Direct Commodity Purchases

The City of New Haven and Board of Education Food Service is requesting proposals for commercial and commodity food items shipped directly from manufacturers to support the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program for the 2026 summer year and 2026–2027 school year, with proposals due June 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. through the City's OpenGov eProcurement Portal. A mandatory 25% participation goal from minority-owned businesses (MBE) and women-owned businesses (WBE) applies; the MBE Utilization Form must be completed and submitted, and failure to do so results in bid rejection.

The program serves approximately 17,500 to 19,000 meals per day across approximately 224 service days annually. The scope comprises over 200 line items across 14 product categories including frozen fish, beef, chicken, turkey, grain and cheese products, yogurt, fruit, beverages, and tomato products, with estimated quantities ranging from 4,000 to 480,000 portions by commodity. Respondents must provide firm fixed unit pricing for both commodity and commercial options and demonstrate annual velocity reporting capability detailing product purchases, farmer and manufacturer information, certifications, quantities, weights, and total costs. The City reserves the right to award to a single vendor or multiple vendors and may award separate items to different respondents with no minimum order quantities. Delivery goes directly to the Central Kitchen with day and time established by mutual agreement.

The contract period runs July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with two optional one-year renewal periods available at the sole discretion of the New Haven Public Schools Food and Nutrition Department through June 30, 2029. Respondents must comply with USDA Buy American provisions and procurement codes of conduct; the City of New Haven Living Wage Ordinance (21.95–$22.39 per hour for FY 26–27); and general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million combined aggregate, naming the City as additional insured. A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled June 2, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. Questions are due June 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Award is anticipated within 120 days of solicitation opening.