RFP 705 Local Produce Products
RFP 705 Local Produce Products
NOTICE OF AWARD LETTER: Notice of Award RFP 705 Local Produce BM61825.pdf
RFP Responses: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o8MVQdIDutR_Ur-QRuB_XES3Ip9fHFbc?usp=drive_link
RFP Documents
Notice Inviting Proposals RFP 705 Local Produce.pdf
Exhibit A RFP 70 5Proposal Worksheet Local Produce.xlsx
Requests for Information (RFI's) & Answers:
Q: I'm looking at this spread sheet with the produce on it. Is this what you guys are looking for like a wish list? Could we add to this list? And if we can't get some of these items, that is ok correct?
A: We would like that the proposer only bid on the items provided on the list. If there is an item on the list that the proposer cannot bid on, they may add an item they believe is an appropriate substitute for that item.
Q: For column C on that spreadsheet, is that the cost that we are selling it to you guys at?
A: Column C would be the price that you are selling this item to the District
Q: For column I, is that your guys' needs per school per week or per district per week?
A: This is the number we would need for the District per week.
Q: My understanding with how bidding works is that if we bid apples at $30 they need to remain $30 for the entire year correct? I did see a part of the bid that they could go up or down in price but it has to be within the 5% range.
A: Yes, we go out to bid in hopes to get a predictable price for the item. However, with produce, we understand that there are outside forces that affect the prices (weather, availability, seasonality, etc). We would need advance notice of any price increases. We do not want to be informed of these price increases after the delivery of the item (on the invoice).
Q: What if you guys are wanting local items throughout the year that we don't have access to? For example, I see cucumbers on this list as year-round but the local growers only have them from July-Oct. Would I just write that we would have them July-Oct and they are seasonal because we work with such hyper local farms?
A: Yes, please write what months the vendor is able to provide the produce. If there is an alternative item that can supplement in the months the item is not available, please list that as a substitute.
Q: Will you guys be needing produce over the summer as well?
A: During summer, we typically have a surplus of fruits and vegetables that need to be depleted from our inventory. We order on an as needed basis. The need during summer is very low in comparison to the normal SY.
Q: What happens if there happens to be an insane amount of rain next spring and we can't harvest any strawberries If we wouldn't have them available would your cafeteria manager just order them elsewhere?
A: We would still offer a local produce item. We would make an informal small purchase and ask three vendors to give us their quotes on a selected produce item that we would highlight in the spring, in replacement of the strawberries.
Q: A lot of the items you guys are needing isn't in the standard count/case that farmers use. For example farmers sell grapes in a standard 18 lb. case but you guys are asking for it in 10 lbs. Or the satsumas are sold in 25 in always but you guys are wanting 10 lbs. We will need to keep cases the same as we receive them from farmers so I can adjust your estimated weekly quantity to accommodate the different quantity count.
A: Proposers can provide their case count and price per case. OUHSD will break it down to cost per pound when determining which vendor has the lowest price.
Q: The point break down is different on two different parts on the bid. Page 9 says the price is 11 points. Page 32 says price is 21 points. What is the accurate evaluation sheet to go off of?
A: The breakdown on pages 32-35 is accurate.
Q: For question #4 are you guys referring to the Exhibit A product list?
A: Yes, this question would apply to the products we have on our list. It can also apply to any appropriate substitute if the proposer is not able to supply the item in exhibit A.
Q: What financial documents do you guys want to see for question 27?
A: Supporting documents for working with K-12 districts could be a list of school districts the proposer has worked with and the years of service with those school districts. In terms of documents to support financial stability, a balance sheet or a statement of cash flows.