To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Nolan Sullivan, 707-565-4774
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Supplemental Food Services Request for Proposals Multi-Agreement Award
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Authorize the Director of the Department of Health Services, or designee, to execute Master Agreements with The Ceres Community Project, Lemus Family Enterprises Inc: DBA Taqueria Sol Azteca, and The Big Tomato Inc: DBA Sally Tomatoes with no maximum limit to provide non-emergency supplemental food services on an as needed basis, for a three-year term, starting November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2028 with the option of two one-year extensions, for a maximum contract performance period not-to-exceed five years, subject to available funding as well as review and approval by County Counsel.
B) Authorize the Director of the Department of Health Services, or designee, to execute as-needed non-emergency Task Orders for food service requests against the aforementioned Master Agreements. The Department will return to the Board for specific Task Order budget adjustments as needed for the life of each Master Agreement, or would include all forecasted budget requests for future Task Order services in future budget requests.
C) Authorize the Director of Health Services, or designee, to execute modifications to the Master Agreements which do not significantly change the scopes of service in order to address increased service needs or rate adjustments if needed, subject to available funding as well as review and approval by County Counsel.
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Executive Summary:
This item requests authorization for the Director of the Department of Health Services (hereinafter, “DHS” or “the Department”), or designee, to execute three Master Agreements with no maximum limit, for as-needed, non-emergency supplemental food services, for a three-year term starting November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2028, with the option of two one-year extensions, for a maximum contract performance period not-to-exceed five years. The Department will return to the Board for specific Task Order budget adjustments as needed for the life of each Master Agreement, or would include all forecasted budget requests for future Task Order services in future budget requests. Having these prepositioned Master Agreements in place will allow the Department to provide meals to non-emergency shelter facilities, or for any other non-emergency Department need requiring food services, on an as-needed basis in the future. The agreements and the request for proposals soliciting such services stipulate that there is no guaranteed minimum quantity of work.
Under the Master Agreement model, DHS pre-qualified vendors through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Once vendors are under contract, DHS staff can issue Task Orders specifying the exact scope, schedule, funding source, and budget for each service need, as long as it is in alignment with the Master Agreement for said vendor, without conducting a full procurement each time supplemental food services are needed. This approach streamlines administrative processes, reduces turnaround time, and ensures compliance with County purchasing requirements while retaining competitive pricing established during the RFP process, and mirrors the County Blanket Purchase Order solicitation process on a department level.
This item also asks the Board to authorize the Director of DHS, or designee, to execute modifications to the Master Agreements which do not significantly change the scopes of service in order to address increased service needs or rate adjustments if needed, subject to available funding as well as review and approval by County Counsel.
Discussion:
DHS seeks authorization to enter into Master Agreements with The Ceres Community Project; Lemus Family Enterprises Inc, DBA Taqueria Sol Azteca; and The Big Tomato Inc, DBA Sally Tomatoes. These agreements will provide as-needed non-emergency supplemental food services for various DHS programs and events. The agreements will be for a three-year term starting November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2028, with the option of two one-year extensions, for a maximum contract performance period not-to-exceed five years. A previous RFP for food services was awarded on January 30, 2024 for a specific number of meals at Mickey Zane Place and Eliza’s Village, but that RFP did not include the ability to change the numbers of meals at either site, nor did it provide food service at the newly established 440 Arrowood interim bridge housing site. This new RFP with Qualification was determined to be essential to provide food services beyond the previous RFP resultant contracts, in communication with County Counsel and County Purchasing. The previous awarded contract will remain intact as it only provides two meals at Mickey Zane and one meal at Eliza’s Village.
The Department has identified a need for flexible and reliable supplemental food catering services to support various programs that either currently exist or may be needed in the future. Historically, the process of individual procurements and contracting practices has proven too time intensive and too limiting in capacity to allow for fast changing circumstances, new events, newly established interim shelters or changing population needs, and produced results that were too limited in scope and breadth. Examples of situations needing supplemental food services, are when populations at interim homeless shelters change resulting in increased food needs at facilities, additionally, when new interim shelters are established, allowing for a fluid transition to provide food needs to that site.
In an effort to increase efficiency, maximize funds, and ensure high-quality service, DHS is seeking to establish Master Agreements with multiple contractors, emulating the County Blanket Purchase Order procurement process closely and mirroring the Department of Emergency Management’s May 13, 2025 Board approved item authorizing emergency food service agreements. Those agreements focused on providing food service in emergency situations only, while this Board item awards similar agreements for services only in non-emergency situations. This contracting approach offers significant operational and fiscal benefits to the County and ensures rapid, reliable, and flexible food service delivery for diverse County programs, including shelter operations, community events such as statewide symposiums or public informational events such as the November 17-19, 2025 statewide collaborative bridge housing symposium.
RFP Process:
DHS conducted a formal RFP with qualifications solicitation as required by County Procurement rules in order to establish and award one or more Master Agreements to meet this need. All Master Agreements awarded stipulate that there is no guaranteed minimum quantity of work, and each require individual Task Orders be executed on an as-needed basis. The Department will utilize funding for Task Orders from DHS approved budgets to pay for services or return to the Board for budget adjustments with justifications as needed per each Task Order. The fiscal table below details the current budgeted funds for these services.
On May 28, 2025, the Department released a request for proposals for supplemental food catering services on an as-needed basis. On June 11, 2025, the Department conducted an optional pre-bid virtual conference, providing information to any interested parties. Formal questions from interested parties were received on June 18, 2025, with the Department answering formal questions via RFP Addendum on June 25, 2025. Five proposals were submitted in response to the RFP. An independent panel of RFP reviewers, composed of three County staff from various programs and one City of Healdsburg staff, evaluated the proposals based on a point system to ensure uniformity and fairness. The point scoring criteria included factors such as cost, menu options, meal preparation, meal delivery, flexibility, scalability, and customer service. The panel recommended Master Agreement awards to the top three scoring proposals: The Ceres Community Project; Lemus Family Enterprises Inc, DBA Taqueria Sol Azteca; and The Big Tomato Inc, DBA Sally Tomatoes. A Notice of Intent to Award was released on September 19, 2025.
The RFP outlined three pricing tiers for catering services:
• Tier 1: Includes one main course, one side, one drink, and necessary utensils (either hot or cold meals). This would be ideal for daily basic meal service, such as interim shelter daily service.
• Tier 2: Includes two or more courses, applicable drink(s), and utensils (either hot or cold meals). This would be suitable for short-term, small-scale events (1-3 days), such as multi-day conferences.
• Tier 3: Includes customized meals for large groups, applicable drink(s), and utensils (either hot or cold meals). This would be designed for one-time fully customized events, such as large public informational meetings if needed.
Costs for any and all Task Orders issued under these Master Agreements are subject to DHS budget restrictions and must be aligned with contractor rate sheets as agreed and negotiated based on final proposal submissions. Any costs beyond normal budget restrictions will require Board approval for budget adjustments. This approach ensures fiscal responsibility while providing the necessary flexibility to meet the Department's needs.
The proposed Master Agreements enable the Department to respond and reduce the impact of food insecurity, impacting vulnerable individuals and communities, as well as provide adaptability and improve efficiency and flexibility by securing pre-approved food service contractors as needed with set negotiated rates per meal. Food services will include special dietary needs, restrictions, and cultural sensitivities. Examples of some future Task Orders are additional meal service at our three interim homeless sites (440 Arrowood Drive, Eliza’s Village, Mickey Zane Place), standard meal service at any new non-emergency shelter sites or program service sites needing meal services, and at planned County-sponsored or grant-funded collaborative conferences/symposiums requiring catering services. Awarding Master Agreements with multiple providers enhances the Department’s ability to scale and modify food services based on changing population levels, changing venues, provides flexible event coordination, and allows greater capacity optimizing staff time for other unplanned non-emergency circumstances. These Agreements will not be encumbered or have funding allocated until activated by Task Order.
Key benefits of the Master Agreement with Task Orders model include:
• Efficiency in Procurement - Eliminates the need for repetitive bidding for each event or program, saving staff time, maximizing funds, and accelerating service delivery.
• Flexibility in Service Delivery - Task Orders can be tailored for each specific need, from large-scale catered community events to small-volume, diet-restricted tailored meals for shelter guests and each may contain their own specific funding source(s).
• Rapid Response Capability - Enables the County to issue Task Orders quickly in response to quickly changing circumstances that are not emergency related.
• Cost Control and Budget Management - Pre-negotiated rates ensure transparency, prevent cost overruns, and allow accurate forecasting for each service need.
• Quality and Reliability - Contractors are pre-vetted for capacity, food quality, cultural appropriateness, and ability to meet special dietary requirements.
• Administrative Oversight - Centralized agreements allow DHS to monitor vendor performance, enforce contract compliance, and ensure high service standards across all Department divisions.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Healthy and Safe Communities
Goal: Goal 1: Expand integrated system of care to address gaps in services to the County’s most vulnerable.
Objective: Objective 2: Identify gaps in the Safety Net system of services and identify areas where departments can address those gaps directly, and seek guidance from the Board when additional resources and/or policy direction is needed.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
January 1, 2024: Authorized the Director of Health Services, or designee, to execute an agreement, subject to County Counsel review and approval, with Lemus Family Enterprise Inc. dba Taqueria Sol Azteca for food preparation and delivery services for various shelter sites in the amount of $952,650 annually for a period of up to three years beginning December 11 2023 through November 30, 2026, with two one-year optional extensions.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$952,650 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$952,650 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$952,650 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$952,650 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
This item authorizes the Director to execute no maximum Master Agreements. The FY 2025-2026 Adopted Budget includes $952,650 allocated for catering services currently projected by the programs. Funding for all planned catering services comes from Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP-5), Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH), and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Any additional expenditures will be subject to available funding, eligibility requirements and will be brought back to the board for any budget modifications. The Department will return to the Board for specific Task Order budget adjustments as needed for the life of each Master Agreement, or would include all forecasted budget requests for future Task Order services in future budget requests.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Attachment 1: Sample Master Agreement
Attachment 2: Request for Proposals
Attachment 3: Sample Task Order Template, Task Order Instructions and Task Order Quote Request Form
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None