Spodexho initiates change in School Lunch bid process by Fili Sagapolutele Samoa News Correspondent A new change in the management of the Department of Education's School Lunch Program is giving everyone in the private sector a chance to bid for the milk and juice contracts for the new school year. In past years, the usual bidders for the milk and juice contracts were Islands' Choice - which won last year's $1.06 million milk contract - and G.H.C. Reid Inc., which was given the $823,000 juice contract. This year, there is change in the process because the federally funded SLP is now being managed by Sodexho, a well known off-island company, whose clientele includes schools in Hawaii and the U.S. The company will be facilitating the entire SLP bids. On April 29, the Office of Procurement issued an invitation for bid (IFB), soliciting "various food commodities including milk and juice" for SLP's 2008-2009 school year. Vendors have until 2 p.m. on May 29 to submit IFB. In previous years, the milk and juice IFB and that of the various commodities and food items were issued separately. Government sources say the milk and juice is being solicited with a different spin, whereby regular suppliers/vendors will be asked to supply their price for just delivery to the SLP warehouse in Tafuna instead of delivery to the schools, which has been the past practice. Delivery to the warehouse "will allow other vendors" besides Islands' Choice and GHC Reid to compete, said government sources, who also noted that the bid is asking for fresh milk delivery. Food commodities are going to be bid out and awarded by groups. For example, dry goods will be one award, meat or frozen goods will be another award, and so forth, and this will be continuous throughout the year. In past solicitations, a little over 80 food items were put out for individual bids by the Procurement Office. An individual bid means each item is awarded to the lowest bidder of that particular item, and not according to lowest bid for overall items. Solicitation documents for SLP are lengthy and the bid package is available at the Office of Procurement during normal business hours. A pre-bid meeting is set for 10 a.m. today and all interested vendors are "strongly urged" to attend because information relevant to bid requirements will be discussed, according to a public notice published in yesterday's edition of the Samoa News. Procurement officials said yesterday that this meeting is very important as it provides a lot of information regarding the new bidding process. Reach the reporter at fili@samoanews.com.  © Osini Faleatasi Inc. dba Samoa News reserves all rights.