Ice Cream

West Hartford Nutrition Services, a division of the West Hartford Board of Education in Connecticut's Hartford County, is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure ice cream products and delivery services for the 2026-2027 school year. The procurement seeks qualified vendors to supply 16 distinct ice cream products from approved manufacturers (including Fredericks and Rich's brands) in various formats—3-ounce and 4-ounce cups, juice bars (2.5 to 3 ounces), cones, and cyclone-style items—with estimated annual quantities ranging from 25 to 550 cases depending on the specific product. All ice cream products must comply with Connecticut's Healthy Snack Standards and be included on the approved list from the State Child Nutrition Office; vendors must provide detailed nutritional information and allergen data for all submitted items. Delivery requirements include once-weekly service to 16 school locations throughout the district, with products required to be delivered frozen and properly packaged to designated freezers by 1:00 p.m., excluding holidays and Saturdays, with the contract period running from August 15, 2026, through August 15, 2027. The RFP was posted on April 24, 2026, with a proposal submission deadline of June 5, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. EDT; no vendor question and answer period, site visits, or bidders' meetings have been scheduled. Required submissions include pricing sheets, product specifications, an Affirmative Action Statement, debarment certification, non-collusive bid statements, and insurance indemnification documentation. Pricing must remain firm throughout the contract period and be net and inclusive of delivery charges, with all applicable taxes excluded; vendors are responsible for providing ice cream storage and display freezers and must remove them at contract end. Evaluation will award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder at the Board of Education's discretion, which reserves the right to waive informalities or reject any or all bids.

No set-aside designations or restrictions limiting vendor eligibility have been noted in the solicitation documentation; all vendors are eligible to respond regardless of business classification. The documentation does not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors for reference. Vendors must maintain a superior rating from the local Board of Health and comply with federal domestic commodity preference requirements under Section 104(d) of the William F. Goodling Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998. Insurance requirements include Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 combined single limit, Automobile Liability of $1,000,000, Umbrella Liability of $1,000,000, Workers' Compensation at statutory limits, and Personal Property coverage on an all-risk replacement cost basis. No estimated total contract value has been disclosed in the RFP documentation. Either party may terminate the contract for cause with sixty days' written notice, and the Board of Education reserves the right to extend the contract for additional school years upon mutual agreement. Inquiries should be directed to Lisa Farrah at West Hartford Nutrition Services, 50 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06107, by telephone at 860-561-1679, fax at 860-561-1921, or electronically at lisa_farrah@whps.org.