School Nutrition Management Software

Purchasing Department
P.O. Box 13145 * Roanoke, VA 24031
(540) 853-1348 * Fax (540) 853-2836
April 16, 2026
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RFP 3197
Notice is hereby given of the intention of the School Board for the City of Roanoke, Virginia, to contract for:
SCHOOL NUTRITION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SYSTEM
IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE
Proposal Submission Requirements
Proposals must be received by the Due Date and Time at bids.purchasing@rcps.info
Due Date and Time: May 8, 2026, 3:00 P.M. (EST)
Announcement of Award: Upon the award or the announcement of the decision to award a contract as a
result of this Request for Proposal ("RFP"), the Director of Purchasing will publicly post such notice on the
Roanoke City Public Schools website (https://www.rcps.info/departments/fiscal-services/purchasing) (Click
on "Current Opportunities") for a minimum 10-day period.
ROANOKE CITY SCHOOL BOARD
Eric Thornton
Purchasing Director
***************************************************************************************
******
Electronic Invitation to Bid/RFP Retrieval Instructions: Full copies of Requests for Proposals, Bids, and
Addenda must be retrieved over the Internet at the following address:
https://www.rcps.info/departments/fiscal-services/purchasing.
Click on "Current Opportunities"
This Public Body does not discriminate against Faith-Based Organizations.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
RFP 3197
SCHOOL NUTRITION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SYSTEM
PAGE
I. PURPOSE 3
II. BACKGROUND 3
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS 3
IV. TECHNICAL AND INTEROPERABILITY REQUIREMENTS 4
V. IMPLEMENTATION, TRAINING, AND SUPPORT 6
VI. CONTRACT PERIOD 6
VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS 6
VIII. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS AND PREPARATION 7
IX. EVALUATION AND AWARD OF CONTRACT 8
X. COOPERATIVE PROCUREMENT 9
XI. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 10
XII. SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 13
XIII. ADDITIONAL FORMS 16
ATTACHMENT A - FUNCTION CHECKLIST 23
ATTACHMENT B - DATA PRIVACY ADDENDUM 24
ATTACHMENT C - WEB ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE ADDENDUM 32
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RFP 3197
SCHOOL NUTRITION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SYSTEM
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Request for Proposal ("RFP") is to solicit sealed proposals through competitive
negotiation and enter into a contract for the purchase of a comprehensive, web-based, School
Nutrition Management Software System for the School Board of the City of Roanoke, more
commonly known as Roanoke City Public Schools. Roanoke City Public Schools ("RCPS", "Owner", or
"Division") intends to retain a qualified firm ("Contractor"," Offeror") to provide this system for the
Division. The selected system must be fully operational and ready for use for the 2026-2027 School
Year.
RCPS will select the Contractor who, in the aggregate, best meets the Division's needs. This
document establishes the anticipated services to be performed and outlines the evaluation and
selection process. However, this document does not guarantee a contract.
II. BACKGROUND
Roanoke City Public Schools ("RCPS") is a progressive urban school division serving the City of
Roanoke, Virginia. RCPS operates 26 school kitchens serving approximately 13,700 students daily
through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
The School Nutrition Department requires a modern, integrated software solution to support
point-of-sale operations, meal eligibility, menu planning, production, inventory, financial
accountability, and communication with families.
III. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Offerors must provide a detailed response to each requirement below, indicating whether the
feature/function is "Native/Included," "Third-Party Integration," or "Not Available" (Attachment A).
A. Core Functional Modules
1. Point of Sale ("POS") System.
a. Offline POS mode.
b. Real-time balance updates.
c. Student photo display at POS.
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d. Must support barcode and QR-code scanning of student ID cards using standard USB
or Bluetooth scanners, with real-time lookup and validation of student accounts.
2. Meal Eligibility System.
a. Free/Reduced application processing, including paper scan and online with e-
signature.
b. Direct Certification import and matching.
3. Parent/Guardian Mobile App.
4. Online Payments Integration.
5. Reporting & Compliance Tools.
B. Optional Add-On Modules
1. Inventory Management.
2. Production Records.
3. Menu Planning & Nutrient Analysis.
4. Central Warehouse Module.
5. Financial Management.
6. Catering Management.
C. Data Management & Reporting
1. SQL-based architecture; Vendor must disclose whether the database is multi-tenant or
single-tenant.
2. Custom reporting tools; must support export to CSV, Excel, and PDF.
3. Custom fields.
4. USDA and VDOE compliance.
5. VDOE claim submission; System must generate VDOE claim files in approved formats and
support workflow to validate reimbursement counts.
IV. TECHNICAL AND INTEROPERABILITY REQUIREMENTS
A. Integrations
The solution must support secure, real-time data transfer and district-approved Single Sign-On
("SSO") using SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, or equivalent industry-standard identity protocols, with:
1. Student Information System ("SIS"); real-time syncing is preferred, but nightly sync is
acceptable.
2. Interoperability and automation of the SaaS system with KeyStone.
3. Payment processors.
4. Menu display platforms, compatibility with Nutrislice or other acceptable alternative.
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5. ClassLink: Full rostering and SSO integration.
6. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD): Must provide full SSO integration and support modern
authentication (OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0) for all user roles.
7. API support for third-party vendors.
B. Accessibility, Hosting, Privacy, & Security
1. Hosting:
a. Fully managed cloud hosting ("SaaS") with redundancy and high availability
(99.9% uptime SLA).
b. Testing and training environments.
c. The Vendor shall provide a high-performance hosting environment with sub-
second response times, maintaining the system through regular updates, and
infrastructure optimizations to ensure RCPS experiences maximum operational
efficiency and minimal latency.
2. Security Record:
a. Offeror must demonstrate a security and breach-free track record. Proposals must
include recent SOC 2 Type II reports or equivalent security audits, as well as annual
penetration test summaries under NDA.
b. Offeror shall attest to FERPA compliance; encrypt data in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at
rest (AES-256 or equivalent); implement role-based access controls and MFA for
admin roles.
c. Offeror must notify the Division within 72 hours of any security incident affecting
Division data, with root-cause analysis and a corrective action plan within 10 business
days.
d. The system must support configurable, rolebased access levels ranging from full
administrative privileges to restricted enduser access, ensuring users only view or
perform actions appropriate to their assigned roles.
3. Data Migration: Offeror shall migrate all historical and active data necessary for full
operation of the School Nutrition Management Software System. This includes but is not
limited to: student account balances and transaction history; payment history; meal eligibility
data. If applicable: menu, recipe, and nutrient data; production records; inventory and
warehouse data; financial and reporting data; and all site configuration data. The Offeror
shall provide complete data mapping, a full test migration, validation criteria, and at least
two remediation cycles prior to go live. The final migration shall occur immediately prior to
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system launch. RCPS retains all rights, title, and interest in all Division data. The Offeror shall
provide complete, machine readable exports upon request and at contract termination at no
additional cost.
4. Privacy: Offeror must agree to the RCPS Data Privacy Addendum ("DPA") (Attachment B).
5. Accessibility: Offeror must agree to the RCPS Web Accessibility Compliance Addendum
(Attachment C).
V. IMPLEMENTATION, TRAINING, AND SUPPORT
A. Timeline: System MUST be fully implemented, tested, and live for the 2026-2027 School Year.
B. Training: Vendor must provide comprehensive training for all food service staff on all system
setups and modules. This will be provided at no additional charge as part of the product.
Training must include:
* Initial Implementation Training for all relevant staff, including administrators, managers, and
point-of-sale users.
* Ongoing Training Opportunities offered at regular intervals (at minimum annually), including
refresher sessions, new module training, and training for new hires.
* On-Demand Training Resources, such as recorded webinars, online tutorials, user manuals,
and searchable knowledge bases.
* Live Support Training to be available during major system updates, configuration changes, or
when new features are released.
Responding vendors should include all proposed services for this project in their responses. The final
scope of services will be determined during contract negotiation and within the contract.
VI. CONTRACT PERIOD
The initial contract period will be from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Upon the mutual agreement
of the parties in writing, the Contract may be extended by RCPS for up to four (4) optional one (1)
year renewals.
VII. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Release RFP April 16, 2026
Receive Written Inquiries (no later than) * April 24, 2026 | 5:00 P.M.
Answer Written Inquiries (no later than)** May 1, 2026 | 5:00 P.M.
Receive Proposals May 8, 2026 | 3:00 P.M.
*Written inquiries should be sent to bids.purchasing@rcps.info.
**Answers will be posted to the RCPS Purchasing Department website as an addendum.
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VIII. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS AND PREPARATION
In order to be considered for selection, Offerors must electronically submit a complete response to
this RFP. Specifically, Offerors must provide one (1) original and one (1) redacted copy that omits any
proprietary or confidential information that the Offeror requests to be withheld from public view.
Proposals shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Offeror. All information requested
should be submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result in RCPS requiring
prompt submission of missing information and/or giving a lowered evaluation of the proposal.
Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise
description of capabilities to satisfy the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis should be placed on
completeness and clarity of content. Proposals should be organized in the order in which the
requirements are presented in the RFP. All pages of the proposal should be numbered. Each
paragraph in the proposal should reference the paragraph number of the corresponding section of
the RFP. It is also helpful to cite the paragraph number, sub letter, and repeat the text of the
requirements as it appears in the RFP. If a response covers more than one page, the proposal should
contain a table of contents which cross references the RFP requirements. Information which the
Offeror desires to present that does not fall within any of the requirements of the RFP should be
inserted at an appropriate place or be attached at the end of the proposal and designated as
additional material.
Responses must be delivered not later than 3:00 P.M. on May 8, 2026, to bids.purchasing@rcps.info
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Interested firms should submit a proposal that responds to the items listed below. Proposals should be
concise and address each item in the order outlined below.
A typed response describing:
1. Offeror's organization data, including company history, experience with Virginia school divisions, and
statement of security track record.
2. A line-by-line response to every requirement listed in Sections III and IV of this RFP.
3. Detailed project schedule ("Gantt chart)" showing milestones to meet the 2026-2027 go-live
deadline and data migration strategy.
4. Itemized pricing, including one-time implementation fees, annual licensing/subscription fees,
hosting costs, and training costs. Annual increases during the initial term should be capped at the lesser
of 3% or CPI-U.
5. Minimum of three (3) public school division references of similar size to RCPS, preferably within
Virginia.
6. Any other information that is believed to be relevant in evaluating the proposal.
IX. EVALUATION AND AWARD OF CONTRACT
A. Evaluation Criteria: Proposals shall be evaluated using the following criteria.
Criteria:
1. Functional Fit & Requirements Compliance
a. Core Features (Point of Sale, Meal Eligibility System, Parent/Guardian Mobile App,
Online Payments Integration System, Reporting and Compliance Tools) - 10
points.
b. Optional Add-Ons (Inventory Management, Production Records, Menu Planning
& Nutrient Analysis, Central Warehouse Module, Financial Management, Catering
Management) - 6 points.
c. Interoperability (Student Information System) - 7 points.
d. Security & Hosting (SOC 2, MFA, encryption, RBAC, hosting SLA ) - 7 points.
e. Virginia Reporting (VDOE compliance updates and claim submissions) - 5 points.
2. Past Performance & Experience
a. References and Virginia Experience (quality of references and experience working
with VA divisions and VDOE reporting) - 13 points.
b. Company Stability (financial and organizational stability) - 3 points.
c. Security Track Record (documented breach history and maturity) - 3 points.
3. Cost (Total Cost of Ownership)
a. Five-Year Total Cost of Ownership (implementation, licensing, hosting, training,
support) - 20 points.
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b. Cost Transparency (clarity and completeness of pricing details) - 5 points.
c. Cost Reasonableness (comparison to industry norms) - 5 points.
4. Implementation & Training Plan
a. Project Schedule (feasibility of meeting 2026-27 go-live date) - 5 points.
b. Data Migration (mapping, test cycles, transcript/historical data migration) - 5
points.
c. Training Plan (training quantity and quality for all roles) - 3 points.
d. Support Model (post-go-live support and SLAs) - 3 points.
Total Points 100
B. Award:
Selection shall be made of one or more Offeror(s) deemed to be fully qualified and best suited
among those submitting proposals on the basis of the evaluation factors included in the Request for
Proposal, including price, if so stated in the Request for Proposal. Negotiations shall be conducted
with the Offeror(s) selected. Price shall be considered but need not be the sole determining factor.
After negotiations have been conducted with each Offeror(s) so selected, RCPS shall select the
Offeror(s) which, in its opinion, has made the best proposal, and shall award the contract to that
Offeror(s). RCPS may cancel this Request for Proposal or reject proposals at any time prior to an
award and is not required to furnish a statement of the reason why a particular proposal was not
deemed to be the most advantageous (Section 2.2- 4319 and Section 2.2-4359, Code of Virginia).
Oral Presentations: Offerors who submit a proposal in response to this RFP may be required to give
an oral presentation of their proposal to RCPS. This provides an opportunity for the Offeror to clarify
or elaborate on the proposal.
The oral presentation is a fact-finding and explanation session only and does not include
negotiations. RCPS will schedule the time and location of these presentations. Oral presentations are
an option of RCPS and may or may not be conducted.
X. COOPERATIVE PROCUREMENT
The procurement of goods and/or services provided for in this Bid is being conducted pursuant to
Virginia Code Section 2.2-4304. Therefore, the Offeror or Bidder is advised, and by submitting a
response to this procurement, such Offeror or Bidder agrees that any resulting contract from this
procurement may be extended to other public bodies in the State of Virginia. The successful Offeror
or Bidder shall deal directly with each public agency or body seeking to obtain any goods and/or
services pursuant to any contract that may result from this procurement and in accordance with
Virginia Code Section 2.2-4304. The Roanoke City School Board shall not be responsible or liable for
any costs, expenses, or any other matters of any type to either the successful Offeror or Bidder or
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the public agency or body seeking to obtain any goods and/or services pursuant to this cooperative
procurement provision.
XI. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Taxes: State sales and use tax certificate of exemption, Form ST-12 will be issued upon request,
if you do not have same on file. Deliveries against this proposal shall be free of excise or
transportation taxes.
2. Mandatory use of RCPS Forms and Terms and Conditions: Failure to submit a proposal on the
official forms provided for that purpose shall be a cause for rejection of the proposal. Return of
the completed document is required. Modification of or additions to any portion of the
solicitation may be cause for rejection of the proposal; however, RCPS reserves the right to decide,
on a case-by-case basis, in its sole discretion, whether or not to reject such a proposal as non-
responsive. Supplementary data and information which respond to inquiries, demonstrate
qualifications and expertise, etc., may be attached to the proposal forms.
3. Precedence of Terms: Except for Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the General Terms and Conditions for
Professional Services, which shall apply in all instances, in the event there is a conflict between
the Generals Terms and Conditions for Professional Services and any Special Terms and Conditions
used in a particular procurement, the Special Terms and Conditions shall apply.
4. Default: In case of failure to deliver the reports, documents, or services in accordance with the
contract terms and conditions, RCPS, after due oral and written notice, may procure from other
sources and hold Vendor responsible for any resulting additional procurement and administrative.
This remedy shall be in addition to any other remedies which RCPS may have incurred.
5. Assignment of Contract: A contract shall not be assignable by the Contractor in whole or in part
without the written consent of RCPS.
6. Antitrust: By entering into a contract, the Offeror conveys, sells, assigns, and transfers to RCPS
all rights, title, and interest in and to all causes of the action it may now or hereafter acquire under
the antitrust laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia, relating to the
particular goods or services purchased or acquired by RCPS under said contract.
7. Ethics in Public Contracting: By submitting the proposal, all Offerors certify and warrant that their
proposals are made without collusion or fraud and that they have not offered or received any
kickbacks or inducements from any other Offeror, supplier, manufacturer, or subcontractor in
connection with their proposal, and that they have not conferred with any public employee having
official responsibility for this procurement transaction any payment, loan, subscription, advance,
deposit of money, services or anything, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially
equal or greater value is exchanged.
8. Anti-Discrimination: By submitting their proposal, all Offerors certify to RCPS that they will
conform to the provisions of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, as well as the
Virginia Fair Employment Act of 1975, as amended, where applicable, and Section 11-51 of the
Virginia Public Procurement Act which provides:
a. In every contract over $10,000, the provisions 1 and 2 below apply:
i. During the performance of this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:
1. The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for
employment because of race, religion, color, sex or national origin, except where
religion, sex or national origin is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably
necessary to the normal operation of the contractor. The contractor agrees to post in
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