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Catering/Food Service Management Company
Request for Proposal
SECTION A - RFP INSTRUCTIONS
A-1.PURPOSE OF PROCUREMENT
This Request for Proposal (RFP) is being issued to
establish a firm fixed price contract with a qualified vendor
who will provide Food Service Management
Services to the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta Food
Authority (hereinafter, “SFA” or "School") as further
described in this RFP.
A-2.SCOPE
The Mohammed Schools of Atlanta will receive sealed
proposals for breakfast meals and lunch meals cooked
daily that meet USDA and State requirements for
reimbursement. Vendors are invited to submit proposals on
the enclosed forms based on the specifications supplied by
the school. The proposal covers the furnishing of
component breakfasts and lunches, exclusive of milk,
from August 2015_to the last day of the school
year2016. Proposals must be received at _735 Fayetteville
Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30316 no later than May 15,
2015 at which time and place the proposals will be
opened. Proposals received after the time specified will be
deemed late and will be rejected, and returned to the
vendorunopened.
NOTE: Mohammed Schools of Atlanta reserves the right to
accept or reject any or all proposals with sound documented
reasons, and to waive informalities and minor irregularities
in proposals received.
A-3.OVERVIEW OF THE RFP PROCESS
The objective of this RFP is to select a qualified vendor to
provide the goods and/or services outlined in this RFP to
the SFA. This RFP process will be conducted to gather and
evaluate responses from vendors for potential award. All
qualified vendors are invited to participate by submitting
responses, as further defined below. After evaluating all
vendors’ responses received prior to the closing date of
this RFP and following negotiations (if any) and resolution of
any contract exceptions, the preliminary results of
the RFP process will be publicly announced, including the
names of all participating vendors and the evaluation
results. Subject to the protest process, final contract
award(s) will be publicly announced thereafter.
A-4.SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The schedule of events set out herein represents the SFA's
best estimate of the schedule that will be
followed. However, delays to the procurement process may
occur which may necessitate adjustments to the proposed
schedule.
Description
RFP Issued
Deadline for written questions
sent via email to the School
Nutrition Director.
Date
Friday, May 15, 2015
Time
N/A
5:00 p.m. ET
Response from SFA to Written
Questions
RFP Close date and time
Proposal Evaluation Completed
(on or about)
Negotiations Invitation Issued
(emailed) (on or about);
discretionary process
Final Evaluation (on or about)
Finalize Contract Terms
Notice of Intent to Award* [NOIA]
(on or about) if over 100K
Notice of Award [NOA] (on or
about)
Friday, May 29, 2015
5:00 p.m. ET
Friday, May 15, 2015
[X] to [Y] Weeks after Closing
5:00 pm et
N/A
[X] to [Y] Weeks after Closing
TBD
[X] to [Y] Weeks after Closing
[X] to [Y] Weeks after Closing
[X] to [Y] Weeks after Closing
N/A
N/A
N/A
10 calendar days after NOIA
N/A
A-5.CONTACT PERSON FOR SFA
Brenda G Rasheed
School Nutrition Director Contact information
Nutrition.Director@MohammedSchools.org
A-6.CONTRACT TERM
The contract will be effective for an initial term of one year
commencing onJuly 1, 2015
Through June 30, 2016, with up to four (4) options to
renew, at the sole discretion of the SFA, for 1 year terms
each with the same terms and conditions applied.
A-7.DEFINITION OF TERMS
"Request for Proposal" (RFP) is a Competitive Proposal
( previously known as Competitive Negotiation), means a
method of procurement whereby a technical proposal is
solicited that explains how the prospective contractor will
meet the objectives of the solicitation and a cost element
that identifies the costs to accomplish the technical
proposal. While price alone is not the sole basis for award,
price remains the primary consideration when awarding a
contract under the competitive proposal method. ( from
FSMC Guidance for SAs - Jan 09 - FNS website)
"FSMC" is a Food Service Management Company, which
means a commercial enterprise or a nonprofit organization
that is or may be contracted with by the SFA to manage any
aspect of the school food service. An FSMC is a company
that is acting on behalf of a school food authority by actually
being in charge of or directing any aspect of the food
service and must meet applicable program requirements.
( from FSMC Guidance for SAs - Jan 09 - FNS website)
"Vendor" means a merchandiser of complete meals, meal
components, or raw materials. ( FSMC Guidance for SAs
- Jan 09)
"SFA" means School Food Authority.
"Meal component" means one of the five food items that
compose the reimbursable school lunch or one of the four
food items of a school breakfast.
"SBP" means " School Breakfast Program" in agreement with all
regulations of 7CFR 220
"NSLP" means "National School Lunch Program" - in agreement
with all regulations of 7CFR 210
"CNP" means Child Nutrition Program
"CFR" means Code of Federal Regulations which is the
codification of the general and permanent rules published in
the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of
the Federal
government.
A-8.PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
By submitting a response to this RFP, the vendor is
acknowledging that the vendor:
1. Has read the information and instructions,
2. Agrees to comply with the information and instructions contained herein.
All proposals shall be placed in a sealed envelope, and will consist of a technical and a cost
proposal. The front of the envelope shall be clearly labeled as follows:
Mohammed Schools of Atlanta
ATTN: School Food Service Proposal.
735 Fayetteville Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
Brenda G Rasheed
A-9.QUESTIONS
Additional information and questions may be obtained from the School Nutrition Director
at Nutrition.Director@mohammedschools.org
A-10.COMMUNICATION
Any explanation desired by a FSMC regarding the meaning or interpretation of any part of this request for
proposal must be requested in writing by May 15, 2015 in order to allow sufficient time for a reply to
reach all Vendors before proposal opening. Email is acceptable. Oral explanations or instructions given
before the award of the contract shall not be binding. Any information given to a prospective FSMC shall
be furnished to all prospective Vendors as an addendum to the solicitation. Addendums sent to all
prospective FSMCs will be sent by email and mail
Addendums sent to the prospective FSMCs must be signed and attached to the proposal as
acknowledgment of receipt, and acceptance of the addendums to the proposal .
A-11.CONTRACT AWARD
The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible vendor whose proposal will be most
advantageous to the SFA, price and taste are factors considered. Unsuccessful offeror's will be notified
promptly.
The SFA reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals if there is a sound, documented reason that is in
the best interest of the SFA. The SFA also reserves the right to waive informalities and minor irregularities
in Proposals received.
All or Nothing: The School intends to award this contract on an ALL or
NOTHING basis. Proposals failing to include all of the requested items, locations, goods and
services WILL BE REJECTED.
SECTION B - TECHNICAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
B-1. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
As specified with each requirement listed in
the EXHIBIT 1 - TECHNICAL RESPONSE
WORKSHEET - Mandatory Questions, the vendor
must indicate whether its proposal meets the individual
requirements by marking either a "YES" or "NO" in the
response block provided. A Pass/Fail evaluation will be
utilized for all mandatory requirements. Ordinarily, to be
considered responsive, responsible and eligible for
award, all questions identified as mandatory must be
marked “YES” to pass. There may be rare instances in
which a response of “NO” is the correct and logical
response in order to meet the mandatory requirement
(e.g. responding “NO” that the vendor does not possess
any conflicts of interest). Otherwise, any mandatory
questions marked "NO" will fail the technical
requirements and will result in disqualification of the
proposal.
DO NOT INCLUDE ANY COST/PRICING
INFORMATION IN YOUR RESPONSE TO THE
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS STATEMENTS.
B-2. MANDATORY SCORED REQUIREMENTS
As specified with each requirement listed in
the EXHIBIT 1 - TECHNICAL RESPONSE
WORKSHEET -Mandatory Scored Questions the
vendor must indicate whether it will meet the individual
requirement (if any) and provide a supporting narrative
in the space provided or on an additional page if
needed. To be considered responsive, responsible and
eligible for award, any and all requirements identified in
the Mandatory Scored Response section of the
Technical Response Worksheet must be met. There
may be rare instances in which an item within the
Mandatory Scored Response section does not create
an individual requirement which must be met, but,
instead, merely requires a response. All requirements
labeled “Mandatory Scored” must be met by the
vendor. Failure to meet any mandatory scored
requirements may result in disqualification of the
proposals. The narrative description, along with any
required supporting materials, will be evaluated and
awarded points in accordance with Section D of
this RFP.
DO NOT INCLUDE ANY COST
INFORMATION IN YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS
WORKSHEET.
B-3. ADDITIONAL SCORED RESPONSES
All items labeled “Additional Scored
Responses” represent information that is requested by
the SFA. Vendors are encouraged to provide a
thorough narrative description in the space provided in
the Additional Scored Response
Questions . Answers along with any requested
supporting materials will be evaluated and awarded
points in accordance with SECTION D.
DO NOT INCLUDE ANY COST
INFORMATION IN YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS
WORKSHEET.
SECTION C - COST PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS
C-1. COST PROPOSAL
Each vendor is required to submit a cost proposal as
part of its response. The cost proposal will be evaluated
and scored in accordance with SECTION D of
this RFP. By submitting a response, the vendor agrees
that it has read, understood, and will abide by the
following instructions/rules:
1. The submitted cost proposal must include all costs of
performing pursuant to the resulting contract; and
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cost proposals containing a minimum order/ship quantity or dollar value, unless
otherwise called for in the RFP, will be treated as non-responsive and may not be
considered for award; and
In the event there is discrepancy between the vendor’s unit price and extended price,
the unit price shall govern;
In the event there is a discrepancy between (1) the vendor’s pricing as quoted on
the RFP’s provided cost worksheet and (2) the vendor’s pricing as quoted by the
vendor in one or more additional documents, the former shall govern; and
The prices quoted and listed in the cost proposal shall be firm throughout the term of
the resulting contract, unless otherwise noted in the RFP or contract.
C-2. COST STRUCTURE AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS
The SFA's intent is to structure the cost format in order to facilitate comparison
among all vendors and foster competition to obtain the best market
pricing. Consequently, the SFA requires that each vendor’s cost be in the format
outlined on the Exhibit 3, The Cost Worksheet. Additional alternative cost structures
will not be considered. Each vendor is cautioned that failure to comply with the
requested format, submission of an incomplete offer, or submission of an offer in a
different format than the one requested may result in the rejection of the vendor’s
proposal.
Enter all information directly into the COST WORKSHEET(s), EXHIBIT 3. Prices
must be in US Dollars.
SECTION D - EVALUATION PROCESS
D-1. PROPOSAL EVALUATION, NEGOTIATIONS
AND AWARD
All timely proposals will be evaluated in accordance with
the following steps. The objective of the evaluation
process is to identify the proposal which represents the
best value to the SFA based on a combination of
technical and cost factors. Based on the results of the
initial evaluation, the SFA may or may not elect to
negotiate technical and/or cost factors as further
described in the RFP. In the event negotiations of the
technical and/or cost factors occur, the revised
proposals will be reevaluated in accordance with the
provisions of SECTION D-8 of this RFP. Once the
evaluation process has been completed (and any
negotiations the SFA desires to conduct have occurred),
the apparent successful vendor(s) will be required to
enter into discussions with the SFA to resolve any
exceptions to the SFA's contract. The SFA will
announce the results of the RFP as described further in
Section E-11 of this RFP.
D-2. ADMINISTRATIVE/PRELIMINARY REVIEW
First, the proposals will be reviewed by the
SFA to determine the proposal’s compliance
with the following requirements:
1. Proposal was submitted by
specified proposal close date and
time.
2. Proposal is complete and
contains all required documents
3. Technical Proposal does not
include any pricing from the Cost
Proposal
D-3. EVALUATING PROPOSAL FACTORS
If the vendor’s proposal passes the
Administrative/Preliminary Review listed above, then
the vendor’s responses to the Technical Evaluation
Worksheet will be submitted to the Evaluation Team for
evaluation.
D-4. REVIEW OF MANDATORY AND MANDATORY SCORED
QUESTIONS
The Evaluation Team will review each proposal in detail
to determine its compliance with
mandatory RFP requirements. Responses to both
“Mandatory” and “Mandatory Scored” Questions will be
evaluated on a pass/fail basis. If a proposal fails to
meet a mandatory and/or mandatory
scored RFP requirement, the SFA will determine if the
deviation is material. A material deviation will be cause
for rejection of the proposal. An immaterial deviation
will be processed as if no deviation had occurred. All
proposals which meet the requirements of the
“Mandatory” and “Mandatory Scored” Questions are
considered “Responsive Proposals” at this point in time
and will be scored in accordance with the point
allocation SECTION D-8.
D-5. REVIEW OF ADDITIONAL SCORED
INFORMATION QUESTIONS
For all proposals determined to be “Responsive
Proposals”, the Evaluation Team will review and score
the responses to the Additional Scored Questions (if
any) in accordance with the point allocation in Section
D-8.
The vendor will receive a total technical score at the
conclusion of the evaluation of the RFP Proposal
Factors.
D-6. EVALUATING COST PROPOSAL AND TOTAL
COMBINED SCORE
The cost proposals will be reviewed and scored in accordance with Section D-8.
D-7. COST SCORING
The SFA may utilize lowest cost, lowest total cost, and total cost of ownership (TCO) or
greatest savings to determine the most competitive cost proposal. The cost proposal
may be scored on an overall basis or at the category/subcategory/line level (as
applicable) relative to other proposals. The vendor deemed to have the most
competitive cost proposal overall, as determined by the SFA, will receive the maximum
weighted score for the cost criteria. In the alternative, in the event the cost proposal is
scored at the category, subcategory or line level, the SFA may assign the maximum
score per category/subcategory/line for the most competitive proposal at that
level. Other proposals will receive a percentage of the weighted score based on the
percentage differential between the most competitive cost proposal and the specific
proposal in question.
D-8. TOTAL SCORE
The vendor’s cost score will be combined with the vendor’s technical score to
determine the vendor’s overall score (or “total combined score”).
Scoring Criteria ( GENERAL RULE - USE TOTAL
COMBINED SCORE OF 1000 POINTS)
The evaluation is comprised of the following:
Category
Cost
Technical/Proposal
Factors
Technical/Proposal
Factors
Criteria
Points
1. Cost of proposed products Enter # herepoints
and/or services
400 suggested
2. "Mandatory" Requirements Pass/Fail
3. "Mandatory Scored" and/or Enter # herepoints
“Additional Scored”
600 suggested
Responses