1. Procurement: What Does It Mean? Catrina Peters MS, RD School Nutrition Services Manager Nevada Department of Agriculture

2. Procurement  Definition: Buying stuff  School food service has a lot of rules they are required to follow  Rules on how they can or can’t buy things  Some of those rules make buying local a challenge

3. What kind of rules?  Open and fair competition  Depending on the dollar amount purchased a formal procurement method must be used  Sealed bids  Buying things based on price  Requests for proposals  Buying things when multiple factors are evaluated  Price still has to be the largest evaluated factor

4. What does this mean for school garden folks?

5. If you are donating produce…..  Need to follow food safety requirements  Need to communicate with school foodservice staff  Menu  Quantity  Food Safety

6. If you want to sell your produce…  Need to follow food safety requirements  Need to communicate with school foodservice staff  Menu  Quantity  Food Safety  School Garden produce can be purchased with funds from the school food service account  School food service would still be required to follow the regulations on procurement

7. If you want to sell your produce…  What about supplies and equipment for the school garden?  SP-32-2009, School Garden Q&As, if the garden is used within the context of the school meal programs and serves the purpose of operating and improving the school meal program, supplies and equipment for the school garden may be purchased with funds from the nonprofit school food service account  Contact your school food service director to explore collaboration  Don’t know who your food service director is?  Contact cpeters@agri.nv.gov and I can “e-introduce” youcpeters@agri.nv.gov

8. Food Safety For All!  Get a food safety plan in place  TONS of resources available

9. USDA Farm to School Resources  http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/farm-school  Farm to school census, Policy memos, resources, fact sheets

10. USDA Farm to School Local Procurement Guide  http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/procuring-local-foods

11. USDA Farm to School Fact Sheets http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/procuring-local-foods