JPMC Food and Grocery Items

The State of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS), governmental units, and qualified not-for-profit agencies are seeking to establish a Joint Purchase Master Contract to enable the purchase of a wide range of food and grocery items on an as-needed basis during the contract period. The solicitation covers categories such as dietary supplements, bakery products, dairy, frozen foods, perishable items, grocery staples, and bulk food items. Vendors must provide a detailed catalog price list and will be selected based on their ability to offer a percent discount off that list. Electronic submissions are required, and there is a 15% Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal for minority, women, and disabled-owned business participation. The contract term is 4 years with no renewal option, and the total term including extensions cannot exceed 10 years. A pre-bid conference was held on January 20, 2022 to discuss the BEP requirements and address vendor questions. The solicitation responses are due on February 22, 2022.

The resulting contract will be a required-use agreement for state agencies, while local governmental units and qualified not-for-profit organizations can utilize it on an optional basis. The State has indicated they will decide how to proceed if no responsive offers are received. Although incumbent vendor information is not provided, the State has compiled a comprehensive list of BEP-certified suppliers across the various food and grocery categories to establish a broad pool of vendors. The total contract value is estimated at $171 million over the initial 4-year term.