JPMC Food and Grocery Items RFP

The Illinois Department of Central Management Services, in agreement with the Chief Procurement Officer for General Services, is requesting proposals to establish a Joint Purchase Master Contract for Food and Grocery Items, with RFP proposals due July 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CDT. A pre-submission conference was held June 9, 2026; written questions were due June 16, 2026.

A 9% Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal applies to this procurement for contracting with businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Offerors must be BEP-certified at proposal submission; partial waivers are available with documented good-faith efforts across all ten BEP Act requirements.

The scope encompasses eight food and grocery categories: dietary food supplements, bakery products, fresh dairy products, frozen foods, perishable food items, grocery staples and miscellaneous items, bulk food items, and religious dietary food items. Vendors must submit a minimum of 234 line items with pricing for both specified items and expanded catalog offerings. Pricing shall be submitted as single percent discounts applied to catalog prices, remaining firm for the entire contract period while individual item costs may fluctuate. All pricing must be F.O.B. Destination with transportation and handling paid by the vendor. The State does not specify particular brands, allowing flexibility in product selection, but vendors must comply with agency-specific restrictions including glass and pull-tab prohibitions for certain facilities and DHS dairy packaging requirements.

The estimated volume for food and grocery items is $350 million, with no minimum volume guaranteed. FY 2025 state purchases totaled 1,691,808 cases at $67,354,288.23 expenditure; FY 2024 sales reached $55,922,110.20 across approximately 70 state facilities. The contract will have an initial five-year term with a maximum total contract term not exceeding ten years including renewals and extensions. The current contractor is MJ Kellner. The State reserves the right to award multiple contracts, with primary, secondary, and tertiary determinations made in order of highest to lowest evaluation points.

Evaluation comprises three scored components: Technical Requirements (400 points), Commitment to Diversity (80 points), and Pricing (192 points). Price points are calculated using the formula: 192 × (Lowest Price / Offeror's Price). A minimum of 336 combined technical and diversity points is required for price evaluation consideration. All submissions must be made electronically through BidBuy with a detailed catalog price list in Microsoft Excel or CSV format updated monthly.

Anticipated notice of award is October 2026, with contract execution in November 2026. Vendors must maintain general commercial liability insurance of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million annual aggregate.