Bulloch Invitation for Proposal Local Protein

The Bulloch County School District is issuing an Invitation for Proposal to procure fresh locally raised and processed protein for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to serve approximately 11,200 students across fourteen schools. The District seeks vendors offering beef products (ground beef, philly steak sliced, and shredded beef), pork products (breakfast sausage patties, ground sausage, sausage links, and sliced ham), and poultry (chicken wings, drumsticks, breast, thighs, whole chickens, and whole turkeys) with monthly deliveries from July through March, with total projected volumes ranging from 800 to 34,000 pounds depending on the product type. All products must be raised and processed within a 200-mile radius of Bulloch County, frozen or refrigerated in cases ranging from 10 to 48 pounds per case, and vendors must provide American Grassfed Certification, G.A.P. 5-Step Compliance of Animal Welfare Standards Certification, HACCP program documentation, and food safety procedures. The evaluation criteria allocate 30 points to price (firm, fixed-price basis), 20 points to alignment with requirements, 30 points to product quality and availability, and 20 points to services and support, with award decisions based on factors beyond price alone including local purchasing preference and service capabilities. The written question deadline is April 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM, proposals are due May 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the School Nutrition Services & Auxiliary Warehouse located at 18201 Highway 80 West, Statesboro, Georgia 30458, with proposal opening at 2:00 PM the same day and award notification expected by May 8, 2026. The contract will run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with the potential for extension up to four additional one-year terms if requested by the awarded vendor at least 120 days in advance of contract expiration.

The District may award the RFP to multiple proposers and does not restrict the types of organizations that can respond, indicating no specific set-aside designations or disadvantaged enterprise requirements in the available documentation. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents, and the District will continue procuring protein through USDA and commercial sources in addition to any awards from this proposal. Products must be delivered in clean, new containers between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM at the designated warehouse, with invoices due within five business days of delivery and payment expected within 45 days of receipt. Vendors must designate primary and secondary contacts for responsive communication regarding availability and order logistics, with weekly communication expected during the school year. While no specific award values or budget ranges are disclosed in the RFP, the substantial projected protein volumes—totaling thousands of pounds across multiple product categories monthly—indicate a significant contract opportunity aligned with the District's commitment to its Farm to School program.