CO-OP FOOD PROGRAM
SCHOOL DETAILS & INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE
SPRING 2022 ORDER WINDOW
- page updated January 19, 2022 -
SPRING 2022 ORDER WINDOW
- page updated January 19, 2022 -
Spring 2022 Order Window: Nov 8 - Dec 7, 2021
The 12th biannual School Services of Montana (SSoM) Spring 2022 Co-op Food Program Food order window opened Monday, Nov 8, 2021 due to an inordinate amount of changes to the items available for delivery (discontinued product, alternatives, shorts, etc). TBH, it has been a little bananas trying to keep up. I hear it has also been a little bananas for y'all with meal planning and finding products for your nutrition programs. Ugh!
This program, available to ALL Montana K-12 schools (public & private), child based organizations, and state/county agencies (& select counties in Wyoming), provides quality food and food service supply items at substantial cost savings through high-volume bid purchasing. Each participant, regardless of their order size, receives the same price for all items, and each district is guaranteed delivery to their location. All orders placed during the Spring 2022 order window will be delivered in the 2nd half of the 21-22 school year beginning *Jan 31st, 2022. See the orange delivery schedule box below. Please note the following changes to the Worksheet (updated 12.22.21): Page 1: 215 & 108 discontinued by Fieldstone > order closed; alternate = NutriGrain Page 2: 456 & 415 discontinued by Appleways; alternate = J&J Snack Foods Page 4: Juicy Juice reporting MFG issues with all 5 juice boxes; alternate = Ardmore Farms Page 6: 127 & 332 - Foster Farm price increase TBD Page 7: 257 discontinued by Bongards; alternate TBD Page 17: 681, 619, & 685 have been discontinued; no alternate Page 19: 494 MFG production issues; D1 & D2 alternate = Monarch 172241 Page 20: 1712, 1713, 1714 possible MFG supply issues TBD
Each participant, regardless of their order size, receives the same price for all items, and each district is guaranteed delivery to their location, and prices have delivery fees built-in (i.e. there are no additional fuel surcharges or delivery fees). There are no minimums on the dollar amount a district must order, though individual deliveries (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5) totaling $500 or less may be combined with another individual delivery to meet this $500 minimum per individual delivery at the discretion of the bid winner (distributor) so their delivery fees are covered.
Our 21-22 SY bid winner, US Foods, will continue to deliver your Spring 2022 orders. They typically share the delivery schedule at least a week before Delivery 1 begins. Subsequent deliveries are aproximately 4 weeks apart. You will receive up to 5 deliveries for your Spring order (Delivery 5 is designed to support your summer food program) but you may choose specific delivery periods based on the needs of YOUR program (i.e. D1 & D3 only; D2, D3, D4, D5 only; etc.). Our Advisory Committee reviews and updates food items annually, and 2 bids are issued every year in accordance with state and federal law. See the section below with committee details.
The COVID pandemic has destroyed that system with all of the shorted product; unfortunately it still costs us the same (or more) to run the program, so we got creative. We are offering this alternative billing option:
The signed Spring 2022 Alternative Billing Opt-In Form (2 signatures) is required and due within 1 week of submitting your order. A confirmation of receipt of your completed form will be emailed to both signatories.
You will receive an email confirmation with your login, temporary password, and a link to the Marketplace. While you are waiting for your registration confirmation please DOWNLOAD & PRINT the Spring 2022 Order Worksheet (click the button below to view, then print a copy), familiarize yourself with the items, and begin filling out your order on your printed copy. The How To Place Your Order VIDEO is a great resource for users who are new to the program and users who need a little refresher.
The Fall 2021 order process is the same simplified process you've enjoyed during the last several order windows. Your login name for the Marketplace online ordering website should be your school district email address, all lower-case. Your password has not changed. If you forgot your password, follow the prompts on the Marketplace login page to change it. Here's a brief overview: log into the Marketplace during the order window, click the little globe icon at the bottom of the page, place your order by item number using the search bar at the top of the page (choose the # of cases you want for each delivery window), and remember the checkout process is THREE steps.
DOWNLOAD & SORT YOUR ORDER You may access the Marketplace at ANY TIME to review previous orders you have placed. Log into the Marketplace, click the word 'Requisitions' in the upper right corner of your page (right of your name), then click on the Orders tab on the left side of the page. Your most recent order is listed first, and if you click the little blue page icon next to your order number, you'll have the option to click 'Export Item Data', which downloads it into an Excel spreadsheet that you can sort into delivery periods. If you need assistance with that, call or email me, Jennifer Brekke.
OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
A committee of participating school food service directors from around the state reviews items offered through this program once a year to ensure quality, nutritional integrity, and student acceptance. The committee also works to include foods that help meet higher nutritional standards, such as whole grain, low fat, and low sodium foods. The Fall 2021 committee meetings were held IN PERSON at the usual locations across Montana. Here was the schedule:
The first half of the meeting was reserved for food broker demos and taste-testing; the second half focuses on the co-op program, revamping items offered, feedback on existing, and a discussion of current issues & potential solutions faced by School Food Service Professionals today. All Food Service Directors who placed a Fall 2021 order through this co-op program were eligible to attend.
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CONTACT
SSoM Marketing & Purchasing Manager Jennifer Brekke EMAIL: jbrekke* (see footer) PHONE: (406) 580-7547 |