Guilford County School Nutrition Fresh Milk Products

GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS
Invitation for Bids
Purchasing Department
714 Green Valley Road
Greensboro, NC 27408
Direct all inquiries to: Invitation for Bids: #6832
Letitia Hines Bids due date: June 3, 2026
HinesL@gcsnc.com 336.370.3238 Commodity: School Nutrition Services
Fresh Milk Products
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed Bids will be received by Guilford County Schools Purchasing Department at
714 Green Valley Road, Greensboro, NC 27408 in Conference Room 2A, until 2:00pm
EDT on the day of opening for furnishing and delivering the commodity as described herein. Please
allow sufficient time for check-in and visitor badges as late bids will not be accepted. Attempts to
submit a bid via facsimile (FAX) machine, telephone or electronic means, including but not limited
to email, in response to this Invitation for bids will not be accepted.
EXECUTION
In compliance with this Invitation For Bids (IFB), and subject to all the conditions herein, the
undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish and deliver any or all items upon which prices are
proposed, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein. By executing this bid,
the undersigned Vendor certifies that this bid is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S.
143-54), that none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been
convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and that it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth
in G.S. 143-59.1. False certification is a Class I felony. Furthermore, by executing this bid, the
undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor's knowledge and belief, that it and its principals are not
presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded
from covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency. As required by G.S.
14348.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract
awarded as a result of this IFB, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC
General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more than 25 employees in North
Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.
Failure to execute/sign bid prior to submittal shall render bid invalid and it WILL BE REJECTED. Late
bids will not be accepted.

BIDDER: FEDERAL ID OR SOCIAL SECURITY
NO.
STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE FAX NUMBER:
NUMBER:
TYPE OR PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING: TITLE
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE: DATE: E-MAIL:
Offer valid for 90 days from date of bid opening, unless otherwise stated. After this time, any
withdrawal of offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency issuing this IFB.
1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
This invitation is issued to Distributors with interest in submission of a NEW CONTRACT for the
procurement and delivery of FRESH MILK PRODUCTS as listed for Federally-funded Child Nutrition
programs operating in our School District. The awarded contract becomes the FIRST YEAR of a
contract with the potential of four - one-year renewals provided Vendor and School District
agreement terms are accepted.
2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
This IFB is comprised of the base bid document, any attachments, and any addenda released before
contract award. All attachments and addenda released for this IFB in advance of any Contract award
are incorporated herein by reference. Bids shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and
conditions of this IFB and any addenda issued hereto.

TAXES
Guilford County Schools is NOT tax-exempt. Unless otherwise indicated, tax must be computed and
added to your bid. Any itemized shipping charges are also subject to tax. When invoiced, tax should
be invoiced as a separate line item.
MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (MWBE)
The Board of Education awards public contracts without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national
origin, sex, age or handicapped condition as defined by North Carolina General Statutes, 168A-3.
GCS Board of Education promotes full and equal access to business opportunities with Guilford
County Schools. Minority businesses are encouraged to submit bids for this project. All vendors shall
have a fair and reasonable opportunity to participate in GCS business opportunities.
INSURANCE
Certificate of Insurance
Each vendor shall furnish GCS a certificate of insurance showing that the required workmen's
compensation and public liability insurance are carried by the Contractor. The certificate of
insurance should show that it is issued to or at the request of the Guilford County Board of
Education, Greensboro, North Carolina. All insurance carriers shall be licensed to do business in
North Carolina or approved to issue insurance coverage by the Commission of Insurance of North
Carolina.
The certificate of insurance shall include substantially the following provision: The insurance policies
to which this certificate refers shall not be altered or canceled until after ten (10) days' written notice
of such cancellation or alteration has been sent by certified mail to the Guilford County Board of
Education, Greensboro, North Carolina.
Public Liability Insurance
The vendor shall maintain public liability insurance covering his liability for bodily injury and
property damage which may arise from his operations, contractual obligations, products and
completed operations, as well as operations performed by independent contractors, in not less
than the following amounts:
1.A combined single limit (CSL) of $1,000,000 each occurrence, or
2.A $1,000,000 limit for Bodily Injury Liability, and $1,000,000 limit for Property Damage
Liability.
An occurrence form of policy will be required, and the certificate of insurance submitted by the
Contractor must be personally signed by a resident licensed agent of each of the companies listed
on that form.
Worker's Compensation Insurance
The Contractor shall maintain during the life of his contract all such workmen's compensation
insurance as is or may be required by the laws of North Carolina.
Terms and Conditions
It shall be the vendor's responsibility to read the instructions, terms and conditions, all relevant
exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this IFB and comply with all

requirements and specifications herein. Vendors also are responsible for obtaining and complying
with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued relating to this IFB.
All Vendors are hereby notified that they must have the proper license as required under the North
Carolina laws. The award of a contract under this solicitation may be paid with federal funding.
Funding is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions of funding award. All
prospective contractors shall comply with all applicable federal laws, regulations, executive orders,
FEMA requirements and the terms and conditions of the funding award. In addition, contractors
providing submittals shall be responsible for complying with state law and local ordinances.
3.0 SPECIFIC INFORMATION
BID QUESTIONS
Upon review of the IFB documents, vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the IFB to
submit the best bids possible. To accommodate the bid questions process, vendors shall submit any
such questions by Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 2pm (EDT).
Written questions shall be emailed to Letitia Hines at HinesL@gcsnc.com by the date
and time specified above. Vendors will enter "IFB #6832 - Questions" as the subject
for the email. Question submittals will include a reference to the applicable IFB section
and be submitted in a format shown below:
Reference Vendor Question
IFB Section, Page Number Vendor question...?
Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, GCS's response, and any additional terms
deemed necessary by GCS will be posted in the form of an addendum. No information, instruction
or advice provided orally or informally by any GCS personnel, whether made in response to a
question or otherwise regarding this IFB, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall
be entitled to rely only on written material contained in an addendum to this IFB.
BID SUBMITTAL
Sealed bids, subject to the conditions made a part hereof and the receipt requirements described
below, shall be received at the address indicated below, as described herein. Two (2) Original & 1
standard USB drive should be addressed in an envelope with the IFB number as shown below: It
is the responsibility of the Vendor to have the bid in the Guilford County Schools Purchasing office
by the specified time and date of opening. Bids shall be marked on the outside of the sealed
envelope with the Vendor's name, bid number and date and time of opening. If Vendor is submitting
more than one bid, each bid shall be submitted in a separate sealed envelope and marked
accordingly. For delivery purposes, separate sealed bids from a single Vendor may be included in
the same outer package.
Attempts to submit a bid via facsimile (FAX) machine, telephone or electronic means, including but
not limited to email, in response to this Invitation for Bids will not be accepted. Bids are subject to

rejection unless submitted with the information above included on the outside of the sealed bids
package.
MAILING INSTRUCTIONS
DELIVERED BY US POSTAL SERVICE OR ANY OTHER MEANS:
IFB No.6832
Letitia Hines, Purchasing Manager
Guilford County Schools
Purchasing Department
714 Green Valley Road
Greensboro, NC 27408
4.0 GENERAL BID AND CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS
A. SCOPE
1. QUANTITY
It shall be understood by all parties concerned that any contract established as a result of
this invitation will not obligate the school system to receive any quantity in excess of actual
requirements. While the quantities shown are classified as estimates for bidding purposes,
they do result from actual historic tabulations. School system authorities will make a
reasonable effort to fully utilize projected supplies of formula items which may not have a
market elsewhere. Distributors are asked to bid and deliver all items listed, as well as items
which may be added and/or deleted later.
2. DESCRIPTIONS AND SAMPLES
Descriptions are included as a part of the bid to ensure all parties an equal opportunity.
School Nutrition personnel may evaluate specified products to ensure that the items meet
bid descriptions.
If a bidder wishes to submit an alternate for a specific product requested, bidders must
contact the School Nutrition Business Manager and/or SNS Designee seven (7) business
days prior to the bid opening and provide a sample if requested for evaluation and
approval. Samples shall be supplied free of charge by the bidder and delivered to a place
designated by School Nutrition. Acceptance of a product other than that specified will be
determined ultimately by the School Nutrition Business Manager and/or SNS Designee.
3. BID INFORMATION
Bidders are required to complete all columns of the bid form.
A. Pack - The number and size of the units in each case.

B. Unit Price - The cost of the unit specified bid net cost only. Deduct all discounts,
trade and terms. Delivery costs, and all taxes, except North Carolina Sales Tax on
taxable items, are to be included in the item case price. However, bid items for
which North Carolina Sales Tax will be charged should be noted if applicable.
C. All milk bid prices shall be firm until (30) thirty days after the start of the bid period,
after which prices for milk can increase or decrease (escalation/de-escalation clause)
in accord with changes in Class 1 raw milk prices based on monthly Federal Milk
Order Announcements for the applicable geographic zone. Prices for milk delivered
can be increased or decreased at the rate of $.001 per half pint for each full $.015
increase/decrease in raw milk per hundred weight. See chart with examples for
calculating increase/decrease on page 21 of this bid.
Bidder should specify the geographical zone on which the price is based. The bidder
may use either the processing plant location or the school district location.
The vendor should base their price on March 2026 milk market order. Monthly price
changes are made based on comparison back to original market order, which was
the base for the bid. The increase/decrease is added to the original bid award.
Price changes must be submitted three (3) days prior to the end of the month to be
effective the 1st day of the following month.
The vendor should return all discounts, credits and rebates for items purchased by
the district to the district.
4. REVIEW AND AWARD OF BIDS
After the public opening of bids, the Guilford County School Nutrition may require up to 10
days for review of bids prior to award. It is important for bidders to understand that the
reason for the review of bids, line by line, is to assess the fairness of the bid to suppliers and
the school system alike. A supplier must show suitable evidence for acceptance of any item
challenged upon review and assessment.
Any bid, which in the opinion of the school system violates the integrity or fairness of a bid,
may be rejected in total. Guilford County Schools reserve the right to reject any or all bids,
in whole or in part, and to waive technicalities whenever it is deemed to be in the best
interest of the school system.
It is the intent of the Guilford County Schools to award bid items to the distributor who best
meets the needs of Guilford County School Nutrition Services regarding cost per serving,
quality of products and past service record. A single award will be made to cover the bid
requirements.
In the event of identical low bids, School Nutrition reserves the right to select the successful
bidder. The successful vendor will be notified in writing of the bid award.

5. PROTEST PROCEDURE
Protests of awards exceeding $10,000 in value must be submitted to Guilford County
Schools within 15 calendar days from the date of the bid opening. Vendor must supply
specific reasons and any supporting documentation for the protest.
6. EXCLUSIVITY
The School Nutrition Department agrees to use the designated contract distributor(s) as an
exclusive source for the various items and services listed herein as well as for comparable
substitutes. The only anticipated exceptions might be in time of emergency. The designated
distributor(s) reciprocally agrees to provide items awarded to the company thereby
minimizing occurrences when a school system may have to seek other interim product
resources.
7. LINES OF COMMUNICATION
A. A company contact person with responsibility for School Nutrition's account must be
available Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:00pm, except during school holidays to accept phone
orders, changes, deletions, and to handle emergency needs.
B. As far as practical, all communications between school system officials and distributor(s)
shall be in writing. Each shall designate a representative to deal with day-to-day
logistical matters of the program. Matters of policy are to be dealt with by the School
Nutrition Business Manager and/or SNS Designee.
8. NEW PRODUCTS
The contract distributor(s) are encouraged to present or demonstrate new items or concepts
to the School Nutrition Business Manager and/or SNS Designee.
9. REPORTS
Utilization and fill rate reports shall be issued to School Nutrition monthly and/or upon
request. Utilization reports shall be submitted for total quantity delivered per item in terms of
bid units per school delivery point and a combined district total. Reports shall be submitted
within 15 calendar days after the end of the month or contract period. Payments for the
month prior to the due dates for the reports may be withheld at the discretion of School
Nutrition officials until reports are received.
10. DELIVERIES
A. All sites require delivery ten (10) months per year. Some schools follow non-
traditional calendars and transport to middle colleges. All Guilford County Schools'
calendars can be found on the district's website: www.gcsnc.com. Summer feeding
sites will require deliveries in the summer months.

B. Orders will be placed at the time of delivery by the cafeteria manager and/or
designee.
C. A minimum of every other day deliveries per week shall be made between the
hours of 6:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for elementary schools and 7:00am to 2:30pm
for middle and high schools. There are some schools that require daily deliveries
due to limited storage space and are indicated on the delivery list with a "D" beside
their name.
D. If a product is shorted, it must be redelivered by 7:00am the next morning or before
the day of use.
E. Delivery schedules shall be submitted to the School Nutrition Business Manager
and/or SNS Designee upon award of the bid for prior approval and shall remain
constant from week to week. When holidays or closing days fall on a scheduled
delivery day, deliveries shall be made in accordance with a schedule negotiated by
the parties involved. All Guilford County Schools calendars can be found on the
district's website: www.gcsnc.com.
F. Vendor must coordinate milk deliveries with managers prior to holidays and the end of
the school year to minimize milk shortages or unused milk. Vendor shall issue credit for
unused milk at holidays (closure of 3 or more days in a row) and end of the school year.
G. Drivers shall deliver products into areas designated by the School Nutrition manager
and/or designee. Drivers are to rotate current inventory before loading new deliveries.
H. Drivers must pick up empty milk crates on a routine basis. Crates not picked up by
the end of the school year may be donated or disposed of by the district.
I. Product deliveries which deviate from the established delivery schedule, and which
are not requested nor receipted by authorized cafeteria personnel will be considered
donations to the School Nutrition Department.
J. Drivers shall request the authorized school receiver to verify the accuracy of items,
quantities of each item, total quantities, and the condition of merchandise.
K. Each delivery ticket shall be receipted (signed) by a school nutrition staff member.
Variations from the norm, i.e., shortages, damages, etc., will be handled in a manner
negotiated with the successful bidder(s) at the Post-Bid Conference. Two copies of a
legible, accurate delivery invoice must be left with each delivery.
L. Special or intermediate deliveries will be required only if a vendor fails to deliver
product on a regularly scheduled delivery, in which case the contractor shall make
delivery as requested by the School Nutrition Office or in case loss of power that
causes the inventory of milk to spoil and an immediate delivery is needed.
M. Drivers shall issue credit for milk that is found to be an inferior quality.
N. Orders that need to be cancelled, due to emergency, school closings (such as
inclement weather), may be cancelled with less than (2) two-hour notice.

O. If a truck is delayed due to mechanical problems, traffic situations, etc., the School
Nutrition Office should be notified of any delays over 30 minutes.
11. OUT OF STOCK/SUBSTITUTIONS
Each vendor shall provide the School Nutrition Office not later than 10:00A.M on the day
before delivery, a list of all items that are temporarily OUT OF STOCK and will not be
delivered. School Nutrition Services shall give every consideration for unavoidable delays
and errors.
In the event that a substitution acceptable to the Business Manager and/or SNS Designee
cannot be made, the Business Manager and/or SNS Designee may procure the item from
another source, and hold the vendor responsible for any excess cost, occasioned thereby.
Consistent out of stock will be grounds for termination.
Vendors must deliver the products specified in their bid unless a substitution is approved by
School Nutrition Services.
No back orders shall be accepted without pre-approval from the School Nutrition office.
12. PAYMENTS
Separate computer-generated legible invoices for each school must be supplied. It is the
desire of the school system that items on all invoices print out in the school system's
numerical sequence.
Specific invoicing requirements shall be negotiated with the successful bidder at the Post-
Bid Conference.
Guilford County School Nutrition Services will pay (signed) invoices within 35 days of
receipt. Invoices are paid by the invoice numbers. Invoicing will be created by the vendor
using unique, sequential numbering patterns for a minimum of one fiscal year, but ideally for
the length of the contract terms. Duplicate invoice numbering systems will not be
permissible sources of acceptable documentation of services rendered and may lead to
termination of the contract. The awarded vendor must demonstrate that the invoicing
system creates unique numerical sequences prior to the contract start period.
All invoices must be signed by authorized School Nutrition personnel at the time of delivery.
School Nutrition Services must be notified if an invoice is not paid within eight weeks of the
delivery date. If the vendor has not contacted School Nutrition Services within this eight
week period, the invoice may not be paid by School Nutrition Services.
13. EXTENSIONS
This contract may be extended for a period not to exceed four years in total, upon mutual
agreement of both parties. There shall be no changes in the terms of the contract during the

extension period. The total period of the contract including extensions shall not exceed 60
months, one year at a time.
14. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
Failure on the part of the school system, or the contractor, to comply with the provisions of
this contract may result in termination with 30 days written notice.
Each party shall follow the procedure outlined below, if a contract is to be terminated:
Step 1. Issue warning letter and outline violations and length of time to correct the problem.
Step 2. Issue letter of Intent to cancel contract, if problem is not resolved by a given date.
Step 3. Issue letter to cancel contract.
15. BREACH OF CONTRACT
The vendor shall be charged 25% of the total contract award for breach of contract. Parties
to contract must perform as specified in contract unless:
A. Parties agree to change in terms or
B. Actions of party who deviate from terms of contract are implicitly accepted (ratified by
action or non-action of other party). The contractor shall not be liable for any excess
costs if failure to perform the contract arises out of causes beyond the control and
without the fault or negligence or the contractor. Such causes may include, but are not
restricted to acts of God or public enemy, acts of Government in either it sovereign or
contractual capacity, fires, floods, epidemics, quarantine, restrictions, strikes freight
embargoes and unusually severe weather but in every case the failure to perform must
be beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the contractor.
B. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS
Before any bid can be accepted, a bidder must be deemed qualified, in the judgment of school
officials, to perform as required herein. A bid may be rejected if a bidder fails to meet any one of
the following qualifications:
1. PRODUCT LINE
It must be clearly evident to school officials that a bidder is capable of delivering promptly all
items on the bid list and acquiring, on short notice, any peripheral items which might be
required.
2. CAPACITY
A bidder must clearly demonstrate to school officials that he has the capacity, physically and
financially, to supply items to the school system in economical quantities as required. The
vendor awarded the contract shall maintain all necessary insurance for the contract period.