Procuring Local Foods

Transcription

1 Procuring Local Foods For Child Nutrition Programs ASBO Spring Conference Welcome!

2 Overview Maryland s Growing Success Procurement Basics Incorporating Local in Formal Procurement Questions

3 Maryland s Growing Success 44 LEAs in MD 95% Census Response Rate MD ranks 9 th in the Nation in the percent of food budget spent locally 93% increase in the amount MD spent on local foods between 2012 & 2014 Largest increase in the Mid-Atlantic Region

4 Defining Local Within a radius Within a county Within a state Within a region A district s definition of local may change depending on the: Season Product Special events

5 Farm to School Census Data Harford County Public Schools defines local as produced within a 50 milemile radius. Carroll County Public Schools defines local as produced within a 100 milemile radius. Anne Arundel School District defines local within a 150-mile radius. Montgomery County Public Schools defines local as produced within a 200 mile-mile radius. Caroline County Public Schools defines local as produced within the region.

6 Procurement Principles and Regulations

7 What Is Procurement? Procurement is the purchasing of goods and services. The procurement process involves: Planning Drafting Specifications Procurement Principles Advertising the Procurement Awarding a Contract Managing the Contract

8 Why are Procurement Rules Important? To ensure that program benefits (and taxpayer dollars!):» Are received by eligible schools and children» Are used effectively and efficiently, with no waste or abuse

9 4 Key Concepts 1) American Grown 2) Knowledge of State and Local Regulations 3) Competition 4) Responsive and Responsible

10 1 The Buy American Provision The National School Lunch Act requires SFAs to purchase domestically grown and processed foods to the maximum extent practicable.

11 2 State and Local Procurement Policies Schools must be aware of procurement requirements at the federal, state and local levels and are responsible for complying with all levels of regulations. In some cases, state and federal regulations may be in conflict with each other.

12 3 Competition Competition is essential to ensure the best cost and quality of goods and services.

13 Competition Killers Do not Place unreasonable requirements on firms; Require unnecessary experience; Give noncompetitive awards to consultants or vendors; Have organizational conflicts of interest; Specify only brand name products; Make arbitrary decisions in the procurement process; Write bid specifications that are too narrow and limit competition; Allow potential contractors to write or otherwise influence bid specifications; or, Provide insufficient time for vendors to submit bids. Use local as a product specification.

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15 Local as a Specification This RFP is restricted to producers within the state. This RFP is for Virginia grown products for Virginia grown week. We are soliciting bids from producers within a 150 mile radius. We are soliciting bids for Washington grown products. Only products grown within a 300 mile radius will be accepted.

16 4 Responsive and Responsible Awards must be made to vendors that are responsive and responsible. Responsive means that the vendor submits a bid that conforms to all terms of the solicitation. Responsible means that the vendor is capable of performing successfully under the terms of the contract.

17 Procurement Methods

18 A Couple Things to Remember» Federal regulations require that all procurements are competitive (even if other entities do not).» States and local regulations may set a lower small purchase threshold imposing more formal procedures. The most restrictive threshold applies.

19 Procurement Methods Small Purchase Threshold > Federal Threshold = $150,000 Maryland = $25,000 Informal Formal Small Purchase (Requires price quotes from at least 3 bidders) Sealed Bids (IFBs) & Competitive Proposals (RFPs) (Requires public advertising)

20 The Formal Procurement Process

21 Competitive Sealed Bidding Procurement by competitive sealed bidding is done by issuing an invitation for bid (IFB). Use it when: A complete, adequate, and realistic specification is available. The contract can be awarded on the basis of price.

22 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Invitation for Bid (IFB) General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications) Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements

23 Competitive Proposals Procurement by competitive proposal is done by issuing a request for proposal (RFP). Use it when: Conditions aren t appropriate for a sealed bid. Price won t necessarily be the sole basis for the award.

24 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Request for Proposals (RFP) General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications) Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements Evaluation Criteria

25 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Targeting Local in IFBs & RFPs» Ex. Our district strives to serve local products as much as possible and our goal is to serve 20% local products. General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications)» Ex. Product specifications Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements» Ex. Determine responsive and responsible vendors Evaluation Criteria

26 Include Your Desire for Local in the Introduction A school s interest in purchasing local products (and the broader context of its farm to school program) can be expressed in the introduction to a solicitation.» Remember: a school may not specify that it wants only local products.» A school may indicate its desire to serve local products and emphasize the importance of its farm to school program.

27 Include Your Desire for Local in the Introduction State Objective & Expectations» LEA identifies preference for local & local procurement goals Caroline County Public Schools aims to procure 40% of all fresh produce purchases locally by 2020» May include expectation of vendor Define Local Frederick County Public Schools expects the vendor will work with the District to identify local agriculture providers, assist with recipe development utilizing local foods, & educate the school community on the local food system.

28 Minneapolis Public Schools Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is seeking proposals from organizations and individuals wishing to provide specific Farm to School fresh produce items available locally and seasonally for the school year. Minneapolis Public Schools or Special School District Number 1 (the District) is a school district that is coterminous with the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The District covers over 70 school programs at 65 sites, with approximately 35,000 students and 3,200 teaching staff. The District s Farm to School program aims to provide fresh, high-quality produce to students and education about local food, nutrition and sustainable agriculture. The District is particularly interested in partnering with small to medium sized farmers, beginning farmers, farms in which families own or control decision making on the farm, and farms owned or operated by minority and/or immigrant farmers. The District defines local as within 250 miles of Minneapolis. More information about the Culinary & Nutrition Services Department and Farm to School Program can be found at

29 Local Produce Program Description Anne Arundel County Public Schools aims to promote healthy lifestyles and educate students about the importance of nutrition in the classroom and the cafeteria, placing an emphasis on multiple offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, and offering local foods when available, and as often as price and quality are acceptable. Locally grown produce is defined as produce that is grown within a one hundred fifty (150) mile radius of Anne Arundel County. For the purposes of this Bid, farm is defined as the location where the produce is grown, not the address of a packinghouse or aggregation point. Items purchased by AACPS shall be determined by availability and school menus.

30 District Objectives Targeting Local in Objectives The South San Francisco Unified School District is seeking to: 1. Ensure that students are receiving high quality produce, 2. Purchase high quality produce at the best possible price, 3. Offer more produce that is locally grown within 250 miles of South San Francisco, CA, 4. Utilize the expertise of our produce vendor to incorporate produce items that are in season, through maintained vendor communication regarding produce availability and market conditions, 5. Utilize the expertise of our vendor to provide training information for our department staff on best practices for purchasing, receiving, storing, and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables, 6. Partner with a produce vendor that will provide excellent customer service.

31 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Targeting Local in IFBs & RFPs» Ex. Our district strives to serve local products as much as possible and our goal is to serve 20% local products. General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications)» Ex. Product specifications Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements» Ex. Determine responsive and responsible vendors Evaluation Criteria

32 Things to Consider When Writing Solicitations to Target Local Products Be flexible Don t include unnecessary requirements Consider what a vendor new to the school food market might not know» Condition upon receipt of product» Food safety needs» Size uniformity

33 Potential Specifications Targeting Local» Particular varieties unique to the region» Freshness (e.g. Delivered within 48 hours)» Size of farm» Harvest techniques» Crop diversity» Origin labeling» Able to provide farm visits or class visits

34 Example: Use Product Specifications Product Specification Granny Smith, US. Fancy, Five 185 count boxes per week for September - December

35 Example: Use Product Specifications Product Specification Granny Smith or local variety, US. Fancy or No. 1, Prefer five 185 count boxes per week but willing to consider other pack sizes for September December Delivered within 48 hours of harvest Regarding Grades:» Most produce is not graded, or not graded until it gets to a packing house» Purchasing directly from a farm may require different specifications» Consider using the quality and condition descriptors used in grades standards in specifications for local farmers

36 Minneapolis Produce RFP

37 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Sections of a Solicitation» Ex. Farm to school is a district priority and we want to include as many local products as possible. Our goal is to serve 20% local products. General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications)» Ex. Product specifications Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements» Ex. Determine responsive and responsible vendors Evaluation Criteria

38 Use Additional Requirements to Determine Vendor Responsiveness Remember that you must award to a vendor who is both responsive and responsible! Evaluate responsiveness in any procurement method IFB, RFP or Informal. All vendors must be able to provide the products you need to be considered responsive. Vendor requirements may include the ability to provide:» Farm visits» State, county, farm of origin labeling» Products grown on a certain size farm

39 Example: Use Criteria to Determine Responsiveness Product Specification Green apples, US. Fancy or No. 1, prefer five 185 count boxes per week but willing to consider other pack sizes for September - December Contractor able to meet all specifications Product quality Delivery Packaging and Labeling Apple Lane Great Granny s Fred s Fuji s Three references, past history Able to provide harvest tour to two 3 rd grade classes in October -- Able to provide state of origin on all products -- Delivered within 24 hours of harvest --

40 Example: Use Criteria to Determine if Vendor is Responsible Product Specification Green apples, US. Fancy or No. 1, prefer five 185 count boxes per week but willing to consider other pack sizes for September - December Criteria to determine if vendor is responsible Apple Lane Great Granny s Fred s Fuji s Guarantees on-time delivery Provides 24-hour customer service line Able to provide 3 school district references Successful track record of working with local producers --

41 Contract Type Introduction/Scope Targeting Local in IFBs & RFPs» Ex. Our district strives to serve local products as much as possible and our goal is to serve 20% local products. General Descriptions of Goods and Services (AKA Specifications)» Ex. Product specifications Timelines and Procedures Technical Requirements» Ex. Determine responsive and responsible vendors Evaluation Criteria

42 Use Criteria to Evaluate Vendor Proposals Use those same criteria mentioned before, but assign weights to evaluate in an RFP. The amount of weight determines how important the criterion is. Think about including criteria such as:» Able to provide farm visits» State of origin or farm origin labeling» Provide products grown on a particular size farm

43 Example: Use Criteria in an RFP Product Specification Green apples, US. Fancy or No. 1, prefer five 185 count boxes per week but willing to consider other pack sizes for September - December Apple Lane Great Granny s Fred s Fuji s Price = Contractor able to meet all specifications Product quality = 15 Delivery = 10 Packaging and Labeling = Three references, past history = possible points

44 Example: Use Criteria in an RFP Product Specification Green apples, US. Fancy or No. 1, prefer five 185 count boxes per week but willing to consider other pack sizes for September - December Apple Lane Great Granny s Fred s Fuji s Price = Contractor able to meet all specifications Product quality = 15 Delivery = 10 Packaging and Labeling = Three references, past history = Able to provide farm/facility tour or classroom visits = 5 Able to provide state of origin on all products = Delivered within 24 hours of harvest = possible points

45 USDA Foods and DoD Fresh

46 USDA Foods by Region Midwest Apples Cherries Beef Beans Carrots Cheese Green Beans Southeast Chicken Peanut Butter Catfish Turkey Rice Flour Mountain Plains Beans Beef Flour Pasta Pork Northeast Flour Corn Green beans Southwest Rice Beans Peanut Butter Beef Mid Atlantic Corn Pasta Beans Chicken Western Pollock Cheese Apricots Peaches Tomatoes Pears Potatoes

47 Thank you! Questions?