted in eVA.

E. Amendments Agency reserves the right to modify the scope, requirements, or any documents included as part of this RFP as needed. Amendments will be publicly posted in eVA.

F. Timetable

Table 1 – Timetable

Activity Date

RFP posted to eVA June 19, 2026

Registration deadline for pre-proposal conference

June 30, 2026, at 4:00pm

Supplier pre-proposal conference (optional) July 1, 2026, at 10:00am

Deadline for all questions prior to proposal submission

July 9, 2026, at 4:00pm

Final Agency Responses Issued July 17, 2026

Proposals due July 24, 2026, at 2:00pm

Supplier Interviews/Demonstration (should Agency elect) *

August 10-14, 2026

Contract(s) awarded* Early September 2026

*The dates in the timetable above are provided for planning purposes only and are subject to change at the sole discretion of the Agency. *

G. eVA Procurement Website and Required Registration

Proposals must be submitted through the eVA Portal, to be considered.

The Commonwealth’s procurement portal, eVA, located at http://www.eva.virginia.gov, provides information about Commonwealth solicitations and awards.

Suppliers must be registered in eVA in order submit a proposal to this RFP. To register with eVA, select the “Register Now” option from the eVA homepage, also located at Register Now (virginia.gov).

http://www.eva.virginia.gov/ https://eva.virginia.gov/register-now.html https://eva.virginia.gov/register-now.html

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For assistance with eVA, please contact eVA Customer Care, Get Help eVA Customer Care (virginia.gov) or call 866-289-7367

Suppliers are encouraged to check this site on a regular basis and, in particular, prior to submission of proposals to identify additional information or any Amendments to the RFP.

The following are instructions for submitting an electronic proposal.

1. Go to www.eva.virginia.gov;

2. Click on “I Sell To Virginia”;

3. Click on “eVA Vendor Training”; and

4. Click on “Viewing and Responding to Solicitations video”.

Offerors are responsible for monitoring eVA for the latest rounds.

Prior to the due date, Offerors should:

• Check the status of the solicitation on eVA at www.eva.virginia.gov by clicking on Business

Opportunities and then click on Virginia Business Opportunities (VBO) for any updates, changes, amendments, cancellations, etc.; and

• Complete all attachments, amendments, exhibits, product information, etc. and attach electronically to the Offeror’s electronic submission.

https://eva.virginia.gov/get-help-customer-care.html

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Present Situation and Desired Future State The information provided in this Section 2 is not intended to set forth requirements but rather is intended to assist Suppliers in gaining a general understanding of the present situation, business context, and RFP scope.

A. Background

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Office of School and Community Nutrition Programs (SCNP) serves as the administering state agency for multiple United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Child Nutrition Programs, including but not limited to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), NSLP Afterschool Snack Service, and Special Milk Program (SMP).

VDOE provides statewide leadership, oversight, training, technical assistance, outreach, and compliance monitoring for these programs, which serve children, students, and eligible participants across the Commonwealth through public school divisions, private schools, residential childcare institutions (RCCIs), childcare centers, public and private nonprofits, and other eligible organizations. Effective administration requires coordination across numerous stakeholders, including state agencies, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), School Food Authorities (SFAs), non-profit and for-profit organizations, and community-based sponsors.

These programs operate under federal statutes, including the National School Lunch Act and Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR), as well as state-level policies and reporting requirements. VDOE also administers state-funded reimbursement incentives, including Breakfast After the Bell, reduced-price breakfast and lunch, and State Lunch Match.

The table below presents the number of schools, private schools, and RCCI’s for each program.

Program Public School Divisions Private Schools RCCI

NSLP 131 15 16

SBP 131 15 16

SMP 0 5 0

SSO 17 0 0

NSLP afterschool snacks 3 2 13

The table below presents the number of schools and community sponsors for each program.

Program Public School Divisions Community Sponsoring Organizations

SFSP 98 34

CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals 96 26

Key Activities:

• Program Applications— Process and manage annual applications and agreements.

• Program Compliance/Administrative Reviews— Conduct a variety of programmatic reviews annually and on various program cycles, which includes offsite document reviews and on-site meal service observations, to ensure program integrity and compliance.

• Financial Oversight—Carry out financial reviews and monitor fiscal accountability of participating organizations.

• Policy Implementation— Enforce new state and federal program requirements.

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• Training and Technical Assistance—Provide a variety of in-person and virtual supports to local program operators offering guidance on program operations and compliance.

• Resource Development—Create and make available VDOE templates, resources, and tools to support program administration at the local level.

• Data Analysis and Reporting—Collect, validate, and analyze program data and generate reports to support effective Program oversight.

• Program Flexibility—Manage waiver and capital expenditure requests; and respond to unanticipated closures to ensure continuity of meal service.

• Statewide Direct Certification Matching—Support LEAs with a secure, automated process to directly certify eligible students for free meal benefits with data provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services.

To support these responsibilities, the VDOE seeks to procure a next-generation, statewide Child Nutrition Program Management Information System to replace the existing School Nutrition Program Web-based (SNPWeb) system and support the full lifecycle of program administration, including applications, claims, monitoring, compliance, reporting, and oversight.

Applicable Federal Statutes and Regulations

The system proposed through this Request for Proposals (RFP) must support the administration of the federal Child Nutrition Programs administered by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), including but not limited to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), NSLP Afterschool Snack Service, and Special Milk Program (SMP). The proposed system must support VDOE’s responsibilities for program administration, including eligibility determination, direct certification, claims processing, financial management, program monitoring, and required federal reporting.

The system must be capable of accommodating updates to federal statutes, regulations, and policy guidance issued by the USDA during the life of the contract. The successful Vendor shall ensure that the proposed solution remains compliant with applicable federal requirements governing Child Nutrition Programs. The Vendor shall also maintain awareness of regulatory and policy changes issued by the USDA and shall implement system updates necessary to maintain compliance with such requirements in a timely manner.

Key federal statutes, regulations, and related authorities include, but are not limited to:

• Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 1751–1769)

• Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. §§ 1771–1793)

• Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

• 7 CFR Part 210—National School Lunch Program

• 7CFR Part 215—Special Milk Program for Children

• 7 CFR Part 220—School Breakfast Program

• 7 CFR Part 225—Summer Food Service Program

• 7 CFR Part 226—Child and Adult Care Food Program

• 7 CFR Part 245—Determining Eligibility for Free and Reduced-Price Meals and Free Milk in

Schools

• 2 CFR Part 200—Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

• Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

• USDA Food and Nutrition Service policy memoranda and guidance applicable to Child Nutrition

Programs

B. Historical Spend

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The Commonwealth’s historical expenditures associated with the current SNPWeb system from 2016 through 2025 consist of implementation costs, system improvement costs, and ongoing operational and maintenance support. The improvements and maintenance costs are required to sustain program operations and maintain alignment with evolving USDA and Commonwealth requirements.

Year Implementation Modification Maintenance Total 2016 $212,915 $212,915 2017 $457,915 $457,915 2018 $159,000 $159,000 2019 $228,900 $228,900 2020 $110,680 $228,900 $339,580 2021 $178,830 $293,400 $472,230 2022 $166,620 $382,800 $549,420 2023 $86,940 $400,800 $487,740 2024 $121,015 $391,356 $512,371 2025 $231,605 $394,952 $626,557

Total: $670,830 $895,690 $2,480,108 $4,046,628

C. Current Challenges

The VDOE has had an online system since 1994. SBP and NSLP were the only programs in the first version.

CACFP and SFSP were added in the 2017 version. Direct Certification was added in 2019. The VDOE currently operates a web-based system (SNPWeb) procured in 2017 through a competitive procurement and enhanced over the years to meet administrative needs. The system includes modules supporting program applications and agreements, compliance, accounting and claims processing, statewide direct certification, various LEA data reporting elements (e.g., financial, verification, food safety, Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)) and requests (waivers, capital expenditures), USDA reports, customized state and LEA reports, system maintenance, system administration, security, and integrations with VDOE financial systems.

While the existing system has provided core functionality, it has required extensive ongoing customization to remain aligned with evolving USDA regulations and state program requirements. Several newer program areas and compliance functions are not fully supported and are currently supplemented through manual processes or external tools.

These limitations result in:

• Administrative inefficiencies for the VDOE staff and Program operators

• Increased compliance and audit risk

• Fragmented data management and reporting processes

• Manual workarounds for program monitoring and oversight

• Limited scalability to support future federal and state initiatives

Additionally, the current environment lacks a fully integrated, configurable, and modern platform capable of supporting complex program administration across multiple programs, sponsors, and sites within a unified system-of-record framework.

D. Scope

The VDOE is seeking a proven, production-ready, cloud-based or SaaS Child Nutrition Management Information System that supports statewide operations and can be configured to meet Virginia’s regulatory, operational, and reporting requirements without extensive custom development. The solution should be a

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proven, stable system, or a configurable solution, capable of supporting both current and future Child Nutrition Programs administered by the VDOE

The scope of this procurement includes the provision, configuration, implementation, data migration, integration, training, and ongoing support of a comprehensive statewide system that supports the full lifecycle of program administration. This includes, but is not limited to:

1. Sponsor and site applications, approvals, and renewals

2. Claims submission, validation, reimbursement processing, and SFSP advance requests

3. LEA data reporting (e.g., financial, verification, food safety, CEP)

4. Program compliance, monitoring, and corrective actions (Administrative reviews, Procurement reviews, CACFP and SFSP administrative reviews)

5. Reporting, analytics, and federal/state reporting requirements

6. Integration with external systems (e.g., Direct Certification, financial systems, authoritative state data sources)

7. Role-based workflows for VDOE staff, sponsors, reviewers, and auditors

a. Sponsor Application

b. Site Application

c. Claims for Reimbursement

d. Late/Adjusted Claim

e. Administrative Review

f. Procurement Review

g. Direct Certification / Eligibility Review

h. Financial Review/Audit

i. User Access Request

j. Review Appeals

The system shall support all applicable USDA Child Nutrition Programs administered by the VDOE, including NSLP, SBP, CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals, SFSP, SSO, NSLP afterschool snacks, SMP, and FFVP.

Implementation is expected to occur through a phased approach that includes planning, configuration, data migration, testing, pilot deployment, statewide rollout, and post-implementation stabilization, with minimal disruption to ongoing program operations. Sponsors will continue using the existing system during transition until readiness for migration is jointly determined by VDOE and vendor metrics.

The Commonwealth intends to implement a phased pilot deployment approach in which the full system functionality will be deployed to a subset of Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for a defined pilot period. This pilot will allow VDOE to validate system performance, business processes, data accuracy, claims processing, and reporting under real-world conditions prior to statewide rollout.

During the pilot period, the existing SNPWeb system may operate in parallel for non-pilot LEAs to ensure continuity of operations. VDOE will establish clear governance regarding system-of-record designation, data reconciliation procedures, and transition criteria to minimize risk and ensure a smooth statewide deployment.

The detailed functional, technical, and operational requirements for the proposed Child Nutrition system solution are provided in Exhibit A: Requirements, organized by the requirement domains introduced in the section introductions below (e.g., Program Coverage, Claims and Financial Management, Reporting and Analytics, Data Management and Integration, Governance and Master Data, Usability and Self-Service, and Document Governance). The section introductions are intended to provide context and scope for each requirement domain, while the specific, testable requirements are formally enumerated in Exhibit A.

Offerors shall review and respond to all applicable Exhibit A requirements, indicating whether each requirement is met through standard functionality, configuration, or customization, and shall clearly describe any assumptions, dependencies, or constraints associated with their proposed solution.

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Program Coverage and Business Capabilities

The VDOE requires the Child Nutrition system to provide comprehensive, integrated support for the full range of federally and state-administered Child Nutrition Programs, including but not limited to NSLP, SBP, SSO, SFSP (including non-congregate feeding models), CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals, FFVP, NSLP afterschool snacks, SMP, and Virginia-specific funding initiatives. The system shall be designed as a unified, program-aware platform that accommodates program-specific rules, eligibility models, claims structures, data collections, and compliance requirements while maintaining consistent governance, auditability, and financial integrity across all programs and sponsors.

The solution must support configurable, policy-driven workflows that adapt to varying program participation, sponsor characteristics, and regulatory scenarios without requiring vendor custom development. This includes dynamic applications, configurable administrative review forms, waiver tracking, state-defined data elements, and layered state and federal compliance logic. The system shall enable VDOE to implement phased program rollouts (e.g., SNP, Summer Programs, CACFP) without system redesign or data migration disruption, and shall support evolving USDA guidance, emergency feeding models, and Virginia-specific policy requirements through configuration rather than code changes.

Additionally, the system shall support end-to-end lifecycle management for program operations, including applications, eligibility validation, claim processing, reporting, compliance tracking, required data collections, and audit-ready documentation. Emphasis is placed on flexibility, regulatory alignment, and long-term sustainability, ensuring that VDOE can efficiently administer multiple complex nutrition programs within a single, scalable platform while accommodating future program changes, waivers, and state-defined enhancements without compromising upgrade compatibility or operational continuity.

Governance and Master Data

The system shall provide defined and enforceable governance controls for managing sponsors, sites, and institutional hierarchies across all supported programs. This includes state-controlled master data, entity lifecycle management, cross-program termination logic, and preservation of historical institutional records.

The solution shall ensure data integrity, authoritative source alignment, and auditable entity management.

Sponsors and sites must be structured in a scalable, parent-child hierarchy model that supports oversight and reporting.

The system shall:

• Support sponsor and site applications and renewals for all applicable programs.

• Track program participation by sponsor, site, and program.

• Manage agreements, contracts, and amendments, including effective dates and historical versions.

• Provide workflows for submission, review, approval, and tracking of sponsor and site information.

• Ensure that claims cannot be processed unless required agreements and approvals are in place.

Claims and Financial Management

The VDOE requires a comprehensive Claims and Financial Management capability that supports the full lifecycle of claim submission, validation, reimbursement, fiscal action, and financial oversight across all Child Nutrition Programs (e.g., NSLP, SBP, SMP, FFVP, SSO, SFSP, CACFP, and related state-funded programs, such as Breakfast After the Bell, State Lunch Match, and reduced-price breakfast and lunch).

The system shall ensure accurate, timely, and compliant processing of claims in accordance with USDA regulations, Virginia-specific policies, and state financial controls, while minimizing manual intervention and reducing risk of improper payments.

The proposed solution must provide automated validation, real-time financial calculations, transparent fund tracking, and robust auditability to support state oversight, sponsor accountability, and federal reporting requirements. The system shall also accommodate complex funding structures, including multiple grants, SOLICITATION NUMBER 201-26-040 VDOE PAGE 13 OF 37 awards, advances, adjustments, withholds, and overpayment recovery, while supporting Virginia-specific reimbursement rules and configurable business logic without requiring custom development.

In addition, the system shall integrate eligibility, application, and operational data to drive claim accuracy, support late claim and exception workflows, and enable batch payment processing aligned with state finance systems. Overall, this section emphasizes financial integrity, regulatory compliance, configurability, and operational efficiency to ensure VDOE can effectively manage high-volume claims processing and fiscal oversight across multiple programs, sponsors, and sites.

The system shall:

• Allow all sponsors to enter, validate, and submit claims for all approved programs at approved sites

• Perform federal and state edit checks (e.g., attendance vs. meals, approved program participation, severe need, Community Eligibility Provision).

• Support adjustments, revisions, and late claims within regulatory timeframes and track all iterations of a claim.

• Provide automated notifications to sponsors and SA users, as applicable for claim deadlines, successful submission, errors, and required corrective actions.

• Support VDOE claims processing for all approved and validated claims.

• Prevent submission of duplicate or out-of-timeframe claims, while allowing authorized exceptions per USDA guidance.

• Interface with VDOE financial systems (e.g., Oracle) to support automated payment processing.

Claims-specific error checks include the following:

• The claim is less than 60 days old. The time starts after the last day of the month for which the reimbursement is requested.

• There are no duplicate records in the claim.

• Valid program year for CACFP and SFSP.

• Valid school division or community sponsor.

• Valid child nutrition program at that school/site (terminology in use).

• Valid Programs include: NSLP, SBP, SMP, SSO, NSLP afterschool snacks, CACFP At-Risk

Afterschool Meals, and SFSP.

• Valid meal type within that program. Meal types include Free, Reduced Price, Paid, Non-reimbursable and Adult.

• Valid claim month and year for the received file.

• Valid number of days meals were served falls within the following parameters:

o Residential Sites Maximum number of days served can be less than or equal to the days in the claim month.

o Non-Residential Sites: Maximum number or days served can be less than or equal to the number of weekdays in the claim month plus one day. The additional day is an allowance for the possibility of classes being held on a Saturday.

• Valid reported program memberships must be greater than zero.

• Verifies a claim has not previously been submitted for the claim month and year.

• Verifies all approved sites are included in the claim and no claims are submitted for unapproved sites.

Administrative Reviews and Oversight

The VDOE requires comprehensive program monitoring and compliance capabilities that supports the full lifecycle of program oversight across all VDOE administered Child Nutrition Programs. The system shall enable efficient planning, execution, documentation, and follow-up of both on-site and off-site components of administrative reviews in alignment with USDA regulations and state-specific monitoring requirements.

Administrative Reviews include programs such as NSLP, SBP, SSO, CACFP (including CACFP Financial Reviews) and SFSP.

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The VDOE desires the proposed solution to support procurement reviews. A procurement review is a mandatory compliance audit conducted by state agencies (often every three years) to ensure School Food Authorities (SFAs) purchase goods—like food and cafeteria equipment—in compliance with federal and state regulations.

The proposed solution must support risk-based review scheduling, targeted compliance areas for follow-up/high-risk reviews, configurable review cycles, structured findings documentation, and robust corrective action tracking across sponsors, sites, and review periods. The system shall provide automated notifications, configurable review instruments, and supervisor-level oversight dashboards to ensure timely compliance, workload management, and continuous program improvement.

Additionally, the system shall retain historical review and corrective action data to inform future monitoring, support audit readiness, and enable VDOE to identify repeat findings, systemic risks, and trends across programs and institutions. Overall, this section is intended to ensure strong regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, transparency, and data-driven oversight of all administrative review and monitoring activities.

Reporting, Analytics, Audit, and Oversight

The VDOE requires the proposed Child Nutrition system solution to provide a comprehensive, enterprise-grade reporting and analytics capability that supports operational oversight, regulatory compliance, financial monitoring, audit readiness, and data-driven program management across all VDOE administered Child Nutrition Programs. The system shall serve as an authoritative reporting environment for Virginia-owned Program data, enabling transparent, timely, and accurate access to information for state administrators, auditors, and authorized stakeholders without reliance on vendor intervention.

The solution must support a layered reporting framework that includes federally required (“canned”) USDA reports, state-specific reports, configurable dashboards, and robust ad hoc reporting tools that allow authorized users to directly query and export data across programs, sponsors, sites, and time periods.

Reporting outputs shall be derived from a consistent, auditable data model and shall support interactive filtering (e.g., program, date range, region, sponsor, and site) to facilitate detailed analysis and informed decision-making.

In addition, the system shall provide advanced analytical capabilities that consolidate data across claims, administrative reviews, fiscal actions, communications, and compliance activities to identify trends, repeat findings, systemic risks, and division- or site-level performance patterns. The platform shall include role-based dashboards displaying operational, financial, compliance, and program KPIs, along with embedded workflow actions to support proactive oversight, corrective action management, and continuous program improvement.

Finally, the system shall maintain a comprehensive, immutable audit and reporting history covering claims, approvals, funding actions, master data governance, communications, and user activities. This capability shall ensure full transparency, defensible audit trails, and regulatory compliance while enabling VDOE to monitor fiscal actions (e.g., claim locking, reclaims, withholds), track administrative review outcomes, and support targeted training and technical assistance based on data-driven insights.

The current SNPWeb system provides a wide range of operational, financial, and compliance-related reports used by VDOE and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to administer Child Nutrition Programs and meet reporting requirements. Rather than enumerating each existing report, the reporting capabilities required in the new system are described below by major reporting categories. A representative inventory of current SNPWeb reports is provided in Exhibit A for reference:

Claims and Reimbursement Reports Financial and Program Funding Reports Meal Participation and Service Reports

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Eligibility and Certification Reports Program Application and Site Management Reports Compliance and Exception Monitoring Reports USDA/Federal Reporting Administrative and Cross-Site Monitoring Reports

User Experience, Sponsor Self-Service, and Operational Efficiency

The VDOE requires the new proposed Child Nutrition system solution to provide a modern, intuitive, and efficient user experience that supports both state administrators and sponsors in managing Child Nutrition Programs with minimal administrative burden. The system shall enable role-based access, guided workflows, dynamic forms, and self-service capabilities that reduce reliance on manual support from VDOE staff while maintaining appropriate governance, validation, and oversight controls. VDOE will maintain the current feed of data from the VDOE Agency archive, institution archive, and staff archive so as to have one definitive list of school divisions and schools and their attributes (address, phone number, etc.).

The solution must emphasize operational efficiency through bulk processing, structured data entry, centralized resource access, and actionable dashboards that present real-time program, financial, and compliance information. Additionally, the system shall provide transparent validation, revision tracking, global search, and self-service reporting tools that empower sponsors and state users to complete tasks accurately, efficiently, and independently, while ensuring consistency, usability, and scalability across all programs and user roles supported by the proposed Child Nutrition platform.

Document Governance, Lifecycle, and Records Management

The VDOE requires the proposed Child Nutrition system solution to provide a robust, configurable, and auditable document governance and lifecycle management capability to support all Child Nutrition Program workflows, including applications, reviews, claims, corrective actions, and compliance documentation. The system shall serve as the authoritative repository for program documentation and shall enforce state-defined document requirements, completeness rules, and lifecycle controls without reliance on vendor configuration or custom development.

The solution must support program-, scenario-, and entity-specific document requirements; automated lifecycle tracking; submission blocking for incomplete documentation; certification locking; and auditable reopening processes aligned with regulatory and governance standards. Additionally, the system shall provide integrated version control, metadata tagging, searchability, expiration tracking, alerts, and role-based access controls to ensure transparency, audit readiness, and consistent enforcement of documentation policies across all sponsors, sites, and Child Nutrition Programs administered by VDOE.

This capability is critical to ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing administrative burden, improving oversight efficiency, and maintaining a complete and defensible record of program documentation for federal audits, state monitoring, and long-term historical reference.

E. Number of Users/Records

The new Child Nutrition system will support statewide administration of multiple Child Nutrition Programs for the Commonwealth of Virginia, including National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and the Special Milk Program (SMP). The proposed solution must be sized and architected to support statewide operations, high-volume transaction processing, and long-term historical data retention.

User Population

The current SNPWeb environment supports approximately:

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• Total registered users: ~632

• Estimated VDOE (State) users: ~35

• Estimated program sponsor users: ~597

• Estimated concurrent users during peak periods (e.g., claim submission deadlines):

approximately 150–200 users

Users include VDOE program staff, fiscal staff, reviewers, auditors, Local Education Agency (LEA) personnel, School Food Authorities (SFAs), community organization personnel, and other authorized sponsor entities. The system must support role-based access across state, division, sponsor, and site-level users.

Organizational Scale

The system will support statewide Program administration across at least 227 Program sponsors and 2,332 sites across all Child Nutrition Programs administered by the VDOE. The solution shall support hierarchical data structures (state → sponsor/LEA → site/facility) and multi-program participation across entities and program years.

Transaction and Claims Volume

Based on current system usage, the Commonwealth processes:

• Annual claims volume: ~4,000 claims per year

• Weekly claims processing for all programs

• Multi-program claims processing at the sponsor and site level

• Ongoing claim adjustments, revisions, and fiscal actions associated with high-volume reimbursement workflows

Offerors shall assume sustained high-volume processing requirements during monthly claim cycles and federal reporting periods.

Document and Records Volume (Estimated)

The current system maintains a significant volume of compliance, application, review, and supporting documentation. Based on operational estimates:

• Average annual Program sponsor application documents: ~10 documents per sponsor × 162sponsors ≈ 1,620 documents

• Administrative review documentation: ~43 sponsors reviewed annually × ~111 documents per review ≈ 4,700 documents; Estimated total managed documents: ~20,000+ documents (and growing annually)

• Procurement Review: Approximately 6,000 documents reviewed

• CACFP financial Reviews: Approximately 6,000 documents reviewed

• Individual child records that are transmitted annually for direct certification from VDSS: ~500,000 records

• Monthly DSS File Updates per month: ~ 10,000

These figures are estimates intended for system sizing purposes and may vary by program, year, regulatory changes, and review cycles.

Historical Data Migration Requirements

The system shall support data retention in accordance with federal and Commonwealth of Virginia requirements, as well as VDOE programmatic and operational needs. At a minimum, the system shall support the following data retention periods:

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• Financial Records: The system shall retain financial records for a minimum of seven (7) years in accordance with Commonwealth of Virginia record retention requirements.

• Administrative Review and Compliance Data: The system shall retain administrative review and compliance-related data for a minimum of ten (10) years to support historical tracking, compliance monitoring, and follow-up activities.

• Program and Trend Analysis Data: The system shall retain program data necessary to support trend analysis, including Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) cycles and other special program provisions, for a minimum of ten (10) years.

• Federal Audit Requirements: The system shall retain all data required to meet federal Child Nutrition Program requirements, including maintaining records for a minimum of three (3) years plus the current program year, and for longer periods if the records are subject to audit or review.

• Direct Certification (DC) Data: The system shall support retention and management of Direct Certification (DC) data for a minimum of three (3) years, including the ability to store and report on high-volume datasets (e.g., millions of individual student records).

Key considerations include:

• Historical data retained since approximately 2012

• Claims and financial records

• Applications, agreements, and sponsor/site records

• Administrative reviews, findings, and corrective actions

• Compliance documentation and attachments

• Audit logs and historical program participation records

The current vendor migrated approximately five years of historical data during the initial 2017 implementation. For this procurement, VDOE anticipates migration of the full available historical dataset to ensure continuity of reporting, audit readiness, and longitudinal program analysis.

For each program, here are the current historical datasets that need to be migrated:

• SSO (2017-2018 through 2025-2026)

• NSLP/SBP (2012-2013 through 2025-2026)

• CACFP (2016-2017 through 2025-2026)

• SFSP (2016-2017 through 2025-2026)

Data Growth and Retention Expectations

The proposed system shall be capable of:

• Supporting annual growth in claims, documents, and audit records

• Maintaining multi-year historical datasets without degradation in performance

• Providing scalable storage and retrieval of operational, financial, and compliance data

• Supporting longitudinal reporting across multiple program years and entities

Offerors shall use the user counts, transaction volumes, document estimates, and historical migration expectations provided in this section to appropriately size infrastructure, storage, performance capacity, and data migration approaches in their proposed solution.

F. Business Objective

The primary business objective of this procurement is to acquire and implement a modern, secure, configurable, and fully integrated statewide Child Nutrition Program Management Information System to

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enable the VDOE to effectively administer, monitor, and oversee all federal and state-funded Child Nutrition Programs in a compliant, efficient, and scalable manner.

VDOE seeks a next-generation enterprise solution that replaces the existing legacy SNPWeb platform with a unified system-of-record capable of supporting the full lifecycle of program administration, including applications, eligibility, claims processing, financial management, administrative reviews, compliance monitoring, reporting, and audit support. The Commonwealth’s objective is not merely system replacement, but a strategic modernization of program operations to improve user experience, accuracy, transparency, regulatory compliance, and data-driven decision-making across all participating sponsors, sites, and programs statewide.

Alignment with Program Mission and Regulatory Responsibilities

As the administering agency for multiple United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs, VDOE must ensure financial integrity, valid, timely reimbursement, regulatory compliance, and effective oversight across a diverse network of Local Education Agencies (LEAs), School Food Authorities (SFAs), public and non-profit organizations, child care institutions, and other eligible entities. The proposed Child Nutrition system solution shall support these responsibilities by providing a centralized, authoritative platform that aligns with all applicable federal regulations (including 7 CFR), state policies, audit requirements, and evolving USDA guidance.

The Commonwealth’s objective is to strengthen program integrity, oversight, and data validity by ensuring that all operational, financial, and compliance activities are supported by auditable workflows, standardized data collection, and consistent governance controls. The system must enable VDOE to maintain defensible records, monitor fiscal actions, track corrective actions, and produce federally required and state-specific reports in a timely and accurate manner with appropriate supporting documentation integration.

Operational Modernization and Efficiency

A key business objective of this procurement is to reduce administrative burden and operational inefficiencies currently caused by manual processes, fragmented tools, and system limitations within the existing environment. VDOE intends to implement a solution that streamlines workflows while ensuring data integrity for both state staff and sponsors through automation, configurable business rules, role-based dashboards, and guided user experiences.

The proposed Child Nutrition system solution shall improve operational efficiency by:

• Automating validation, edit checks, and compliance workflows

• Reducing duplicate data entry and manual reconciliation

• Supporting bulk processing and high-volume transactions

• Enabling self-service capabilities for sponsors while maintaining data integrity and appropriate state oversight

• Providing centralized document, reporting, and communication management

These improvements are expected to enhance productivity for VDOE staff, reduce sponsor reliance on manual state intervention, and support more timely processing of applications, claims, and reviews across all VDOE-administered Child Nutrition Programs.

Enterprise Data, Reporting, and Decision Support

Another core business objective is to establish a comprehensive, enterprise-grade data and reporting environment that supports transparent oversight, audit readiness, and strategic program management. The Commonwealth requires a system that enables authorized users to access Virginia-owned data directly, perform ad hoc analysis, generate federal and state reports, and identify trends across claims, reviews, fiscal actions, and compliance activities.

The proposed Child Nutrition system solution shall support data-driven governance by:

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• Providing robust dashboards and analytics for operational, financial, and compliance oversight

• Consolidating findings, errors, and performance trends across programs and institutions

• Supporting targeted technical assistance and training based on analytical insights

• Maintaining a complete and immutable audit history of system activities and decisions

This capability is essential to improving program monitoring, strengthening internal controls, and supporting federal audits and state-level accountability requirements.

Configurability, Sustainability, and Future Readiness

The Commonwealth’s business objective includes…