Direct Commodity - Shelf Stable Cheese

The City of New Haven and Board of Education Food Service is requesting proposals for shelf-stable cheese to supply the New Haven Public Schools Child Nutrition Program for the 2026 summer year and 2026-2027 school year, with proposals due October 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM and a mandatory pre-proposal meeting on October 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM via Microsoft Teams.

The scope consists of four line items totaling 80,000 portions of individually wrapped, tamper-evident cheese sticks or planks in specified flavors (Vintage, Ranch, Jalapeno, and Cheddar), each 1 ounce in size. The vendor must demonstrate quality assurance capabilities, day-to-day delivery capability to all NHPS facilities, and submit a plan to partner with Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBEs) at no additional cost to the City. All vendors must provide proof of adequate insurance including $1 million in Abuse and Molestation coverage, comply with all federal and state food regulations, and fulfill orders within 10 business days. Delivery is required Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM EST, excluding public holidays, with 24-hour order confirmation. The program operates approximately 224 service days annually and serves between 17,500 and 19,000 meals per day.

The initial contract term is one year with two optional one-year extension periods subject to the Purchasing Agent's approval. Pricing must be firm fixed for the contract duration, with costs submitted separately from the technical proposal. Evaluation criteria are weighted as follows: cost/value (25 points), service and capability (30 points), buying group participation and system integration (20 points), business information and stability (15 points), and complete item descriptions (10 points). Questions are due October 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM. Proposals require notarized certification documents, current workforce demographic information, and three client references demonstrating similar service delivery to comparable-size school districts. The City is tax-exempt under Connecticut State Statute Section 12-412a.