Mississippi Department of Education Office of Child Nutrition Request for Proposal No Child Nutrition Management System

RFP 3749  The Office of Child Nutrition administers eight programs under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services (FNS).  This office provides leadership, guidance, training and technical assistance for local school districts, private schools, daycare centers, adult daycare homes, head start centers and RCCI’s.  It is our goal to enhance each School Foodservice Administrator and cafeteria staff with the ability to provide quality child nutrition to all Mississippi students

Attendance  Roll call  Please your business card to Donna Hamilton  Attendees will be posted on the ITS website (

Agenda  Project Overview – Becke Bounds Asst. Director OCN  Process Flow – Becke Bounds, OCN  Procurement Guidelines – Donna Hamilton, ITS  Questions/Answers

OCeaN (O&M) Project Overview  OCeaN was implemented in 2003 with state of the market technology ASP.net 2.0.  Essential functions of the system include the payment of claims from organizations served by the program, and the processing of reimbursements from USDA federal funds  MDE reviewed the effectiveness/cost of OCeaN and determined a new system was needed to take advantage of new technology, adapt more easily to changes in state and federal child nutrition mandates, improve performance and operating efficiencies.

 The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) of 2010 became effective in July 1,  Since that time USDA has implemented numerous mandates to each of the Child Nutrition programs, including how the payments and reimbursements are processed and modifications to the reporting requirements.  Thus, each mandate has required a modification to the customized application, Office of Child Nutrition’s online claims application ( OceaN) system.  Each modification has confirmed the need to replace the system with an all-inclusive industry standard system that would provide automatic updates to meet Federal standards and regulations. OCeaN (O&M) Project Overview Cont.

OCeaN Process Overview Application Process starts with request for an application for One of our Eight programs  School or CACFP Department receives the request, an interest letter is sent to the organization outlining all steps and requirements for application.  Organizations seeking to participate in NSLP programs begin the application process according to outlined steps.  After a completed application/agreement package is received the organization is scheduled for a preapproval and training visit by a program specialist.  Organizations applying through CACFP must first attend a training session, proceeding as instructed to the application process.

 Application process moves to Ocean System. NSLP organizations apply directly through the system.  CACFP applications are manually put in by department staff.  School Applications are cleared through the Training/ Certification Department, School Food Service Administrators must meet educational qualifications, site Managers must be certified.  When all applications have been checked by appropriate Department Staff, that Departmental Director recommends approval and the contract is sent to the Director of Child Nutrition for final signature. Letters are sent confirming the acceptance of application. Finance is notified that a claim may be submitted. All payment are made through Ocean.

Child Nutrition Management System Goals  Meet current federal requirements for Child Nutrition programs, and provide automated updates as required by USDA  Provide accurate reconciliation and error-free reporting  Provide specialized audit reports as mandated by Federal and State requirements  Provide capability for staff in local education agencies and day care facilities to enter/update/upload data directly into the system

Child Nutrition Management System Goals Cont.  Provide automated work flows  Reduce manual processes  Improve operating efficiency and accuracy  Provide flexible payment options  Reduce system maintenance cost

Ocean Screen Shots Administration

OCeaN Screen Shots Programs

OCeaN Screen Shots Letter of Request (LOR)

OCeaN Screen Shots NSLP Contract

NSLP Site Level Information OCeaN Screen Shots

Finance

OCeaN Screen Shots Training

RFP Response  1 original, 10 copies, electronic copy on CD  Proposal Bond, Section IV, Item 36  Proposal Exceptions, Section V – not able to take exceptions after the fact  Point by point response to Section VII

Upcoming Dates  Deadline for Vendor’s Written Questions – May 5, 2015  Deadline for Questions Answered and Posted – May 22, 2015  Proposal Due Date – June 3 rd, 2015

Cost Information Submission  Section VIII  Costs must be submitted using the format provided  Vendors cannot update costs after the proposal are opened  Project Budget data is not available

Standard Contract  Exhibit A, Software Turnkey Agreement  Review and take exception if necessary

Additional Information  Communication with the State, see Section II, Item 14. The State’s contact person is Donna Hamilton,  Answers to questions posed during the vendor conference are not official unless submitted in writing  Continue to check the ITS website for updates related to the RFP (