FRESH PRODUCE

Fayette County Public Schools
RFP # 2026-06-04
Request for Proposal Timeline
Issue/Posting Date June 4, 2026
Final Date for Written Questions June 18, 2026
Sealed Proposal Due Date and Time July 7, 2026 @ 10:00AM
Proposal Due Location School Nutrition Program Office
205 LaFayette Avenue
Building A, Suite 604
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Proposal Opening Date and Time July 7, 2026 @ 11:00 AM
Proposal Opening Location LaFayette Education Center, Building A
Award Date: July 14, 2026
Start date and end date of proposal July 15, 2026, through June 30, 2027
AWARDED TO:
Proposal Identification
PROPOSAL FOR NAME OF PRODUCT/SERVICE LABEL ENVELOPE AS FOLLOWS:
X RFP PRODUCE "RFP PRODUCE"
Uniforms "RFP UNIFORMS"
Computers or Software "RFP COMPUTERS or SOFTWARE"
Cafeteria Decor "RFP CAFETERIA DECOR"
Cafeteria Furniture "RFP CAFETERIA FURNITURE"
Food Safety and Sanitation "RFP FOOD SAFETY AND SANITATION

DEFINITION
Addendum: A change, addition, alteration, correction or revision to a proposal or contract document
CFR: Code of Federal Regulations
CN: Child Nutrition
Contract Documents: Consist of the Agreement between the SFA and the Proposer, terms and conditions,
schedule, specifications, drawings, any and all addenda, errata, and bulletins issued prior to execution of the
contract, other documents listed in the Agreement, and modifications issued after execution of the contract.
Cost Reimbursable Contract: A formal, legally enforceable contract that reimburses the awarded Proposer for costs
incurred under the contract but does not provide for any other payment to the awarded Proposer, with or without a
fixed fee. In a cost reimbursable contract, allowable costs will be paid from the nonprofit school food service account
to the awarded Proposer net of all discounts, rebates, and other applicable credits accruing to or received by the
awarded Proposer.
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
FNS: Food and Nutrition Services
F.O.B. : Freight on Board
FCSS: Fayette County School System
HACCP: Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
NSLP: National School Lunch Program
O.C.G.A.: Official Code of Georgia Annotated
OMB: Office of Management and Budget
Proposer: A firm, individual, or corporation submitting a proposal in response to this RFP.
Request for Proposal (RFP): A type of solicitation document used in competitive proposal, where the primary
consideration is cost, and the expectation is that competitive proposals will be received, and an acceptance (award)
will be made to the responsive and responsible Proposer whose proposal is lowest in price and meets the
specifications of the proposal. An RFP is a formal method of procurement that uses proposals and results in a fixed
price or cost reimbursable contract with or without adjustment factors. The RFP must be publicly advertised, and
proposals shall be solicited from an adequate number of known Proposers, providing them with sufficient time to
respond prior to the date set for opening the proposals.
SBP - School Breakfast Program
SFA: School Food Authority
SNP: School Nutrition Program
Solicitation: A document used by the SFA to acquire goods and /or services. Solicitations must incorporate a clear
and accurate description of the technical requirements for the material, product, or service to be procured.
Solicitations must also identify all the requirements which the Proposers must fulfill and all other factors to be used in
evaluating the proposals.
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture
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U.S.C.: United States Code
Vendor: The provider of the goods and/or services under the awarded Contract.
TRANSMITTAL PAGE
The Fayette County Public School Food Authority (SFA), is requesting and issuing this RFP (Request for Proposal)
for the School Nutrition Program (SNP) for Food Safety and Sanitation. Sealed proposals are due by the date, time
and location shown on the RFP Timeline. Sealed proposals will be opened at the date, time and location shown on
the RFP Timeline.
INTENT OF THIS PROPOSAL
It shall be the intent and purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish the terms and conditions under
which the successful Proposer shall supply and deliver Fresh Produce Goods, and related supplies to the School
Food Authority (SFA) in accordance with the specifications, terms, and conditions contained herein.
The Fayette County School System (FCSS), hereafter referred to as the "District" or "FCSS," is seeking to establish a
contract for the procurement and delivery of Fresh Produce Goods and related food service supplies for use in the
National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and other Child Nutrition Programs operated by the
District.
The successful Proposer shall provide weekly delivery services to approximately 23 school sites and any additional
locations identified by the District. Proposers shall demonstrate the operational capability, distribution network,
product availability, customer service support, and financial stability necessary to service a large K12 Child Nutrition
Program.
School food authorities shall comply with the requirements of 7CFR 210.21 and 2 CFR part 200, subpart D and
USDA implementing regulations 2 CFR part 400 and part 415, as applicable, which implement the applicable
requirements, concerning the procurement of all goods and services with nonprofit school food service account
funds. All procurement transactions must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition consistent
with the standards of this section. In order to ensure objective vendor performance and eliminate unfair competitive
advantage, suppliers that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statement of work, or Invitation for Bids,
must be excluded from competing for such procurements. (2 CFR 200.319)
Any changes to the terms or conditions of this Contract, which are required by Federal or State law or rule, or
changes to Federal or State laws, rules, or citations are automatically incorporated herein, effective as of the date
specified in such law, rule and/or USDA Memo.
The SFA is seeking to identify and select one (1) or more vendors to provide the items as listed in the attached list
in Attachment A The selected vendor(s) shall provide products in accordance with the Standard Terms and
Conditions, Special Terms and Conditions, the IFB and any applicable Addenda.
The SFA reserves the right to accept or reject any or all RFP's, or to accept any part of a bid without accepting the
whole thereof, or to accept such bid as they deem to be in the best interest of the SFA without restricting competition
All procurement transactions must be conducted in a manner that provides full and open competition consistent with
2 CFR 200.319. In order to ensure objective contractor performance and eliminate unfair competitive advantage,
contractors or entities that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or requests for
proposals associated with this procurement shall be excluded from competing for such procurements.
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CONTRACT TIME PERIOD
Initial Term - The initial term of this contract, which results from the award of this RFP, shall commence and
terminate on the dates shown on the RFP Timeline. The effective date may not occur prior to the date on which the
contract is July 15, 2026.
Extension Option -The contract may be extended up to three (3) months at the same proposal pricing, provided
mutual agreement by both parties in written form.
Renewal Option - This contract may be renewed by mutual agreement of both parties in written form for no more
than 4 additional 1-year terms based on Proposer performance.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
The SFA is not liable for any costs incurred by Proposers prior to issuance of or entering a contract. Costs
associated with developing the proposal, preparing for oral presentations (if applicable), and any other expenses
incurred by the Proposer in responding to this RFP are entirely the responsibility of the Proposer, and shall not be
reimbursed in any manner by the School Nutrition Program.
PROPOSER CONTACT INFORMATION
Company Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Telephone
Email address
QUESTIONS CONCERNING PROPOSAL
Questions regarding this Request for Proposal shall be directed to:
Fayette County Board of Education
Jerome Perrien
School Nutrition Program
Building A, Suite 604
LaFayette Avenue
Fayetteville, GA 30214
schoolmeals@mail.fcboe.org
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Responses to inquiries that affect the content of this RFP will be provided in writing to all recipients of the RFP. It is
the responsibility of each Proposer to inquire about any aspect of the RFP that is not fully understood or is believed
to be susceptible to more than one interpretation. The SFA will accept only written inquiries regarding this RFP until
the date shown on the Request for Proposal Timeline, in order for a reply to reach all Proposers before the
proposal closes and to give Proposers ample time to respond to any Addenda. Any information given to a
prospective Proposer concerning an RFP, either during the pre-proposal meeting or through written inquiries, will
be furnished to all prospective Proposers as an Addendum to the RFP if such information is necessary or if the
lack of such information would be prejudicial to uninformed Proposers
PROPOSAL PROCESS
Proposals must be enclosed in an envelope and sealed. Emailed proposals are unacceptable and will only be
considered for sealed proposals.
The outside of the envelope shall be clearly marked and labeled as shown on the RFP Identification Chart
and include "RFP # 2026-06-04 for Fayette County School Food Authority. Return address on
envelope should include the Proposer's complete mailing address.
Proposals shall be mailed or delivered to
Fayette County Board of Education
School Nutrition Program
Building A Suite 604
205 LaFayette Avenue
Fayetteville, GA 30214
Email submission is not acceptable.
Sealed proposals must be received by the SFA no later than the date and time shown on the RFP Timeline.
An Excel electronic copy ( on a labeled flash drive) and paper copy of the Spec/Quote Sheet along
with any alternate or required information must be included inside the proposal package. All
proposals will be stamped and documented to validate time and date of receipt.
Late proposals shall not be accepted. The SFA shall not be responsible for late receipt of proposals. Late
proposals will be returned unopened to the address provided on envelope or email (if accepted).
If the Proposer submits documents with informalities, errors, or omissions such as, but not limited to,
non-conforming security, non-conforming non-collusion affidavit or samples, or fails to properly execute and
seal the said documents, the Proposer, in the SFA's sole discretion, may be given 72 hours from the time of
the proposal opening in which to provide such information to the SFA. The SFA has the right to waive any,
and all informalities.
RFP OPENING DATE/TIME/PLACE
RFPs will be opened at the date, time and location shown on the RFP Timeline
AWARD DETERMINATION STATEMENT
The Fayette County School System reserves the right to waive technicalities, to accept or reject any and all
proposals and to waive in proposals received, to award the entire proposal to one respondent or to multiple
vendors or to make awards by group or location, whichever is in the best interest of the Fayette County
School System; hereafter referred to "FCSS", except where noted for clarity.
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This RFP is intended to be awarded and result in a cost reimbursable or a fixed price contract. All prices
shall remain firm for the entire contract period unless otherwise noted in the Pricing and Method of Payment
section.
The award of this RFP is contingent upon available budget funds and approval of the Fayette County Board
of Education.
The SFA will award the contract to the lowest responsive and responsible Proposer meeting all terms,
conditions, and specifications of the RFP, within approximately sixty (60) days of the opening of the
proposals. Proposals received are an irrevocable offer for 60 days after the opening time and date. The SFA
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any, and all proposals or parts thereof.
An official letter/email of acceptance will be forwarded by the SFA to the successful Proposer after
proposal selection and prior to contract award.
Upon acceptance and award of a Proposer's proposal, the contract between the Proposer and the SFA
shall be drafted from (a) the RFP and addenda, (b) the selected response to the RFP by the Proposer and
any attachments thereto, and (c) all written communications between the SFA and the Proposer
concerning the transaction.
The contract shall constitute the entire and only agreement and shall supersede all prior negotiations,
commitments, understandings, or agreements, whether oral or written.
EVALUATION FACTORS
Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the required specifications as listed in this RFP. At
the SFA's discretion, a proposal may be eliminated from consideration for failure to comply with any
required specifications, depending on the nature and extent of non-compliance. In addition to
meeting mandated specifications, proposals will be evaluated for the ability of the Proposer to
provide, in the SFA's opinion, the best overall solution to meet the SFA's specifications.
The SFA reserves the right to award a single contract for the total requirement of the RFP or award
multiple contracts on a group or line item basis in any combination that best serves the interest of
the SFA.
Required references will be used in the evaluation of the proposal. Please complete Attachment I.
EVALUATION CRITERIA AND AWARD PROCESS
After determining a proposal satisfies the mandatory requirements stated in the RFP, the SFA shall analyze each
proposal received. The SFA and a committee will evaluate the proposal and use the following rubric. SFA will use
the categories listed below. Please respond to the questions listed below.
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Weight Criteria
40 points Lowest Overall Purchase Price - This is not a bottom-line contract. The
index price plus mark-up is the price that will be paid by Fayette County
School Nutrition Program. If a proposer feels he can consistently buy an
item or items below the average index price, it may be to his advantage to
bid a negative mark-up cost.
10 points Ordering Capability - Orders will be submitted electronically via a
website. Vendors must have the ability to service "Emergency Orders"
when needed.
10 points Quality of Produce - Please provide samples of the following items to be
used for quality evaluation: grape tomatoes, honeydew, cantaloupe, red,
green and black grapes. watermelon, carrot sticks, celery sticks,
cucumbers, strawberries, iceberg salad mix and romaine salad mix at no
additional cost to the Fayette County School Nutrition Program. Samples
should be delivered with the RFP.
10 points Local Purchasing / Buy American - Preference will be given to the
vendor who will agree to search out and offer locally grown and produced
fruits and vegetables, for use by the Fayette County School Nutrition
Program. "Locally grown" means items grown/produced in Georgia and
states that touch Georgia. A list by month of available items from local
farms along with the farm's name and biography must be included with
this proposal and available throughout the year by request. Points will
also be provided to the vendor who has an SNP accessible electronic system to
identify or "flag" Buy American compliant products when placing food orders.
10 points Department of Defense (DOD) Supplier - Points will be provided for the
company who is a DOD supplier of fresh produce. The vendor must be
registered with the C.C.R. Evidence of this should be provided with the proposal.
10 points Service History - Include five (5) recent references of service history. The
letters should include company name, contact person, company address,
telephone number, and email address. References shall be of similar
scope, complexity, and diversity including references from school districts.
Letters must bear a current (2026) date. Fayette County School Nutrition
Program reserves the right to use previous service history and customer
service as a basis for evaluation.
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10 points HACCP - The Fayette County School System expects a Hazard Analysis
Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan to be in place by potential vendors
and their manufacturers. Documentation is required verifying that a written
HACCP plan is in place. It will be the responsibility of the vendor to
ensure that local farmers providing items to the Fayette County School
Nutrition Program have a HACCP plan in place.
10 points Nutrition Education - Nutrition Program participates in the Georgia Farm
to School award. The Georgia Farm to School Award is given every year
to Local Educational Agencies in Georgia who work with local farmers.
The Georgia Department of Education presents this award. The selected
vendor must be able to provide bios of the farmers, nutrition fact sheets
and in season list of items available that coincide with the nutrition
information.
Total: 100 points
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
Modifications - Original proposals cannot be modified after receipt. Care should be taken to ensure that
information provided is accurate, complete, and consistent. Omission of any of the required information may
subject the Proposer to disqualification. The SFA reserves the right to request information or respond to
inquiries for clarification purposes only.
Withdrawal - Proposers may withdraw proposals at any time up to the scheduled time for receipt of
proposals. Proposers desiring to withdraw their proposal must submit the purpose for withdrawal in writing to
the School Nutrition SFA before the proposal opening deadline (date and time). Proposers may resubmit
proposals provided it is prior to the scheduled time for receipt of proposals.
Examination - It is the responsibility of each Proposer to examine the entire solicitation, seek clarification in
writing, and check its offer for accuracy before submitting the offer. Lack of care in preparing an offer shall
not be grounds for withdrawing the offer after the offer due date and time nor shall it give rise to any contract
claim.
Career Day Events for Student - Vendors must be willing to send a farmer representative to attend at least
two Career Day events at various schools. These visits should include literature, pictures, fresh produce
snacks and should be age appropriate and at no cost to the district.
Financial Accountability - Vendors must submit a copy of their most recent financial statement.
Proposers shall carefully examine all documents in the solicitation to obtain knowledge of existing conditions,
limitations, and requirements. Failure to examine the documents will not relieve the Proposer of responsibility for the
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same nor will extra payment or change order requests be considered for conditions which could have been
determined by examining the solicitation.
Proposals will be considered as conclusive evidence of complete examination and understanding of the terms
and conditions of the proposal documents including the specifications and all requirements thereof in the RFP.
It is understood that submission of a proposal indicates full acceptance of the same by the parties submitting the
proposal. Furthermore, by submitting a proposal the Proposer waives the right to claims for additional time or
monetary compensation for all work without limit required to complete the contract which could have been
obtained by the Proposer through examination of all documents or raising a question regarding requirements
prior to submitting a proposal.
REJECTION OR DISQUALIFICATION OF PROPOSALS
A proposal that is incomplete, obscure, conditioned or contains additions not called for or irregularities of
any kind, (including alterations or erasures), which are not initialized and dated, may be rejected as
non-conforming.
The SFA reserves the right to waive a proposal's minor irregularities if rectified by the Proposer within three
business days of the SFA's issuance of a written notice of such irregularities.
The SFA reserves the right to disqualify proposals upon evidence of collusion with intent to defraud or other
illegal practices upon the part of the Proposer.
Issuance of this RFP in no way constitutes a commitment by the SFA to award a contract. The SFA reserves
the right to accept or reject, in whole or part, all proposals submitted and/or to cancel this solicitation if it is
determined to be in the best interest of the SFA.
Any Proposer who has demonstrated and documented poor performance during a current or previous
agreement, within the last 3 years with the School Nutrition Program may be considered a non-responsible
Proposer and their bid may be rejected. The SFA reserves the right to exercise this option as is deemed
proper and/or necessary. Please provide references by using attachment I.
Evidence of Financial Capabilities
After the proposal opening, Proposers must be prepared to present suitable evidence of their financial
standing within three (3) business days after a written request by the SFA. This evidence would include an
income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flow accompanied by an auditor's report attesting
to the accuracy of the financial statement.
The signed and dated contract between the SFA and the Vendor shall be governed in accordance with the laws of
the State of Georgia and all applicable Federal regulations.
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LOBBYING CERTIFICATE 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200 (I)
A Lobbying Certification and Disclosure must be completed for all bids $100,000 and over. Byrd
Anti-Lobbying Amendment (31 U.S.C. 1352): Vendors that apply or bid for an award exceeding $100,000
must file the required certification. Each tier certifies to the tier above that it will not and has not used
Federal appropriated funds to pay any person or organization for influencing or attempting to influence an
officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, officer or employee of Congress, or an
employee of a member of Congress in connection with obtaining any Federal contract, grant or any other
award covered by 31 U.S.C. 1352. Each tier must also disclose any lobbying with non-Federal funds that
takes place in connection with obtaining any Federal award. Such disclosures are forwarded from tier to
tier up to the non-Federal award. 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200 (I) See and complete Attachment D.
DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION VERIFICATION 2 CFR Appendix II to Part 200 (H)
Institutions shall solicit offers from, award contracts to, and consent to subcontracts with responsible
vendors and/or principals only. The serious nature of debarment and suspension requires that sanctions
be imposed only in the public interest for the Government's protection and not for purposes of punishment.
Institutions shall impose debarment or suspension to protect the Government's interest and only for the
causes and in accordance with the procedures set forth in 2 CFR 200.213 and 2 CFR Appendix II to Part
200, Section (H).
The Vendor certifies that the Vendor and/or any of its sub vendors or principals have not been debarred,
suspended, or declared ineligible by any agency of the State of Georgia or any agency of the Federal
government or as defined in the 2 CFR 200.213 which states "Non-federal entities are subject to the
non-procurement debarment and suspension regulations implementing Executive Orders 12549 and
12689, 2 CFR part 180.
These regulations restrict awards, subawards, and contracts with certain parties that are debarred,
suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or
activities." The Vendor will immediately notify the School Food Authority if Vendor is debarred or placed on
the Consolidated List of Debarred, Suspended, and Ineligible Vendors by a federal entity.
By signing this agreement, the Vendor is testifying that they are not debarred, suspended, or has any
ineligible or voluntary exclusions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any other Federal or State
Agency. All responses will be verified. Debarment and Suspension (Executive Orders 12549 and 12689): A
contract award (see 2 CFR 180.220) must not be made to parties listed on the governmentwide exclusions
in the System for Award Management (SAM), in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that
implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR part 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR part 1989 Comp.,
p. 235), "Debarment and Suspension." SAM Exclusions contains the names of parties debarred,
suspended, or otherwise excluded by agencies, as well as parties declared ineligible under statutory or
regulatory authority other than Executive Order 12549. See Attachment E
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