V2526123RFP - CNS Frozen Refrigerated and Dry Food Distribution

Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
Vista Unified School District
CNS FROZEN, REFRIGERATED & DRY FOOD
DISTRIBUTION
RFP # V2526123RFP
RFP AND CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
RFP DUE: A pr il 27, 2026
1234 Arcadia Ave.
Vista, CA 92084
Purchasing Department
(760) 726-2170, ext. 92642
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
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 10:00 o'clock a.m. on 04/27/26, sealed RFPs for the award of a contract for CNS
FROZEN, REFRIGERATED & DRY FOOD DISTRIBUTION No. V2526123RFP.
Each RFP shall be submitted on a form obtained at the Purchasing Department, Vista Unified School
District at 1234 Arcadia Ave, Vista, CA 92084 or
athttps://www.vistausd.org/departments/businessservices/fiscal-services/purchasing. RFPs may be
addressed to josematavilla@vistausd.org of the Vista Unified School District Purchasing
Department at 1234 Arcadia Ave, Vista, CA 92084. RFPs 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
bidder to see that the RFP is received in proper time at the address noted herein. RFPs will be publicly
opened at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on 04/27/26 at the Purchasing Department's designated place and will
not be read at loud. A summary will be issued 72 hours after opening.
Each RFP must conform and be responsive to this invitation, the Information for Bidders, the
Specifications, and all other documents comprising the pertinent Contract Documents. Copies of the
Contract Documents are now on file and may be obtained in the purchasing office at the above address.
The contract may be awarded to multiple vendors who meet the criteria and are determined to be
responsive and responsible bidders. The Vista Unified School District reserves the right to reject any
or all RFPS, to accept or reject any one or more items on the Specification Lists or to waive any
irregularities or informalities in the RFPs.
No bidder may withdraw his RFP for a period of sixty (60) days after the date set for the opening.
In the event of identical RFPs, the Governing Board may determine by lot which bid 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: 04/09/26; 04/16/26
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
RFP PROPOSAL FORM
Board of Education
Vista Unified School District
Purchasing Department
1234 Arcadia Avenue
Vista, CA 92084
Re: Proposal for RFP No. V2526123RFP
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 Bidders, Instructions to Bidders, 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 proposal.
The entire RFP package is submitted, together with this RFP Proposal Form.
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: ( ) ______________
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
"NONCOLLUSION DECLARATION" TO BE EXECUTED BY
BIDDER 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 bidder to put in a false or sham bid, 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, 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. V2526123RFP
INSTRUCTION AND CONDITONS TO BIDDERS:
No RFP proposals shall receive consideration by the Vista Unified School District unless made
in accordance with the following instructions:
1. PURPOSE OF THIS RFP:
The Vista Unified School District Child Nutrition Services Purchasing Department is seeking RFPs
from qualified companies to procure and deliver frozen, refrigerated, processed commodity and/or
commercial food products to Vista Unified School District Child Nutrition Department Central
Kitchen at 4680 North Ave, Oceanside, CA 92056. The RFP contract may be awarded to multiple
vendors/distributors for the two categories listed within the Specification Market Basket.
This RFP defines the program, the products and the services that are being sought from the
Distributor and generally outlines the program requirements. The selected vendor(s) may partner-
up with the Super Co-Op member districts over the term of the contract resulting from this RFP for
items in the Super Co-Op "Market Basket". The District's preference is to have items that can be
awarded as part of the Super Co-Op commodity draw down pricing list. Items NOT in the
Specifications Market Basket or the Super Co-Op "Market Basket" will be awarded based on mark-
up from the manufacturer's invoice pricing.
District Objectives
Vista Unified School District:
* Is continually seeking to enhance our food acquisition process by utilizing efficient ways to
reduce overall food cost. This includes taking into account all associated costs including the costs
of ensuring timely delivery, product availability and product quality. In addition we are seeking to:
* improve the image of school meal program in our community
* value the quality and standard of meals
* enhance the supply chain efficiencies through innovation
2. PREPARATION OF RFPs
All prices and quotations must be submitted in ink or typewritten. No pencil figures or erasures
permitted on any part of RFP documents. If changes are to be requested, please list them on
separate sheet and submit as part of RFP. Mistakes on pricing sheets may be crossed out and
corrections inserted adjacent thereto and must be initialed in ink by person signing the proposal
form. No oral, telegraphic or telephone bids or modifications will be accepted. Distributors shall
complete the RFP form. A Bidder may be deemed non-responsive if he/she fails to submit all
required documents which include addenda issued during the process.
The RFP pricing amount shall include all direct and indirect cost incidentals to providing the
services described herein, such as fuel fees, licensee fee, bond fees, insurance, etc. Signature on
RFP must be in ink to be considered acceptable
3. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Any questions related to the RFP should be directed to the Vista Unified School District's Sr. Buyer,
Jose Mata-Villa @ Josematavilla@vistausd.org.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
Request for Information deadline is April 17, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m. and responses will be sent via
addendum by April 20, 2026 @ 4:00 p.m.
4. EXECUTION OF AGREEMENT
The awarded bidder(s) must sign and return a copy of the Agreement pages included in this
invitation for RFP, and must return it to the District.
5. IDENTIFICATION OF PROPOSER
Each RFP must give the full business address of the bidder and must be signed by the bidder
with his or her usual signature. RFPs 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, RFPs 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 bidder's failure to
properly sign required forms may result in rejection of the bid.
6. EQUAL RFPs
When RPFs are equal, contract shall be awarded by a drawing of lots, and shall be witnessed by
three (3) impartial observers.
7. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS
Any bidder may withdraw his/her proposal personally or by written request at any time prior to the
scheduled closing time for the receipt of RFPs, but RFPs may not be withdrawn for a period of sixty
(60) days after the opening. A successful bidder shall not be relieved of the RFP submitted without
the District's consent or bidder's recourse to Public Contract Code Sections 5100, et seq.
8. AWARD OF CONTRACT
The Vista Unified School District reserves the right to accept or to reject any proposals, or to waive
any irregularities or informalities in the bidding process. The District shall not be obligated to accept
the lowest cost proposal, but will be evaluating proposals with the intent of awarding to one or more
responsible vendors/distributors which prove to be the most beneficial for the District.
The RFP will be awarded to one or more suppliers for items in the Specification Market Basket
section as a line item. The mark-up section will be awarded to the lowest percentage mark-up
submittal. In addition to these cost factors, the District will also consider factors like
location/accessibility, vendor's competency, discounts offered, delivery minimums and ability to
comply with Super Co-Op requirements which include commodity drawdown and use of Super Co-
Op's "Market Basket" to determine supplier's viability to be awarded this contract.
The District reserves the right to do a multiple-award, based on the listed factors, and to award this
RFP in the manner which proves to be in the best interest for the District.
9. RFP PROTEST
Any Bidder submitting a Bid Proposal to the District may file a protest of the District's intent to
award the Contract provided that each and all of the following are complied with:
(i) The RFP protest is in writing;
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
(ii) The RFP protest is filed and received by the District's Assistant
Superintendent of Business Services not more than five (5) calendar days
following the date of issuance of the District's Notice of Intent to Award the
Contract; and
(iii) The written RFP protest sets forth, in detail, all grounds for the bid protest,
including without limitation all facts, supporting documentation, legal
authorities and argument in support of the grounds for the bid protest; any
matters not set forth in the written bid protest shall be deemed waived. All
factual contentions must be supported by competent, admissible and
creditable evidence.
Any protest not conforming to the foregoing shall be rejected by the District as invalid. Provided
that a protest is filed in strict conformity with the foregoing, the District's Assistant Superintendent
of Business Services or such individual(s) as may be designated by him/her, shall review and
evaluate the basis of the protest. Either, the District's Assistant Superintendent of Business Services
or other individual designated by him/her shall provide the bidder submitting the protest with a
written statement concurring with or denying the RFP protest. The District's Board of Trustees
will render a final determination and disposition of the protest by taking action to adopt, modify or
reject the disposition of an RFP protest as reflected in the written statement of the District's
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services or his/her designee. Action by the District's Board
of Trustees relative to a protest shall be final and not subject to appeal or reconsideration by the
District's Assistant Superintendent of Business Services any other employee or officer of the
District or the District's Board of Trustees. The rendition of a written statement by the District's
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services (or his/her designee) and action by the District's
Board of Trustees to adopt, modify or reject the disposition of the RFP protest reflected in such
written statement shall be express conditions precedent to the institution of any legal or equitable
proceedings relative to the bidding process, the District's intent to award the Contract, the District's
disposition of any RFP protest or the District's decision to reject all Proposals. In the event that any
such legal or equitable proceedings are instituted and the District is named as a party thereto, the
prevailing party(ies) shall recover from the other party(ies), as costs, all attorneys' fees and costs
incurred in connection with any such proceeding, including any appeal arising therefrom.
10. REJECTION OF RFPs
The District reserves the right to accept or reject any and all RFPs, or any portion of combination
thereof, or award on the basis of the total bid.
11. AMENDMENTS
The terms and conditions contained in the Notice to Bidders, Bid Proposal Form, Instruction to
Bidders, 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 of bidding shall form a part of the specifications
issued to bidders for the preparation of their proposals and shall constitute a part of the contract
documents.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
12. EVIDENCE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Upon the request of the District, a bidder shall submit promptly to the District satisfactory evidence
showing the bidder's financial resources, the bidder's experience in the type of work being required
by the District, the bidder's organization available for the performance of the contract and any other
required evidence of the Bidder's qualifications to perform the proposed contract. The District may
consider such evidence before making its decision awarding the proposed contract. Failure to
submit evidence of a bidder's responsibility to perform the proposed contract may result in rejection
of the bid.
13. BID SECURITY
None required
14. TAXES
Unless otherwise specified, taxes shall not be included in the bid prices. The District will compute
the state sales and use taxes. Federal excise taxes are not applicable to school district.
15. PROPOSERS INTERESTED IN MORE THAN ONE RFP/BID
No person, firm or corporation shall be allowed to make, or file, or be interested in more than one
RFP/bid for the same work unless special bid 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 a RFP/bid or quoting prices to other
contractors. No person, firm, or corporation shall be allowed to bid who has participated in the
preparation of contract specifications; a bid by such a person, firm or corporation shall be determined
to be nonresponsive.
16. INTERPRETATION OF RFP DOCUMENTS
If any bidder 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
to, josematavilla@vistausd.org. Corrections will be made by addenda and will be emailed and
posted to the purchasing webpage (link below). The Vista Unified School District will not be
responsible for oral interpretations. Any addenda issued during the time of bidding shall be
incorporated into the bid. https://www.vistausd.org/departments/businessservices/fiscal-
services/purchasing
17. AGREEMENT PERIOD
RFPs 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. 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 desire to exercise renewal option.
18. COMMENCEMENT OF DELIVERIES
After receiving written notification of award, the successful bidder 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 July 1, 2026.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
19. DELIVERIES
The selected supplier(s) will partner with the Vista Unified School District over the term of the
contract resulting from this RFP to procure and deliver frozen, refrigerated & dry, processed USDA
Commodity and/or commercial food products to VUSD Child Nutrition Central Kitchen. Delivery
schedule will be determined by the CNS operations department based on their operational needs.
For the 24/25 SY. Vista Unified School District served over 995,824 breakfast meals, over
1,763,366 lunch meals annually and over 245,619 supper meals annually.
All prices shall be "F.O.B. Destination". Destination shall be to the delivery location below,
Deliveries to be made on Tuesdays & Fridays between the hours of 5:30am. - 8:30 a.m.
Vista Unified School District
Child Nutrition Central Kitchen
4680 North Ave.
Oceanside, CA 92056
20. LIMITATIONS.
The District reserves the right in its absolute discretion to accept RFPs, or any part of the RFP, as
deemed necessary for the best interest of the district. The District, however, reserves the right to
reject any one or all RFPs, to waive any informality in the RFP. This RFP is not an offer by the
District to contract with any party responding to this RFP. The District makes no guarantee that
participation in the RFP process will lead to an award of contract, or any consideration whatsoever.
The District shall, in no event, be responsible for the cost of preparing any proposal in response to
this RFP. The awarding of the services contract, if at all, is at the sole discretion of the District.
21. RESTRICTIONS ON LOBBYING AND CONTACT
From the period beginning with the date of the issuance of this RFP and ending on the date of the
award of the contract, no person, or entity submitting a response to this RFP, nor any officer,
employee, representative, agent, or consultant representing such a person or entity shall contact,
through any means, or engage in any discussion regarding this RFP, the evaluation or selection
process and/or the award of the contract with any member of the Vista Unified School District,
Board of Trustees, selection members, other than the named contact herein. Any such contact shall
be grounds for disqualification of the entity submitting a response.
22. METHOD OF PRICING AND COMPLETING RFP
Alternate RFPs will be rejected. RPFs stating "will negotiate" or "to be determined" or similarly
vague language will be considered as non-responsive and will be subject to rejection of RFP
23. INSPECTION OF FACILITIES - EVALUATION
The District reserves the right to inspect the facilities of the bidder prior to award of the contract.
The District may request to review the bidder's current Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
(HACCP) food safety system for their facility in order to ensure optimum distribution practices. If
the District determines after such inspection that the bidder is not capable of performance within
the District's standards, their bid will not be considered. The findings and decisions of the District
shall be final.
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Vista Unified School District RFP NO. V2526123RFP
24. FOOD DEFENSE
Bidder's distribution facility must be registered with the Food and Drug Administration and meet
the requirements outlined in the public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and
Response Act (Public law 107-188, Section 305). For further information, visit the FDA's official
site at http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FoodFacilityRegistration/default.htm.
Failure to register prior to the close of the RFP shall result in the bidder's disqualification for
contract award. Proof of Registration should be submitted with this RFP.
25. SAFETY AND SANITATION
Child Nutrition Services staff will only receive product that meets all food safety and sanitation
requirements, therefore Child Nutrition Services staff may at any time:
* Inspect delivery vehicles for any signs of contamination.
* Check all expiration and "best if used" by dates and reject product with expiration dates
less than one month from the date of delivery (unless agreed by District and awarded
Bidder for specific items).
* Use thermometers to check temperatures.
* Accept product only at acceptable temperatures.
* Reject unacceptable items.
26. LIQUIDATION DAMAGES;
The District shall hold the successful bidder liable and responsible for all damages which may be
sustained because of their failure to comply with any conditions herein. If the successful bidder
fails to furnish or deliver any material, supplies, equipment, or services at the prices quoted, or at
the times and places stated, or otherwise fails to comply with terms of the documents in their
entirety, the District may purchase the items herein specified elsewhere, without notice to the
successful bidder. Cost accrued by the District for purchases resulting from a failure to perform
shall be invoiced to the awarded bidder or payment may be deducted from future invoices. Prices
paid by the District shall be considered the prevailing market price as at the time such purchase is
made. In addition, a charge of $50.00 will be assessed to cover administrative cost for processing
of third party orders resulting from non-performances.
27. PROPOSERS CRITERIA FORM
The Bidder Criteria Form must be completed and submitted with the RFP.
28. PROPOSERS DISCLOSURE INFORMATION
All disclosure, certification and non-collusion forms and affidavits contained in this RFP must be
completed and submitted with the RFP.
29. QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO RFP
Bidders are encouraged to contact the District's Senior Buyer in writing with pertinent questions or
clarifications regarding the appropriate method of completing this RFP:
Purchasing Department
Vista Unified School District
1234 Arcadia Ave, Vista, CA 92084 - (760) 726-2170, ext. 92642
Email: josematavilla@vistausd.org
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