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School Committee approves five-year food-service contract with Whitsons Culinary Group
Summary
Winchester Public Schools School Committee voted unanimously April 18 to approve a five-year contract (one-year initial term with four one-year renewals contingent on satisfactory performance) with Whitsons Culinary Group after a DESE-guided RFP yielded a single bid and included sustainability criteria such as compostable trays.
The Winchester Public Schools School Committee voted unanimously April 18 to approve a five-year food-service management contract with Whitsons Culinary Group consisting of an initial one-year term and four additional one-year renewal options contingent on satisfactory performance.
The vote came after district staff described a DESE (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) RFP process that produced one responsive bid. Mr. Marin, a district staff member who participated in the evaluation, said the district followed DESE guidelines and held a site tour that drew five vendors but ultimately produced a single bid from the incumbent provider. "It does have those same guarantees ... it's really a one-year initial term and with four one-year renewals based on their performance," Mr. Marin said.
The district used a rubric to evaluate the proposal; the memo referenced in the meeting said the bid met the rubric's criteria. Committee members discussed sustainability provisions added to the district's evaluation, including continued use of compostable trays during a transition to dishwashers and steps to reduce single-use plastics. "We added a sustainability requirement ... continuing the practice of compostable trays and moving to deploy composting efforts across the district," Mr. Marin said about the RFP additions.
A committee member moved the approval and a second was recorded. The roll-call vote was unanimous: Ms. Minyarji, Dr. Matthews, Ms. Bergstrom, Mr. Hopcroft and the chair all voted aye.
The contract approval keeps the district working with the same vendor for continuity while preserving an annual performance review and renewal decision. The committee thanked the evaluation team before moving to the next agenda item.
