Direct Commodity Purchases 2025-2026

The New Haven Board of Education Food and Nutrition Department issued Request for Proposals (RFP #2025-RFP-169) for Direct Commodity Purchases for the 2025-2026 school year, with a contract period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and two optional one-year renewal periods. The City of New Haven and New Haven Public Schools are procuring comprehensive commercial and commodity food items to be shipped directly from manufacturers to support breakfast meal service for approximately 224 service days, serving 19-20,000 meals daily. The procurement encompasses a broad range of frozen and packaged items including fish, beef, chicken, turkey, sauces, cheeses, grains, pizza, sandwiches, juices, tomato products, and supplemental meal items such as beef and cheese stick meals, cheese cups, and various nutritionally-balanced breakfast components. Specific deliverables include detailed velocity reports containing comprehensive product purchase information with weights, production locations, and line-item details, adherence to USDA Buy American provisions requiring over 51% domestic production, firm fixed pricing for the contract duration with potential adjustments for significant market changes, and compliance with Good Food Purchasing Program guidelines encompassing local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare, and community health standards. Evaluation criteria include pricing (25 points), delivery capabilities and MWBE partnerships (30 points), group purchasing organization benefits (20 points), business stability and environmental efforts (10 points), and product description (additional points). The Intent to Respond was due March 31, 2025, with the initial proposal submission deadline of April 1, 2025, at 11:00 AM; however, Addendum #3 revised the proposal deadline to April 22, 2025, at 11:00 AM, providing vendors additional time for submission preparation and response formulation.

The solicitation prioritizes participation from Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), with MWBE partnerships comprising a significant evaluation component worth 30 points, and encourages involvement of locally owned, minority-owned, female-owned, and small businesses in accordance with New Haven Public Schools Procurement Policy 3323. Vendors must demonstrate compliance with Connecticut state laws and municipal procurement guidelines, maintain appropriate insurance coverage, and provide detailed reporting aligned with the Good Food Purchasing Program standards, with failure to provide complete datasets potentially resulting in lower assessment scores or contract breach considerations. The procurement follows the Board of Education's formal competitive bidding process required for purchases exceeding $25,000, with the city retaining the right to award contracts to one or multiple vendors and maintaining final decision-making authority on contract awards. Invoices must be submitted electronically to NHinvoice@newhavenct.gov, and all costs including freight, warehousing, financing, delivery, and administrative expenses must be incorporated into the vendor's pricing structure with a specified maximum percentage markup. While specific budget ranges or award values are not explicitly detailed in the procurement documents, the scale of operation—serving 19-20,000 meals daily across approximately 224 service days with estimated quantities ranging from 4,000 to 480,000 portions for various commodities—indicates a substantial contract value reflecting significant food service procurement needs for the district.