Food and Commissary Services for the Dambacher Detention Center/ Vended Meals for the Mother Lode Regional Juvenile Detention Facility

The County of Tuolumne is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to provide food services and/or commissary services at its Jail facility and vended meals for its Juvenile Detention facility. The Contract will be for three (3) years, with an option to renew for up to two (2) additional years upon satisfactory performance, in the County’s sole discretion. At the end of the contract period, the contractor will work with the County staff to facilitate a smooth transition of uninterrupted service with a replacement contractor. Each prospective bidder must bid the requirements as indicated within this RFP. The successful bidder shall provide equipment, supplies and services as specified in this RFP.

For CalPERS retirees: if the work you will perform as a contractor is the same or similar to work you performed as an active employee or is work that is performed by active employees, it is most likely subject to the PERS retired annuitant restrictions, meaning the employment is disallowed and the County will not be able to enter into a contract with you.

For current County employees: California and federal law prohibit a current employee from contracting with its employer while being an active employee.  If an employee is interested in becoming an independent contractor, the employee must consider separation from employment with the County, however should the employee retire, he/she may be subject to the CalPERS retired annuitant laws.  Should a current County employee respond to a RFP while in active employment status, the employee must separate from employment prior to award of the contract. 

No County time is allowed to be used to prepare for or work on a response to a County RFP

Background

The Dambacher Detention Center has a maximum capacity of two hundred thirty (230) incarcerated persons. The Mother Lode Regional Juvenile Detention Facility has a maximum capacity of thirty (30) juveniles.

The selected vendor shall provide food service operations for both facilities and commissary services for the adult detention facility. Services shall include meal planning, food purchasing, meal preparation, sanitation, dietary accommodations, and commissary operations necessary to support daily detention facility operations.

All services provided under this agreement shall comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including California Code of Regulations Title 15 requirements, approved medical diets, and religious dietary accommodations.

Project Details

• Reference ID: RFP-2025-0134
• Department: Sheriff's Office
• Department Head: David Vasquez (Sheriff)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-07-01T19:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-06-25T17:00:00.000Z — Dambacher Detention Center

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualifications (15 pts)
• Prior experience with similar types of contracts for service, including specific experience of key staff to be assigned to the contract (15 pts)
• Approach to providing services for the DDC and MLRJDF (35 pts)
• Reasonable Cost of Service (35 pts)

Submission Requirements

• Proposal Elements (required) —

   

  1. Statement of Understanding and Approach
     • This section must demonstrate an understanding of the Services. It should describe the general approach, organization and staffing required for the Services requested. If necessary, preliminary investigations, due diligence, and research shall be discussed in this section.
     • This section should include the following:
       • An implementation plan that describes in detail (i) the methods, including controls by which your firm or entity manages projects of the type sought by this RFP; (ii) methodology for soliciting and documenting views of internal and external stakeholders; (iii) and any other project management or implementation strategies or techniques that the respondent intends to employ in carrying out the work.
       • Detailed description of efforts your firm or entity will undertake to achieve client satisfaction and to satisfy the requirements of the "Scope of Work" section.
       • Detailed project schedule, identifying all tasks and deliverables to be performed, durations for each task, and overall time of completion, including a complete transition plan. Include your plan to deal with fluctuation in service needs and any associated price adjustments.
       • Detailed description of specific tasks you will require from County staff. Explain what the respective roles of County staff and your staff would be to complete the tasks specified in the Scope of Work.
       • Proposers are encouraged to provide additional innovative and/or creative approaches for providing the service that will maximize efficient, cost-effective operations or increased performance capabilities. In addition, the County will consider proposals that offer alternative service delivery means and methods for the services desired.
       • Proposers are also requested to identify any County owned facilities or property which Proposer would propose to use or lease, purchase, or rent from the County in connection with the services to be performed, including information about the terms of any proposed lease, purchase or use of such equipment and facilities, and how this proposed structure affects the overall cost proposal to the County, if applicable.
  2. Company Information
     • This section shall include contact person information, address and telephone number of the company main office and branch offices. Each Company shall identify itself as to the type of organizational entity (corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Any supplemental information that Company believes may be pertinent to the selection process may be provided.
     • The Proposal shall identify any litigation, mediation, or arbitration, regarding the performance of any services similar to the Services, in which the Company has been involved in the past five (5) years. If the Services require a license or certification, the Proposal shall include any claims or disciplinary action taken against Company or any of Company’s key personnel within the past five years.
  3. Company Personnel
     • This section shall contain names, contact numbers and description of experience, including licenses and/or certifications, of all key personnel who would be assigned to perform the Services. Members of the Company’s professional team (managers, contact person, etc.) should be identified by name, title, phone number, and description of the portion of work they will be assigned to perform under this Agreement. Also include major subcontractors (if any) and their degree of involvement in this program. If the Company is including any subcontractors, the Company shall identify how long the Company has worked with the subcontractor.
     • An affirmative statement should be included that the proposer and all assigned key professional staff are properly licensed to practice in California.
  4. Disclosure
     • Please disclose any and all past or current business and personal relationships with any current County elected official, appointed official, County employee, or family member of any current County elected official, appointed official, or County employee. Any past or current business relationship may not disqualify the firm from consideration.
  5. Experience and References
     • The Proposal must demonstrate that the Company, or its key personnel, meets the minimum experience requirement in in the Minimum Qualifications Section with a legally registered business name, that provides services of a similar type and scope as described in the Scope of Services. A Company shall not have filed for bankruptcy under any business name over the past five (5) years.
     • Company shall provide at least 3 references, within the past 5 years, of clients for whom services have been performed that are comparable in quality and scope to that specified in this RFP. The references shall include client names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of the clients for whom prior work was performed and include an explanation of the services provided along with project start and end dates.
• Proposal Cost (required) —

  Proposer shall upload a fee schedule here. Information should include any and all costs associated with the fulfillment of the Scope of Services.

• Pricing (required) —

  Select the option that best suits the pricing needs for this solicitation.

  • An Electronic Pricing Tableallows vendors to enter pricing directly into the system, and the system can automatically tabulate pricing results and provide pricing analysis.
  • A Separate Pricing Document will not be automatically tabulated. It will be received by each respondent as a document upload that will need to be evaluated manually.
• Do you know what the Initial Term will be for the Contract? (required) —

  Adjust the sentence below as needed.

• Initial Term (required) —

  The term of the initial contract awarded under this RFP will be for _________________. (Enter the number of years/months in the following format ex: one (1) two (2) week)

• Initial Term (required)
• Extensions (required) —

  Allow extensions for the resulting agreement?

• Extension Options (required) —

  By mutual agreement, this contract may be extended for ______________, under the following circumstances. (Enter the number of years/months in the following format ex: one (1) two (2) week)

• Termination (required) —

  Please select the number of "days" appropriate in the blank space of the sentence below:

• Insurance Requirements (required) —

  Does this project and/or service require any of the following insurance provisions?