April 2025 Meat & Cheese - DOC-PE

The Louisiana Office of State Procurement is soliciting competitive bids for a comprehensive meat and cheese products contract for the Department of Corrections Prison Enterprises program, specifically targeting the Wakefield facility in St. Francisville. The procurement encompasses 33 line items including chicken leg quarters, pork roast, pork chops, beef products, turkey products, sausages, and cheese products, with a total estimated volume of approximately 40,000 pounds of products. Vendors must deliver products in refrigerated trucks, with specific packaging requirements including plastic-lined boxes, monofilament tape, and precise palletization standards. All products must be blast-frozen, processed within 90 days of delivery (120 days for Pollock), and have processing dates stamped on boxes. The bid is structured to award individual line items to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, with lines 32 and 33 (cheese products) to be awarded on a grouped basis. Critical deadlines include a bid submission due date of March 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM CST, with all deliveries to be completed by April 10, 2025, using Monday through Thursday delivery windows between 7:00 am and 1:00 pm.

The procurement offers price preferences for Louisiana-based businesses, including a 10% preference for products produced, manufactured, or assembled in Louisiana and a 5% preference for U.S.-manufactured products. Vendors must be registered in the LaGov system and comply with Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) grading and certification requirements for meat, poultry, and seafood products. No bid bond or performance bond is required for this solicitation, and payment will be processed via LaCarte procurement card for purchases under $5,000 or through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with net 30-day payment terms. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the procurement involves substantial volume across multiple product categories. Vendors must contact the Wakefield plant manager 24 hours prior to each delivery to schedule appointments, and penalties may be applied for non-compliant deliveries that do not meet the specified processing, packaging, and quality standards.