March 2025 Meat & Cheese - DOC-PE

The Louisiana Office of State Procurement has issued Invitation to Bid (ITB #3000024235) for a comprehensive meat and cheese product procurement for the Department of Corrections Prison Enterprises (DOC-PE), specifically targeting the Wakefield facility in St. Francisville. The solicitation covers 36 line items including chicken leg quarters, whole cheese loaves, sliced cheese, various cooked and smoked meat products, fish portions, ham ends, roast beef, turkey breast, ground beef, and pork products. The bid requires vendors to deliver products processed within 90 days of delivery (120 days for Pollock), with specific temperature and packaging requirements including blast-frozen products at 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, packaged in plastic-lined boxes on standard 40" x 48" non-exchangeable pallets. Bids are due by February 19, 2025, at 10:00 AM CST, with contract delivery required on or before March 6, 2025. Evaluation will be conducted on an individual line item basis, with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder selected, except for lines 2 and 36 (cheese products) which will be awarded together as a group.

The procurement opportunity includes significant preferences for Louisiana-based businesses, with a 10% price preference for Louisiana agricultural products and a 7% preference for meat, seafood, and other specified Louisiana-processed products. Vendors must be registered in the LaGov system and can submit bids electronically through the LaPac procurement portal. Payment will be processed through either LaCarte procurement cards (for purchases under $5,000) or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) grading and certification program requirements will apply to all meat, poultry, and seafood products. Delivery logistics are strict, with scheduled deliveries Monday through Thursday between 7:00 am - 1:00 pm, excluding holidays, and requiring 24-hour advance notification to the Wakefield plant manager. While no specific budget range is explicitly stated, the procurement covers substantial quantities, such as 40,000 lbs of chicken leg quarters and 150 cases of whole loaf cheese, suggesting a significant contract value for the selected vendor(s).