SCDE-USDA Food Delivery

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), procuring through the State Fiscal Accountability Authority's Division of Procurement Services, is soliciting offers for warehousing and distribution of USDA food commodities to recipient agencies statewide, with a pre-proposal conference on November 18, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET via Microsoft Teams. No set-aside or preference program is stated. Award will be made to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.

Bidders must maintain at least 40,000 square feet of storage accommodating dry, refrigerated, and frozen foods and must have sufficient tractor-trailers to deliver a minimum of 50 truckloads per week. The contractor will receive, unload, inspect, and document inbound shipments; rotate stock first-in, first-out; maintain inventory records traceable by sales order number; submit weekly and monthly delivery tracking reports; and provide two dedicated commodity coordinators with 24/7 emergency availability. Additional scope includes fee-for-service commodities, net off-invoice inventory management, emergency response, and record retention for three years following the federal fiscal year. The contractor assumes liability for freight demurrage, detention, diversion charges, shortages, damages, and claims arising from improper product handling. Approximately 165,552 cases of USDA Direct Delivery commodities across 60 product types were received in School Year 2025-2026, and the contract serves approximately 114 recipient agencies, including public, charter, private, and parochial schools and residential childcare facilities.

Pricing is fixed per case, with unit prices governing over extended prices. The contract term is estimated to run from July 2, 2027 to July 1, 2032, with an estimated maximum contract period of five years. Questions must be received by December 1, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET, offers must be submitted online by December 30, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET, and award will be posted on January 13, 2027. Attachments A and E provide the recipient agency and site lists, and Attachment C describes the three distribution pathways: Direct Delivery, Processing and Fee for Service with Net Off Invoice items, and DoD Fresh.