V2526120RFP - CNS Farm to School

Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
Vista Unified School District
CNS FARM-TO-SCHOOL PRODUCE
RFP # V2526120RFP
RFP AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
DUE DATE: June 05, 2026
1234 Arcadia Ave.
Vista, CA 92084
Purchasing Department
(760) 726-2170, ext. 92642
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Vista Unified School District of San Diego County, California,
acting by and through its Governing Board, hereinafter referred to as the DISTRICT will receive up to,
but not later than 3:00 o'clock p.m. on June 05, 2026, proposals for the award of a contract for CNS
FARM-TO-SCHOOL PRODUCE, RFP No. V2526120RFP.
Each proposal shall be submitted on a form obtained at the Purchasing Department, Vista Unified
School District at 1234 Arcadia Ave, Vista, CA 92084 or at
https://vistausd.org/departments/business_services/purchasing. Proposals may be sent to Jose
Mata-Villa of the Vista Unified School District, Purchasing Department, at 1234 Arcadia Ave, Vista CA
92084. RFP's not received in the District's Purchasing Department by the specified date and time will
be returned unopened. It is the sole responsibility of the proposer to see that his/her proposal is
received at the proper time at the address noted herein. Proposals will be opened at 3:00 o'clock p.m.
on June 05, 2026, at the Purchasing Department's assigned location and will not be read aloud. A
summary will be sent out after 48 business hours after day of opening.
Each RFP must conform and be responsive to this invitation, the Information for Proposers, the
Specifications, and all other documents comprising the pertinent Contract Documents. Copies of the
Contract Documents are now on file and may be obtained at the purchasing website stated above.
The RFP will be awarded by the point system using the criteria which has been established and outlined
as per sample located on pg. 13 of this RFP. The Vista Unified School District reserves the right to
reject any or all RFP's, to accept or reject any one or more items of an RFP, to award multiple suppliers
or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the RFP or in the proposals.
No proposer may withdraw his/her RFP for a period of sixty (60) days after the date set for the opening.
In the event of identical RFP's, the Governing Board may determine by lot which shall be accepted per
Public Contract Code 20117.
Vista Unified School District
Martha Alvarado
Clerk of the Governing Board
Publication: The Daily Journal
Advertising dates: 05/20/26; 05/27/26
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
RFP PACKAGE TABLE OF CONTENTS
RFP No. V2526120RFP
CNS FARM-TO-SCHOOL PRODUCE
RFP DOCUMENT SECTION PAGE
RFP Notice to Proposers 2
Table of Contents 3
* RPF Proposal Form 4
* Non-collusion Declaration 5
Instructions and conditions to Proposers 6-16
General Conditions 17-21
* Agreement Page 22-24
* Proposer Criteria Form 25
Supplier Questionnaire Form 26-27
Certification Attachments Section 28
* Equal Opportunity Employment Act 29
* Certification Regarding Lobbying Form 30
* Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form 31-32
* Suspension and Debarment Certification Form 33
* Iran Contracting Act 34-35
* Contractor's Certificate Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 36
* Contractor's Certificate Regarding Alcoholic Beverage and 37
Tobacco-Free Campus Policy
* Contractor's Certificate Regarding Worker's Compensation 38
* Specifications 39-44
* Evaluation Criteria Form 45
FLASH DRIVE WITH ALL RFP DOCUMENTS MUST
BE SUBMITTED WITH RFP.
* Pages that require signatures and MUST be submitted as
part of RFP.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
RFP PROPOSAL FORM
Board of Education
Vista Unified School District
Purchasing Department
1234 Arcadia Avenue
Vista, CA 92084
Re: Proposal for RFP No. V2526120RFP
To: Members of the Board of Education
The undersigned, doing business under the full and complete legal firm name as set forth below, having
examined the Notice to Proposers, Instructions to Proposers, the General Conditions, the Specifications, the
Agreement, and all other documents forming a part of the RFP package for the above-referenced RFP, hereby
proposes to perform the Agreement, including all of its component parts, and to furnish all materials called
by them for the entire order for the prices set forth in the quotation sheets contained in said RFP package.
The entire RFP package is submitted, together with this RFP Proposal Form, including Addenda Nos.__, __,
__, and __, on file at the Purchasing Office of said District for the prices set opposite the articles listed herein.
Name of Company: __________________________________________________________________
Legal Status (i.e., sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation):
___________________________________________
Tax I.D. Number (Sole Proprietorship Only):___________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________
Authorized Representative: __________________________________________
Signature
__________________________________________
Name (Print or Type)
__________________________________________
Title
Date: ________________________
Telephone: ( ) ________________ FAX: ( ) ______________
E-mail address: ________________
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
"NONCOLLUSION DECLARATION" TO BE EXECUTED BY
PROPOSER AND SUBMITTED WITH PROPOSAL
(Public Contract Code Section 7106)
State of California
County of_________________________] ss.
I, the undersigned, being duly sworn, declare that I am an authorized officer of the party making
the foregoing proposal that the proposal is not made in the interest of, or on behalf of, any
undisclosed person, partnership, company, association, organization, or corporation; that the
proposal is genuine and not collusive or sham; that the Supplier has not directly or indirectly
induced or solicited any other proposer to put in a false or sham RFP, and has not directly or
indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or agreed with any Supplier or anyone else to put in a
false or sham proposal, and has not directly or indirectly induced or solicited any other Supplier to
put in a false or sham proposal, and has not directly or indirectly colluded, conspired, connived, or
agreed with any Supplier or anyone else to put in a sham proposal, or that anyone shall refrain from
proposing; that the Supplier has not in any manner, directly or indirectly, sought by agreement,
communication, or conference with anyone to fix the proposal price of the Supplier or any other
Supplier, or to fix any overhead, profit, or cost element of the proposal price, or that of any other
Supplier, or to secure any advantage against the public body awarding the contract of anyone
interested in the proposed contract: that all statements contained in the proposal are true; and,
further, that the Supplier has not, directly or indirectly, submitted his or her proposal price or any
breakdown thereof, or the contents thereof, or divulged information or data relative thereto, or paid,
and will not pay, any fee to any corporation, partnership, company, association, organization,
proposal depository, or to any member of agent thereof to effectuate a collusive or sham proposal.
Any person executing this declaration on behalf of a Supplier that is a corporation, partnership,
joint venture, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or any other entity, hereby
represents that he or she has full power to execute, and does execute this declaration on behalf of
the Supplier.
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I have read and understand this Non-Collusion
Declaration and guarantee complete compliance with all the terms, conditions and stipulations.
Supplier _____________________________________________
(Type or Print Complete Legal Name of Company)
By____________________________________________ ____________
(Signature) (Date)
Name_______________________________________ ____________
(Type or Print) (Title)
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
INSTRUCTIONS AND CONDITONS TO PROPOSERS:
No RFP proposals shall receive consideration by the Vista Unified School District unless made
in accordance with the following instructions:
1. PREPARATION OF RFP'S
Vista Unified School District is seeking RFP's from local farmers/distributors for selected items
as specified in the specifications form herein. Upon selection and award the Contract will take
place from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.
The Contract(s) will be an agreement between two parties to procure/grow a particular produce
item at estimated quantities for a fixed price, paid on 45 (forty-five) days after delivery of
product.
For the purpose of this RFP, Vista Unified defines "locally" Farm to School as per the categories
below. ALL Produce under this RFP must be California Grown. Price and proximity to
District are major factors taken into consideration on the evaluation process.
Local- Grown within 75 miles of VUSD's Central Kitchen
Regional- Grown/raised in California within 250 miles of San Diego
County Line and within California
California- Grown/raised within the State of California
PRODUCT:
Vista is seeking RFP's and pricing for the items on the specifications sheets listed herein.
All prices and quotations must be submitted in ink or typewritten. No pencil figures or erasures
permitted. Mistakes may be crossed out and corrections inserted adjacent thereto and must be
initialed in ink by the person signing the RFP form. No oral, telegraphic or telephone RFP's or
modifications will be accepted.
Both unit price and extension (where applicable) for all line items listed must be shown where
required on the specification form (estimated usage). In case of error, unit price will govern and
extensions will be corrected.
More than one unit price inserted for any one item may result in the rejection of the RFP unless
alternate RFP's are specifically requested. Note: You are NOT required to quote on all items in
order to participate in the Farm to School RFP
The RFP price amount shall include all direct and indirect cost incidentals to providing the products
or services described herein, such as fuel fees, licensee fee, bond fees, insurance, etc. Signature
on RFP must be in ink to be considered acceptable
PRODUCT LIABILITY INSURANCE: Vista Unified requires a $1,000,000.00 policy from all
suppliers. If you currently do not have a policy and would like more information on how small
farms acquire this type of insurance, we encourage you to contact a local support agency that we
work with, the food systems team at Community Health Improvement Partners at 858-609-7978.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
Responses must consist of a Hard Copy and Flash Drive of the Specifications (in Excel Format)
and Evaluation Criteria Form as well as all RFP documents. The fillable copies of the specifications
and evaluation form will be posted: https://vistausd.org/departments/business_services/purchasing
2. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Any questions related to the RFP should be directed to Jose Mata-Villa of the Vista Unified School
District, Purchasing Department, at the address specified for receipt of RFP proposals.
Request for Information deadline is May 28, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
Response to RFI deadline is May 29, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
3. EXECUTION OF AGREEMENT
The proposer(s) who is awarded this contract must sign and return 2 copies of the Agreement
pages (Pages 22-24).
4. IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSER
Each RPF must give the full business address of the proposer and must be signed by the proposer
with his or her usual signature. RFP's by partnerships must furnish the full names of all partners
and must be signed in the partnership name by a general partner with authority to bind the
partnership in such matters, RFP's by corporations must be signed with legal name of the
corporation, followed by the signature and designation of the president, secretary, or other person
authorized to bind the corporation in this matter. The name of each person signing shall also be
typed or printed below the signature, when requested by the District, satisfactory evidence of the
authority of the officer signing on behalf of the corporation shall be furnished. A proposer's failure
to properly sign required forms may result in rejection of the RFP.
5. DEMONSTRATIONS
If the District considers a need, proposers shall be required to arrange demonstrations of items or
services proposed. Failure to be able to provide such working demonstration may disqualify the
proposer's submittal.
Unless otherwise required by the District, proposers shall be required to provide the requested
demonstrations at the district's facility. All demonstrations shall be provided free of charge to the
district. Proposers may be required to reimburse the district for travel to demonstrations not held
at the district's facility.
6. EQUAL RFP'S
When RFP's are equal, contract shall be awarded by a drawing of lots, in the presence of three
witnesses, and performed by the Sr. Buyer at VUSD located at 1234 Arcadia Avenue, Vista, CA
92084.
7. WITHDRAWAL OF RFP PROPOSALS
Any proposer may withdraw his/her RFP personally or by written request at any time prior to the
scheduled closing time for the receipt of RFP's, but may not be withdrawn for period of sixty (60)
days after the opening of RFP's. A successful proposer shall not be relieved of the RFP submitted
without the District's consent or proposer's recourse to Public Contract Code Sections 5100, et seq.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
8. AWARD/ OF CONTRACT
The Vista Unified School District reserves the right to accept or to reject any one or more items of
an RFP, or to waive any irregularities or informalities in the RFP's or the proposals. RFP's will be
evaluated using the point system and the criteria described on page 13. The proposer who meets
each criterion item the best will be awarded the most possible points for that specific criterion. If
determined that multiple proposers meet the criteria the same, the same number of points might be
awarded in some cases. The District will be the sole judge of merit and may award this contract to
multiple proposers as PRICE, SERVICE AND QUALITY are important factors and will be
considered in making the selection.
Multiple-award: On this RFP, the DISTRICT reserves the right to award by point system, an
evaluation team will evaluate all proposals and may choose to recommend primary, secondary and
tertiary award for same items based on supplier's ranking results and price. Suppliers must score
70% or higher in the evaluation in order to be considered responsible and responsive. Any proposer
which scores under 70% will be disqualified for contract award. More details on the evaluation
criteria are found starting on page 13.
9. REJECTION OF RFP'S
The District reserves the right to accept or to reject any and all RFP's, or any portion or combination
thereof, or award on the basis of the total RFP. The District, always interested in procuring goods
at reasonable and prudent prices, reserves the right to reject RFP's where price submitted is greater
than 4X (times) the cost for same or similar item on LA Market Price (High end).
10. AMENDMENTS
The terms and conditions contained in the Notice to Proposers, RFP Proposal Form, Instruction to
Proposers, General Conditions, Specifications, and Agreement herein may be amended or modified
only with the prior written approval of the District.
Any addenda or bulletins issued during the time prior to request of information deadline shall form
a part of the specifications issued to proposers for the preparation of their proposals and shall
constitute a part of the contract documents.
11. EVIDENCE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Upon the request of the District, a proposer shall submit promptly to the District satisfactory
evidence showing the proposer's financial resources, the proposer's experience in the type of work
being required by the District, the proposer's organization available for the performance of the
contract and any other required evidence of the Proposer's qualifications to perform the proposed
contract. The District may consider such evidence before making its decision to award the proposed
contract. Failure to submit evidence of a proposer's responsibility to perform the proposed contract
may result in rejection of the RFP.
12. BID SECURITY
None required
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
13. TAXES
Unless otherwise specified, taxes shall not be included in the RFP prices. The District will compute
the state sales and use taxes. Federal excise taxes are not applicable to school district.
14. PROPOSERS INTERESTED IN MORE THAN ONE BID
No person, firm or corporation shall be allowed to make, or file, or be interested in submitting more
than one bid/proposal unless special bid/proposal conditions indicate otherwise. A person, firm, or
corporation who has submitted a sub-proposal to a bidder, or who has quoted prices of materials to
a bidder is not thereby disqualified from itself submitting an RFP or quoting prices to other
contractors. No person, firm, or corporation, who has participated in the preparation of a contract
specifications, shall be allowed to submit a proposal. Any proposals submitted bid by such a person,
firm or corporation shall be determined to be nonresponsive.
15. QUANTITIES
The quantities indicated on the Specification Sheets (estimated usage) are the District's best
estimate, as determined from previous annual totals and projected usages, and do not obligate the
District to purchase the indicated quantities. The actual quantities required may be substantially
lower or higher than indicated herein.
16. INTERPRETATION OF RFP DOCUMENTS
If any proposer finds discrepancies in, or omissions from the RFP documents, he/she may submit
to Jose Mata-Villa, Senior Buyer of the Vista Unified School District, a written request for
clarification at josematavilla@vistausd.org , and the responses thereto will be emailed and posted
to the purchasing webpage, Purchasing - Vista Unified. Corrections will be made by addenda issued
to each company that has been sent or has picked up an RFP packet. The Vista Unified School
District will not be responsible for oral interpretations. Any addenda issued during the time of RFP
shall be incorporated into the RFP.
17. AGREEMENT PERIOD
Contract will be valid for one (1) year; and renewable for up to 2 additional 1-year terms upon
mutual agreement by both parties after the date contract is awarded. The DISTRICT reserves the
right to reject any and all RFP's or to waive irregularities in any RFP. It is anticipated that the
agreement awarded under this RFP shall be effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Ninety
(90) days prior to end of term, the District will notify supplier of exercising renewal option.
18. ESCALATION
The successful proposer shall agree to negotiate any price changes it requests and to supply the
District with adequate pertinent documentation to support any price change requested. Suppliers
should note that no price changes will be effective until the District has accepted the request for the
price change with supporting documentation. Until the change has been accepted, the supplier must
continue to provide service with the original prices, terms and conditions.
19. DE-ESCALATION
In the event that a supplier with a current contract as a result of a bid wish to REDUCE the price
on an item or items, the District reserves the right to accept the price reduction effective with the
offer to reduce rather than wait for approval.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526120RFP
20. SUPPLIERS STOCKING POLICY
Supplier agrees to stock all items proposed with the guaranteed to buyer that there will be no stock-
outs beyond the supplier's control. The District understands that for this particular RFP the supplier
may encounter issues such as loss of crop which fall under beyond supplier's control. Suppliers
must contact the District within forty-eight (48) hours of a stock-out beyond their control.
21. COMMENCEMENT OF DELIVERIES
After receiving written notification of award, the successful proposer shall be required to commence
with the delivery of all items which they have been awarded immediately after receipt of a District
purchase order. In most instances, delivery services will begin after July 1, 2025.
22. ORDER SIZE AND PLACEMENT
There shall be no minimum quantities required in order for the District to place orders for items
needed. Orders will be placed by each cafeteria manager and/or Department buyer as per a mutually
agreed schedule between the Child Nutrition Services Department and the supplier. Managers must
have the right to adjust their orders up to 48 hours prior to their scheduled delivery day.
23. DELIVERIES
Delivery of fresh products shall be coordinated with the District. Deliveries are to be made in
vehicles which comply with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point regulations. Upon award
of contract, suppliers shall keep sufficient stock of product and service material to insure prompt
delivery and service schedules.
All prices shall be "F.O.B. Destination". Destination shall be to Vista Unified School District,
Central Kitchen which requires daily delivery between 6:00 am and 9:30 am. The minimum order
per site will be no less than $250.
VUSD CNS Central Kitchen
4680 North Avenue, Oceanside CA 92056
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