ABOUT THE COLLABORATIVE
Member Benefits

Competitive Pricing

The field of school nutrition faces an increasing challenge in containing the steadily rising expense of food and supplies. Collaborative purchasing allows manufacturers and distributors to offer exceptional bulk pricing that an independent district would not be able to obtain on their own. Being a member enables independent districts to take advantage of the group's purchasing power; our bids include grocery, paper, milk, beverages, ice cream and bread.

Procurement Regulations

The Procurement regulations have become a part of the review process of the USDA and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Being a member of the collaborative takes the guesswork out of the complexities of the state and federal regulations. During a review process, our website, member’s access, contains all the necessary bid documents and all supporting documentation in one convenient place.

Networking

Each district typically only has one food service director, so in order to network we must look outside of our own district for networking opportunities, and at a cost to the district. As a member, you have multiple opportunities throughout the year, to network, whether you want to talk about new menu suggestions, problem solve a variety of simple or complex topics, or anything else that may arise. In addition, another wonderful networking opportunity for our members are our monthly meetings, which are held in person or virtual.

Designated Website

As a member, you have access to a member’s only section of our website that is filled with a wealth of data, including current bid information, vendor contacts, previous bid documents, and much much more.

Nutritionals and
Formulation Statements

Our website, with member’s access, contains each bid item and all pertinent information about the item, including case size, ingredients, nutrit ional information and allergens all in one convenient location. When preparing for an Administrative Review or when planning your menus, these documents are necessary, and this is a huge benefit to our members.