MPS CWS FFVP Bid Qualification 26-17
Request for Proposal (RFP) for
Qualification to Bid Produce for Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Program (FFVP)
RFP: 26-17
Minneapolis Public Schools - Special School District No. 1
1250 West Broadway Ave.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411-2533
MPS Procurement
Issued: March 17th, 2026
Submissions Due: April 21st, 2026
NOTICE: Pursuant to section 13.591 subdivision 3(b) of the Minnesota Statutes, after a
government entity has completed negotiating a contract with the selected vendor, all
data in RFP responses are public except for trade secret information as defined in
section 13.37 subdivision 1(b). A statement that submitted data are copyrighted or
otherwise protected does not prevent public access to the data.
1
Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
MPS CWS FFVP Bid Qualification 26-17
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
Overview
A. Project Objective
B. Schedule of Proposal
C. Intention to Submit Proposals
D. Submission of Written Questions
E. Changes to the RFP
F. Preparation of Proposal
G. Submission of Proposals
H. Withdrawal of Proposals
I. Evaluation and Selection Process
J. Effective Period of Proposals
K. Bid Reservations
L. Notifications of Unsuccessful Vendors
M. Contract Negotiations
N. Award of Contract
O. Contract Term
P. Disposition of, and Public Access to, Proposals
Q. Cost Incurred in Responding
R. Assignment
S. Causes for Termination
II.
Scope of Services
A. Project Background
B. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Goals
C. MPS Culinary and Wellness Services Organization
D. General Description of Expected Services
E. Current FFVP Service Operation and Goals
F. FFVP Goals and Vision
III.
Response Section - General Business Information
A. General Business Requirements
B. Qualifications and Experience
C. Supplier and Employee Equity & Diversity, Sustainability and Community Engagement
D. Business Ethics
E. Service Level Expectations
F. Fees & Costs
G. Reporting
H. Billing and Payment
I. Operational Challenge Responses
IV. Response Section - Project Scope
A. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Vision
B. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Operation
C. Wrap up to Project Scope Information
V.
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Appendix Requirements
A. References
B. Pricing Information
C. MPS Reports
Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
MPS CWS FFVP Bid Qualification 26-17
VI. MPS Appendix Documents
1. Intention to Submit a Proposal
2. Organization Information Cover Sheet
3. Sample Bid Week
4. Evaluation Matrix
5. MPS Sample Contract
3
Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
MPS CWS FFVP Bid Qualification 26-17
SECTION I: OVERVIEW
A. Project Objective
Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is seeking proposals from organizations and individuals wishing
to provide bids for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).
Minneapolis Public Schools or Special School District Number 1 (SSD #1) is a school district that is
coterminous with the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota. With authority granted by the state
legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's
budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home
and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. The District
covers over 70 school programs at 65 sites, with approximately 28,500 students and 3,200
teaching staff.
The District intends to select multiple organization to provide the necessary bids for the Fresh
Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). To facilitate the submission and evaluation of proposals, this
proposal provides additional background information regarding MPS that will be relevant to the
proposal of the bids for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).
RFP Primary Objective 1: Gain a thorough understanding of the product capability in order to
select, implement and operate bids for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) that will
meet the needs of the district for the next 4 years.
RFP Primary Objective 2: Gain a thorough understanding of the bids for the Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Program (FFVP) total proposed costs. Including but not limited to: Product cost,
Timelines, and operation.
B. Schedule of Proposal
1. Issue RFP:
2. Intention to Submit:
3. Written Questions Due:
4. Responses to Questions:
5. Proposals Due:
6. Award bid – Notification:
7. District Approval
8. Implementation:
March 17th, 2026
April 7th, 2026
April 7th, 2026
April 10th, 2026
April 21st, 2026
May 1st, 2026
June 9th, 2026
July 1st, 2026
C. Mandatory Intention to Submit Proposals
In order for your organization to receive updates to this Request for Proposal, including
responses to submitted questions from all participating firms, please complete Appendix 1:
Intention to Submit a Proposal by April 7th, 2026. This document must be emailed to
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us. This will allow the District to provide timely information to interested
parties. This document is a mandatory document, if this is not submitted by email by April 7th,
2026; the organization will not be able to participate in Qualification RFP for bids for the Fresh
Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).
D. Submission of Written Questions
All questions about the RFP shall be submitted by e-mail by 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on
or before April 7th, 2026 to: RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us. The District will provide written responses
to questions from prospective Proposers no later than April 10th, 2026 EOD. After April 7th,
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Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
MPS CWS FFVP Bid Qualification 26-17
2026, no questions or inquiries will be allowed. Written responses will be posted to the same
online location as the RFP.
E. Changes to the RFP
Vendors who are registered with MPS for this RFP will be notified by email of any changes in the
specifications contained in this RFP. If any changes are issued to this RFP, a good faith attempt
will be made to deliver the additional information to those persons or firms who, according to
the records of MPS, have previously received a copy of and are registered (via the Intent to
Submit form) with the District for this RFP.
F. Preparation of Proposal
1. Careful attention must be paid to all requested items contained in this Request for Proposal.
Please read the entire package before bidding. Each proposal shall be prepared simply and
economically avoiding the use of elaborate promotional materials beyond what is sufficient
to provide a complete, accurate, and reliable presentation.
2. For ease of review, the proposals must follow the outline in Section III and IV of this request
for proposal. Each response should be clearly numbered and the full question listed.
3. Each page of the proposal must be sequentially numbered and include the proposing
organization’s name.
4. Proposal must be double-spaced, with at least than one-inch margins. Font must be at least
12-point. Any RFP submitted that is not double-spaced, uses margins less than 1-inch, and
smaller than 12-point font will not be reviewed. There will be no exceptions.
5. Each response to questions in Section III and IV of the proposal must be appropriately
labeled (e.g., Section III: General Business Questions, A. General Business Requirements,
Question #1; etc.).
6. The proposal narrative for Section III-IV may not exceed 20 pages total, not including
appendices. Proposals exceeding the 20 pages in Section III-IV will not be reviewed. There
will be no exceptions.
7. Some questions in this proposal will require organizations to submit documents as an
Appendix. Applicants may wish to submit additional supplemental materials to support
responses to questions in Section III and IV. If an applicant intends to include supplemental
materials with responses to questions in Sections III and IV of the proposal, separate
appendices for each part must be developed. Each appendix should be clearly labeled (e.g.,
Appendix A: References, etc.).
8. All appendix materials (e.g., sample letters, curricula, lesson plans, progress reports,
academic effectiveness data, etc.) must be labeled with the name of the organization and
reference the appropriate section and question (e.g., Section C: Description of Expected
Services 1a). Although there is no page limitation for the Appendix, the appendix should
not be excessive in length. Applicants should also ensure the appendix items are
appropriately described and referenced in the narrative section of the proposal.
9. The proposal must be submitted in the appropriate order. Each part of the proposal should
be separated with a section divider page listing the title of the next part of the proposal that
is enclosed. All proposals should follow the order below:
a. Organization Information Cover Page (Provided in attached Appendix 2)
b. Table of Contents
c. Section III- General Business Information
d. Section IV- Project Scope
e. Appendix Materials
10. Additional circumstances that may lead to proposal not being reviewed and/or selected:
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Minneapolis Public Schools
1250 W. Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RFX@mpls.k12.mn.us
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.