Frozen & Dry Food Storage & Trailer Delivery BPS

Boston Public Schools Department of Food and Nutrition Services is requesting quotes for frozen and dry food storage and trailer delivery services, with sealed bids due October 13, 2026, at 12:00 PM and questions due October 5, 2026. The contract runs from December 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, and will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder based on total pricing across all line items.

The vendor must provide storage capacity for an average of 250–300 frozen pallets and 100–150 dry storage pallets, with emergency capacity to accept 100 additional pallets of each type. Transportation services must connect the vendor's facility to the BPS Central Food Facility at 370 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Massachusetts. The vendor's facility should be located within 60 miles of the central facility. Deliveries are itemized by trip volume: 1–16 pallets and 17–24 pallets per one-way trip. Services include receiving, shipping, pallet lumping, broken pallet replacement, and product photography documentation. Year 1 activity (December 2026 through June 2027) projects 300 first-month frozen units, 50 first-month dry units, 1,650 additional-month frozen units, 1,000 additional-month dry units, 250 receiving and 400 shipping operations, 50 lumping fees, 50 broken pallet replacements, and 25 photography requests. Years 2 and 3 show increased activity with higher storage and handling volumes.

Vendors must demonstrate at least five years of prior experience receiving, storing, and transporting foods for the USDA Foods Direct Delivery program and submit three client references from contracts completed within the past two years. Boston Public Schools serves over 46,000 students across 123 schools and operates the largest school meal program in New England.

Wage and compliance certifications are mandatory. Covered vendors with 25 or more full-time equivalent employees must comply with the Boston Jobs, Living Wage, and Prevailing Wage Ordinance, paying a minimum of $19.36 per hour effective July 1, 2026. Vendors must complete CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) compliance certification, wage theft prevention certification (CM-16), and contractor certification forms. Large vehicles exceeding 10,000 pounds gross weight must be equipped with side under-ride guards, convex blind spot mirrors, cross-over mirrors, and warning signage, subject to City inspection prior to work commencement. Insurance recommendations include Workers' Compensation with $1,000,000 employer's liability, Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, $1,000,000 Umbrella Liability, and $1,000,000 Technology Errors & Omissions/Cyber Liability, with the City named as Additional Insured on all policies except Workers' Compensation. The solicitation is open to all responsive and responsible bidders, with encouragement for small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. Award is expected by October 20, 2026.