Meat, Meat Alternate and Grocery, Net Off Invoice

Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB 015-23) on April 14, 2023, seeking qualified vendors to provide meat, meat alternate, and grocery items on a Net Off Invoice basis to support food service operations for approximately 53,000 students across 67 schools, with bids originally due May 11, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EST. This procurement was cancelled via Addendum #2 issued June 29, 2023; no award will be made.

The scope encompassed 86 line items including frozen and prepared food products (bagels, breadsticks, cheese products, chicken items, flatbreads, pizzas, potato products, turkey-based items, and prepared sandwiches) with estimated total volumes reaching approximately 190,000 cases across all categories. All products were required to comply with USDA commodity codes, CN labeling where applicable, and approved brand specifications or approved equal alternatives. Bidders were required to provide nutrient analysis or nutrition facts labels for each item and demonstrate a minimum of three years of experience supplying meat, meat alternate, and grocery items to a school district comparable in size to CCPS.

Vendors had to maintain Worker's Compensation insurance with statutory limits, Comprehensive General Liability insurance of at least $1 million, and Automobile Liability insurance of at least $1 million. All prices were firm and fixed for the first contract year from award, with potential quarterly price adjustments (July, October, January, April) based on verified market changes using third-party sources such as USDA Agricultural Marketing Service reports or Consumer Price Index data, subject to 30-day advance notice and CCPS approval. The initial contract term was one year with three successive one-year renewal options, terminating June 30 of each contract year. Deliveries required strict temperature compliance: refrigerated items at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below and frozen products at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Monthly invoicing with payment within 30 days of delivery or invoice receipt applied.

Bidders were required to submit food recall and biosecurity policy documentation compliant with the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 and FDA/USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service standards. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference was held April 20, 2023 via Zoom. Written questions were due April 27, 2023, with responses posted by May 4, 2023. Bid submissions were made through the Bonfire portal, with all documents in PDF format except the Category A USDA Commodity Net Off Invoice BidTable, which required Excel format.