Food Products and Distribution for School Food Authorities with Related Supplies and Services

Sourcewell, a State of Minnesota local government unit and service cooperative, and Pequot Lakes Public Schools ISD 186, as Lead Agency, are requesting proposals for Food Products and Distribution for School Food Authorities with Related Supplies and Services to result in a procurement solution for use by its Participating Entities.

Participation under this Master Agreement is limited to eligible Child Nutrition Program operators within the actual or potential cooperative membership contemplated and defined in the underlying solicitation and procurement. This Master Agreement is not available for use by Sourcewell members that do not qualify as eligible Child Nutrition Program operators under the applicable federal Child Nutrition Program requirements.

Sourcewell is seeking proposals for Food Products and Distribution for School Food Authorities with Related Supplies and Services. This scope is intended to include suppliers capable of providing broadline food distribution solutions for school food service operations, including, but not limited to:

• Food products: Grocery – Dry, Refrigerated, Frozen; Beverages; Dairy; Meat/Poultry; and Fresh Produce;
• Related Supplies that are offered in conjunction with, and are directly related to, the offerings in 1.a., such as Paper Products and Disposables; Janitorial and Chemical Supplies: Smallwares; Serving equipment and tabletop items; and kitchen equipment
• Services directly related to and in conjunction with the offering of the solutions described in Sections 1. a. above, including Software or technology-enabled services such as online and mobile ordering platforms; backorder and item-level reporting; punchout, EDI, and API integration with participating entities' menu-planning and procurement systems; USDA Foods handling, processing, and entitlement support; and compliance-related services, including Buy American documentation and access to product specifications, CN labels, and Product Formulation Statements

Proposers may include directly related equipment, accessories, and services to the extent that they are complementary to the primary solutions being proposed.

Only proposals submitted through the Sourcewell Procurement Portal will be considered. Proposals are due no later than **December 3, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Central Time**, and late proposals will not be considered.

The term of any resulting master agreement(s) awarded by Sourcewell under this solicitation will be **one year**. Sourcewell and supplier may agree to up to four additional one-year extensions based on the best interests of Sourcewell and its Participating Entities.

Proposal evaluation will be based on the following scoring criteria and the *Sourcewell Evaluator Scoring Guide*:

| Criteria | Points |
| --- | --- |
| Conformance to RFP Requirements | Pass/Fail |
| Financial Viability and Marketplace Success | 50 |
| Ability to Sell and Deliver Solutions | 150 |
| Marketing Plan | 100 |
| Organizational Capabilities and Initiatives | 100 |
| Depth and Breadth of Offered Solutions | 200 |
| Pricing | 400 |
| TOTAL POINTS | 1000 |

Protest bond in the amount of **$20,000** (except where prohibited by law or treaty).