Fresh Produce and A la Carte Beverages for Food Service

Project Description: The Austin Independent School District Food Service (hereinafter referred to as “AISD” or the “district”) is seeking proposals from firms/vendors/contractors qualified and experienced in supplying fresh fruit and vegetables and a la carte beverages to the districts Food Service department locations listed in Appendix 9 - List of AISD School Locations. Specific quality requirements and detailed specifications are in the Bid Tables (Attachment A and B). The district is utilizing the Request for Proposals (RFP) method of procurement in accordance with Texas Education Code Section 44.031(3) Purchasing Contracts, Request for Proposals for services other than construction services.
The awarded vendor(s) will be required to source, purchase, store, and deliver a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and a la carte beverages to the Food Service locations on an ongoing basis, while at the same time maintaining acceptable fill rates, levels of customer service, and product quality. Therefore, an offeror must currently possess the physical, logistical, and financial resources to serve as a commercial distributor. It is neither sufficient nor acceptable for an offeror to be a third-party logistics (“3PL”) company (i.e. a company that does not intend to serve as the awarded supplier but instead intends to subcontract out the majority of aspects required by the contract, including but not limited to ordering, warehousing, distribution, etc.).
The District seeks to improve child nutrition by providing quality products, reduce the distance that food travels between producers and students, support labor law compliance along the supply chain, support food production practices that have lower environmental impacts, and support farmers and producers that provide healthy and humane conditions for animals. As such, Austin ISD Food Service participates in the Good Food Purchasing Program (the “Program”).