Part of the Expanded Meal Access for Minnesota Children and Adults Grant

Deadline: September 25, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
Original Posted: September 14, 2020

Channel One Regional Food Bank is soliciting proposals from qualified and licensed catering companies for a grant funded by the Minnesota Department of Education using funds from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), CFDA 21.019. The firm must be able to provide and deliver 6,000 prepared meals per week for 10 locations in Olmsted County.

The detailed RFP and its related attachments can be downloaded below; it includes descriptions of the services to be provided, evaluation criteria of proposals, and requirements for qualified companies. A Pre-Proposal Conference is being held on 9/18 at 11 am for all interested bidders.

For more information on this RFP, contact Anjie Ge at [email protected]. All responses to this RFP must be received by 9/25/20 at 3 p.m.

Update Posted: September 16th, 2020

The caterer must be able to provide 6000 meals per week (previous version incorrectly stated 2000 meals per week). The original RFP remains unchanged with the correct breakdown of 2000 meals distributed 3 times per week.

Staff on site
Catering staff may need to stay on site (for some locations) to transport any extra meals away from sites that do not have capacity for storage. There are around 6 sites that may need staff to stay on site or return to pick up extra meals. If this changes your cost estimation, please note in the Cost Proposal document. This is subject to change.

Ingredients and menu
The requirement of posting the ingredients on all meals may be daunting if there are many ingredients. It would be acceptable to provide Channel One’s coordinator with a detailed list of ingredients and only list major dietary considerations/allergens. Having culturally specific meal options for individuals is important. The ideal menu will be able to provide both a “traditional American meal” and culturally specific options, as well as a rotating menu that is not serving the same meals every distribution. Channel One is willing to work with companies on this and a menu must be approved by Channel One and its partners.

Estimated number of meals
The number of meals estimated in the RFP (6000 per week) is the total of estimates received by Channel One from the sites identified. This likely will not change; Channel One’s intent is to provide as many meals as we can with this funding and partnership. We are in the process of soliciting final estimates from our sites. If this becomes available before the deadline of the response to the RFP, it will be posted on the website and available to all interested bidders. Any changes to the project after the contract has been signed must be in writing and approved by both parties. If changes are accompanied by cost updates, this must also be agreed upon before execution of change.

Taxes and cost proposal
Channel One is tax-exempt and is not responsible for any direct sales tax. However, vendors must still pay taxes. The taxes incurred by vendors on the cost of goods for the purpose of this project must be included in the cost proposal. Any supplemental information for the cost proposal should also be included. For example, if you are paying a fixed price for a certain amount of goods, include the price and the quantity of goods. Channel One understand the cost proposal is created in response to estimates in the RPF and acknowledges that these are strictly estimates.

Payment
The final payment schedule will be determined by Channel One and the company at contract signing.

Pre-proposal conference
The pre-proposal conference will be held virtually on 9/18/2020 at 11:00 am CDT. The link to the meeting is: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/671347381.

Update Posted: September 21st, 2020

Pre-proposal questions/clarifications

Pre-proposal conference can be found at: https://youtu.be/qJ5vO_B6zpc

Given the quickly changing circumstances of the pandemic and Channel One’s limited experience in prepared meals, the partner must be flexible in this project.

Clarification for packaging:

Individuals are receiving 2 meals per distribution. When we mention 2 meals packed together, we mean meals packed separately but in the same bag (or something along that vein). Meals should be separate (2 discrete meals each with its own packaging), not just 2 potions packed into the same box. All packaging used must be included in the cost estimate. Any cost estimates we receive that does not have this packaging scheme will be extrapolated to account for additional packaging required.

What should the company do with leftover meals?

Most sites will serve only individuals enrolled in their program (e.g. head start programs), so they will be able to better project the number of meals needed. Thus, they should not have many leftover meals. Many sites also do have limited storage to keep some meals. There are several sites (stated in the conference as 2 sites but may be more) that are open to the public and will be more difficult to estimate. We hope to work closely with our partners and the catering company to determine how best to estimate the number of meals. As the project progresses throughout the 12 weeks, we will also have a better understanding on the demand at each site. There is also potential for creating and using an ordering system.

Would it be acceptable if the meals are refrigerated and ready-to-eat with minimal preparation?
(the meals are meant to be consumed hot and require reheating)

If this is the safest way to make sure meals are within temperature guidelines, it would be acceptable for the meals to be prepared (meaning requiring very limited preparation before eating) and refrigerated. We received feedback from our partners that individuals will be transporting meals back home to eat.

Is 6000 a firm number for the meals?

This is an estimate of the total number of meals compiled by our sites, who have a better idea of the individuals they are serving. We understand your response to the proposal will be based on this estimate and will not make unreasonable requests throughout the project (e.g. if the demand increases to 8000 meals a week). This project has a fixed budget.

Is the company expected to provide equipment (such as food tables, etc.)?

Some sites may require this, though most sites will be able to provide some equipment.

What is the plan for inclement weather?

The plan is to follow the Rochester Transit schedule (to determine whether we are in operation for the day) and site-specific schedules (e.g. head start may determine their own opening schedule for inclement weather). We also will work with sites and the company to determine a safe indoor location for the cold weather. If there is advance notice, we would like to be able to provide “emergency” meals to get families throughout the inclement weather.

How many dietary specific meals (such as gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian) should the company expect to provide at each site?

The sites with pre-enrolled individuals (such as Head Start) will have accurate information on dietary considerations of their client-base. For these and publicly accessible sites, we are requesting individuals receiving meals to be signed up on our client database (which tracks dietary considerations). As the project continues, we will have a better idea of the demand of specific types of meals.

Would it be okay to have slightly different menus for the sites, if there is an issue with sourcing?

Yes, this would be fine, as long as all meals still meet the requirements set forth by the RFP. We understand product availability will vary and will account for that. Cost variability should be accounted for and explained in the cost proposal.

Clarification on the portion sizes for children and adult meals

We hope to work with the company directly to determine if this is feasible and the best way to approach this.

What is the budget for this project?

The catering budget is $670,840. This will include everything needed for the project.

Subcontracting

We encourage subcontracting with minority owned businesses and other local businesses, and sourcing from local farmers.

Submitting the bid

Please email/call Anjie ([email protected] or 507-424-1716) to let her know what time you will arrive to submit your bid. This way, you can deliver it to her directly to make sure it has been marked as received. All bids must be received in our hands by Friday, September 25th at 3:00PM CDT.

If we have 2 meals in one bag would you like one fork and knife included in the box or two of each?

Please include 2 sets of silverware in the cost estimate. Keep in mind we will determine a final judgement for how many will be needed (could be 0, 1 or 2 sets of silverware per bag).