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Calvert County Board approves cafeteria disposable-supplies contracts and Zendesk help-desk renewal
Summary
The Calvert County Board of Education awarded contracts for cafeteria disposable supplies paid from the Child Nutrition grant and approved a one-year renewal of Zendesk Suite Pro through CDW for the district’s IT help desk.
The Calvert County Board of Education on Thursday approved awards for cafeteria disposable supplies and a renewal of the district’s Zendesk help‑desk software.
Board members voted to accept the low responsive, responsible bidders for disposable cafeteria supplies, with pricing valid through June 30, 2026, and to buy Zendesk Suite Pro through CDW of Vernon Hills, Illinois, for $43,750. The disposable supplies contract will be funded through the Child Nutrition grant; the Zendesk purchase was procured using cooperative pricing through the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium and the National IPA cooperative contract 2018011, the district said.
Why it matters: The disposable supplies purchase replaces an older contract and reflects lower prices than prior bid cycles, district staff said. The Zendesk renewal funds the district’s help‑desk ticketing and knowledge‑base functions used by students, staff and parents.
Sheldon Taylor, who introduced the disposable‑supplies recommendation, said Calvert County Public Schools issued an invitation to bid in January 2025 and received 13 vendor submissions. "We respectfully request that the board award the contracts for the purpose of cafeteria disposable supplies with pricing valid through 06/30/2026 to the low responsive, responsible vendors as detailed within the board memo before you," Taylor said during the meeting.
Taylor and Valerie Palmer, supervisor of Child Nutrition, described how some schools have shifted between disposable and hard trays since the COVID‑19 pandemic and noted that dishwashing capacity and staffing influence usage. Taylor said most kitchens that prepare food have dishwashers and that only facilities under construction or with equipment problems are fully reliant on disposables.
On Zendesk, IT staff explained the district solicited three quotes through the Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium and that CDW offered the lowest price on the National IPA Technology Solutions Education Cooperative contract. A staff presenter said the quote covers the Zendesk Suite Pro license through July 15, 2026, and that the vendor ‘‘sweetened’’ pricing in light of the district’s ongoing renewal.
Board procedure and outcome: A motion and second were made for each award; both were approved on voice votes during the board meeting. Board members asked clarifying questions about unit pricing, vendor responsiveness and whether the disposables bid was joint with neighboring counties; staff said the disposable‑goods bid was undertaken independently by Calvert County Public Schools.
What’s next: The Zendesk contract will be implemented by the Department of Information Technology; the disposable supplies contracts will be used by the Child Nutrition program through the 2025–26 fiscal year, per the pricing validity date noted in staff materials.
Details at a glance: Zendesk Suite Pro purchase — vendor: CDW (Vernon Hills, Ill.); amount: $43,750; contract term in staff memo through 07/15/2026. Cafeteria disposable supplies — 13 vendor submissions; pricing valid through 06/30/2026; funding: Child Nutrition grant.
