ICE cream & frozen treats

The School Board of Seminole County, Florida, issued Invitation to Bid No. 25260071B-VG to procure ice cream and frozen treats for delivery to the Red Apple Dining Department and School Culinary Programs across approximately 54 school campuses serving over 61,000 students. The procurement seeks individually wrapped ice cream products meeting USDA Smart Snack Guidelines, including bars/pushups, cups, cones, and sandwiches, with estimated annual quantities totaling approximately 711,000 units across 11 line items. The selected vendor must provide weekly Monday through Friday deliveries (approximately 2,000 delivery stops annually over 39 school weeks), supply and maintain 56 freezer chests at 52 campuses at no cost to the School Board, and achieve a minimum delivery accuracy of 99 percent with deliveries between 6:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. All pricing must be quoted FOB inside delivery to Seminole County, with the vendor responsible for all delivery, transportation, handling, and offloading costs. The contract term is three years from Board approval (May 12, 2026) with an option for an additional two-year renewal period subject to mutual agreement, and the School Board reserves the right to cancel with 30 days' notice before the end of any fiscal year. Critical deadlines include a voluntary pre-bid meeting on February 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EST via WebEx; sample submission by March 6, 2026, between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.; sample evaluation during March 9-16, 2026; questions due February 25, 2026, before 11:00 a.m. EST; and final bid submissions due April 2, 2026, by 11:00 a.m. EST via WebEx, with Board approval scheduled for May 12, 2026.

The solicitation documents do not specify any set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to disadvantaged enterprises or particular organization types, nor do they identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors. Bidders must demonstrate compliance with Federal Buy American provisions for domestic agricultural products and provide current health department inspection reports. The vendor must carry comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), Product Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and Workers' Compensation at statutory limits, and must submit all required certifications and affidavits (drug-free workplace, debarment, conflict of interest, lobbying, and labor practices) as part of the submittal package. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the contract documents; however, the substantial volume of approximately 711,000 units annually with weekly deliveries to 43 individual school locations indicates a significant procurement value. The School Board is exempt from Federal Excise and State of Florida Sales taxes, and the evaluation committee will recommend the award to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder based on sample approval and compliance with all submittal requirements outlined in Addendum 1.