USDA Certified Grocery Items - Dept. of Corrections

The State of Missouri Department of Corrections has issued an Invitation for Bid (IFBC30034901701003) for USDA Certified Grocery Items to be delivered to two commodity warehouses: the Central Region Commodity Warehouse in Jefferson City and the Eastern Region Commodity Warehouse in Bonne Terre. The procurement covers 20 different line items of canned and packaged food products, including sliced apples, applesauce, various beans, beets, carrots, corn, hominy, peas, peaches, peanut butter, pears, pineapple, spinach, tomato products, and sweet potatoes. Quantities for these items range from 661 to 13,328 cases, with specific delivery schedules detailed throughout the contract period of July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. All products must meet USDA grade specifications and most require kosher certification or contain only kosher-allowable ingredients. The bid response period opened on April 17, 2017, with responses due by May 1, 2017 at 3:00 PM CDT, and the evaluation criteria appear to be based solely on pricing. Vendors can submit bids electronically through the MissouriBUYS system or via hard copy, with delivery terms specified as Free On Board Destination and payment terms of Net 45 Days.

The solicitation does not specify any set-aside designations for disadvantaged, minority-owned, or woman-owned businesses, and no incumbent vendors are identified. There are no restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond to the bid, making it open to all potential vendors who can meet the detailed product specifications and delivery requirements. No specific award value or total budget range is provided in the documentation. The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, with vendors required to provide pricing on a per-case basis and prohibited from entering negative values. The procurement appears to be funded through the state of Missouri's general budget allocation for the Department of Corrections. Vendors must be prepared to meet stringent delivery schedules, with many items requiring multiple deliveries to both warehouse locations throughout the six-month contract period, and must ensure compliance with detailed packaging, grading, and kosher requirements for each line item.