BID NOTICE
TO: PROSPECTIVE BIDDER
FROM: JENIFER HALE
DESOTO COUNTY SCHOOLS
5 EAST SOUTH STREET
HERNANDO, MS 38632
662-449-7168
ISSUE DATE: MAY 28, 2026
REQUEST FOR BIDS
BID OPENING
DATE:
JUNE 22, 2026
TIME:
9:00 a.m., CST
LOCATION: DESOTO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
5 EAST SOUTH STREET
HERNANDO, MS 38632
BID ITEMS
BID NUMBER:
ITEM DESCRIPTION:
#405-PROD-DCS27
PRODUCE – CHILD NUTRITION
PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE:
Public Notice to Newspaper
Newspaper Run Dates
Release of Bid
Question Deadline
Bid Deadline/Open
Approval by Board (tentative)
May 26, 2026
May 28th, 2026, and June 4th, 2026
May 28th, 2026
June 12th, 2026, 9:00 am CST
June 22nd, 2026, at 9:00am CST
July 2, 2026
CONTRACT SECTION I
Items: Produce (Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
Type of Contract: Type 2 Bi-Annual Fixed Fees Plus Reimbursable Costs
Conditions: In Strict Accord With Section I Through V.
Contacts: For questions about the bid please contact DCS Purchasing Department at:
dcs.purchasing@dcsms.org
Name of Firm Submitting
Bid:
Date Submitted:
Signing Officer:
Telephone:
A. Full Cartons (wholesale units),
>60,000 @ $
EACH = TOTAL $
B. Broken Cartons (less than wholesale units), approximately
>10,000 @ $
EACH = TOTAL $
TOTAL A & B $
Bid will be awarded in this amount, plus reimbursable cost.
SIGNATURE
DATE
TITLE
Please fill out in ink. If there are corrections, please cross out and initial. DO NOT ERASE.
CONTRACT SECTION II
BID REQUIREMENTS
Sealed, written or electronic bids will be received by DeSoto County School District at the time and place
specified on the Request for Bid. Dating of bid form or placing in mail by bid opening date will not meet
requirements. Bid must be received on/or before date and time stated. The school district reserves the right to
reject any and all bids and to waive any and all informalities.
1. Correction of Mistakes: All quotations must be in ink or typewritten. No erasures are permitted. Mistakes
may be crossed out and corrections inserted adjacent. Corrections must be initialed in ink by person
signing bid.
2. Return Instructions:
A. The bid form (Section I and IV) must be used without alterations.
B. Bid Section I shall be in a sealed envelope, with the address of the school district, company name, bid
number and opening date on the outside of the envelope, as they appear on the Request for Bid. It shall
be marked "Contract Section 1".
3. Addendum: No Addendum will be issued five (5) working days prior to bid opening.
4. Quantities: It shall be understood that any contract established as a result of this Invitation to Bid will not
obligate the school district to receive any quantities in excess of actual requirements. The quantities shown
are estimates and result from actual historic tabulations.
5. Contractor Qualifications:
A. Product Line - The potential contractor shall provide a current product guide or item specification list
that identifies the country of origin for products supplied under this contract. Vendor must ensure
country of origin is identifiable for all produce items to assist the district in monitoring compliance
with the Buy American Provision in accordance with 7 CFR 210.21(d).
B. Physical Facilities -The potential contractor's warehouse and trucks will be inspected by school
district officials. The warehouse and trucks shall:
1) Be clean.
2) Be free of insects and rodents and be adequate for storing and delivering products the potential
contractor proposes to supply.
3) Delivery trucks shall be refrigerated.
C. Financial Capacity - The potential contractor shall have financing adequate to purchase items in the
most economical quantities. All potential contractors shall provide three (3) written references to
document adequate financial capacity.
D. Service Level - If the school district does not have adequate historical data to determine the
contractor's ability to comply with the service level requirements outlined in this request for bid, then
three (3) letters of reference from previous school districts’ customers shall be provided.
E. Accounting Practices - A potential contractor must clearly demonstrate to school district officials the
capability to provide accurate, reliable and timely reports, in terms of invoices, statements, and credits.
Statements and Invoices shall be computer generated. Moreover, the potential contractor must
demonstrate the capability to spontaneously provide data for periodic reviews of prices by school
district officials.
6. Review and Award:
A. After the public opening of the Request for Bid, school district officials will require at least five (5)
working days for review.
B. The school district will award the Request for Bid at the next regularly scheduled board meeting after
opening.
C. All bids will be checked for accuracy of mathematical calculations.
7. Charges for Inconvenience to the School District or Contractor.
A. After acceptance, the successful contractor will be liable for any expenses, including attorney fees,
incurred as a result of violations or attempts to enforce this contract.
B. If the contractor is unable to deliver a product, the school district shall purchase a produce of equal or
greater quality from another source. The difference between price paid and contract price will be
charged to the contractor.
8. Cost Price:
A. Reimbursable costs - All produce will be invoiced at the contract distributor's cost, delivered to his
warehouse, with the fixed fee for service added to this cost. Prices shall be firm for one calendar month.
B. Definition of Cost Prices
Cost prices shall be based on "delivered to distributor’s warehouse" and shall include cooling,
refrigeration and other freight related charges. Freight rates shall normally be in carload or truckload
quantities of straight or mixed items, except for very small volume items which may be "drop shipped."
Costs shall be based on the "latest invoice," either prior to the merchandise being delivered to the
purchaser, or in stock, as the case may be, in accord with the seven (7) day firm price requirement.
Allowable costs will be paid from the nonprofit school food service account to the contractor net of all
discounts, rebates and other applicable credits accruing to or received by the contractor or any
assignee under the contract, to the extent those credits are allocable to the allowable portion of the
costs billed to the school food authority.
The contractor must exclude all unallowable costs from its billing documents and certify that only
allowable costs are submitted for payment and records have been established that maintain the
visibility of unallowable costs in a manner suitable for contract cost determination and verification:
The contractor's determination of its allowable costs must be made in compliance with the applicable
Departmental and Program regulations and Office of Management and Budget cost circulars of the
United States Government.
The contractor must identify the amount of each discount; rebate and other applicable credit on bills
and invoices presented to the Desoto County School District for payment and individually identify the
amount of said discounts or rebates during the required annual audit. Only contractors' actual net
allowable costs will be accepted, under OMB regulations.
The contractor must identify the method by which it will report discounts, rebates and other
applicable credits allocable to the contract that are not reported prior to conclusion of the contract.
Documentation must be maintained of all costs and discounts, rebates and other applicable credits,
and make it available to the Desoto County School District upon request.
9. Price Change Review: Price changes shall be effective on a specific, constant day of the week. Changes shall
be submitted to the school district immediately after the day of the price change.
10. Audits
A. Audits will be made of a contractor's costs records as follows:
1) Semi-annually,
2) At any time, weekly price reviews indicate that a problem might occur.
B. The contractor shall be given notice of the intent of the district to conduct an audit as follows:
1) The date shall be scheduled a minimum of one month in advance,
2) A list of items and dates of price change shall be given three (3) working days in advance.
C. The contractor shall provide acceptable documentation as follows:
1) Invoices (original)
2) Freight Bill
11. Price Change Dates: All product costs shall remain firm for one calendar month. Fixed fees shall remain
firm for the duration of the contract.
12. Service Level: The contractor shall fill all original orders at a monthly average of 97% or above on the
scheduled delivery days(s). The remaining 3% shall be delivered within 24 hours of the scheduled delivery
day(s).
13. Delivery Time and Place: Deliveries shall be required to all sites listed in Contract Section V.
A. Deliveries shall be required as follows: All sites require delivery ten (10) months per year.
B. The frequency of delivery shall be: Weekly to all school sites.
C. Deliveries shall be made between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
D. Holiday deliveries (Holiday shall be defined as any week that has less than five (5) school days). Will
be required as follows: If the holiday falls on regularly scheduled delivery day, the delivery shall be
made the following day.
E. Delivery schedules shall be submitted to school district officials for prior approval and shall remain
constant from delivery to delivery.
F. Drivers and helpers shall deliver merchandise into designated storage areas (dry and chilled). Drivers
and helpers shall not be required to stow merchandise on shelves.
G. Drivers and helpers shall request the authorized school receiver, or the designated representative, to
verify the accuracy of quantities of each item. Each delivery ticket shall be signed by a designated
school receiver. Variations from the norm, i.e., shortages, damages, etc., shall be noted on each ticket
by the designated school receiver and initialed by both the truck driver and school receiver. The
contractor shall not be required to issue credits for errors not detected at the time of delivery, except for
hidden damage.
H. Special or intermediate deliveries shall be required only if a contractor fails to deliver a product on a
regularly scheduled delivery.
14. Transmittal of Orders: Order guides (preprinted) shall be furnished by contractor upon request of the
school district. These order guides shall be used for the transmittal and/or recording of orders.
15. Item Substitutions and Out-of-Stocks: If a contractor is temporarily out of particular item, an equal or
superior product at an equal or lower price may be delivered, with prior approval of the school district. The
school district shall be notified of all out-of-stock items at least 24 hours prior to delivery. If a contractor is
unable to deliver a prior approved substitute product, the school district may, in good faith and in its sole
discretion, purchase a product of equal or greater quality from another source. The supplier shall be
responsible and liable for the difference in the cost between the amount paid for the substitute item and the
amount which would have been paid had the original product been delivered. The supplier shall not be
entitled to complain that the substitute product could have been purchased at a lower price.
16. Fiscal Funding: If the effective dates of this bid extend beyond the current State or Federal fiscal year, it
shall be understood that purchases in the next fiscal year are conditional on the receipt of federal and/or
state funds. In the event of the discontinuance or a decrease in federal and/or state funds, the school
district reserves the right to change the item identifications, decrease the quantities and/or delete items.
17. Payments: All invoices for products that are received and inspected will be paid based on NET 45 terms.
18. Term of Contract: July 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026
19. Extensions: This contract may be extended for a period not to exceed three years in total, upon the mutual
agreement of both the school district and the contractor. There shall be no escalations of service fees. The
total period of the contract including extensions shall not exceed thirty-six (36) months.
20. Termination of Contract: Failure on the part of the school district or the contractor, to comply with the
provisions of this contract may result in contract termination.
A. Each party shall follow the procedure outlined below, if a contract is to be terminated.
This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.