eRFP

The Oregon Child Nutrition Coalition (OCNC) has issued an electronic Request for Proposal (eRFP) for USDA Commodity Diversion processing services targeting participating school districts in Washington County and Hillsboro City. The procurement seeks proposals from vendors, manufacturers, and brokers to provide processed food products including entrees, sides, breakfast items, meats, grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy items for the 2024-2025 school year, with an optional renewal through 2025-2026. Vendors must submit detailed pricing information across multiple categories, including net off invoice (NOI) values, commercial bid prices, total cash costs, and true costs per portion. The RFP requires vendors to provide specific product details such as portion sizes, case counts, USDA donation values, and nutritional information. Proposals are due by January 18, 2024, at 2:00 pm PST, with an intent to award notification scheduled for February 15, 2024. The evaluation will consider factors such as pricing, product quality, and compliance with Oregon Department of Education requirements. The pricing agreement will be effective July 1, 2024, and any protests to the intent to award must be filed by February 22, 2024.

The procurement does not explicitly specify set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. The current broadline distributor for the OCNC cooperative is Sysco Portland, and the RFP covers approximately 83 school districts representing around 160,000 students. While specific incumbent vendors are not comprehensively listed, the Notice of Intent to Award documents reference potential product providers including Albie's Food Products, Bake Crafters Food Company, Buena Vista Foods, Butterball, and Conagra Brands, Inc. Pricing increases upon potential renewal are capped at the Consumer Price Index. Vendors must comply with the Buy American provision and obtain Oregon Department of Education vendor approval. Though no specific budget range is provided, the documents indicate that pricing will be evaluated based on a "true cost per portion" methodology, which includes commercial bid prices, USDA donation values, and an administrative fee of $0.15 per pound of donated food. The contract allows for flexible ordering without minimum or maximum quantity commitments.