THE NCPA BID: OVERVIEW OF MANUFACTURER PROCEDURES FOR OBTAINING PRODUCT PRE-APPROVAL
All Brands/Codes listed on the NCPA Bid Spreadsheets in their respective categories are PRE-APPROVED by the Board of Directors, the membership and through Student Testing. There are three ways a manufacturer product may be added to the NCPA bid as a “pre-approved product”. The pre – approval applies to both the NCPA Distributor and Direct to Manufacturer Bid as awarded products/pricing from the Direct to Manufacturer Bid is transferred to the Distributor Bid. Approximately 80% of pricing for the NCPA Distributor Bid is obtained from the Direct to Manufacturer Bid. The remaining 20% is obtained by Distributor’s bidding on products.
1. PRODUCTS WITH CURRENT BID SPECIFICATIONS
An e-mail goes out annually in late March to brokers/manufacturers titled the "Request for Approval of Products with Current Bid Specifications." Brokers and manufacturers review the specifications from the attached current NCPA Distributor Bid spreadsheets for products matching those they wish to submit. Only one manufacturer product is allowed on each line item. Products MUST meet the current specification as written in the bid spreadsheets. If not, the item will be a NEW PRODUCT SPECIFICATION, not a current bid specification. Current product specifications are submitted with the NCPA form and required documentation, reviewed by several committees and the Board of Directors, and if approved, moves forward to student testing. Products are tested with a minimum of 100 students in each of two EAST and WEST school districts in the state. Evaluation scores of 85% or higher will allow the product to become a pre-approved on that specific bid line.
2. NEW PRODUCT SPECIFICATION
An e-mail is goes out annually in early January to brokers/manufacturersfor NEW products(this means the product meets no specification found on the current bid) to be reviewed for inclusion in the New Product Food Show held in March each year.The NCPA Board of Directors reviews and makes final decisions concerning the products that will accepted for the Food Show. Total products for the Show is limited to approximately 100 items each year. NCPA members evaluate products during the show and evaluations are tallied. Products with 85% or higher will move to the next Student Testing session.
3. PRODUCT USAGE
The third method for products to be added to the NCPA bid is member usage. Members may purchase a limited number of items outside the bid from their awarded distributor each year – these are called Additional Items. When the Board of Directors reviews member usage from semi and annual distributor reports, any item that is purchased by the membership in quantities greater than 2000 cases is automatically added to the bid spreadsheets. Note: The quantity may be changed by the Board according to the product category and needs of the membership.
Note: There is a process for providing PASS/FAIL information with rationale to all manufacturers/brokers for each product submitted. Also, manufacturers/brokers of products accepted for Student Testing will receive all directions as to how to provide samples, etc. at the appropriate time.
Questions: Contact Mary Vann Sitton, Procurement Consultant at or 252-290-1708