# POTOMAC PROVISIONS LLC
### Response to Friendship Public Charter School
### RFP for the Supply and Delivery of Food Items, SY 2021–2022

8600 Ardwick-Ardmore Road, Landover, MD 20785 · (301) 555-0142
Contact: Denise Whitaker, Director of Education Accounts

---

## SECTION ONE — EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Potomac Provisions has distributed to School Food Authorities in the
Washington metropolitan area since 1994. We currently serve 41 SFAs across
DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, including 11 public charter networks,
and deliver approximately 2.3 million cases annually from a single
GFSI-certified warehouse in Landover.

### Compliance Matrix

Per Section A.2, every required item is enumerated below with the page of
this response on which it appears.

| RFP Ref | Requirement | Status | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.1 | Cover Page | Complete, signed | 1 |
| A.2 | Bidder Checklist | Complete | 2 |
| B.2 | Certification of percentage of local foods | Complete — 18% certified | 3 |
| B.6(c) | Two bid copies | Provided | — |
| B.6(d) | Current state or local health certificate | Attached, Prince George's County, exp. 2022-03-31 | A-1 |
| B.7 | Four-section format | This document | — |
| B.8 | Distributor Pre-Qualification Questionnaire | Complete | 4 |
| B.8 | Business license | Attached, MD SDAT D14882910 | A-2 |
| B.8 | Certificate of Occupancy | Attached | A-3 |
| B.8 | Two years audited financial statements | Attached, FY2019 & FY2020 | A-4 |
| C.1 | Response to values statement | Section Four | 7 |
| C.5 | Two most recent health inspections | Attached, 2020-11-04 and 2021-02-17, both passed | A-5 |
| D.6 | Insurance amounts | Certificate attached, $2M/$4M | A-6 |
| Schedule C | Pricing Sheet | Submitted in Excel as instructed | — |
| Att. A | Healthy Schools Act requirements | Acknowledged, Section Three | 5 |
| Att. B | Debarment & Suspension | Signed | A-7 |
| Att. C | Independent Price Determination | Signed | A-8 |
| Att. D | Certification Regarding Lobbying | Signed | A-9 |
| E.1 | Equal Opportunity | Signed | A-10 |
| E.3 | Clean Air and Water Certification | Signed | A-11 |

No exceptions are taken to any term or condition of this solicitation.

---

## SECTION TWO — PRICING

Pricing is submitted on Schedule C in the Excel workbook provided, as
instructed. The structure is summarised here for the evaluation committee.

**Rate structure: volume-banded unit pricing.** Unit price per case falls as
aggregate annual volume across all eight sites rises. Bands are measured on
total cases invoiced in the contract year and applied retroactively at
year end as a rebate.

| Annual case volume | Discount from list | Illustrative delivered case price, mixed produce |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 11,999 cases | list | $28.40 |
| 12,000 – 23,999 cases | 3.0% | $27.55 |
| 24,000 – 35,999 cases | 5.5% | $26.84 |
| 36,000+ cases | 7.5% | $26.27 |

Delivered price includes freight to all eight sites within the delivery
windows in Schedule A. There is no separate fuel surcharge and no minimum
order charge.

**Base year total bid cost, at FPCS's stated estimated volume of 21,400
cases: $589,970.**

Prices are firm for the base year. Economic price adjustment is requested
only as permitted under D.8, on the published PPI for the relevant
commodity group, and only at contract anniversary.

---

## SECTION THREE — METHOD OF APPROACH AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

### Food and packaging

All produce is packed to USDA No. 1 or better. Case configurations follow
the SFA's existing pack sizes so that no menu re-costing is required at
transition. Product acceptance issues are credited on the delivery ticket
at the point of receipt; the driver is authorised to credit without a
return authorisation.

CN labels and product formulation statements are supplied through our
online portal, which exposes a per-item document library. Every catalogue
item carries its CN label, nutrient analysis and allergen statement, and
these are downloadable in bulk as a single PDF per menu cycle. This is how
we make nutritional information available to the SFA as required in B.7.

### Utilization of USDA Foods

We are an approved processor-distributor for USDA Foods in both Maryland
and the District. We manage entitlement drawdown, diversion and pass-through
value directly, and provide a monthly entitlement position statement.
For SY2020–21 we processed 340,000 lbs of USDA-donated commodity on behalf
of DC-area SFAs.

### Geographic preference

Eighteen percent (18%) of the product value we propose to supply to FPCS
will be locally grown or raised, defined as originating within 250 miles
of Washington, DC. Certification of this percentage is provided under B.2.
We accept the SFA's right to audit the actual percentage once awarded.

We are candid that 18% is a function of our scale and our year-round
service commitment: we will not substitute a local item where continuity
of supply cannot be guaranteed across the full school year.

### Healthy Schools Act

We have supplied DC SFAs under HSA requirements since 2010 and are familiar
with the local meal reimbursement conditions in Attachment A, including the
whole-grain-rich and local-sourcing provisions.

---

## SECTION FOUR — BIDDER'S EXPERIENCE, EXPERTISE AND RELIABILITY

### Knowledge of USDA and District requirements

Our education accounts team includes two staff who previously worked in
SFA operations. We complete DC OSSE reporting alongside our SFA customers
each year.

### Dependability

Our on-time delivery rate across all SFA accounts for SY2020–21 was 98.6%,
measured against contracted delivery windows. Order fill accuracy was
99.2% by line. Both figures are drawn from our WMS and can be audited.

### Warehouse and facilities

Our Landover facility is GFSI-certified under SQF Level 2. The two most
recent health inspections, both passed with no critical violations, are
attached under C.5. Our stored products pest management programme is
operated under contract by a licensed applicator with monthly service and
quarterly third-party audit, per C.6.

### Customer service

Each SFA has a named account manager and a named backup. Orders may be
placed through the portal or by phone until 2:00 PM for next-day delivery.
Credits are issued within one business day.

### Proven organizational capacity

Twenty-seven years in operation. 2.3 million cases annually. We have run
eight-site or larger charter networks continuously since 2011, and our
audited financials for FY2019 and FY2020 are attached.

### Response to values statement (C.1)

FPCS's stated commitment to student nutrition as a driver of educational
outcomes matches how we run our education accounts. We staff them
separately from our commercial business precisely because the buying
calendar, the compliance burden and the tolerance for substitution are
different. We are interested in this business because eight sites under one
authority is the scale at which menu consistency actually becomes
achievable.

### References

Three SFA references are provided in the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire,
all DC or Prince George's County charter networks of comparable size.
