Procurement Requirements

Recipient agencies (RA) must follow state and federal procurement regulations and guidelines to secure contracts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-approved vendors prior to utilization of the pilot. This includes the use of federal, state, or local bid thresholds to determine the proper procurement process, such as conducting a formal procurement or informal procurement. Additionally, solicitation for bids must include language that discloses to vendors that in order to be considered, the vendor must be on the pilot project’s USDA Eligible Vendor List. For more information and guidance on procurement requirements, please visit the California Department of Education Procurement in School Nutrition Programs Web page.

Pilot Contract Requirements

Contracts must outline the RAs’ participation in the pilot and include language addressing the following requirements:

• The vendor must be on the required USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) approved pilot project vendor list.
  
  
• The vendor must issue a separate invoice to the AMS for unprocessed fruits and vegetables sold under the pilot project.
  
  
• The vendor must submit invoices and any other necessary reports directly into the USDA Web-based Supply Chain Management System.
  
  
• The AMS requirement to pay the vendor within ten calendar days of receiving the invoice.

If an RA already has a contract in place with an approved vendor prior to the pilot project, they must amend the contract to specify the pilot project details and any changes to the existing contract. At a minimum, the amendment must address all requirements listed above.

Note: An amendment that results in a material change is not allowable and the contract must be competitively rebid.