Food Service Management Company - Management Only

Tolleson Union High School District No. 214 (TUHSD) in Arizona is requesting proposals for a food service management company to provide management-only services across six high school sites, with proposals due September 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. MST under RFP 27-15-31 and Amendment No. 1. The School Food Authority retains all non-management food service staff; the FSMC assumes management, food purchasing, menu development, and financial management responsibilities.

The solicitation covers child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, After School Care Snack Program, and Seamless Summer Option, serving approximately 13,000 children and preparing roughly 2,000,000 meals annually. The district operates with a current workforce of 80 non-management employees. All TUHSD schools participate in Community Eligibility Provision with a free claiming percentage of 66.26%. The district has identified an approximate USDA Foods commodity allotment of $550,000 for SY2026-2027, consisting of approximately $490,000 in DoD Fresh and $60,000 in Brown Box allocations. The Meal Equivalency Factor is $5.19 for SY2026-2027, with breakfast at 0.67 meal equivalents and lunch/dinner at 1:1 ratio.

The contract term spans five years through June 30, 2031, with Year One as a partial contract year ending June 30, 2027. The FSMC must provide a performance guarantee selecting either "Guaranteed No Loss" or "Guaranteed Minimum Return" options; all costs must be included in the fixed meal rate with no cost-plus pricing structures permitted.

Evaluation criteria are weighted as Pricing 37%, Method of Approach and Implementation Plan 35%, and Experience, Expertise, and Reliability 28%, for a total of 1,000 possible points. The lowest responsive price receives 37 points; other offerors are scored using a comparative formula. A pre-offer conference is scheduled for September 3, 2026 at 9:45 a.m. MST at 9801 W. Van Buren Street, Tolleson, Arizona, including a campus tour. Offerors must submit six physical copies and one digital copy on USB drive; no bid or performance bonds are required. The District anticipates Governing Board approval on October 13, 2026, with contract commencement on January 1, 2027.