Food Safety and Sanitation Consulting, Educational Training, and Related Supplies

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative (MESC), an Arizona-based statewide purchasing consortium representing approximately 480 public agencies, issued Request for Proposal 26A-0212 on January 20, 2026, seeking qualified vendors to provide food safety and sanitation consulting, educational training, and related supplies. The procurement encompasses comprehensive consulting services including hazard analysis, corrective action plan development, HACCP principles instruction, and compliance reviews; on-site audits, evaluations, and staff training; ANSI certification training and testing; and educational training covering biological and chemical hazards, cleaning and sanitizing, temperature control, food allergies, hand-washing, and personal hygiene tailored for directors, supervisors, on-site trainers, and school personnel. Deliverables include project plans, final reports, training documentation provided within 3-5 business days after site visits, and bilingual training materials and instruction in Spanish. The solicitation requires vendors to submit completed pricing workbooks in unlocked Excel format based on percent discounts off manufacturer price lists, firm fixed prices, or combinations thereof, all subject to MESC's mandatory 1% administration fee, along with current manufacturer price lists or catalogs; no undefined pricing terms such as "call for quote" or "TBD" will be accepted. The pre-proposal conference is scheduled for January 29, 2026, the deadline for submitting questions is February 5, 2026, and proposals are due electronically through the OpenGov Procurement portal by February 12, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Award will be based on weighted evaluation criteria including pricing (30 points), offer and acceptance documents and specifications compliance (25 points), vendor qualifications and experience (20 points), supporting contract documents (15 points), and additional information demonstrating capability (10 points), with the initial contract term set for one calendar year from the effective date of award and four optional consecutive one-year extensions available based on satisfactory performance and continued competitive pricing.

This procurement contains no identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular organization types, including disadvantaged enterprises; however, vendors must comply with extensive federal compliance requirements when federal funds are used, including equal employment opportunity provisions, debarment and suspension certifications, clean air and water act compliance, civil rights compliance, buy American provisions for food purchases, E-Verify requirements, and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requirements for food purchases. Vendors must complete mandatory certifications including the Anti-Lobbying Certification Form certifying compliance with the Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S. Code § 1352), USDA Form AD-1048 Certification Regarding Debarment and Suspension, and the EDGAR Certification outlining federal compliance provisions; failure to comply with anti-lobbying requirements subjects violators to civil penalties ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for each violation. Vendors must designate six specific contact representatives, provide their Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax License Number, specify warranty services and technical assistance availability, detail lodging arrangements aligned with Arizona State Travel Policy, and provide Safety Data Sheets in English and Spanish for all applicable products with OSHA-compliant labeling and environmentally sustainable packaging. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the solicitation documents. The RFP does not specify an overall budget value or award amount; rather, pricing will be competitively evaluated based on the submitted proposals, with MESC reserving the right to award multiple contracts to one or more responsive and responsible offerors whose proposals are determined most advantageous to MESC and its members.