REQUEST FOR BID PROPOSALS
NORTHEAST IOWA AREA AGENCY ON AGING
CONGREGATE AND HOME DELIVERED MEAL SERVICE
FEBRUARY, 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview of the Process Page 3
Request for Bid Proposals Pages 3-4
Meal Service Specifications Pages 5-7
Food Service Standards Pages 7-9
Proposal Requirements Page 10
Service Selection Criteria Page 10
Bid Content and Format Page 11
Bid Cover Sheet Page 12
Meal Service Budget Pages 13
REQUEST FOR BID PROPOSALS
NORTHEAST IOWA AREA AGENCY ON AGING
CONGREGATE AND HOME DELIVERED MEAL SERVICE
The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging (NEI3A) has been designated by the Iowa Department on Aging as the Area Agency on Aging for Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Hardin, Howard, Jackson, Marshall, Poweshiek, Tama and Winneshiek Counties in Iowa. It is the responsibility of the Area Agency on Aging to develop and implement the congregate and home delivered meals program as provided for under the Older Americans Act of 1965 and its amendments. To do this, NEI3A is accepting bids from food service providers for the period July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2018 with an option to extend an additional 24 months. The contract will be awarded to a responsible provider whose proposal is determined to be most advantageous to the area's program, price and other factors considered. Final judgment in this determination rests with the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging's Policy Board upon the recommendation of the Area Agency on Aging's Area Advisory Committee per the Area Advisory Sub-Committee. The NEI3A Policy Board reserves the right not to award a contract if in the best interest of the organization and the elders they serve.
This procurement is through a bidding procedure, with competition obtained to the maximum extent practicable in conformance with the Iowa Administrative Code and Federal guidelines. The Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging’s present food provider is being contacted, as well as those who have previously expressed interest in serving this area. A press release informing the public about the bid request will be submitted to newspapers within the NEI3A area. Where other factors are equal, preference will be given to Iowa contractors of goods and services over out-of-state contractors, in compliance with State law, IAC 321—5.14(2). Bidders may be contacted for additional information or presentation while bids are reviewed by the NEI3A Area Advisory Sub-Committee and staff.
The successful providers will operate under a contract, for 36 months with an option to extend the contract an additional 24 months, contingent upon continued Older Americans Act funding to the Area Agency on Aging and upon successful fulfillment of contract requirements including the satisfaction of the meal sites served. All parties must sign the contract before the contract period can begin with the firm selected.
I. REQUEST FOR BID PROPOSALS
Proposals are solicited from qualified sources to permit reasonable competition consistent with the nature and requirements of the procurement. All significant evaluation factors and their relative importance are included in this packet. RFP packets are available by mail, telephone request, or on the website www.nei3a.org.
Ø All proposals must fully and accurately provide the information requested. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in rejection of the proposal. The bid cost per meal may not be altered or withdrawn after submission of the bid.
Ø Proposals must be prepared on 8 ½ X 11” letter size paper, typed, with page numbers, 1” margins, minimum 12 pt font, double-spaced, program narrative no more than 20 pages. Proposals must be securely bound to ensure that the entire contents remain complete and intact. Submit one (1) complete original signature set marked “originals”, four (4) copies of all RFP documents, and one (1) electronic copy in .pdf format.
Ø Proposals shall include services to all eighteen counties of the NEI3A area. Applicants will be disqualified if not able to meet this requirement.
Ø Proposals shall include chain of communication and response time to concerns that arise.
Ø Proposals will be reviewed utilizing a point system. A non-biased Sub-Committee of the NEI3A Area Advisory Council along with NEI3A staff will review all proposals submitted. Reviewers will assign points to each section based on the quality of the answer. Total points available are 100.
Ø The contract will be awarded to one food service provider for 36 months with the option to extend the contract an additional 24 months. All providers submitting proposals will be notified in writing of the NEI3A decision. The contract award will be made to a responsible provider whose bid is most consistent with the terms presented in these specifications. The NEI3A reserves the right to refuse any or all proposals deemed not acceptable and may request new bids or negotiate if competition is inadequate. Any reasonable request to compete will be honored to the maximum extent practicable.
Ø Timeline:
Release Date of Request for Proposals February 16, 2015
Proposal Due March 16, 2015
Award Approved: April 15, 2015
Anticipated Contract Start Date July 1, 2015
Ø All questions regarding this request for proposals must be submitted through an
e-mail and all interested bidders, identified by those requesting the RFP, will receive a summary of questions and answers the following Thursday. E-mail all questions to the Sally Myers, Director of Nutrition Services at or Greg Zars, Director of Transportation and Quality Initiatives at
Proposals must be delivered to the office of Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, 2101 Kimball Avenue, Suite 320, Waterloo, IA 50702 (or mailed and received to Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, PO Box 388, Waterloo, IA 50704-0388) by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 16, 2015. Proposals will be accepted and then forwarded to the NEI3A Area Advisory Sub-Committee and staff for review. Proposals become the property of the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging and will not be returned to the bidder. The NEI3A Policy Board will award the contract by April 15, 2015.
II. CONGREGATE AND HOME DELIVERED MEAL SERVICE SPECIFICATIONS
A. Meal Preparation:
Eligible providers must have the capacity and capability to operate clean and sanitary kitchens. All kitchens storage and delivery facilities including equipment, utensils, ventilating equipment, door cabinets, and counters must be clean and sanitary. A summary of the current meal site locations can be found in Attachment I. The proposal should reflect current operation but final negotiations may reflect change to this operational chart. Also reflect meal preparation staff and management.
Food Service Provider will be responsible for securing the Food Service Establishment license in accordance with Iowa regulations governing licensure for each meal preparation
location. Present food preparation locations are: Black Hawk County-Waterloo, Buchanan County-Independence, Clayton County-Elkader, Delaware County-Manchester, Dubuque County-Dubuque and Dyersville, Fayette County-Oelwein and West Union, Howard County-Cresco (Breakfast only), Jackson County-Bellevue and Maquoketa, Marshall County-Marshalltown, Winneshiek County-Decorah. Proposals should be made to keep these kitchens operational using present staff as deemed appropriate.
Meals are contracted with nursing homes in Allamakee, Clayton and Howard Counties. The Lifetime Center in Dubuque County provides congregate meals only for the town of Dubuque and Finley Hospital in Dubuque County provides Home Delivered Meals only for the town of Dubuque. As of July 1, 2015 these contracts will end and the meals are included in this RFP.
Office space for two (2) persons will be included at the main food preparation location at 2101 Kimball Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.
B. Meal Delivery:
Bidders should specifically state the packaging and delivery system they will use with food safety compliance measures put in place including time limits for transporting food. The meal contractor shall deliver meals from preparation kitchens to satellite meal sites and or designated locations.
The food service provider must comply with all local, state, and federal guidelines regarding meal delivery.
C. Planned Number of Meals and Meal Ordering:
NEI3A projects a need for the number of meals per meal site listed on Attachment I on the basis of the past twelve months experience; however, this is not a guarantee of a minimum or a maximum number of meals. The breakdown of congregate, home delivered, frozen and shelf stable meals for each meal site is shown in NEI3A RFP Attachment I. The establishment of new sites or the transfer or consolidations of old sites will take place on the basis of agreement among the county nutrition project, NEI3A, and the food service provider.
The holidays for which the food service provider may serve no meals are: New Years Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day following, Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day. The actual date of agency closure will be provided annually.
Meals must be available a minimum of 5 days per week with provision of weekend, holiday, or more than one meal per day available when required. Frozen meals and/or shelf stable meals may be provided to meet this requirement.
D. Emergency Procedures
There must be written procedures to be followed by the Contractor in the event of weather related emergencies, disasters, or situations which may interrupt service delivery. The meal contractor will be responsible for deciding where meals can be prepared and delivered and where they cannot be delivered during inclement weather. The meal contractor will relay the information to the NEI3A CEO or designee prior to making a final decision. Final decision will be made by 5:30 a.m.
E. Training
The Contractor shall establish a written training plan for all Food Service employees. The plan shall include orientation of new employees and ongoing in-service training for continuing employees. The plan should describe the content of orientation and the subject matter expected to be covered during in-service training. The training must be provided by qualified persons and will include either formal training sessions or on-the-job training. The dates and topics of training received shall be documented in a central file or in the personnel files of all employees who have received the training.
F. Quality Control
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It is the responsibility of the Contractor to comply with the Federal, State, and Local
Standards and the contract, and to take other appropriate measures to assure the quality of
services provided. The Contractor shall have in place internal controls for monitoring
Standard and contract compliance and the quality of services provided.
G. Right to Reject, Negotiate and/or Cancel
NEI3A reserves the right to reject any or all proposals if such a rejection is in the best
interest of NEI3A. This RFP is a solicitation for offers and is not to be construed as an
offer, guarantee or a promise that the solicited services will be purchased by NEI3A.
NEI3A may withdraw this request for proposals at any time and for any reason without
liability for damages, including, but not limited to, bid preparation costs.
Additionally, NEI3A reserves the right to negotiate with the apparently successful Proposer
and may request additional information or modification from a proposer. When deemed
advisable, and before any contract is let, NEI3A reserves the right to arrange an on-site
pre-award review to determine the proposer’s ability to meet the terms and conditions of the
RFP.
H. Reimbursement
The anticipated contract shall be a unit rate contract. As approved, negotiated unit rate and
budget is used as the basis for reporting and reimbursement. The unit rate will be determined
weekly according to scale in increments of 50 meals. The average daily meal count will be
determined by dividing the total number of hot congregate and home delivered meals served
each week by 5 (or the number of days served that week). The cost of frozen and shelf stable
meals will be one determined cost.
III. FOOD SERVICE STANDARDS
A. NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
1. Each meal served by the food service provider must comply with current recommended dietary allowances (RDA) as established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council as well as all other local, state, and federal guidelines regarding congregate and home delivered meal service under the Older Americans Act.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines should be considered when planning the menus. These guidelines include increasing the consumption of complex carbohydrates and fiber and lowering the intake of fat, sodium, and simple sugars.
C. MENU POLICY:
1. All menus must be planned and submitted to NEI3A and to the Iowa Department on Aging (IDA) at least 45 days prior to use. Menus should be a 5 week cycle with a rotation pattern during the cycle, and updated quarterly. A Registered Licensed Dietitian for the State of Iowa must be identified in the contract as to having a role in providing technical assistance in nutrition program management, planning menus and ensuring meals comply with RDA/AI, review developing policies and procedures for use of leftover foods. Once the menus are certified by the dietitian, a copy of the menus and a nutritional analysis i.e. NEI3A RFP Iowa Menu Approval Sheet Attachment II must be submitted to IDA according to IDA and State regulations.
2. The certified menus may be modified occasionally if the provisions of the contract are maintained and the NEI3A staff are consulted twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the change. If NEI3A requests a menu change after certification it will be provided in writing 1 week in advance. Periodically, the food service provider may be requested to modify the menu for a meal site's anniversary, holidays, or special occasion. The request will be made within the food production capabilities of the contractor and within the contract meal price.
3. Proposals must include the first menu cycle menu to begin July, 2015 for regular noon meals as part of the proposal materials submitted to NEI3A. All menu cycles will include two (2) meal choices per day with the first choice a hot meal and the second choice a change in entrée, soup and sandwich, or salads. Both meals must meet the federal, state, and local nutritional requirements.
4. The second Wednesday of each month, preferably the second one, should be a Special Day menu consisting of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, dinner roll, margarine, cake. This day will be designated to celebrate monthly birthdays.