IFB-GCS-2026-DAIRY

Gaston County School Nutrition is soliciting sealed bids for the delivery of milk and fresh orange juice to support the Child Nutrition Program during the 2026–2027 school year under Invitation for Bid IFB-GCS-2026-DAIRY, with a submission deadline of May 5, 2026, at 8:45 a.m. local time. Bids must be submitted as hard-copy proposals in a sealed envelope to the specified address in Lowell, North Carolina, with no electronic submissions accepted. The contract requires daily deliveries to 54 school sites and the Central Kitchen Production Site, with all products needing to be delivered by 12:00 p.m. local time, and vendors must provide a detailed delivery schedule by July 1, 2026. Milk must be pasteurized, homogenized, and fortified with vitamin D, and both milk and juice must be maintained at 33°F to 41°F during transport and storage, with a minimum seven-day “Best Used By” date upon delivery. Packaging must be commercial-grade, sanitary, and clearly labeled with product name, brand, nutrition facts, ingredient list, allergen disclosures (must be peanut-free), and an embossed expiration date; all labels require a signed corporate specification sheet. Delivery tickets must be signed and accompany each shipment, and unsigned tickets will not be paid. The contract explicitly prohibits unauthorized product substitutions and requires compliance with North Carolina Board of Health regulations, USDA nutrition standards, and the district’s HACCP plan. No barcoding is required, and no MIL-STD specifications apply. The bid is evaluated on a likely Lowest Price Technically Acceptable basis, where proposals must fully meet all technical specifications to be considered, and price is the primary differentiator among compliant bidders; cost-plus pricing is not accepted. Vendors must hold a valid Proposer Federal Identification Number, which may be an EIN or Social Security Number, and may self-identify as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) to gain favorable consideration, though no other socioeconomic certifications are formally required. Vendors must provide evidence of insurance and financial responsibility, and are subject to background checks and drug testing upon request. Contractual obligations include strict confidentiality of student records under North Carolina law, zero tolerance for discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability, and a waiver of interest claims on delayed payments. Key personnel substitutions require prior written