Grocery, Milk, Bread bid

Lowndes County School Nutrition Program is seeking vendors to provide groceries, milk, and bread for the 2025-2026 school year through Invitation for Bid (IFB) #2026-04. The procurement covers an extensive range of food products for elementary, middle, and high schools, including frozen and refrigerated items, breakfast foods, pizzas, juices, milk, snacks, cereals, and condiment packets. Vendors must comply with specific requirements such as the Buy American Act, which mandates purchasing domestic commodities and products for school meal programs. The bid emphasizes full and open competition with precise product specifications, including nutritional standards, sodium content limitations, and whole grain requirements. Key dates include May 28, 2025, as the deadline for written questions, with bids due on June 18, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The initial contract term will run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, with potential extensions up to three months or renewal for four additional one-year terms based on vendor performance.

The procurement allows for potential piggyback opportunities, enabling other school districts in Georgia to utilize the same contract terms. While no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are explicitly mentioned, the bid emphasizes competitive bidding with a focus on domestic product sourcing. The School Nutrition Program reserves the right to award the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with the ability to accept or reject any or all bids. Pricing will remain firm for 180 days from the contract award, with potential annual price adjustments based on market conditions. The comprehensive bid documents include detailed pricing mechanisms, such as a net off-invoice (NOI) pricing method for certain items, and provide a contact list of 64 school district directors across Georgia who might potentially participate in the piggyback system. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the bid includes estimated usage quantities for various food products, which can help vendors prepare competitive pricing strategies.