Oregon Department of Education (ODE)

Food Distribution Program Procurement

Advisory Council

Thursday, May 26, 2016, Meeting Minutes

Facilitator: Chris Facha and Su Fennern

Present:Becki Wicks, Christi Hogan, Dan Kolp, Dave Harvey, Debby Webster, Gema McSoto, Gitta Grether-Sweeney, Janet Beer, Jennie Kolpak, Jodi Taylor, John Waker, Mike Vetter, Nathan Roedel, Pam Suyematsu, Russ Knott, Sharon Gibson, Terry Cashman, Toni Silbernagel, Heidi Dupuis, Kathy Duncan, and Sarah English.

Guests:Dawn Phillips, Intern from Bethel SD

Scribe: Laura Allran

Topic / Information / Action Needed
Opening comments and Council Member Changes / It was requested that we get information on how to add school lunch program information to the Farm to School Billboard posted at I5.
Council Member Changes:
  • Cindy Longway retired from her position at Hillsboro SD; NathanRoedel has took her place and is our newest member.
  • We are looking for a council member for Eastern region. Please let Chris know if you have any suggestions.
  • There are seven members whose terms will expire in September and October. Please email Laura if you wish to renew your membership.
/ Rick Sherman will look into adding the school lunch program information to the Farm to School billboard.
ACDA Annual Conference/St Pete Beach Update / Heidi Dupuis, Chris Facha, Laura Allran, Janet Beer, Dave Harvey and Becki Wicks were able to attend the American Commodities Distribution Association (ACDA) conference this year. Here are the highlights and some suggestions:
  • USDA nutritional fact sheets use the information from the processor with the highest calorie, sodium, etc. count
  • There was discussion of the legislative changes: Pilot, block grant information, etc. The changes of sodium and CEP proposal will have financial impact.
  • We liked that they offered the highestparticipationclasses at various times.
  • The Council liked that more Recipient Agencies (RAs)are attending the conference each year; therefore giving the RAs more of a voice.
  • We like the open discussion sessionsconsisting of processors, RAs and states representatives and a mix of various groups.
  • Compared to other states, we were commended with the many processing options Oregon offers to meet the needs of our RAs.

USDA Foods Received Report 2015-2016 /
  • The 2015-2016 value of USDA Foods Received Report is available in CNPweb. A memo wassent to the RAs on May 26, 2016.
/ Please see memo sent on May 26 for more info.
USDA Foods Orders for 16-17 Update /
  • Most RAs completed their orders –Only a few small RAs didn’t place their order.
  • The commodities value will generate as shipment is received.
  • Pounds vs cases – Your entitlement detail report will be in pounds.
  • Requisition status report will be in actual cases. You are able to filter and sort your food to a more manageable report.
  • A possible change next year: You will be able to view your entitlement in February,instead of waiting untilJuly. Changing entitlement allocation date is in Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill pending in congress.

Warehouse/ Carrier Contractor Awarded / A Warehouse and Carrier Contract memo between ODE and Good Source Solutions was emailed to the RAs on May 4. The highlights of the contract are below:
  • Available delivery windows will be two per month (must have 20 cases per stop). Additional deliveries in February have been added.
  • The contractor is required to have a web based inventory system that will integrate with WBSCM. This system will be release 6/14/16 for testing the system. Dan Kolp, Dave Harvey, Debbie Webster, and Jennie Kolpak have volunteered to test the system.
  • Once the test is done, July 1 is anticipated start date of the release system.
  • ODE has access to the reports for tracking the foods. We will be checking the systemfor status of orders and their delivery.
  • Questions and concerns generate at the meeting which will need follow up are:
  • When the Diversion and Direct Delivery products are shipped together can the system to track the diverted products also?
  • When the inventory has been released, how quickly will this show as being removed.
  • RAs products will have a 90 day dwell time starting when the order has been delivered to Alpine. Question: Will we be notified of how much dwell time is left for each product?
  • How will Good Source track the inventory with different expiration dates? Will they co-minglethe products with other SDs or are products stored specifically for each RA? What if truck doesn’t deliver and they ship the product to another RA?
  • Contractor is now required to notify the RA if the delivery is going to be more than 30 minutes late. What phone number will they be calling and can a RA provide an alternative phone number?
  • New contract’s prices per case are a 2% increase over 2015-16 prices. Service fees will remain the same for now at .11/pound. ODE will use carryover funds to cover small loss to fund created by increase. Su added aConsumer Price Index (CIP) stipulation regarding any yearly fee increases.
/ Chris will contact Good Source Solutions with these questions and update the members when he getsa response.
USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Update /
  • There are 20 sponsor participating
  • The Pilot will keep going till Congress discontinues it.
  • When entitlement report is ran through WBSCM, the Pilot is taken off the beginning entitlement.
  • Since the Pilot began, Congress has not allocated any administrative funds for the pilot so we charge $.025 per pound for administrative costs.
  • DOD charges a 4.6 % administrative charge.

2016 – 2017 WBSCM Training, rollout and surplus /
  • WBSCM training and Rollout
  • The planners ODE provided were very helpful and the Council likes that we provided links to information.
  • One question was why the catalogs show the products available and then after ordering there was a change. To eliminate changes during the order period and after, Chris will add a provision to the renewal letter.
  • The Council thought the WBSCM trainings were beneficial and thought it was needed to have newcomer and refresher trainings for next year.
  • A draft surplus list for USDA foods was reviewed. Some questions and comments are:
  • Order of who will receivesurplus: Those who still have entitlement will get priority until the entitlement has been used. Then it will be allocated to RA’s on a fair share basis using ADP at no charge to entitlement.
/ Chris will ensure that the processor renewal letter will included a provision for product changes.
These recommenda-tions will be reviewed before disseminated Sept 15, 2016
Working Lunch with Heidi /
  • The Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill is currently through committees in both houses and is awaiting a floor vote in each house. The bills are disparate.
  • The house bill proposes the following:
  • Additional breakfast reimbursement will be higher.
  • Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) identified student percentage (ISP) will change from 40% to 60%. If approved, Oregon will lose about a 1/3 of our CEP sites.
  • The reauthorization bill includes a block grant pilot. Three states were chosen for this block pilot.
  • If passed, implementation is undecided.
  • Direct Certification improvements are being made to help correct issues of unmatched students and to add more eligible students.
  • Discussion of the sodium restriction and whether we will go level two.
  • Equipment Grant - The RFP for the grants will go out in August. Applications to be returned sometime in October.
  • Renewal time: Sponsors need to try to get everything in now. Heidi will check on streamlining/simplifying the CNPweb application with a “check all” box.
  • A member suggested to have a calendar of due dates on our splash page.
  • The members love the newsletter.It was suggested to have an easier way to find the memos on the website and to find the latest revision.
  • State Administrative Expense (SAE) Reallocation granthas been requested to support 2015-16 food distribution fees. Hopefully will know in June if we will get the grant. SAE reallocation grantsare available every year and we request them to cover different projects each year.
/ ODE will check on simplifying the CNPweb application, placing a calendar on the splash page, and a more usable search for memos from the website.
Farm to School Brief with Rick Sherman /
  • We have list of school gardens. If need an update, please let Rick know and he can send it to you.
  • Newsletter – if you are in the grant, you don’t need to sign up. If not, then you can opt in. You must spend by June 30; whatever is left will go into pot for next year. You can get coaching to help you spend.
  • Tip: Send out your claim/receipt for procuring veggie and fruit first and then do the bread.

Procurement / How to use State Processing Pricing Agreements/Using Prototype Contract
  • Look at the agreements when you do a contract. Use the state agreement for beef, cheese, and poultry
  • Improvements made for this contract and for next contract:
  • We can do a yeartoyear renewal.
  • Add language for adding new products.
  • For the processor taste testing event it was suggested:
  • That we stagger the different product solicitations in different years so that they all don’t have to be solicited at once.Havea pre-reviewprocess so the processors know what to expect and what to bring.
  • Su passed out a Bid Template for developing competitive solicitation for End Products. The members asked for this electronically.
  • We went over the Direct Diversion Processing sample.
/ Sue will send Council members an electronic copy of the Bid template.
Procurement Training / Procurement Training is in Development
  • The tool will be released at end of June.
  • ODE can use the USDA tool or its own. If we use our own, it has to meet requirements and be approved by USDA.
  • ODE will be looking at RFP and solicitation documents.
  • Procurement training modules will available next school year
  • USDA tool will be available on website.
  • We will send out the diversion/processing RFPtemplate soon and need thoughts/edits within in couple weeks.

Other / Since meeting room at the Public Service Building is at no charge and there will be more parking available at the next meeting, we may keep the same venue. It was also suggested to check into having the meetings at the Keizer Civic Center on ChemawaRoad, Keizer or at the MAPS building. / Laura will check into the best possible venue for the next meeting.
Next meeting date / Tentatively Thursday, November 3, 2016, same time.