REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL For Local Produce Processing

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) in Wisconsin is seeking a local produce processing vendor through Request for Proposal (RFP) 4025 to handle produce sourcing for its 2019 summer food program and 2019-2020 school year. The procurement covers processing of specific produce items including cucumber slices, cut peppers, trimmed broccoli and cauliflower, cut carrots and kohlrabi, romaine lettuce cuts, and sweet potato sticks, as well as whole produce such as apples, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and green beans. Vendors must provide weekly and bi-weekly quantities ranging from 5 to 125 cases depending on seasonal availability. Key mandatory requirements include maintaining a HACCP plan certification, guaranteeing a 98 percent fill rate for seasonally available items, delivering to the Food Production Center between 5:00-7:00 AM Monday through Friday, and ensuring fresh cut fruit is packaged within 24 hours of delivery. The proposal submission deadline is November 16, 2018 at 2:00 PM (CST), with a vendor conference scheduled for November 2, 2018 at 1:00 PM (CST). Evaluation criteria will weight cost at 35 percent, service requirements at 20 percent, organizational qualifications at 20 percent, diverse-owned business certification at 10 percent, and references at 15 percent.

The district offers potential preference points for diverse-owned businesses certified by the Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program or participating in the Wisconsin Diversity Procurement Network, which could provide a 5 percent advantage in scoring. The contract term runs from June 12, 2019 through June 12, 2020, with options for two additional one-year renewals by mutual agreement. Pricing will be structured as the cost of raw product plus a per-case mark-up, differentiated between processed and non-processed products. The district reserves the right to reject any proposals, negotiate terms with the highest-scoring proposer, or award to multiple vendors. The contract can be terminated by MMSD with 60 days' written notice or by the contractor with 90 days' prior written notice. While no specific budget range is detailed, the comprehensive produce processing requirements suggest a significant annual procurement value. The district is tax-exempt and anticipates awarding the contract by December 18, 2018, with the successful vendor needing to demonstrate robust food safety practices, including compliance with USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards as evidenced by the attached audit verification form.