Ice Cream Products

The Pinellas County School District (Bid 26-JG-019) is soliciting sealed electronic bids for ice cream products to be delivered to approximately 117 district facilities across multiple municipalities including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, and surrounding areas. The procurement seeks a single supplier to provide and deliver 12 primary product line items including low-fat ice cream cups, ice cream sandwiches, frozen fruit juice bars and cups, ice cream cones, fudge bars, eclairs, sherbet cups, and push-up pops, with estimated quantities ranging from 500 to 10,000 dozen units across various categories. All products must meet USDA Smart Snacks in School requirements with strict nutritional parameters including maximum calories of 200, sodium at or below 200 mg, total fat at 35% of calories or less, saturated fat below 10% of calories, zero trans fat, and sugar at 35% by weight or less, while conforming to the State Frozen Dessert Act and FDA regulations under Title 21. Bids must be submitted electronically through the District's OpenGov Procurement Portal by 3:00 p.m. on May 27, 2026, with bid evaluation and contractor selection occurring between May 27 and June 2, 2026, Notice of Intent to Award on June 16, 2026, and School Board approval estimated for June 23, 2026. Evaluation criteria include responsiveness and responsibility factors encompassing compliance with specifications, price, lead time, taste acceptability, packaging, product freshness, quality, and nutritional information, with all products subject to student acceptance testing prior to final selection. The initial contract period runs from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2028, with options for three additional one-year renewal periods by mutual consent and three additional thirty-day unilateral extension periods at the District's discretion, and successful bidders must provide monthly usage reports, maintain adequate warehouse inventory of at least two weeks' stock, deliver products weekly in proper freezer vehicles between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and provide chest freezers or ice cream freezers to designated locations at no charge.

The solicitation contains no noted set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to specific organization types or disadvantaged enterprises. Bidders are required to obtain and maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including General Liability Insurance with limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate for projects under $500,000, Automotive Liability Insurance with a $300,000 combined single limit, and Workers' Compensation Insurance at statutory limits, with certificates filed and approved by the School Board's Risk Management Department prior to work initiation. Pricing shall remain firm throughout the initial two-year contract term with all freight and handling charges included in bid prices, with price escalation or de-escalation permitted at renewal periods capped at the previous year's Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) percentage change, provided written notice is given at least 60 days prior to contract expiration. The District estimates the total contract value at approximately $500,000 for the initial two-year period including all renewal options. Suppliers should register through the OpenGov Procurement Portal to receive automatic notifications of solicitations, addenda, and answers to posted questions, and physical product samples must be submitted on or before May 27, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. to Julie Kalach, Food Distribution Specialist at the Walter Pownall Service Center, Food & Nutrition Department located at 11111 S. Belcher Rd, Largo, FL 33773.