RFI - Local Seafood For Schools

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), in partnership with Massachusetts Farm to Schools (MFTS), is requesting information from local seafood providers regarding supply of fresh, locally sourced, or value-added seafood products for Massachusetts school districts, with responses due by 5:00 p.m. on May 29, 2026. This is an RFI only and does not constitute a bid or guarantee future contract awards.

The RFI seeks responses from harvesters, producers, distributors, processors, freezing entities, and commissary services capable of supplying seafood landed within the six New England states and New York. Respondents must address four primary questions: quantity and types of local seafood products available by month; proof of sourcing and traceability capabilities; supply chain descriptions; and capacity to serve multiple school districts across Massachusetts with established delivery parameters.

Responses must be submitted electronically to Kelsi Champley at kchampley@mapc.org using the provided Respondent's Information Sheet as a cover page followed by answers to the four questions in word document format with no specified page limit. Respondents bear all costs of preparation and submission; MAPC will not provide compensation for RFI participation.

MAPC reserves the right to extend the submission deadline by up to thirty additional days and will post all questions and responses on its website for public access. All data, materials, and documentation submitted become the exclusive property of MAPC and are subject to disclosure under Massachusetts Public Records Law, except for proprietary information and trade secrets explicitly identified by the respondent. The RFI builds on the conclusion of a previous MAPC seafood program in 2021 and renewed school-district interest in sourcing local seafood for child nutrition programs.