AAA - RFP Congregate Meals

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI PDD
AREA AGENCY ON AGING
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
FOR
Congregate Meals
FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 1, 2026 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2027

INDEX
Programmatic Requirements Page 3
Special Requirements Page 3
Match Requirements Page 4
General Information Page 5
Proposal Deadlines Page 5
Financial, Program and Administrative Reports Page 6
Submission of the Proposal Page 7
Terms and Conditions Page 7
Renewal Provisions Page 7
Proposal Package Requirements Page 8
Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Rating Sheet Page 10
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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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funding. If mailing proposals to the AAA, time for delivery must be allowed and proposals must be
mailed with return receipt requested. If delivering proposals to the AAA, retain the receipt issued by
the SMPDD staff member.
Proposals will be opened on May 12, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the following location:
Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District
Area Agency on Aging
10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1
Gulfport, Mississippi 39503
Evaluation of proposals will be completed by end of day on May 29, 2026.
Notice of a contract will be forwarded to the selected provider(s) by June 6, 2026.
Contracts will be fully executed no later than September 30, 2026 contingent upon the AAA
receiving its approved subgrant from the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
PROPOSALS RECEIVED BY THE AAA AFTER THE DEADLINE ABOVE WILL BE
RETURNED, UNOPENED TO THE SUBMITTING PROPOSER.
Financial, Program and Administrative Reports:
Financial reports will be due each month by the 5th calendar day for the previous month.
Client service logs will be due each month by the 5th calendar day for the previous month.
Congregate meal delivery tickets must be forwarded to the AAA by the end of each week
Closeout packages for all contracts will be due on October 29, 2027.
THE AAA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY AND ALL
PROPOSALS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE AAA.
All inquiries must be made in writing and copies of responses to inquiries which require that
clarification and/or addenda are made to the request for proposal (RFP) will be sent by mail, to those
persons or firms who sent a written Notice of Intent to Submit a Proposal by the date and time
indicated in the RFP, and to other interested persons who, in writing, request copies of information
concerning the RFP.
Three copies of the proposal must be forwarded to the AAA. At least one copy of the proposal must
contain the original signature of an official of the potential provider agency who is authorized to
bind the provider to the proposal.
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The AAA is not liable for any costs incurred by the applicant in responding to this Request for
Proposal.
Submission of the Proposal:
Each proposal package must be delivered by hand or by certified mail to the AAA to the following
address:
Physical Address
Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District
Area Agency on Aging
10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1
Gulfport, Mississippi 39503
Mailing Address
Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District
Area Agency on Aging
10441 Corporate Drive, Suite 1
Gulfport, Mississippi 39503
The proposal must be delivered or mailed in a sealed envelope and marked "proposal". If
submitting a proposal for more than one service, each proposal must be delivered or mailed in a
separate envelope by the deadline indicated above and allow time for mail delivery. Three copies of
each proposal must be submitted.
Terms and Conditions:
To be considered for a contract, the proposer must agree to the specific provisions of the core
contract, which is indicated as Exhibit D to this proposal package and to the General Terms and
Conditions as indicated in Exhibit A.
Renewal Provisions:
The congregate meals contract will run for a period of one year beginning October 1, 2026 and
ending September 30, 2027. The AAA contemplates subsequent contracts for the services discussed
in the RFP for the next three years. The decision to renew the contract will be based upon the
provider's current year compliance with specifications, quality of service, and proposed price
increase. The AAA reserves the right to negotiate the price based on market conditions. The
provider will be notified a minimum of sixty days in advance of the AAA's intent to renew this
contract or let it expire on the normal date. Proposed price changes by the provider shall be
submitted to the AAA for review by August 15th of each ensuing year if the contract is renewed.
The letter of request shall include a justification for the price change. The requested increase shall
not exceed the change in the Consumer Price Index for the previous twelve-month period.
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Proposal Package Requirements:
The following topics must be included in the proposal and must be in the order below. The response
to these topics will be the basis for proposal evaluations. Each item should be addressed in as much
detail as is necessary, but should not include extraneous information. The required proposal format
is as follows:
1. Title Page - Each proposal should include a title page with the following information:
- Title of Proposal
- Respondents' name
- Organization to whom the proposal is submitted
- Name, title, phone number and address of the person who can answer questions about the
proposal
- Name of Project Director
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI),
2. Response to Introduction - Each proposal should include:
- A brief Statement of Need for the project
- A brief Statement of Purpose for the project
3. Description of Organizational Capability - At a minimum, the following should be addressed:
- a Table of Organization indicating how the project staff will fit into the Proposer's
total agency, and how each member of the project staff relates to one another;
- an explanation of your agency's qualifications indicating your ability to manage
and complete the proposed project and documentation of past experience in
similar projects;
- an explanation outlining personnel who will help provide the service,
and their qualifications.
4. Statement of Work/Operational Plan - At a minimum, the following should be addressed:
- the project's objective, as viewed by your agency, including every objective
contained in the Programmatic Requirements section of the RFP;
- a clear explanation of how the services will be provided;
- an operational plan which lists for each objective the activities that will be
conducted to accomplish the objective and a start and a completion date for
each activity.
- specify how your agency intends to satisfy the service needs of those identified as in
greatest economic and greatest social need, with a focus on low-income minority
individuals in the area served.
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5. Contract Budget or Rate
Each potential service provider needs to submit a line-item budget with justification for the
amount of the projected cost in each line item. This budget should be submitted using a
Budget Summary Sheet for each activity. If the contract is to be based on unit cost, the
proposed unit cost needs to be included for each activity. The proposed unit cost must be
calculated by dividing the total cost of the activity, as shown on the Budget Summary Sheet,
by the projected units of service to be provided in the activity. The above referenced forms
and instructions are included in Exhibit E.
6. Required Proposer's Certifications
- Terms and Conditions: The Proposal must include a signed statement indicating that the
potential service provider will comply with all of the terms and conditions stated in the RFP and in
the core model contract. Exhibit F
- Statement of Non-Involvement: The proposal must include a signed statement indicating
that the potential service provider has not had any prior involvement in performing a feasibility
study of the implementation of the subject contract, participating in the drafting of the RFP, or in
developing the subject program. Exhibit G
- Conflict of Interest: The Proposal must include a completed conflict of interest (COI)
form for the head of the potential service provider. If a COI is determined, the COI removal and
remedy form must be completed. Exhibit H
7. Other Required Information - this includes the following:
- audit report most recently completed (if the proposer is a municipality with annual
revenues or expenditures less than $1,000,000, a compilation prepared by a CPA should be
submitted.)
- most recent peer review of the auditor who conducted the most recent audit report
- proof of workers' compensation insurance
- proof of bonding
- proof of comprehensive and liability insurance
- evidence indicating that the potential service provider has the physical facilities
necessary to provide the services; i.e., liens, proof of ownership
- internal control policy and procedure in accordance with 2 CFR 200.303
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Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Rating Sheet:
The Area Agency on Aging Proposal Review Team will analyze and evaluate each proposal. The
proposal evaluation criteria are organized into a rating sheet. The rating sheet has the following
characteristics:
1. It separates evaluation items that require the same response from all Proposers from
evaluation items that can be addressed differently by other Proposers.
2. It includes evaluation criteria for every element that the Proposer must address in their
response to the RFP.
3. It assigns values to each evaluation criteria, which reflect the relative importance of these
criteria.
4. It establishes a minimum score below which a proposal will not be considered.
Proposal Rating Sheet
Title of Proposal: _____________ Date: __________________________
Proposer: ______________________ Rater: _________________________
Five points will be awarded for each Yes answer: ________ Total score for #1-7
1. The proposal includes a statement by the Proposer agreeing to the
terms and conditions in the core model contract. Yes/No
2. The proposal for the project includes a line item budget with
justification. Yes/No
3. The proposal includes a non-involvement statement. Yes/No
4. The proposal includes the Proposer's most recent audit. Yes/No
5. The proposal includes the most recent peer review of the auditor who conducted the
most recent audit report. Yes/No
6. The proposal includes proof of current workers' compensation insurance coverage or
statement of exemption from coverage. Yes/No
7. The proposal includes a completed conflict of interest (COI) form. Yes/No
If a COI exists, a remedy and removal form must be submitted.
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