Cheese Items

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) Enterprise Meat Processing Plant issued Invitation for Bid #52-IFB-2168674279-CRR on May 12, 2026, to procure cheese products for dietary requirements at correctional facilities. The solicitation encompasses four commodity items: Mozzarella Blend Cheese (shredded, 40,000 pounds estimated), Shredded Cheddar Blend (160,000 pounds estimated), Sliced American Cheese (160,000 pounds estimated), and Parmesan Cheese grated (20,000 pounds estimated), with all products to be delivered on an as-needed basis to specified North Carolina locations. Delivery must be completed within ten consecutive calendar days of purchase order receipt during specified hours (7:00 AM to 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM ET, Monday through Thursday only) to either the NCDAC Meat Processing Plant in Lillington or NCDAC-Americold Storage in Sanford, with all delivery costs included in the bid price. All products must meet USDA, NCDA, and FDA standards, and vendors must submit HACCP plans upon request and Letters of Guarantee from manufacturers upon award. Required qualifications include North Carolina vendor registration in good standing, three customer references, complete financial certification, and submission of North Carolina Secretary of State registration within ten business days of award notification before purchase orders will be issued. The bid submission deadline is June 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM ET, with written questions due by May 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM ET, state responses provided by May 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET, and samples required by May 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM ET. Bids will be publicly opened via Microsoft Teams meeting on June 1, 2026.

The contract does not indicate specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions limiting competition to particular organizational types. Three incumbent vendors from the prior contract awarded in June 2025 are identified: Horizon Sales, Inc. (Items 1 and 2, prior value $362,000), Robbins Sales Company Inc. (Item 3, prior value $33,420), and Shaver Foods, LLC (Item 4, prior value $233,880), for a combined prior contract value of approximately $629,300. The initial contract term is six months beginning July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, with the State holding an option to renew for an additional six-month term from January 1, 2027, through June 30, 2027, requiring written notice thirty days before the end of each term. Pricing shall be firm for the initial six-month term with no increases permitted; price increase requests for any renewal term must be submitted in writing at least sixty days prior to January 1, 2027, and require mutual negotiation and agreement.