Bread 2025-2026

The New Haven Board of Education Food and Nutrition Department is soliciting a Request for Proposals (RFP) for bread and bakery products for the 2025-2026 school year, covering approximately 224 service days with 22,000 daily meals. The procurement seeks both fresh and frozen bread products, including whole grain white bread, whole wheat bread, kaiser rolls, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, pita bread, and wraps, to be delivered directly to central kitchens and schools. Vendors must comply with USDA Buy American Provisions, requiring over 51% of agricultural commodities to be domestically produced. The RFP emphasizes firm fixed pricing with potential adjustments for significant market changes, and requires comprehensive documentation including nutritional analysis, product samples, recall programs, and HACCP documentation. Evaluation criteria include service and capability (30 points), cost/value (25 points), group purchasing organization participation (20 points), and additional factors such as business information and detailed item listings. The response deadline is April 22, 2025, at 11:00 am, with a non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting scheduled for April 9, 2025. The contract period runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with options to renew for two additional one-year periods.

The solicitation encourages participation from minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) vendors and includes provisions for promoting locally owned, minority-owned, female-owned, and small businesses. Vendors are expected to demonstrate partnerships with MWBE organizations and provide evidence of diverse business capabilities. While specific award values are not explicitly stated, the procurement involves an extensive range of bread products with estimated quantities between 50,000 to 1,700,000 units across 48 different line items. The City of New Haven reserves the right to award the contract to one or multiple vendors based on the most advantageous proposal to the district's programs. Vendors must adhere to the Good Food Purchasing Program standards, which requires detailed reporting on food purchases, including weights and manufacturing locations, and considers various third-party certifications across environmental, workforce, and animal welfare dimensions. The procurement follows the New Haven Public Schools' Professional Services Procurement Policy, which emphasizes open competition, transparency, and responsible vendor selection, with contracts typically limited to three fiscal years and potential renewals.