2026 DHSP Summer Food Program

The City of Cambridge would like to invite you to submit a bid for 2026 DHSP Summer Food Program. If submitting electronically, Bids are to be submitted through the Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cambridgema. Bids are to be submitted no later than 11:00 am on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Project Details

• Reference ID: COC-IFB-FY26-30912
• Department: Purchasing
• Department Head: Liz Unger (Purchasing Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-22T15:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• SCOPE OF SERVICES —
  Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks

  Contractor agrees to deliver unitized meals inclusive of milk to 25+ meal sites (approximately 16 closed sites and 9 open sites).  Meal deliveries will be Monday through Friday for the period listed below. The full list of closed sites will be available in June 2026. Open sites are listed below.  Please note that additional sites may be added or removed.

  List of the 9 open sites:

  • Cambridge Public Library:                      449 Broadway
  • Donnelly Park:                                       61 Willow Street
  • Fresh Pond Apartments Playground:      362-364 Rindge Avenue
  • Glacken Playground:                                637 Huron Ave
  • Green-Rose Heritage Park:                    155 Harvard Street
  • Hoyt Field:                                            12 Gilmore Street
  • John Ahern Field:                                     354 Hurley St
  • Louis A DePasquale Park                       66 Field Street
  • Sennott Park:                                           305 Broadway

  List of Closed Sites (*could be subject to change*):

  • Amigos School                                        15 Upton St
  • Baldwin School                                     85 Oxford Street
  • Cambridge Rindge & Latin                     459 Broadway
  • Cambridgeport School                           89 Elm Street
  • Community Art Center                           119 Windsor Street  
  • Frisoli Youth Center                               61 Willow Street
  • Gately Youth Center                              70 Rindge Ave
  • Graham & Parks                                    44 Linnaean St
  • Haggerty School                                   110 Cushing Street
  • King Open/CSUS School                       850 Cambridge Street  
  • Martin Luther King/PAUS                       102 Putnam Ave
  • Morse School                                        40 Granite Street
  • Moore Youth Center                              12 Gilmore Street
  • Rindge Avenue Upper/RAUC                 70 Rindge Ave
  • Russell Youth Center                             680 Huron Ave
  • Tobin Montessori/DVUS                         181 Vassal Lane

   

  1. All meals furnished must meet or exceed USDA requirements https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/meal-patterns

   

  2. Program start date: Monday, June 29, 2026. Program end date: Friday, September 4, 2026.

   

  3. Menu Cycle Change Procedure: Meals will be delivered daily in accordance with the menu cycle. Menu changes may be made only when agreed upon by both parties. In the event of an emergency, which may prevent the contractor from delivering a specified meal component, the City shall be notified immediately so substitutions can be agreed upon. The City reserves the right to periodically suggest menu changes within the vendor's suggested food cost. Lunch menus must include a vegetarian option daily.

   

  4. We need alternate meals for sensory based food. Around 80 meals weekly Monday – Thursday. List of meals needed will be provided by June 2026.

   

  5. Menus should feature a variety of meals, ensuring that a different meal is served daily, no pork meat or nuts should be on the menu.

   

  6. Meals shall be delivered with appropriate nonfood items including but not limited to: condiments, straws for milk, napkins, and single serve dinnerware.

   

  7. Meals for open sites must be delivered in insulated coolers provided by the vendor. There must be adequate ice packs for all coolers to maintain a safe temperature of 40⁰ (as mandated by the local Health Department). Supplying and retrieving coolers and transport containers shall be the sole responsibility of the vendor. Coolers and transport containers will be ready for daily pick up for the vendor. All meals should be delivered in a refrigerated truck.

   

  8. When “inclement weather” meals will need to be delivered to a different location as determined by the City.

   

  9. Meals shall be delivered on time by 9:30 a.m. to the 9 open sites to ensure safe and consistent distribution of nutritious meals to Cambridge residents.

   

  10. Meals shall be delivered a day ahead to all closed sites. The delivery time window for closed sites will be provided in June 2026.

   

  11. The vendor is required to provide a minimum of 6 milk chests and up to 12 milk chests, as needed.

   

  12. Food services company must operate under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) guidelines with written documentation.

   

  13. Food Service Certification (FSC) required; vendor must lease or own their own facilities and not operate out of a shared kitchen or ghost kitchen. Vendor must provide physical address of kitchen(s) being used in performance of this contract.

   

  14. Vendors should have 7 years’ experience of providing unitized meals to vendors of a similar size and scope during the summer months.  

   

  15. Price proposals need to include delivery and meals cost.

   

  16. Estimated number of meals per day for breakfast: 1,400

   

  17. Estimated number of meals per day for lunch: 1,500

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Submission Requirements

• BIDDERS INFORMATION
• My business is a: (required) —

  Please select one

• Please insert the requested information: (required) —

  If a corporation, include the State in which you are incorporated in.

  If a partnership, include the names of partners.

  If an individual, include relevant information.

• Bidder's Federal ID#:
• Authorized representative information: (required) —

  Please include the name, title, telephone and email address of the authorized representative

• This bid includes addenda numbered:
• Debarment or Suspension (required) —

  The Vendor/Contractor certifies that it has not been and currently is not debarred or suspended by any federal, state, or municipal governmental agency under G. L. c. 29, § 29F or other applicable law, nor will it contract with a debarred or suspended subcontractor on any public contract.

• Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Registration (required) —

  The Awarded Vendor must comply with the City’s request for a current Certificate of Good Standing or current Certificate of Registration from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office.  Foreign Corporations not registered in the Commonwealth must comply with the City’s request for the Certificate of Good Standing from the state of incorporation.

• QUALITY REQUIREMENTS —

  An unchecked response, a failure to respond, or a failure to meet to any of the following Quality Requirements will result in a rejection of your bid. Please check each of the following Quality Requirements as confirmations. 

• Quality Requirement 1 (required) —

  Bidder is able to provide the products and services as described in the Scope of Services.

• REFERENCES —

  Bidders shall submit a list of three references for which the bidder has supplied similar services. References shall include contact information including contact name, addresses and telephone numbers for each to inquire as to their satisfaction with the bidders’ product and service. In addition, the City reserves the right to use itself as a reference, to contact references not listed and to otherwise perform its own due diligence when making a responsibility determination. A bid maybe rejected on the basis of one or more references reporting less than excellent past performance.

• Reference 1 (required) —

  Include contact name, address and telephone #

• Reference 2 (required) —

  Include contact name, address and telephone #

• Reference 3 (required) —

  Include contact name, address and telephone #

• City of Cambridge Standard Compliance Forms
• Please Upload the Signed Standard Compliance Forms (required) —

  Please electronically sign and upload the following documents using this URL: https://cambridgema.na4.adobesign.com/public/esignWidget?wid=CBFCIBAA3AAABLblqZhCD4UnZSN3XyfqZi9ZxGyvlhSnIlYThymiofiiHN4CtIXU4t2tYM27cVaMk7bVx6AI* 

• Non Collusion Statement (required) —

  Bidder certifies that this bid is made without collusion with any other person, firm or corporation making any other bid or who otherwise would make a bid. 

• ADDITIONAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
• Sample Menu/Food selection (required) —

  Please include a sample menu of proposed foods as an additional attachment here.

• Is this contract/solicitation for a commodity or service? (required)
• Enter commodity: (required) —

  Example: Office Supplies

• Enter service(s): (required) —

  Example: Janitorial Services