Fresh Produce for School Nutrition - Annual Contract

"Savannah-Chatham County Public School System\n208 Bull Street / Savannah, Georgia 31401 / (912) 395-5600\n\nAugust 23, 2022\n\nLadies and Gentlemen:\n\nThe Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS\u201d) would like to take this opportunity to announce\nthat it is requesting bids for Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition.\n\nEnclosed is an Invitation to Bid (\u201cTB\u201d) packet, which provides instructions for the submission of bids and identifies\nthe goods and/or services requested by the SCCPSS. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, all bids should be submitted\nelectronically in the PDF format by email to the following SCCPSS Purchasing Department email address:\npurchasing@sccpss.com.\n\nBids will be accepted prior to the deadline, September 27, 2022, at 11:00:00 A.M. (ET)., at which time they will be\npublicly opened and examined. Time is of the essence, and any bid received on or after this deadline for

submission will\nnot be accepted. Bidders are responsible for ensuring that their bids are timely received and stamped by Purchasing\nDepartment personnel. If a Bidder does not receive an email confirmation that its bid has been received and\nregistered between 9:00:00 a.m. (ET) and 5:00:00 p.m. (ET) on the day the bid is sent or prior to the deadline for bid\nsubmissions on the date bid submissions are due, then the Bidder should email or callthe Purchasing Department\nat (912) 395-5572 to confirm receipt. While SCCPSS will accept all bids received by the purchasing@sccpss.com email\naccount before the deadline, bidders should not wait until the last minute to submit bids. It shall not be sufficient to show\n\nthat the bid was sent by email before the scheduled deadline. Any bid not received by the District by 10:59:59:99 A.M.\n(ET)]will be rejected.\n\nAll bids submitted must contain the \u201cBID FROM [BIDDER\u2019S NAME], BID NUMBER, BID NAME,\nCONFIDENTIAL UNTIL CLOSING DATE AND TIME\u201d clearly marked in UPPER CASE in the subject line of\n\nthe submitting email. A copy of the bid tabulation will be posted to the District's website after the closing date and bids\nare opened.\n\nPlease include with your bid all documents requested by this solicitation, including, but not limited to, a copy of your\nfirm\u2019s current business license and certificate of insurance. Failure to include all of the information and/or documents\nrequested by this solicitation could result in the Bidders\u2019 submittal not being considered by the SCCPSS.\n\nIf you have any questions concerning this solicitation, please submit them in writing to Katrina Hagan, Purchasing\nAgent at purchasing@scepss.com. Please note that all communications relating to this solicitation must be directed to the\nPurchasing Department pursuant to SCCPSS policy.\n\nIf an offeror is unable to submit a bid at this time but would like to remain on the list of potential vendors\nfor the SCCPSS, please complete and return only the \u201cNo Bid Statement Form\u201d included with this ITB packet to\npurchasing@sccpss.com, with the Bid Number, Name and No Bid Statement\u201d in the subject line.\n\nThank you for your interest in providing goods and services to the SCCPSS.\n\nSincerely,_\n\nSabrina L. Scales, NIGP-CPP, CPPB\nPurchasing Director\n\nMission - To ignite a passion for learning and teaching at high levels.\nVision - From school to the world: All students prepared for productive futures\n\u201cAN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER\u201d\n\nSCCPSS Nutrition Bid Template 4/20/2022 Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition (Annual Contract) Page 1\n" "INVITATION TO BID (ITB): 23-25\nFresh Produce for School Nutrition\n\nI. INTRODUCTION\n\nThe Board of Public Education for the City of Savannah and the County of Chatham (the \u201cDistrict\u201d), the\nbody corporate responsible for public education in Chatham County, which is commonly known as the Savannah-\nChatham County Public School System (*SCCPSS\u201d), seeks sealed bids as specified in this Invitation to Bid\n(\u201cITB\") 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition.\n\nIt is worth noting at the outset that this Invitation to Bid is a competitive sealed bidding process. The\ncontract, if one is awarded at all, will be awarded to the responsible and responsive Bidder by means of the award\n\nprocess described in in \u201cAttachment A - Goods and/or Services Requested, Format of Bids, Evaluation Criteria\nfor Award, and Contract Requirements.\u201d\n\nVendors who wish to be awarded a contract by the District to provide the goods and/or services requested\nby this ITB shall be referred to herein as the \u201cBidder(s)\u201d or \u201cOfferor(s).\u201d To be considered for an award of a\ncontract under this ITB, Bidders should carefully read this solicitation document, and all of the forms, product\nspecifications, service requirements, contract documents, or other materials that may be attached hereto or\nreferenced herein. This ITB and the associated documents identify the goods/and or services requested by the\nDistrict, contain the instructions for preparing and submitting bids, and outline the process by which the District\nwill award a contract for those goods and/or services, if it decides to award a contract at all.\n\nil. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THIS ITB\n\nA. A \u201cCone of Silence\u201d Applies to this ITB.\n\nA \"Cone of Silence\u201d is imposed upon this ITB after advertising and terminates at the time the District\nawards a contract. Except as specifically set forth below, the Cone of Silence prohibits any communications in\nany form (whether written, oral, or electronic) by, or on behalf of, a prospective Bidder for this solicitation,\nincluding any persons affiliated with or in any way related to a prospective Bidder, with any District employee,\nany member of the elected Board of Education that serves as the District's governing body, the Superintendent\nor her staff, and any other persons involved in evaluating the bid, such as program managers or members of any\nselection committee. The Cone of Silence is intended to prohibit Iobbying for, or against, a particular Bidder or\nBidders and to prevent prospective Bidders from circumventing the process for selection set forth in this ITB.\n\nThe Cone of Silence does not apply to oral communications with the Director of Purchasing, or the\nDirector of Purchasing\u2019s designees, at pre-bid conferences, site visits (as applicable), presentations before\nselection committees, contract negotiations with bidders selected for award, or at other times expressiy allowed\nby this solicitation. Written communications expressiy authorized by this solicitation, such as (1) the submission\nof the bid itself, (2) requests for interpretation, requests for material substitutions, protests, or similar inquiries to\nthe purchasing department, (3) documents circulated at oral presentations before selection committees, or (4)\ndocuments circulated in connection with contract negotiations with the bidder(s) selected for award are also\npermitted in communication with the Director of Purchasing or the Director of Purchasing\u2019s designees. The Cone\n\nof Silence does not apply to presentations allowed by Board policy or to the Board of Education at a duly called\npublic. meeting.\n\nIn addition to any other penalties provided by law, violation of the Cone of Silence by any bidder may\nresult in the rejection of the bidder's response and disqualify the bidder from being awarded any contract as a\nresult of this solicitation. Any person having personal knowledge of a violation of these provisions shall\nimmediately report such violations to the District's Purchasing Department.\n\nB. The Goods and/or Services Requested by the District.\n\nThe goods and/or services requested by the District in this ITB are described in more detail in \u201cAttachment\nA- Goods and/or Services Requested, Format of Bids, Evaluation Criteria for Award, and Contract\n\nSCCPSS Nutrition Bid Template 4/20/2022 Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition (Annual Contract) Page 2\n" "Requirements,\u201d which is incorporated into this ITB by this reference.\n\nC. The Advertising Dates for this ITB.\n\nThis ITB is being advertised on the Purchasing Department page of the SCCPSS website,\nwww.scopss.com, from August 28, 2022, until the deadline for submitting bids. This ITB is also being advertised\non the Georgia Procurement Registry (\"GPR\u201d) from August 29, 2022, until the deadline for submitting bids.\n\nThis Invitation to Bid (ITB) is also being advertised in the Savannah Morning News, the newspaper for\nlegal notices in Chatham County, on the following dates:\n\nAugust 28, 2022, and September 11, 2022\nD. Pre-Bid Conferences Held by the Purchasing Department.\n\nNo pre-bid conference is scheduled for this ITB.\n\nE: The Deadline for Submitting Bids in Response to this ITB.\n\nThe deadline for submitting any bids in response to this ITB, unless extended by the District, shall be:\n\n10:59:59:99 A.M. (ET): on September 27, 2022\n\nTime is ofthe essence, and any bid received on or after this deadline for submission will not be\naccepted. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that their bids are timely received and stamped by Purchasing\nDepartment personnel. If a Bidder does not receive an email confirmation that its bid has been received and\nregistered between 9:00:00 a.m. (ET) and 5:00:00 p.m. (ET) on the day the bid is sent or prior to the deadline for bid\nsubmissions on the date bid submissions are due, then the Bidder should email or callthe Purchasing Department\nat (912) 395-5572 to confirm receipt. While SCCPSS will accept all bids received by the purchasing@sccepss.com email\naccount by 10:59:59:99 A.M. (ET) on September 27, 2022, bidders should not wait until the last minute to submit bids. It\nshall not be sufficient to show that the Bid was sent to email before the scheduled deadline. Any bid notreceived\nby 10:59:59:99 A.M. (ET) on September 27, 2022, will be rejected.\n\nThis deadline may be extended for all prospective bidders within the discretion of the Director of the\nPurchasing Department or her designee for any reason. A non-exclusive list of reasons why the deadline may\nbe extended include: the issuance of addenda to this ITB or the associated specifications, a total absence of\nbids, District closure due to inclement weather, etc. The Director ofthe Purchasing Department will either extend\nthe deadline for all bidders or not all.\n\nBidders may withdraw bids at any time up to the scheduled time for receipt of bids. Bidders may\nresubmit bids provided it is prior to the scheduled time for receipt of bids.\n\nBids cannot be modified after the submission deadline, as may be extended by the Purchasing\nDepartment. Care should be taken to ensure that information provided is accurate, complete, and consistent.\nOmission of any of the required information may subject the Bidder to disqualification. The District reserves the\nright to request information or respond to inquiries for clarification purposes only.\n\nF. Procedure for Delivery and Submission of Bids and Withdrawal of Bids.\n\nOfferors shall timely deliver Bids by email to purchasing@scepss.com. The bid and all required forms\nshall be submitted as PDF documents attached to the email.\n\nAll bids submitted must contain the \u201cBID FROM [BIDDER\u2019S NAME], BID NUMBER, BID\nNAME,CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL CLOSING DATE AND TIME\u201d clearly marked in UPPER CASE in the subject\nline of the submitting email.\n\nSCCPSS Nutrition Bid Template 4/20/2022 Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition (Annual Contract) Page 3\n" "Please include with your bid all documents requested by this solicitation, including, but not limited to, a\ncopy of your firm\u2019s current business license and certificate of insurance. Failure to include all of the\ninformation and/or documents requested by this solicitation could result in the Bidders\u2019 submittal not\nbeing considered by the SCCPSS.\n\nIf a required form has a signature block for a notary, please sign that form in the presence of a\nnotary and have the form notarized.\n\nTo withdraw a bid prior to the scheduled deadline, please email purchasing@sccpss.com. All\n\nwithdrawal emails must contain the subject line \u201cWithdrawal of Bid by [Bidder\u2019s Name]- Bid Number-Bid\nName.\u201d\n\nBids may not be withdrawn after the scheduled deadline for bid submissions, except as allowed\nby law with the consent of the District.\n\nReasonable abbreviations ofthe Bidder\u2019s Name and the Bid Name that clearly identify the bidder and the\nsolicitation while reducing the length of the subject line ofthe email will be accepted.\n\nG. Receipt and Tabulation of Bids.\n\nBids and modifications shall be time-stamped by the Purchasing Department upon receipt and the PDF\nsaved to a limited access computer file prior to the submission deadline where it will be kept confidential until bid\nopening, unless sooner withdrawn by a Bidder as allowed by this solicitation. Bids formally withdrawn prior to\nbid opening will not be publicly opened or considered but may be maintained by the District for its record keeping\n\npurposes. After the deadline for bid opening, bids will be publicly opened and examined. A copy of the bid\ntabulation will be posted to the District's website.\n\nH. Timely-filed, Signed Bids Considered an Offer.\n\nA Bidder\u2019s timely-filed, signed bid shall be considered an offer on the part ofthe bidder which may become\na binding contract on the Bidder if accepted by the District at the conclusion of the bid evaluation process. By\nsubmitting a bid in response to this ITB, Bidder agrees that bid will remain open for acceptance by the District for .\nat least ninety (90) days without any changes in terms or pricing.\n\nIn event that the Bidder refuses to perform its promises made in its offer after acceptance by the District,\nthe District may take such action as it deems appropriate to redress the bidder's failure to perform, including legal\naction for damages or equitable relief, including specific performance, for the Bidder's lack of required\nperformance.\n\nI. Non-Response by Prospective Bidders.\nIf a Bidder does not wish to submit a bid in response to this ITB but would like to remain on the list of\n\npotential vendors for the District, please complete and return only the \"No Bid Statement Form\u201d included with\nthis ITB packet to purchasing@sccpss.com.\n\nJ. Form and Formatting of Bids.\n\nThe form and formatting requirements for bids requested by this ITB are described in \u201cAttachment A-\nGoods and/or Services Requested, Format of Bids, Evaluation Criteria for Award, and Contract Requirements\u201d\nand in the attached Bid Form.\n\nK. Bid Bonds.\n\nA bid bond IS NOT required with bidder's bid for this ITB.\n\nSCCPSS Nutrition Bid Template 4/20/2022 Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition (Annual Contract) Page 4\n" "L. Performance and Payment Bonds.\n\nPayment and Performance bods ARE NOT required for this ITB.\n\nM. Bidder\u2019s Essential Credentials and Business Structure to be considered a \u201cResponsible\nBidder.\u201d\n\nTo even be considered for a possible award of a contract for the goods and/or services requested by this\nITB, a Bidder must be deemed a \"responsible\" Bidder by the District's Purchasing Department.\n\nTo be considered a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder for the purpose of this ITB, a Bidder must be licensed and have\nthe capacity to provide the goods and/or perform the services requested by this ITB and must be able to meet\nthe minimum licensing, bonding, insurance, and contractual requirements of this ITB. The District reserves the\nright to request a Bidder provide additional information or documentation to demonstrate that it is a \u201cresponsible\u201d\nBidder. Failure to provide the requested additional information, in itself, will be sufficient grounds for the District\nto declare the Bidder to be not \u201cresponsible\u201d for the purposes of this ITB.\n\nTo be considered a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder, the Bidder's majority (51%) ownership, whether public or\nprivate, must be held by citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States.\n\nTo be considered a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder, the Bidder must attach to its bid a copy of any and all business\nlicenses needed for the Bidder to provide the requested goods and/or services, including any local business\nlicenses needed to provide the good and/or services requested by this ITB in Chatham County.\n\nIfthe Bidder is a corporation, a copy of a current Annual Corporate Registration issued by the State in\nwhich the Bidder is incorporated is required to demonstrate that the Bidder is a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder.\n\nWhile any lawful form of business may be a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder, if the Bidder is a partnership or joint\nventure, a copy ofthe contractual agreement between the partners or the participants in the joint venture must\nbe provided with the Bidder's bid. The partnership or joint venture agreement must be adequate to its purpose\nof establishing a safe and well-structured good faith relationship between the participants, and must comply with\nall applicable laws, including Antitrust Laws. The agreement must include adequate provisions to address\nunforeseen events such as the demise of any one of the partners or joint venture companies, and the like. Ifthe\nBidder is a partnership or joint venture between two existing business entities, including, but not limited to, a\ncorporation or LLC, then all partners should be routinely and on a daily basis in the business of providing services\nwhich are closely similar or identical to those Services solicited by this ITB. If the District determines that the\nform of the Bidder's business, including a partnership or joint venture, was not created for a legitimate business\npurpose, could impair the Bidder\u2019s performance in response to this solicitation, poses a liability to the District, or\nis otherwise not in the best interest of the District, then the District reserves the right to disqualify the Bidder and\ndetermine that it is not responsible.\n\nIf the Bidder is a joint venture, information and documentation must be provided to establish whether the\njoint venture is a business entity created for the purpose of functioning as the joint venture, or whether the joint\nventure is operated through the existing legal status of the venture partners. All information regarding the legal\nstructure and reporting of income for tax purposes of the joint venture must be provided.\n\nIt is the District\u2019s intent to only enter into a contract as a result ofthis ITB with a single Bidder. The District\nreserves the right to reject as \u201cnon-responsive\u201d or \"not responsible\u201d any bid that requesis the District to enter into\ncontracts with multiple Bidders.\n\nN. Insurance, Warranty, Indemnity and Other Requirements for \u201cResponsible\u201d Bidders.\nTo be considered a \u201cresponsible\u201d Bidder, each Bidder will be required to meet minimum insurance,\n\nwarranty, indemnity and other requirements set forth in more detail in \u201cAttachment A- Goods and/or Services\nRequested, Format of Bids, Evaluation Criteria for Award, and Contract Requirements,\" which is incorporated\n\nSCCPSS Nutrition Bid Template 4/20/2022 Bid 23-25 Fresh Produce for School Nutrition (Annual Contract) Page 5\n"