Board awards food services contract to Southwest Food Excellence after multi-vendor review

The Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education on April 28 approved awarding RFP 2025-018 (food services management) to Southwest Food Excellence (SFE) after the district’s evaluation committee reviewed five proposals.

Director of Purchasing Michael Madrid told the board the solicitation combined district and New Mexico Public Education Department boilerplates and required a large evaluation effort. Proposals came from Aramark Educational Services LLC; Compass Group USA (Chartwells); Genuine Foods Labs; Southwest Food Excellence; and Sodexo America LLC. The evaluation team ranked Southwest Food Excellence highest based on K–12 experience, food quality, and student-engagement strategies, Madrid said.

Executive Director of Student Nutrition Felix Griego told the board the district has increased meal volume and federal/state reimbursements in recent years and emphasized quality improvements. Griego said the district served roughly 1.9 million meals two years ago and expects about 2.7 million meals this year; reimbursements moved from about $7.5 million to approximately $12 million. The district asked proposers to outline a staffing plan that includes at least 140 kitchen employees at a minimum wage of $16.50 per hour, plus leadership roles including a district manager, three assistant general managers, a chef and a catering supervisor. The contract requires NMPED compliance (including New Mexico-grown product preferences, at least 50% scratch meals and waste minimization) and includes a food truck for special programs.

SFE representatives said they will invest in on-site cooking, curriculum links for students, and culturally specific equipment such as a tortilla machine. Board member Jessica Tyler moved to award the contract; Jeff Morgan seconded. The board approved the award by roll call, 5–0.