Addendum No. 4 RFP No.23082 Lake County Jail Food Service
May 31, 2023
Q#1. Please clarify background check requirements for clearance to work in the kitchen. What would preclude a candidate from being cleared through the background check process? If a current employee's clearance is pulled, what kind of notice will the contractor be given?
A: Please see Exhibit A in the RFP. There are various reasons that would prevent a candidate from being cleared through the background check including, but not limited to, prior convictions, outstanding fines/fees, open cases, inmate contact, etc. If a current employee’s clearance is pulled, the awarded vendor will be notified immediately.
Q#2. Is there an age requirement for contracted staff to be cleared to work in the kitchen?
A: Please see Exhibit A in the RFP.
Q#3. What are the requested operational procedures for delivery of carts to the pods? Is there a requirement for multiple staff members to deliver the carts to the floors? If this is a requirement, this will significantly add labor to the project.
A: Please see Addendum No. 1 for operational procedure for delivery of carts to the pods. There is not a requirement for multiple staff members to deliver food carts to the floors. However, the most efficient way to deliver food carts to the pods is to use two (2) people per two (2) carts. The maximum our elevators will allow per trip is two (2) food carts.
Q#4. Page 30, "Company Background," #7 states: "Provide one to three examples of similar work including one reference for similar work with a Continuum of Care." Can you please provide clarification of this statement?
A: Vendors should provide one (1) to three (3) examples/references of sites where similar work was performed (Correctional Facilities). One (1) of those references should be an existing contract where comparable/similar work is being performed.
Q#5. Is the facility currently ACA accredited? If so, when is the next accreditation audit?
A: Yes, our facility is currently ACA accredited. The next ACA accreditation audit is in 2026.
-----------------------------------------------
Addendum No. 3 RFP No.23082 Lake County Jail Food Service
May 26, 2023
- The proposal price sheet is asking for a price per meal for inmate worker incentives (with beverages);
- The goal is to remove the inmate workers; will this program then be eliminated?
- The current vendors appear to be offering pizza and soda, do you want to continue with this meal or offer a variety?
A: Correct – the goal is to eliminate inmate workers. If inmate workers are not utilized, then the incentive meal will no longer be needed. We included it in the RFP to cover all possible scenarios. If the use of incentive meals are needed, vendors are welcome to propose a variety of incentive meals.
- Regarding Addendum #2, Question and Answers for #13
- Typically, vendors will staff the operation with more civilian labor if inmate workers are not utilized. Since the daily fee with be charged for the use of inmates in both the proposed cost for with or without inmate workers, should vendors only cost the proposal without the use of inmate workers since the fees will be applied regardless?
A: We included a separate column on pricing proposal sheet for using inmate workers because it would reduce the number of civilian staff in the kitchen thus affecting the price per meal. If vendors wish to include only a single price proposal, they are welcome to do so.
- Regarding the fees on page 49 for the use of inmates workers;.
- Please confirm if this calculation is accurate - vendors will be assessed a fee of 1.5 times the current rate for correctional officers.
- Will vendors be charged the rate times the number of hours, times the number of inmates used? Or will they be charged for a full day (24 hours)?
A: The calculation is correct. Due to staffing shortage, Correctional Officers that are assigned to the inmate worker pod are on overtime (OT). The overtime rate is 1.5 times their hourly wage. The calculation is for a full day (24 hours) because the pod would need to be opened for a 24-hour period if inmate workers are requested.
- Upon review of the current contract, modification #1, signed in December 2022
- Staffing for laundry services was added, does Lake County wish for vendors to propose a weekly fee to staff the laundry operation?
- The county agreed to a price increase for the removal of inmates from the kitchen. Is the county currently receiving a monthly credit from the current vendor for the use of inmates?
A: Vendors are welcome to include laundry service as an Added Value in their proposal if they wish. The intent of this RFP was for the inmate meals, so we do not want any laundry service pricing added to the per meal rate. Currently, we are in negotiations with our current vendor to reduce the per meal rate from the recent modification due to the continuation of need for inmate workers. Our RFP and modification did not include a penalty, so we are unable to apply one at this time.
------------------------------------------
Addendum No. 2 RFP No.23082 Lake County Jail Food Service
May 24, 2023
General
Q#1. Please provide copies of billing invoices from the past three months.
A: Copies of the available invoices can be located under Documents.
Q#2. Please provide copies of meal count sheets from the past three months that show the numbers served for each of the various types of meals served such as regular meals, special diets, sack lunches, staff meals, etc
A: Copies of Meal Count Sheets can be located under Documents. Currently, there are no staff meals being served.
Q#3. Please provide a copy of the current contract and any addendums.
A: This information can be found on the County’s Purchasing website at https://www.lakecountypurchasingportal.com/awarded-contracts/.
Q#4. If you require the use of disposable service wares (Styrofoam, etc.) please indicate where these are needed and the number of those instances on average per day.
A: As indicated in the Scope of Work (Items 6.C and 6.F.), all reusable eating utensils and biodegradable trays are provided by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Pricing
Q#5. Will the county consider an alternative scaled price proposal?
A: The County is willing to consider a scaled price proposal.
Menu
Q#6. Please provide a copy of the current cycle menus in place for inmates.
A: Attachments provided in the Documents section of this RFP solicitation.
Q#7. How many inmates are on special diets and what types of diets are they on? Are there any unusual requirements the vendor needs to be aware of for billing purposes (snacks, nutritional supplements, kosher diets, etc.)
A: Attachment illustrating inmate special diets has been provided with inmate names removed. There are no unusual requirements that the vendor needs to be made aware of. Information can be located in the Documents section.
Q#8. Do you have a requirement for serving milk? Is a Dairy Drink acceptable as a substitute?
A: We do not have any requirements for milk. We are open to a dairy drink substitute if presented. It depends on whether it is cost efficient.
Q#9. How many sack lunches are required daily? Please provide the current sack lunch menu. Are there any special sack menu requirements for any groups such as work details?
A: Approximately 25 bag meals are served per day for the jail. When Work Release is open this number will go up. We do not have a menu for bag lunches.
Q#10. Are any Juveniles being housed at the facility? If so, please detail how many and what menu adjustments are made to feed them.
A: As indicated in the General Information section in the RFP, the Lake County Jail only houses individuals ages 18 .
Staff Meals
Q#11. What are the Staff Meal service times?
A: The current staff mealtimes are lunch from 10:30 – 1:30 and dinner from 3:30 – 6:30. We are open to a breakfast service, but we haven’t had one in several years.
Staffing
Q#12. Are the current contractor’s staff part of a union?
A: No.
Q#13. Regarding the proposal utilizing inmate workers:
1. Is our proposed cost for the proposal utilizing inmate workers to include the daily fee (Exhibit D), or does that fee only apply if inmates were requested for the proposal for all civilian labor?
A: The daily fee should be taken into consideration for both proposals (inmate workers and all civilian labor). Any time inmate labor is required, a fee will be assessed.
2. How many inmate workers are provided in the operation?
A: Inmate workers will not be guaranteed in the meal service operation. Our current provider is utilizing an average of 5 inmate workers per meal. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office would like to move towards a full-civilian workforce due to the potential impact of the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
3. What are the shift times they work?
A: Currently, there are no set shifts. We are open to discuss times. In the past AM Workers were 0500 – 1200 and PM Workers were 1200 – 700.
4. Do they receive double portions and can the contractor bill for double portions?
A: Inmate workers are not provided double portions, but the current contractor does supply each worker with a bottle of soda when they complete a shift. Facility provides a special worker meal 1-2 times a week.
Value Add
Q#14. Is there currently a program in place that provides the ability for inmates to order fresh foods from the kitchen and pay for those foods with their commissary account? If so, please provide information on this program for the following:
- Approved menus and prices
- Service schedules (when inmates order-when they are delivered)
- Who delivers the completed orders?
- What is the average weekly sales volume in dollars?
- What is the current commission rate?
- Are there any restrictions or limits for purchases?
- Does the program allow for family and friends to also order items on the menu via phone or internet? If not is this something the facility would approve of?
- How many inmates on average are eligible to participate in this program on any given week?
A: There is not currently a program in place where inmates have the ability to order fresh food from the kitchen with their commissary account.
----------------------------------------------
Addendum No. 1 RFP No.23082 Lake County Jail Food Service
May 19, 2023
Q#1: Overall Project Timing is very problematic:
- Pre-Bid Walkthrough on Tuesday next week ( May 25/26 ?) or the following week?
- Most Companies are at AJA in Nebraska
- Questions are due 7 days later.
If the County answers the same day…. There are 4 days until submission mandated (There is a holiday involved on Monday)
- There are 9 days from the Pre-Bid Meeting until submission.
Will the County consider moving the Pre-bid meeting out to the following weeks and review the time line to allow vendors (other than the incumbent) to pull together a competitive operational proposal that meets the needs of the Department?
A: The walk through of the jail was conducted on May 16, 2023, from 9:30 am – 11:00 am CST. The County has scheduled a second on-site jail tour on May 24, 2023, at 9:30 am CST. To accommodate the AJA conference attendees and the Holiday, the County is willing to extend the deadline for proposal submissions to June 7, 2023.
The County has created a revised projected time line to allow for more flexibility in this procurement process.
|
Event
|
Date
|
|
Release RFP
|
May 11, 2023
|
|
On-site Jail Tour
|
May 16, 2023 (9:30 am – 11:00 am CST)
|
|
2nd On-Site Jail Tour (please RSVP by May 22, 2023, no later than 2 pm CST). Send responses to Purchasing@lakecountyil.gov email.
|
May 24, 2023, at 9:30 am CST
|
|
Deadline for Submission of Questions
|
May 31, 2023, by 11:00 am CST
|
|
Deadline for Proposal Submissions
|
June 7, 2023, by 11:00 am CST
|
|
Finalist Interviews
|
June 29, 2023
|
|
Lake County Board Approval
|
October 10, 2023
|
|
Awarded Entity Begins Contract
|
December 1, 2023
|
*This time line may be subject to change.
Q#2: Is parking free?
A: Parking through the City of Waukegan is not free. Parking permits can be obtained through the website provided below and the closest lot to the Jail is ‘Lot B’. Vendors are welcome to contact the City of Waukegan to attempt to arrange a reduced monthly cost. In addition, vendors can choose to incorporate the parking permit costs into their pricing proposal.
https://www.waukeganil.gov/132/Parking
Q#3: Are there staggered meal delivery times? Can you please explain how meals are delivered to inmates?
A: The meal delivery times are not staggered. The food trays must be brought up to the designated pods before the mealtimes indicated below. These designated meal times are in place to avoid attempting to deliver food to pods during shift change (facility lock down). In addition, the times provided for the breakfast and dinner meals are set to meet the requirements of not exceeding 14 hours between the dinner meal and the breakfast meal the following morning.
|
Type
|
Mealtime
|
|
Breakfast
|
05:30 am – 6:00 am
|
|
Lunch
|
10:30 am – 11:00 am
|
|
Dinner
|
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
|
The delivery of the food trays to the jail housing units will be as follows:
1. All meals will be prepared and placed onto inmate trays in the kitchen.
2. The trays will be placed into mobile food carts and secured to avoid any tampering with meals.
3. Food carts will be delivered to the housing units and placed in each housing unit's sally port via jail elevators during the prescribed mealtimes. This process will be repeated until all food carts have been delivered.
4. Jail housing unit officers will bring the food carts into each pod and complete the feeding of the inmates. Once the mealtime is completed (minimum 30 minutes) the food carts will be placed back into the housing unit sally port.
5. Once the meals have been completed and the food carts have been placed back into the housing unit sally ports, the food carts can be collected and taken back to the kitchen to remove the trays and wash for the next scheduled meal.
Note: The method of delivery is the same if it is contracted kitchen staff or assigned inmate workers.
Q#4: Is kitchen staff expected to bring tray carts to and from the kitchen?
A: Yes, kitchen staff are expected to bring the food tray carts to and from the pods for each meal.