Sole Source Public Review - ChildCare Food Services

The Illinois State Board of Education, through City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), is conducting a sole source public review for ChildCare Food Services to be provided to five childcare centers: Daley, KKC, MXC, OHC, and Truman centers, serving a combined enrollment of 187 children. The procurement encompasses a full-service meal program including breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks across 230 serving days annually, totaling 138,000 annual meals. Required qualifications include existing licensure to operate within CCC's kitchen facilities, demonstrated knowledge of site-specific compliance requirements, and the ability to maintain operations in compliance with Illinois State Board of Education Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) standards. The procurement establishes specific unit pricing with breakfast at $4.05 per meal, lunch at $6.17 per meal, and afternoon snack at $2.65 per meal, for a total annual contract value of $592,020. Key evaluation criteria emphasize operational continuity, food safety standards, sanitation oversight capabilities including on-site licensed sanitarian presence, and integrated service delivery. The public hearing for this sole source determination is scheduled for Monday, March 30, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CDT via Zoom teleconference, with the deadline for objections and vendor registration set for March 27, 2026. Interested parties may submit formal objections using the provided template to procurementservices@ccc.edu or contact William Moore, Procurement Contracts Administrator, at (312) 553-2590 to register for the hearing.

This is a sole source procurement with no specific set-aside designations identified in the available documentation. The incumbent vendor is Fooda, Inc., operating as a subcontractor under Food2U, which has maintained a continuous contractual relationship with CCC since at least 2018, with annual contracts previously ranging from $500,000 to $560,000. The sole source justification rests on Fooda's exclusive existing licenses to operate within CCC's kitchen spaces, its established operational presence, dedicated equipment infrastructure including hot holding and refrigeration systems, and its integrated service model with Food2U that would be difficult to replicate through alternative vendors. Fooda's pricing is subject to an annual cap tied to the Consumer Price Index, providing cost control protection for CCC. The contract value for the initial term is $600,000, with an estimated single renewal option extending the relationship. The proposed contract term runs from May 2025 through May 2026, representing a renewal of existing services rather than a new procurement, and is funded through Educational Funds.