LBRA Produce to Market Request for Proposals

The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services issued RFP HE-22-174 on January 6, 2023, seeking qualified organizations to plan, implement, and evaluate a sustainable program enabling small, medium, and convenience markets in Long Beach to procure fresh produce at prices comparable to larger grocery markets, with proposals due March 2, 2023. The City anticipated awarding up to two organizations, with a maximum of $250,000 per awardee as a reimbursement grant funded through American Rescue Plan Act resources.

Eligible organizations must be legal entities or sponsored by qualified fiscal agents capable of entering contracts with the City. The scope requires identifying and recruiting at least six farmers markets within designated priority zones (with low Healthy Place Index scores) to participate in a sustainable produce procurement program. Proposers must select from three approaches: establishing a food hub system leveraging group purchasing power, creating a centralized ordering system connecting growers and vendors with markets, or proposing an alternative achieving competitive wholesale pricing. The program must address produce sourcing, storage, transportation, market ordering systems, and payment mechanisms. Produce must be seasonal, available, and culturally relevant; it need not be organic or exclusively California-grown. All promotional materials must be translated into Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog at minimum.

The contract term runs from execution through September 30, 2024, with all funds required to be expended by that date. Awardees may request up to 20 percent advance payment to cover startup costs, with remaining costs reimbursed upon invoice submission and City approval. The indirect cost allocation rate is capped at 10 percent, the maximum allowable rate for nonprofit organizations regardless of higher federally or state-approved rates.

Evaluation weighted Scope of Work at 40 percent, Budget and Cost Effectiveness at 25 percent, Organizational Capacity and Experience at 20 percent, Evaluation Plan at 10 percent, and Sustainability at 5 percent. Organizations scoring above 60 percent proceeded to interviews; those scoring 40 to 59 percent were eligible for interview consideration.

Awardees must maintain commercial general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate, plus workers' compensation and commercial automobile liability where applicable. Equal Benefits Ordinance compliance applies to for-profit contractors with City contracts valued at $100,000 or more. A pre-proposal meeting was held January 26, 2023, with questions due January 31 and updated materials posted February 7. Long Beach Fresh, a project of Social Environmental Entrepreneurs, was selected as the sole awardee.