Commercial Meat, Meat Alternate and Grocery

Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS), a Georgia-based education agency serving over 52,000 students across 67 schools, issued Invitation for Bids (IFB) 014-23 on June 28, 2023, to procure commercial meat, meat alternates, and grocery items on an as-needed basis to support breakfast, lunch, and snack programs across its school nutrition services. The solicitation encompasses 711 line items spanning fresh and frozen proteins (beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey, plant-based alternatives), grains, vegetables, fruits, beverages, dairy products, prepared meals, condiments, and pantry staples, with estimated annual quantities ranging from 15 to 150,000 cases depending on the item. All products must comply with Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and USDA nutritional standards, including whole grain requirements, reduced sodium options, Smart Snack compliance, and U.S. Grade A quality standards where applicable. Successful bidders must maintain E-Verify compliance, provide proof of insurance with comprehensive general liability and automobile liability coverage of $1,000,000 each, hold current Georgia business licenses and certificates of authority, and demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience providing similar services to school districts of comparable size. All deliveries must be made in refrigerated vehicles to 67 school locations and additional non-school buildings throughout Clayton County on a weekly basis through a food service distributor, with F.O.B. destination pricing inclusive of all charges. The pre-bid conference was initially scheduled for July 13, 2023, but was rescheduled to July 17, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. EST via Zoom; written questions were due by July 25, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. EST with answers posted by August 1, 2023; and bids were due August 9, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. EST through the Bonfire online procurement platform. Bidders must submit complete pricing on the Excel Spreadsheet Bid Cost Form with signed Response Submission Forms; those offering alternate or equal products must provide samples to the CCPS Nutrition Department upon request, and all proposed exceptions to IFB terms must be submitted in writing, understanding that unacceptable revisions may result in bid rejection.

The solicitation does not identify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting bidder eligibility to disadvantaged enterprises or specific organizational categories. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are listed in the solicitation documents. The procurement utilizes the Bonfire digital platform for submission and evaluation, requiring all bidders to upload supporting documentation including W9 Forms, Contractor Affidavits and Agreements, Bidders Representation and Declarations, Sub-Contractor Affidavits and Agreements, and Reference and Release Forms, with a maximum file upload size of 1,000 MB. CCPS intends to make one award but reserves the right to make multiple awards or no award; the initial contract term is one year with the potential for three successive one-year renewal periods, terminating on June 30 of each applicable fiscal year. Pricing is the primary evaluation criterion, with all costs designated as firm and fixed for the first option year from the contract award date; price adjustments thereafter may be considered quarterly during July, October, January, and April based on third-party market reports including USDA Agricultural Marketing Service reports and Consumer Price Index data, with increases limited to ten percent per item. However, it is critical to note that Addendum 4, issued on August 29, 2023, cancelled IFB 014-23 and announced that the solicitation will not be awarded, rendering this procurement opportunity no longer available for bidding.