FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM

Agency:	Utica City School District
State:	New York
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	311991 - Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing 424480 - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers
Posted Date:	Apr 21, 2026
Due Date:	May 8, 2026
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UTICA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD OF EDUCATION

929 YORK STREET

UTICA, NEW YORK 13502

INVITATION FOR BID

SPECIFICATIONS AND BID PROPOSAL FORMS FOR THE PURCHASE

OF ITEMS IN THE FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM FOR

USE IN THE SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE

PERIOD OF July 1, 2026 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2027

BID #016

Bids will be accepted until 11:00 a.m. on May 8, 2026

Dated: April 20, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE

The Board of Education of the Utica City School District invites proposals on the forms

provided for furnishing the following:

Fresh Fruits and Vegetable Program

Bids must be delivered to the Office of the Purchasing Agent of the Utica City School

District, 929 York Street, Utica, New York, prior to 11:00 a.m. on May 8, 2026 at which

time they will be publicly opened and read. The proposals are to be based on

specifications entitled “Specifications and Bid Proposal Form for Fresh Fruits and

Vegetable Program for the period of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027”, copies of

which together with bid forms are on file and may be secured at the Office of the

Purchasing Agent of the Utica City School District, 929 York Street, Utica, New York.

Bid documents may be obtained digitally in PDF format. Request documents via email

to Mike Ferraro at mferraro@uticaschools.org

Proposals signed by bidders shall be enclosed in a sealed envelope, addressed to Ms.

Heather Mowat, Deputy Purchasing Agent and marked in red in the lower, left-hand

corner:

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Bidders

Before submitting their proposals, bidders shall examine the specifications as contained

herein and base their bids upon these specifications. The Board of Education reserves

the right to reject any one or all items of bid or to award all or any part of the bid. In

cases where the Utica City School District receives two or more identical bids, the

School District reserves the right to accept one bid based on a random selection

process.

The successful bidder must execute a satisfactory contract, guaranteeing the faithful

fulfillment of the terms of the contract.

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE

UTICA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

_________________________________________

Heather Mowat, Deputy Purchasing Agent

GENERAL PROVISIONS

LAWS:

All supplies furnished under this specification shall comply in all respects to the

standards and regulations established by federal and New York State laws, including

the federal Pure Food and Drug Act and subsequent decisions of the U.S. Department

of Agriculture.

PRICE:

All prices quoted shall include transportation and delivery charges fully prepaid by

contractor, FOB Central Kitchen. All prices must remain in effect from July 1, 2026

through June 30, 2027.

INSPECTION:

The Board of Education, a duly appointed agent, or any properly authorized

representative of the N.Y.S. Department of Health or a local health department shall

have the right to inspect the premises, facilities, and methods on or by which such

baking products are handled, and may take or cause to be made standard testing for

bacteria count for the purpose of determining whether or not the Contract is being

properly executed.

METHOD OF AWARD:

The Bid will be awarded to the lowest Responsive and Responsible Bidder meeting the

specifications or providing acceptable deviation. The Board of Education reserves the

right to award this bid as a whole or split between vendors or in its discretion, reject

all bids, and re-advertise in the manner provided by Section 103 of the General

Municipal Law. In cases where the Utica City School District receives two or more

identical bids, the School District reserves the right to accept one bid based on a

random selection process. Bidder must meet all specifications to be awarded this bid.

The award of the bid shall not be construed as a purchase. The Contractor(s) shall

await the receipt of a Purchase Order from the buyer(s) before preparing shipments.

QUANTITIES and ITEMS:

Quantities listed are estimates only. Listed quantities are based on the item

specification. Quantities increased or decreased are to be furnished at the contract

price. Should the items specified be unavailable due to pricing or supply, both

parties may agree on suitable substitutions. All items should be packed in 25

serving cases. Estimates are based on class size of maximum 25 with

approximately 291 classes. This number may vary.

PACKAGING:

Packaging and subsequent labeling shall comply in all respects to rules and regulations

set forth by the N.Y.S. Department of Agriculture and Markets.

BILLING:

All Bid prices must include all charges and costs related to delivering the order to the

address indicated on the purchase orders. If unauthorized charges appear on invoices

and are not corrected to the satisfaction of the UCSD, the Contractor will be deemed to

be not in compliance and in breach of the Contract. The Contract may be terminated.

Further, the Contractor may be disqualified from participating in the bidding program

thereafter. Delivery receipt shall accompany daily deliveries. All billing is to be done

weekly.

DELIVERY:

All deliveries shall be made between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Monday through

Thursday, as ordered and indicated, to the Central Kitchen, 400 Elizabeth Street, Utica,

New York. Delivery schedules and times for delivery will be worked out by the

successful Bidder and the Director of Food Services. Deliveries must be received at

least 2 days prior to the service date. Dates are subject to change.

Delivery or packing slips must accompany every delivery and be clearly marked with

quantity, unit price, extended price and total.

ALL DELIVERIES MUST BE CONFIRMED ONE WEEK PRIOR WITH THE DISTRICT.

CERTIFY USDA REGULATORY STANDARDS ARE MET:

Utica City School District is required to comply with USDA regulations concerning the

nutritional content of all foods served to students, and any changes or amendments to

those regulations whenever they become effective. Therefore, every Bidder must certify

to the Utica City School District that each product offered for purchase meets the USDA

regulatory standards currently in effect along with its Bid, or the Bid will not be

considered complete. During the term of the Agreement, the Contractor shall provide,

upon request and for each substitute product whenever an item is replaced, a

certification that any or all the products meet the USDA regulatory standards then in

effect. At any time during the Contract in the event that a product item is determined to

not be in compliance with applicable USDA regulations, whether such determination is

made by the Contractor of the Utica City School District, a substitute product which

meets all applicable regulatory standards shall be substituted at the same Contract

price. If the substitute product cost is different than the item replaced, the Contractor

may apply to Utica City School District for an adjustment in price for the substitute

product item. Utica City School District reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to

determine whether a proposed substitute product is acceptable.

The Utica City School District Board of Education reserves the right to correct or revise

the specifications to meet the industry standards for the product as may be required.

BUY AMERICAN PROVISION:

The Utica City School District to the maximum extent possible will purchase domestic

commodities or products for use in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, National

School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program. We require suppliers to

certify that product(s) are processed in the U.S. and certify the percentage of U.S.

content by weight or volume. Therefore, over 51% of the final processed product (by

weight or volume) must consist of agricultural commodities that were grown

domestically. Thus, for foods that are unprocessed, agricultural commodities must be

domestic. For foods that are processed, they must be processed domestically using

domestic agricultural food components that are comprised of over 51% domestically

grown items, by weight or volume as determined by the School Food Authority.

Vendors should make every effort to bid items that meet this requirement. Any item that

does not meet this criterion should be so noted on the bid.

PERFORMANCE:

The Utica City School District reserves the right to cancel the Contract for unsatisfactory

performance or quality of product or packaging upon thirty (30) days written notice to

the vendor.

NON-DISCRIMINATION:

The Contractor agrees that, in selecting its employees to perform the tasks and services

contained in this Agreement, it will not discriminate on the grounds of race, color,

religion, gender or national origin, physical handicaps or other physical limitations. The

Contractor further agrees that it will make reasonable accommodation to the known

physical or mental limitations of qualified disabled applicants and/or employees and will

document any specific reasonable accommodation requested, made, or denied, with the

basis for such denial. The Bidder further agrees and warrants that he/she will follow all

civil rights requirements promulgated by Congress, the State of New York and the State

in which the producing plant(s) is located.

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM

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