In cooperation with FNS, the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), seeks to improve the procurement practices for school districts of all sizes in both urban and rural areas. Project efforts are focused on redesigning the procurement process to put power in the hands of school nutrition program administrators through training and business process improvements to build better partnerships with suppliers and reinvent how the school meal marketplace does business.
Learn more about the cooperative agreement and download a summary.
Project Goal
Improve the school food buying process to ensure:
- it is efficient and affordable for schools,
- children eat fresh and healthy foods, and
- local food systems are sustainable and support local economies.
Activities
The project will take a three-phase approach to providing trainings and tools:
Phase 1 – Investigative
- February 2024: Convened an Advisory Procurement Working Group comprised of various stakeholders
- Completed February 2024: Identified the six most critical challenge in school procurement.
- Through October 2024: Develop action plans to address critical challenges.
- Through October 2024: Review procurement rules, methods being used, and trainings available.
Phase 2 – Piloting Change
- Through October 2024: Develop content for an interactive bid template that would help standardize the procurement process in school nutrition.
- 2024 - 2025: Conduct hands-on TeamUp Workshops/procurement training with expert procurement trainers.
- TeamUp Utah – April 2024
- TeamUp at School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference – July 2024
- Team Up Minnesota – October 2024
- Team Up Louisiana – November 2024
- 2024 - 2025: Host webinars for local producers.
Phase 3 – New Procurement Practice Pilots
- Winter 2024 – Summer 2025: Conduct pilots to put together plans for an enhanced procurement process.
- 2025 - 2026: Recommend opportunities for modernizing school food procurement business practices.