SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI PDD
AREA AGENCY ON AGING
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR
Congregate Meals
FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 1, 2026 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2027
INDEX
Programmatic Requirements
Special Requirements
Match Requirements
General Information
Proposal Deadlines
Financial, Program and Administrative Reports
Submission of the Proposal
Terms and Conditions
Renewal Provisions
Proposal Package Requirements
Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Rating Sheet
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Title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965 as amended and the Social Services Block Grant
authorizes the Area Agency on Aging to provide an array of support services to older Mississippians
60 years of age and above. The Area Agency on Aging has been designated as the oversight agency
to ensure that services are provided based upon the objectives in the area plan. Therefore, providers
are needed to perform services for older Mississippians who are in the greatest social and economic
need.
Programmatic Requirements:
Congregate Meal services are to be provided as outlined in the Scope of Work and Policies and
Procedures, Exhibit B. A Screening Form, indicated as Exhibit I to this proposal package, is
administered by the provider to determine eligibility and to maintain the waiting list.
Congregate Meals will be provided to the nutrition site by the statewide meal vendor.
The geographic areas where these congregate meal services may be provided are all the counties
within the Southern Mississippi Area Agency on Aging service area. This includes the following
counties: Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, Jones,
Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Stone and Wayne.
Congregate Meal services are to be located as outlined in the Scope of Work and Policies and
Procedures, Exhibit B
A Congregate Meal is a hot or other appropriate meal provided to an eligible person in a congregate
setting.
The primary objectives of the Congregate Meals service are as follows:
- To reduce hunger and food insecurity.
- To promote socialization of older individuals.
- To promote the health and well-being of older individuals by assisting such individuals to
gain access to nutrition and other disease prevention and health promotion services to delay
the onset of adverse health conditions resulting from poor nutrition.
Special Requirements:
Congregate Meal services must be provided in compliance with the Scope of Work and Policies and
Procedures, Exhibit B, in this proposal package.
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Match Requirements:
The percent of non-federal match required on the federal funds that will be used to pay for services
is as follows for the source of funds and service indicated:
Sources of Funds
Percent of Match
Title III C1
10%
This match is to be provided by the proposer. The match may be in the form of cash from local
resources (non-federal) such as funds from cities and counties or from funds earned by the proposer.
In-kind match may also be used to meet the match requirement. In-kind match is derived from
donated expenditures that if the items were not available at any cost, expenses would have to be paid
in order to provide the service. For example, if volunteers are available for the homemaker service,
the fair labor market value of volunteer time or if building space is donated to house the homemaker
staff, the fair rental value of the donated building space can be used as match on the homemaker
service funds. A match is not required on client voluntary contributions/program income, which is
addressed below.
Services must be targeted to low income, minority clients who are in the greatest social and
economic need. As clients are referred for services and eligibility is determined, a waiting list must
be maintained to ensure that the highest priority client is placed at the top of the waiting list.
Clients cannot be charged for services. However, each client must be afforded an opportunity to
contribute to the cost of the service and the amount contributed must be kept confidential. Proposers
must include a minimum of 1% of the total budget as program income. Client contributions must be
safeguarded in compliance with the Voluntary Contributions Policy, which is indicated as Exhibit C
to this proposal package. Also, client contributions must be used to expand the service for which the
contribution was made and must be expended first, prior to expenditure of Federal and/or State or
Local funds.
Amount of funds allocated to this service for a one-year period:
Title IIIC1 Federal $250,000 State $14,706 Match $29,412 Program Income $3,000
Funding for services will depend upon availability of approved Federal and/or State funds.
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General Information:
The name, address and telephone number for the person to contact regarding this proposal package
is as follows:
Thania Coyne
Southern MS Planning and Development District
Area Agency on Aging
10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1
Gulfport, MS 39503
Telephone Number (228) 868-2311, ext 1479
Fax Number (228) 868-2550
Email tcoyne@smpdd.com
Title III-C1 will provide the funding for this service.
All expenditures required to provide these services in compliance with the Scope of Work and the
Policies and Procedures will be allowed. All expenditures must be reasonable and necessary to
provide the service wherein the expense is budgeted and must be incurred in compliance with
applicable Federal and/or State regulations governing the expenditure of these funds. All
expenditures required to provide these services must be indicated in the budget, which is addressed
below. The applicable Executive Orders, Federal Regulations, and Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Circulars must be adhered to.
The method of payment for congregate meal services will be a fixed-price per unit of service basis
pending availability of funds. Payments will be made monthly upon receipt of the monthly reporting
worksheet as outlined in the core contract model which is indicated as Exhibit D to this proposal
package.
Contracts for congregate meal services will be awarded based upon performance and unit cost.
Proposal Deadlines:
Notice of intent to submit a proposal must be received by the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) no later
than April 24, 2026.
SMPDD will offer private proposal training sessions to allow proposers to have the opportunity
to ask questions and be informed on what is required in the different sections of the RFP to
ensure that SMPDD is receiving qualified proposals. You are highly encouraged to contact and
schedule a session with Thania Coyne, Senior Services Assistant Division Director. Mrs. Coyne
can be reached at 228-223-1379 (cell) or via email at tcoyne@smpdd.com
The AAA must receive proposals no later than May 11, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. to be considered for
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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.