Contract Type for Fresh Fruits and Veggies

It sounds like some of you are DOD CO's, so I would like your advise on how you solicit and award contracts for food. I'm with Interior and need to do a contract for fresh fruits and vegetables at a school. Since the price of fruits and veggies change weekly, I would like to award it as an unpriced IDIQ. Then each week prices would be requested for the types needed at that time and the school would select based on current prices. If done like that, what criteria would I use to base my award? Or should I award based on current prices and include economic price adjustment clauses for the fluxuation? I would also like to award it as base with 4 options. If I do that, how would I determine to exercise the option years. I really hate to get into dealing with the CPI.....would love to hear how some of you guys do these. I also have to one for meat, canned goods, bakery, dairy, etc...

Whoa! You are making things way too complicated. How about a BPA and make calls using the Purchase Card for payment?

Whoa! You are making things way too complicated. How about a BPA and make calls using the Purchase Card for payment?

I don't have a problem with it being a BPA and paying with the pc. My concern is how I solicit and award. Can I award an unpriced BPA and then when we have a need to order, we place a call and they give me their current pricing? How do I know it's the best value for the govt and what do I use to select the winning contractor?

I don't have a problem with it being a BPA and paying with the pc. My concern is how I solicit and award. Can I award an unpriced BPA and then when we have a need to order, we place a call and they give me their current pricing? How do I know it's the best value for the govt and what do I use to select the winning contractor?

How large a dollar value is your annual requirement or typical weekly/daily order?

How large a dollar value is your annual requirement or typical weekly/daily order?

For the fruits/veggies annually $40k

Meat annually$300K

Canned goods $250K

One thought is award multiple BPAs. You can use past performance and site visits to inspect the quality and freshness. You could also get each source to quote on a typical purchase but those prices will fluxuate over time.

Then you could place orders base on experience and prices of each BPA holder.

One thought is award multiple BPAs. You can use past performance and site visits to inspect the quality and freshness. You could also get each source to quote on a typical purchase but those prices will fluxuate over time.

Then you could place orders base on experience and prices of each BPA holder.

I like the idea of multiple BPA's, but with multiple with each of the seven different contracts would require alot of work on getting pricing from all on every order. I'm going to have to sleep on this one. Thanks for your input.

Contracting is doomed.

Contracting is doomed.

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I like the idea of multiple BPA's, but with multiple with each of the seven different contracts would require alot of work on getting pricing from all on every order. I'm going to have to sleep on this one. Thanks for your input.

You only need to get price quotes when the call value exceeds $3000. From what you said about the value of the requirements, you may need to get competition for the calls only on the meat and canned goods; maybe not then. So you might do a single BPA for fruit, perhaps two or three for meat and canned goods.

You can authorize the program office as ordering officials as well. All they need to do is call or email for pricing info. Also they are in the best position to determine quality and freshness from the vendors.

http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/produce/school/index.asp

http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/produce/school/index.asp

That's an interesting approach and makes sense considering the dollar value of the DLA contracts. But weekly economic price adjustments and associated handling wouldn't work well for the size of the one here.

I am with VA so this might not be an option with the DOD. We have a prime vendor contract set up which covers milk and dairy and fruits and veggies.

We have the ability to deviate from prime vendor in order to give contracts to small businesses, but can always fall back on the Prime Vendor which makes this requirement stop before it reaches my doorstep because the Dining Facilities order directly.