5 compartment foam food trays

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) issued an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for the procurement of 5-compartment white foam school house food trays for its food service operations. The solicitation, numbered 5400019662, sought 3,420 cases of foam trays, with each case containing 500 trays, to be delivered in three scheduled shipments on April 6, 2020, April 20, 2020, and May 4, 2020. The trays were to be new, palletized, and shrink-wrapped upon delivery to the SCDC Food Service Main Warehouse located at 4422 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC. Bidders were required to submit a signed Cover Page and Page Two, with unit prices for evaluation, and the award was to be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. The solicitation was originally issued on March 25, 2020, with a bid opening date of March 31, 2020, at 10:00 AM, and the award was scheduled to be posted on April 2, 2020. Vendors were strongly encouraged to submit bids online via SCEIS vendor account and were required to be registered with the state to obtain a vendor number prior to bid submission.

The procurement allowed for South Carolina resident vendor preferences and end-product preferences for SC or US-produced items if qualifications were met. There were no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises mentioned in the documentation. The contract was ultimately awarded to Dade Paper & Bag, LLC, located in Lithia Springs, Georgia, with a total evaluated and awarded amount of $54,720.00, which equates to $16.00 per case. The product was classified under Product Category 64060 for Plastic & Styrofoam Products. Vendors were warned that failure to deliver by 1:00 PM on required delivery dates would result in being considered in default, with SCDC reserving the right to procure replacement products from the open market at the defaulting vendor's expense. The procurement was overseen by Myrtle deWerdt as the buyer, with Ruthie H. Bishop, CPPB, serving as the Director of Procurement.