Summary
The California Department of Education (CDE) will perform an offsite procurement review a minimum of once every eight years for all school food authorities (SFA) that contract with a food service management company (FSMC), residential child care institutions, private schools, and camps. Additionally, the CDE will perform an offsite procurement review a minimum of once every eight years for all public school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education operating without an FSMC contract.
Note: Annual Reviews (AR) and Local Agency Procurement Reviews (LAPR) are separate reviews that may or may not occur during the same school year.
Step 1: The CDE Notifies the SFA About the Procurement Review
The CDE will notify SFAs by email that they are scheduled to receive an offsite procurement review. This correspondence will include instructions to access the SFA Procurement Table (a fillable spreadsheet where the SFA enters the required procurement information), a list of all prereview documents that the SFA must submit to the CDE, the due date, and a link to resources to assist the SFA with the review.
Step 2: The SFA Completes the SFA Procurement Table
The SFA will complete the SFA Procurement Table. The SFA will use a Vendor Paid List (VPL) or summary of expenditures from the prior school year to assist them with completing this table. For assistance with information the SFA must include on the VPL, access the VPL Instructions or refer to Child Nutrition Information Payment System (CNIPS), Download Forms, Form ID PRU 02.
Step 3: The SFA Submits Required Prereview Documents to the CDE
The SFA submits the required prereview documents to the CDE by the due date to the Procurement Resources Unit email address at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov. The SFA will submit the following:
- SFA Procurement Table (PRU-01)
- VPL, or summary of expenditures, from the previous school year
- Cooperative or group purchasing agreements, if applicable
- Written Code of Conduct*
- Written Procurement Procedures*
*SFAs that need assistance with writing the code of conduct and procurement procedure documents can access the Code of Conduct Sample in CNIPS, Download Forms, Form ID PRU-08a, and the Procurement Procedures Sample, Form ID PRU-08b.
Step 4: The CDE Selects Procurements for the Review
After reviewing the contracts and other procurement documents listed in the SFA Procurement Table, the CDE will decide which of the SFA procurements (that is, which contracts and supporting documents) they will select for a detailed review. The CDE will select contracts based on the following prioritization:
- Only one response received to a solicitation
- Group purchasing, buying, or third-party contracts
- Highest-priced contracts
- Procurements that exceeded the applicable threshold. For example, instances when the micropurchase method was used for a $12,000 procurement, which exceeds the $10,000 micropurchase threshold (higher thresholds may be allowable, see regulations).
Step 5: The CDE Requests Additional Documents from the SFA
The CDE will request contract(s) and supporting documents from the SFA based on the procurements selected for review in Step 4. The CDE will provide the SFA with the due date for submitting these documents.
The CDE developed Procurement Review Instructions to assist SFAs with examples of the types of documentation the CDE may request.
Step 6: The CDE Conducts the Offsite Review
The CDE will review contract(s) and supporting documents submitted by the SFA using the review questions in the USDA procurement tool. These questions address general procurement (e.g., code of conduct and procurement procedure documents), micropurchases, small purchases, formal procurements, FSMC contracts, and USDA Foods processing contracts.
Step 7: Request for Technical Assistance Documentation (TAD)
CDE emails the Superintendent and Chief Business Officer the following emails and reports:
- Executive Summary Email: This email provides a summary of items found to be noncompliant according to federal regulations. For complete details, including technical assistance (TA), the SFA will receive the Procurement Errors document(s)
- FSMC Base Year Review Email (if applicable)
- FSMC Renewal Year Review Email (if applicable)
- Acknowledgement Form – This form is due within 10 business days
- TA review report
Step 8: Closing Review Guidance
Once the CDE has received your signed Acknowledgment form, the review is closed.
For questions, email the Procurement Resources Unit at NSDProcurementReview@cde.ca.gov or visit the CDE Procurement in CNP web page.