Procurement and Contracts-School Nutrition ProgramsLearning Support : Minnesota Department of Education

Procurement and Contracts-School Nutrition Programs

Procurement and Contracts-School Nutrition Programs

School Nutrition Programs (SNP) sponsors must meet program requirements for the procurement of goods and services that are purchased with program funds. For information specific to Invitations for Bids (IFB), Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Food Service Management Contracts (FSMC), select the section links on the right side of this page.

For a comprehensive review of school food service purchasing requirements, refer to the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI) manual * First Choice: A Purchasing Systems Manual for School Food Service (2002).

Links to state statutes and federal regulations on procurement requirements:

For Public Schools: 

   For Nonpublic Schools:

  • * 7 CFR 210.21 (Procurement section of National School Lunch Program Code of Federal Regulations)
  • * 7 CFR 3019 “Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations” (see procurement sections 3019.40 to 3019.46)

* Links to third-party sites are provided as a service to Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Website visitors. See our disclaimer regarding these sites in our copyright information linked at the bottom of this page. Links will open in a new browser window.

"Buy American" Requirement & Purchasing Locally Produced Foods - Memos  133Kb (7/16/08)  104Kb (7/16/08)
     Federal requirement for schools and other organizations participating in Child Nutrition Programs to purchase domestic products and policies encouraging purchase of locally produced foods - February and May 2002 memos, April 2006 Q&A, and July 2008 memo.
Allowability of Procurement Fees  24Kb (3/26/08)
     Vendors may not retain any portion of discounts, rebates, or credits due to schools from School Nutrition Programs purchases - March 2008 memo.
Capital Equipment Expenditures Request for Approval  913Kb (9/21/05)  97Kb (9/21/05)
     Form submitted by a public school for approval of food service capital expenditures.
Catering Contract for Schools  219Kb (9/26/05)
     Required contract format for schools purchasing meals that will be claimed for reimbursement through the School Nutrition Programs.
Discounts, Rebates, and Credits  20Kb (6/2/08)
     Prototype language for cost-reimbursable contracts requiring that payments to contractors are net of discounts, rebates, and credits received by the contractor - May 2008 memo.
Food Service Fund Accounting for Public Schools  128Kb (6/10/08)  86Kb (6/10/08)
     Summary of federal and state requirements for food service accounting at public schools. Includes a chart with codes used by public schools to report food service revenues and expenditures (Fund 2 - Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Standards, or UFARS).
Formal Procurement (Sealed Bid) Procedures  121Kb (11/8/07)  75Kb (11/8/07)
     Summary of required procedures for Child Nutrition Program purchases exceeding the small purchase threshold ($100,000 in federal regulations). Includes procurement log form to be submitted to FNS.
Group Buying Services  80Kb (5/13/08)  40Kb (5/13/08)
     Federal procurement responsibilities of organizations participating in group buying services using Child Nutrition Programs funds - December 2001 memo.
Informal Procurement (Small Purchase) Procedures  75Kb (7/26/07)  57Kb (7/26/07)
     Summary of procedures for Child Nutrition Program purchases that are within the small purchase threshold ($100,000 under federal regulations).
Joint Agreement  729Kb (12/19/07)  652Kb (12/19/07)
     Required agreement format for a school providing School Nutrition Program meal services to a separate school.
Procurement and Recordkeeping Requirements  16Kb (3/21/06)  39Kb (3/21/06)
     Three-year retention period for records relating to contracts; types of required procurement records - March 2006 memo.
Procurement Q&As  225Kb (4/13/07)  153Kb (4/13/07)
     Federal Grants Management Standards (7 CFR 3016 & 3019) that apply to Child Nutrition Programs funds, including procurement and contractual requirements - 2001 to 2006 memos.
Procurement Requirements - Final Rule  78Kb (11/27/07)  56Kb (11/27/07)
     Final federal rule with changes to procurement requirements for School Nutrition Programs and Special Milk Program effective November 30, 2007.
State Procurement Laws  62Kb (6/23/08)  38Kb (6/23/08)
     Public schools must meet state procurement laws in addition to federal procurement laws for School Nutrition Programs purchases - June 2008 memo.