Bulloch Invitation For Proposal Local Produce

The Bulloch County School District is issuing an Invitation for Proposal (IFP) to procure fresh, locally-grown produce for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to support its Farm to School program serving approximately 11,200 students across fourteen schools. The District seeks one or more vendors capable of supplying 24 produce items including watermelons, apples, persimmons, citrus varieties (Kisses, Kishus, Satsumas, and Tangerines), sweet potatoes, strawberries, potatoes, various greens, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, pears, Vidalia onions, whole grain flour, and butter beans, with all products required to be grown within 200 miles of Bulloch County. Deliveries must occur between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM in clean, sanitary conditions between August and May, with invoicing required within five business days of delivery and payment issued within 45 days of invoice receipt. Vendor qualifications include compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations; provision of food safety documentation including GAP audit certificates; maintenance of liability insurance; traceability documentation; and submission of sealed proposals containing a Response Cover Sheet, Contract Signature Page, Vendor Bid Form, Specifications & Quote Sheet, Lobbying Certificate Disclosure, Debarment Certification, and Anti-Collusion Affidavit. Evaluation will be based on a 100-point scoring system: Price (30 points), Alignment with requirements (20 points), Product quality and availability (30 points), and Services and Support (20 points), with price not being the sole determining factor. Written questions are due by April 27, 2026, at 4:00 PM, proposals must be submitted by May 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM to the School Nutrition Services & Auxiliary Warehouse at 18201 Highway 80 West, Statesboro, Georgia 30458, with opening at 11:00 AM that day, and award notification scheduled for May 8, 2026, with the contract running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

No set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions limiting the types of organizations that can respond are identified in the procurement documentation. The District does not require exclusive vendor relationships and will continue to procure some produce through the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and directly from local farmers as items become available, indicating flexibility in vendor arrangements. Historical pricing data from the 2025-2026 school year is provided as a reference, with examples including watermelons at $3.58 each, strawberries at $3.13 per pound, sweet potatoes at $2.00 per pound, and citrus fruits ranging from $1.60 to $2.75 per pound, though specific budget ranges or award values are not explicitly stated in the opportunity documents. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement announcement. The specification sheet indicates that vendors must provide their own pricing proposals for evaluation, as total cost columns lack populated values, suggesting the final contract value will be determined based on the quantities requested and vendor pricing submissions.