Food Supply and Distribution Services

Work Requested:
The School District of Manatee County is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to serve as the main-line food service distributor. The selected distributor will be responsible for warehousing and delivering a wide range of food products including main entr es, beverages, grocery/staple items, produce, and paper products to approximately 52 District facilities, with the potential for additional locations as needed. The contract also covers the storage and delivery of USDA Commodity processed products.

The distributor's responsibilities include:

• Storing and delivering approximately 600 specified frozen, refrigerated, grocery, and dry food items at a fixed fee.
• Competitively bidding new menu or non-food items requested by the District at least twice per school year.
• Administering, warehousing, delivering, reporting, and tracking USDA processed food items, which are invoiced at a Net-off Invoice or Modified Fee for Service Invoice.

Who is Requesting:
This solicitation is issued by the School District of Manatee County Food and Nutrition Services (SDMC FNS).

Background:
The contract is intended to support the food service needs of the School District, Charter, and contracted schools served by SDMC FNS for the 2024-2025 school year, which currently serves approximately 52,000 students. Enrollment numbers may fluctuate during the contract period and any renewal terms.

Contract Requirements:
- The distributor must maintain and enforce the highest levels of service quality and standards throughout the contract and any renewal periods.
- The awarded supplier is required to competitively bid products as requested by the District.
- The contract will be awarded at a firm fixed fee for the specified period, in accordance with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requirements.

Instructions on Submission:
Proposers must submit their proposals in accordance with the requirements outlined in this request for proposal. All commitments to service quality, competitive bidding, and compliance with USDA requirements must be clearly addressed in the submission.