Lighthouse Purchasing Co-op

The Lighthouse Purchasing Co-op, representing 42 K-12 school districts and educational institutions across Connecticut and Rhode Island, is procuring refrigerated liquid milk products for the contract period of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with potential renewal options for two additional one-year periods. The cooperative seeks qualified vendors to supply and deliver a comprehensive range of dairy products including buttermilk, half and half, whole milk, fat-free milk, 1% milk, chocolate milk variants, and strawberry milk in multiple pack sizes, with forecasted quantities ranging from as few as 4 units to as many as 1,032,500 units depending on product type and size. Vendors must provide clean, properly insulated refrigerated delivery equipment; milk coolers to each location with ongoing maintenance and replacement services throughout the contract term; twice-weekly deliveries on set days to individual school locations between 6:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.; and sales representatives available for all participating districts. All products must meet specific nutritional standards including minimum milk fat content, vitamin D and vitamin A levels, calorie counts, and restrictions on added sugars for flavored varieties, with packaging specified as paper cartons for certain sizes and plastic containers for others. Pricing must be submitted in both fixed and fluctuating formats, with fluctuating price adjustments permitted only according to the Federal Milk Market Administrator's Class I monthly price announcements using the official Class One conversion calculator. The evaluation will be conducted using a 100-point scale: 45 points for lowest price, 20 points for customer service, 20 points for accuracy of delivery and timeliness, and 15 points for accounting and invoicing practices. Sealed RFP submissions must be delivered in person or by mail to Lighthouse Food Cooperative at 154 Toll Gate Road, Groton, Connecticut by 9:00 a.m. on April 21, 2026; vendor questions are accepted from March 21, 2026 at 7:15 a.m. EDT through April 20, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EDT; and award notification is scheduled for end of day Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

This procurement is open to all vendors without geographic restrictions or set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. All items must be domestic/USA-produced or comply with USDA requirements, with non-domestic purchases limited to 10% beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026, decreasing to 8% by 2028-2029 and 5% by 2031-2032 per the 2024 Final Rule on Child Nutrition Programs. Deliveries are required to 104 schools across the participating districts with specific delivery windows and location-specific restrictions, including schools with no loading docks and schools prohibiting deliveries during lunch periods, necessitating flexible logistics protocols to accommodate diverse operational requirements. Vendors must provide certificates of insurance, complete RFP packages including cover sheets, vendor questionnaires, affirmative action statements, debarment certifications, lobbying certifications, and confirmation lists of members they will service, with incomplete RFPs not eligible for consideration. No estimated total contract value is publicly listed in the solicitation documents. Delivery terms are Free On Board (FOB) Destination, and payment terms are to be vendor-specified, allowing flexibility in negotiation between the school districts and the selected vendor. Ernest Koschmieder serves as the primary contact for this solicitation at Groton Public Schools, 1300 Flanders Road, Groton, CT 06340, telephone 860-449-7208.