Shelby County
Tennessee
Lee Harris, Mayor
Request for Proposal
Shelby County Government
Purchasing Department
160 N. Main Street, 5th Floor
Memphis, TN 38103
Issued: March 24, 2026
Due: April 27, 2026, no later than 4:00 P.M. (Central Standard Time)
RFP # 26-002-76
Food Management Services
(Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)
Shelby County Government is soliciting written proposals, on a competitive basis, from interested and
qualified companies to provide professional food service management by supplying food to the
detainees and staff located at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office main jail facility at 201 Poplar
Avenue, Memphis, TN; Jail East at 6201 Haley Street, Memphis, TN. Information regarding this
formal bid is located on the County’s website at www.shelbycountytn.gov. At the top of the home
page, click on the dropdown box under “Business”, and click on “Purchasing” and “Bids” to locate
the name of the above-described formal bid. Link: https://bids.shelbycountytn.gov/
IMPORTANT NOTES:
MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETING – A mandatory pre-proposal meeting to address
questions will be held on April 7, 2026. This meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.
(CST) followed by site visits to the next location. All interested respondents will be required
to attend this meeting. The pre-bid conference itself will take place in the Jail Kitchen at
201 Poplar; however, vendors can only access the kitchen while being escorted by Jail
Staff. You will need to arrive at the Employee Entrance of the Jail at 201 Poplar as
outlined below.
Please see the rules and regulations civilian guests should follow prior to being allowed
inside the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Jail at 201 Poplar Avenue. Guests should report
to the Employee Entrance of the Jail and are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes prior
to the meeting time. The Employee Entrance of the Jail is used for staff access and is
monitored by security personnel. Guests should inform the officer at the entrance that they
are civilians attending a mandatory pre-bid meeting for a food service RFP. Visitors must
present valid government-issued photo identification and will be required to complete the
standard security screening process before entering the facility. Visitors may bring the
following authorized items into the facility: pocket change and valid photo identification.
The following items are prohibited: purses, briefcases, cell phones, smart watches, tablets,
electronic devices, cameras, pagers, weapons of any kind, tobacco or tobacco products, and
drugs or drug paraphernalia. All guests are expected to adhere to the facility dress code.
Clothing must be professional and appropriate for a correctional environment.
Mandatory Pre-bid/On-site Visit Address
201 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103
6201 Haley Road, Memphis, TN 38134
MANDATORY INFORMATION and FORMS – To properly respond and prepare your
proposal response, please make sure you pay close attention to all mandatory
information/forms requested, including signing and attaching all forms as required. This bid
clearly documents and outlines the format and what information is required at the time of
proposal submission.
COMPLETED EXCEL FILE – Vendor to answer directly in the scorecard (Excel file) all
information requested (minimum requirements and department-specific requirements). The
Excel file has two (2) yellow tabs/sheets named “MIN REQs” and “DEPT REQs”. Vendor to
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enter their information only where yellow cells, are on those two (2) yellow tabs. Vendor to
submit with your proposal (both Printed and Digital formats). The Excel files must be submitted
on two (2) separate USB devices.
LOSB vendors have been identified for the goods and/or services described in this bid, therefore a
20 % LOSB goal will be applied.
Sincerely,
Signed Original on File
Carla Hayes, Buyer
Shelby County Government
Purchasing Department
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. MINIMUM PROPOSER REQUIREMENTS
III. CORRESPONDENCE & QUESTIONS
IV. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE
V. PROPOSAL TIMELINE
VI. PROPOSAL CONDITIONS
VII. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION
VIII. AWARD OF CONTRACT
IX. PURPOSE / SCOPE OF WORK
X. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS
XI. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
XII. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION
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I. INTRODUCTION
Shelby County Government, (the “County”), is soliciting proposals from interested and
qualified Vendors to provide and manage food services to detainees and staff for the
Sheriff’s Office. This includes feeding a daily population of approximately between 2,500
– 3,147 detainees and 651 staff at two adult jail/detention facilities (the “Goods and/or
Services”). This Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is being released to invite interested and
qualified Vendors to prepare and submit proposals in accordance with instructions provided
where the successful proposer(s) will be selected and invited to enter into a contractual
relationship with Shelby County for the Goods and/or Services outlined in this RFP, and per
proposal(s) received.
In this RFP, the terms Proposer, Vendor, Bidder, Consultant, Contractor, and Provider are
used interchangeably unless the context indicates otherwise.
All specifications are part of this bid and general terms and conditions (as outlined in the
Terms of this bid). They shall become a part of and be included in any contract/purchase
order/systems contract resulting from any award.
These specifications are not intentionally written to favor any one manufacturer or service
provider and are only for the purpose of indicating generally the type of work required of said
bid. Any responsible Bidder who considers these specifications to be of a non-competitive
nature should immediately contact the Administrator of Purchasing.
II. MINIMUM PROPOSER REQUIREMENTS
In order to be considered as “responsive”, all Proposers must answer and provide
justifications for ALL below minimal requirements.
The information requested below is to be answered directly in the scorecard
Excel file by all Vendors and submitted as part of your proposal (both Printed
and Digital formats).
1. Provide all appropriate Licenses and Certifications required in the State of Tennessee
to provide the goods and/or perform the Services required. Provide a copy of your
current Shelby County Business License (if the business is located in Shelby County,
TN).
2. Must provide active Equal Opportunity Compliance BRN and Vendor number, or
your applications are “in” the EOC system and the Purchasing system for processing
(refer to details outlined below) – please list all your Shelby County active BRN’s.
3. Adherence to all provisions of Title VI requirements – please attest and provide
proof/documentation if necessary.
4. Must acknowledge adherence to State of Tennessee Public Chapter No. 436, known as
the “Tennessee Lawful Employment Act” which requires use of E-Verify (effective
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This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.