Description
Washington County, MN is soliciting a qualified food‑service contractor to operate a full‑service kitchen for its 228‑bed jail and a 5‑bed juvenile holding unit. The contractor will provide three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), bag meals for work‑release and sentence‑to‑service inmates, and special‑diet meals (diabetic, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc.) for a five‑year term. The scope includes menu development (certified by a registered dietician), food procurement, preparation, delivery, cart handling, sanitation, compliance with Minnesota DOC nutrition standards, background checks, mandatory safety training, and detailed monthly reporting. A mandatory on‑site kitchen tour must be completed before the submission deadline. The contract value is expected to run into multiple millions of dollars over the five‑year period.
• Provide 3 meals/day plus bag meals for all inmates (≈ 340 meals/day).
• Develop and certify menus meeting DOC nutritional standards.
• Supply all food, condiments, disposable packaging, and kitchen supplies.
• Manage staffing, background checks, training, and security compliance.
• Perform daily cart preparation, meal counts, and post‑meal clean‑up.
• Submit monthly billing and detailed service reports.
• Maintain emergency continuity plans and respond to special‑diet requests.
• Contract term: 5 years (March 1 2027 – Feb 28 2032).
• Mandatory pre‑award site tour; proposals due 30 Nov 2026.