All correspondence must be made through the Vendor Portal. Specifications include, but are not limited to: All information listed below is for the provision of hot and frozen meals according to the following schedule. Please note that, while unlikely, the schedule is subject to change: • Monday through Friday – 170-200 MEALS • Saturday and Sunday – 30-40 MEALS Please bid according to the above estimated number of meals. Include the Meal Cost Analysis Worksheet for Meals (Appendix 2) with your bid package. Please note that on occasions (e.g., inclement weather), you may be asked to provide extra meals on a given day to cover the next day for which meals will not be delivered. This usually occurs around hurricane season but may also occur during other times of the year. Should this occur, DHS will provide no less than 18 hours’ notice. Two complete sample meals, packaged as they would be for delivery, must be provided for a panel comprised of two (2) Meals on Wheels staff and five (5) Property and Procurement staff for contract award decision-making purposes. The meals must be consistent with the requirements detailed in this Scope of Work. See attached appendix 1 – Test Meal Survey for criteria. The Meals must be prepared and delivered to the Department of Property and Procurement located at 2801 Subbase, St. Thomas, VI to the conference room on the 1st floor. Selected respondents will be advised of all additional details. The Department of Human Services or any other authorized local or federal employee may conduct inspection to determine compliance with any required rules or regulations. Further, facilities must be available for inspections by authorized employees of the Department of Human Service, Department of Health, and the federal government at least two weeks prior to the evaluation of the proposal. I. Capacity- See the following: A. A meal preparation facility that meets the sanitation requirements of local and Federal rules and regulations as well as having a health permit and all other required licenses. B. Building facilities that promote the easy transfer of meal carriers from the food preparation site to the on-site Department of Human Services vehicle. If building facilities are not sufficient, then the bidder must demonstrate the availability of adequate equipment (e.g., sturdy dollies, lifts, etc.), that will allow such a transfer to occur. C. The ability to purchase supplies (i.e., food carriers, coolers, etc.) used to transport the meals by the Nutrition Program staff within 4 weeks of being awarded the contract. See Appendix 3. It is the responsibility of the successful bidder to clean and sanitize the carriers daily or more often if needed. The equipment will be open to inspection by DHS and shall be kept in good condition. D. A Registered Dietitian who is able to assist with preparation and review of menus and who will administer his or her signature of approval to the submitted menus. If a Registered Dietitian cannot be procured, the following alternatives are acceptable: a. An individual who has a certificate/degree in Nutrition or an associated subject of study from an identifiable program, completed within the past 5 years. b. An individual who has been working in the Food Service industry for over 2 years with verifiable knowledge of meal planning. NOTE: To be able to use any of the alternatives the successful bidder must provide documented proof of their search efforts to obtain a Registered Dietitian and the reason one could not be procured. E. Capability to prepare the number of meals specified at the designated time. Proof of capability must include at least two letters of reference indicating meal preparation experience germane to this contract. F. Food handlers’ cards for all those who will be involved in handling/preparing food items, no matter how minimal the task.
