Foods: Staple grocery and canned fruits & vegetables.

The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) issued Invitation for Bid (IFB) CAA-17-IFB #7842 for staple grocery items and canned fruits and vegetables to supply six correctional facilities: Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility in Crowley, Denver Women's Correctional Facility in Denver, Buena Vista Correctional Facility in Buena Vista, Limon Correctional Facility in Limon, Sterling Correctional Facility in Sterling, and the Central Warehouse in Canon City. The procurement encompasses a comprehensive range of food products including margarine spreads, baking powder, grains, cereals, coffee, fresh and canned fruits, vegetables, condiments, spices, oils, and beans, with total quantities ranging from 18 cases for specialty items to as many as 4,424 cases for green beans across the facilities. All bids must be submitted in sealed envelope format to the Colorado Department of Corrections Purchasing Office by June 1, 2016, at 3:00 PM, with product samples for items marked with an asterisk due by the same date at the Central Warehouse located at 57500 East Highway 50 & Evans Road, Canon City, Colorado 81212. Proposals for food delivery are required prior to July 22, 2016. Bidders must provide detailed pricing on a per-unit basis on forms supplied by the state, with unit prices prevailing in case of extension errors, and all commodities must meet the latest United States Department of Agriculture standards for requested grades. Special requirements include current pack dates for freshness assurance, non-glass containers for safety in correctional settings, kosher certification for designated items, FOB destination delivery with no combined tie-ins between facilities, and palletized shipments with drop shipments accepted. The state reserves the right to reject any and all bids, and inquiries should be directed to Mario Burciago, Purchasing Agent Manager, DOC Warehouse Operations, at 719-269-5961.

Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) officially registered and verified by the Center for Veteran Enterprise are eligible to claim a three percent preference on this bid. Bidders may also seek qualification for environmentally preferable product preferences in accordance with Colorado Procurement Code CRS 24-103-207.5. The solicitation encourages free and open competition and will award the contract to the responsible bidder whose bid is determined most advantageous; in the event of low tie bids, awards will be made in accordance with Colorado Procurement Code CRS 24-103-202.5. The Colorado Department of Corrections is exempt from sales and use tax, and quoted prices should not include this charge. Award of the contract may be made item by item unless bidders specifically take exception to this method of award. The state controller may withhold payments to vendors with outstanding debts including unpaid child support, taxes, student loans, or other obligations owed to state agencies as specified in CRS 24-30-202.4. No specific budget range or estimated contract value was disclosed in the procurement documents.