School Nutrition Programs - Special Bulletin

Minnesota Department of Education sent this bulletin at 12/23/2019 08:00 AM CST
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December 23, 2019

School Nutrition Programs – Special Bulletin

Below are some time-sensitive updates that we wanted to send out ahead of our next regularly scheduled bulletin.

Grant Opportunity: National School Lunch Program Equipment Assistance 

Due: January 24, 2020  

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is accepting applications for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Grant. This grant provides funding for School Food Authorities (SFAs) to purchase new equipment to assist in serving healthier meals which meet the updated NSLP meal pattern requirements. Other key details about the grant: 

  • Applicants may apply for only one piece of equipment costing between $3,000 and $25,000.
  • Priority will be given to SFAs with 50 percent or more enrolled students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals as of October 1, 2019.
  • The grant period will be April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020.
  • An informational webinar will be offered on December 23, 2019, and January 7, 2020.  More information is provided on the Grant Opportunity website.

The full grant opportunity instructions and application are available at MDE’s Grant Opportunity Site.  

If you have any technical questions or issues with the application process, please contact Timothy Larson (651-582-8451). 

If you have any questions about this specific grant, please contact Kala Constant by January 15, 2020, 4 p.m., CST. 

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Procuring a Food Service Management Contract Tuesday @ 2 Webinar Rescheduled

The "Procuring a Food Service Management Contract" Tuesday @ 2 webinar that was scheduled for December 17, 2019, has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 30, 2020, at 2 p.m. The later webinar date will allow us to introduce updated Request For Proposal (RFP) templates for both fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts.

During the webinar, we will discuss:

  • the pros and cons of fixed-price versus cost-reimbursable contract options,
  • the process for contracting with a food service management company (FSMC) to manage part or all of the school nutrition program.

Because schools that utilize an FSMC spend the majority of federal and state reimbursements toward one purchase, MDE requires specific documents and a step-by-step process for these procurements. This session will go through those FSMC procurement requirements in detail. 

Key Area: Operations Learning Code: 2400

Register for the Procuring a Food Service Management Contract webinar.

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