Specifications include, but are not limited to: The study will develop information, data, and modeling tools that are currently either poorly specified or nonexistent in regards to produce aggregation at the small and medium scale, and the feasibility of working with local food banks and existing distributors to reduce operating costs. This study is part of a larger effort funded by the Strategic Growth Council, USDA and HUD to integrate and implement the Sustainable Communities Strategy and Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS). This study focuses on the infrastructure of agriculture while the larger SGC project is seeking to understand transportation, land use, and social equity objectives from a rural perspective and the linkages between urban and rural regions. Throughout the RUCS project, stakeholders have discussed how more agricultural infrastructure can support and enhance agriculture and economic development in the region. This study will address the growing interests among local, state and federal stakeholders to facilitate the aggregation of products from regional producersparticularly small and medium sized farms by having a dedicated food hub that buys and distributes their crops. This study will provide business models and pro forma analysis tools and will build off of earlier SACOG and stakeholder work to help growers and economic development organizations plan for expanded and new agricultural infrastructure. Some of the already existing SACOG tools include grower cost of production studies for diversified production systems, diet profiles for regional consumers, a crop map of the location of different production systems throughout the region and a feasibility study of a food hub in the Sacramento Valley. These are included in the RFQ package. The tools to be developed will support feasibility studies and provide guidance for where the region should concentrate funding and policy efforts. The study may consist of the following elements, with the final scope of work being negotiated after a contractor is chosen: - Identify feasible scales of food aggregation and distribution facilities - Develop an understanding of the operations of food banks and food distributors in the region - Assess and recommend opportunities for cost and resource sharing for food banks and/or distributors and the produce aggregation and distribution facility - Establish average costs and revenue associated with the various scales - Identify the opportunities and limitations to scaling up operations - Identify regulatory barriers to starting and operating a produce aggregation site, including associated regulatory costs - Identify existing routes for produce movement to the aggregation and distribution site from regional producers - Write business plans for various scales of aggregation/distribution, including strategies for increasing scale over time
