Contracted Food Services FY26

PURPOSE

NAICA is seeking proposals from qualified subcontractors to provide freshly cooked meals for our NAICA Transitional Housing Facilities – (see table A). This document is a Request for Proposal (hereafter ‘RFP’) for the services described below and does not obligate NAICA to accept responses from eligible subcontractors. The RFP establishes minimum requirements a bidder must meet, in order to be eligible for consideration, as well as information to be included in the subcontractor’s bid response.

Subcontractor is required to submit separate proposals for each available site listed in table (A). Carefully examine the specifications, conditions and limitations. The selection of the successful Contractor will be made based on NAICA’s evaluation and determination of the relative ability of each bidder to deliver quality services in a cost-effective manner.

The following specific criteria will be evaluated and must be addressed in the proposal:

1. Company History and Organization
2. Management Approach
3. Sanitation and Safety Procedure
4. Quality of Food
5. Cost Proposal and Invoicing
6. References

NAICA is not obligated to accept the lowest bid and reserves the right to reject any and all bids or amend the scope of the project. All bidders must be duly licensed or otherwise have the ability to perform work in accordance with all governing local authorities and to the satisfaction of those authorities.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Responses to this RFP are due by 5:00pm on January 17, 2025. Late submittals will be rejected. The method of submission is via: NAICARFP@naicany.org.

Any questions regarding this RFP should also be addressed to the email mentioned above. Subcontractors may not contact other executives, managers or employees of NAICA without permission from the Vendor Committee.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Subcontractor(s) must divulge any known potential conflicts of interest to include all known relations or associations by anyone employed or having an interest in the contracted company submitting any bid as follows:

• Relations/Associations to any NAICA Board member.
• Relations/Associations to any Senior or Executive employee of NAICA.
• Relations/Associations to Directors employed by NAICA.
• Vested personal or financial interest in NAICA or to any company organization that does business with NAICA and which may be construed as a conflict of interest.

INSURANCE

The successful Bidder(s) shall carry and maintain, with respect to any work or service to be performed at NAICA Locations, insurance written by a responsible insurance company, to provide for the following:

• Workers’ Compensation as required by applicable statute and Employer’s Liability Insurance.
• Commercial General Liability Insurance.
• Excess-umbrella Insurance, including terrorism coverage.
• Include a sample Certificate of Insurance including limits with the response. All policies and certificates shall provide for thirty (30) days notification to NAICA in the event of cancellation, reduction in limits or changes in coverage.

CONTRACT TERM

Contract terms shall be for a 1-year period unless terminated by either party with sixty (60) days written notice. Contract will begin July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.

SCOPE OF SERVICES

This project encompasses different locations operated by NAICA. The number of meals per day are dependent upon on-site needs. A description of NAICA location and needs are outlined in table (A).

The selected subcontractor shall provide prepared foods that are fresh, clean, free of contaminants, cooked, assembled, or otherwise processed and served “ready-to-eat” on food trays for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a 7 day-a-week basis. Food should not be spoiled and should be fit to be consumed by residents. If after inspection by NAICA staff the food is determined to not edible then vendor will replace said inedible items. Examples of prepared foods include hot entrées, side dishes, soups, salads, deli sandwiches and fresh whole fruits and vegetables.

The selected subcontractor shall provide beverages which can include drinks such as water, milk, 100% juice, soft drinks, energy drinks, teas and coffee.

The selected subcontractor can provide packaged snacks, this includes processed foods that are packaged in small portions or individual servings, are widely distributed and have a relatively long shelf-life (compared to prepared foods). Packaged snacks include food items such as granola bars, chips, crackers, raisins, nuts and seeds.

The selected subcontractor shall provide condiments.

Subcontractor will provide cups, spoons and utensils for each meal. Subcontractor shall store equipment and utensils in a clean manner and shall maintain all utensils and equipment in good repair.

Subcontractor will provide NAICA with a food log, including a client sign-in sheet and the number of plates served at each meal.

If a client is away during the time a meal is served, the subcontractor shall offer food to the resident upon the resident’s return.

Subcontractor must follow the nutrition guidelines of The Department of Homeless Services (hereafter ‘DHS’) as stated below, and must provide a Nutritional Fact list of the food and snacks that will be offered to the residents. Subcontractor are required to have a nutritionist on staff. Subcontractor should have and maintain a Food Service Establishment permit/license issued by New York.

The subcontractor shall make reasonable adjustments to the menu for individual resident’s dietary needs when requested, as dietary variables change frequently depending on the population; the subcontractor must be adaptable to coincide with the shelter’s specific needs. The subcontractor shall prepare weekly written menus and shall make menus available to residents. Deviations from the planned menu shall be documented, in advance, on the menu.

Sanitation and Safety

Subcontractors that prepare, store, heat and/or distribute meals to clients are required to obtain a food service establishment (FSE) permit from the Health Department and comply with the City Health Code and the food and nutrition standards. The selected subcontractor must adhere to rules and standards set forth by local health departments, the Food Bank, USDA and DHS.

Each employee who prepares food shall be free from open infected wounds and from communicable disease and shall maintain clean and safe work habits. Subcontractor shall enforce hand-washing in the kitchen by food handlers. Use of a common towel is prohibited.

Whether food is prepared on-site or off-site, the subcontractor shall store, prepare, distribute and serve food under sanitary conditions for the prevention of food borne illnesses, including food prepared off-site, according to all of the following:

1. The subcontractor shall refrigerate all foods requiring refrigeration at or below 40°F. Food shall be covered and stored in a sanitary manner.
2. The subcontractor shall maintain freezing units at 0°F or below. Frozen foods shall be packaged, labeled and dated.

INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS

The bidder is to address the following subjects in their response.

1. Company History and Organization
   Provide a brief company history, mission statement and organizational summary. Explain ownership (private or public) and include brief biographical information regarding the personnel who would be directly responsible for the management and local supervision of this project.
2. Management Approach
   Describe in detail how your company will be organized to manage this project. Indicate by position or title the person who will have the overall responsibility for the account. Indicate the support staff available to this project manager by function.
3. Sanitation and Safety Procedure
   Describe procedures in place for sanitation and safety in preparing meals, storing, and cleanup.
4. Quality of Food
   Describe the kinds of foods that will be distributed.
5. Cost Proposal and Invoicing
   Propose invoicing frequency and procedures and applicable discounts. All invoices will clearly identify applicable job site coding in order to associate subcontractor’s actual costs with NAICA’s job locations or job codes. Include pricing for each meal individually (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with a combined monthly/annual subtotal and payment terms.
6. References
   Provide at least three (3) client references whose facilities are comparable in size, profile and service.

AREA OF REQUIREMENTS

PASSPort and PIP registration

• The bidder is to provide proof of registration in PASSPort and the Payee Information Portal (PIP) VIA attachment directly from PASSPort and PIP containing the following information:
  • Passport vendor status
  • Vendor name
  • Filing Date
  • Business address
  • EIN
  • DUNS number
  • FMS Vendor Code
  • Existing address and contract assignments – PIP

This document is a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the services described and does not obligate NAICA to accept responses from eligible subcontractors. This RFP establishes minimum requirements a potential bidder must meet, in order to be eligible for consideration as well as information to be included in the subcontractor’s bid response.

Table (A)