Statistics about the School District
Number of Schools |
156 |
| Type of Food System | 42 Carry-In Sites 97 Sef-Prep Sites |
| Operating Budget Purchased Food Budget Equipment Budget |
$29.9 $8.869 million $323,000 |
| Student Enrollment | 74.800 |
| Number of lunches served daily | 38,700 |
| Number of breakfast served daily | 14,500 |
| A La Carte Sales | $893,300 |
Bids and Proposals
Bids and Proposals are posted to the District website, http://purchasing.dpsk12.org throughout the year. Interested vendors should access the website frequently for solicitations of interest.
The current scheduling of postings of bids and proposals is as follows:
| January | • | Cereals, Crackers, Tortilla Chips and Shells |
| February | • | Food Service Small wares |
| March | • | Groceries and Food Staples |
| • | Proposals for Fresh Pizza, Milk, Dairy Products, Chips and Snack Items, all Delivered school-to-school are either extended or posted as applicable | |
| • | Frozen and Refrigerated Products | |
| • | Frozen Service Uniform Tops | |
| April | • | Bread Products |
| May | • | Food Service Sanitation Program, Provided School to School, is either extended or posted as applicable |
| August | • | Canned Fruits and Vegetables |
| September | • | Spices |
| October | • | Plastic, Paper, Foil and Foam Products |
| November | • | Food Service Refrigeration Equipment Repair and Maintenance Proposal is either extended or posted as applicable |
| December | • | Fee for Service for Government Commodity Processed Items |
All foods are to be manufactured and processed in the United States – exceptions are pineapple, mandarin oranges, olives, tuna fish, tea, spices and coffee.
All vendors and manufacturers must provide documentation of their HACCP program following food safety compliance. Proof of Insurance as required in the solicitation must be provided and maintained.
Bids are awarded to the vendor providing the lowest price, meeting product specifications and providing acceptable minimums for shipment quantities. Bids may be awarded by line item or aggregate – as specified in the solicitation.
Proposals are awarded to the vendor providing the best solution to the District based on the evaluation criteria stated in the proposal.
Deliveries are made to the Enterprise Management Warehouse, an alternate cold storage site or school to school as required in the bid or proposal.
Product Specifications and New Product Evaluation/Testing
Denver Public Schools, Food and Nutrition Services purchases products that meet nutritional requirements and specifications, contribute to a reimbursable breakfast, lunch or snack, are applicable and affordable to the program and potentially increase program participation.
Government commodities and processed commodities are important to the operation. Commercial purchases of like processed items are preferred in order to maintain consistency.
Current product specifications are the result of nutritional analysis and guidelines and product testing and acceptability. Child Nutrition (CN) labeling and/or documentation of meal contribution are considered.
Product testing is done in various ways depending on the product. Supervisory personnel evaluate some items in-house, some are tested on small groups of students and others are tested by students at all grade levels in different areas of the district.
The following documentation is required for product evaluation:
- nutritional documentation
- product specification
- contribution to a reimbursable meal
- approximate cost
Submit to the attention of Buyer, Enterprise Management, Food and Nutrition Services, 2320 West 4th Avenue, Denver, CO 80223 for evaluation by the dietitian and the committee testing new products.
After evaluation and review if there is further interest or if the product is considered an equal to current approved brands, a small quantity of sample product will be requested. A larger quantity may be requested at a later date for testing with a student group. Small quantities of samples are provided at no cost to the district. The department may purchase larger quantities for extensive testing.
How the Student Tasting is Conducted
Student tasting of new products is conducted in two ways:
- Products are prepared and served on the line
- Small samples of prepared food are given to students during the meal service
A survey is provided to each student. Students are asked to evaluate the product on the characteristics of taste, appearance and if they would eat it again. The data is collected and tallied.
Evaluation by Kitchen Staff
Products are evaluated by the kitchen staff for cooking processes, quality of product before and after cooking and ability to hold the product.
How a Purchasing Decistion is Made
Survey forms are collected and data tabulated. Based upon all the information gathered, the product testing committee makes a final decision.
Nutritional Analysis
Once a new product is accepted in our office, we verify that the product meets the following nutritional guidelines:
DPS Nutrition Guidelines
Calories from fat is equal to or less than 40%
Saturated fat is equal to or less than 10%
Sugar by Weight is equal to or less than 35%
Our cycle menus have a weighted nutritional analysis calculated for each week based on these guidelines.
Training
Training is conducted throughout the school year and six weeks during the summer. Classes occur in classroom settings: classroom, computer lab, and site kitchens. Class topics include orientation, leadership, computer, cashiering, marketing, HACCP, nutrition, food safety, food production (baking & cooking), and customer service.
The Senior Manager of Nutrition Programs schedules needed demonstrations or on-site training.
A Manager Trainee Program is offered for persons interested in advancing to the position of lunchrrom manager.
Equipment Installation
The Equipment Manager schedules installation of new equipment.
Warehouse and Distribution
Operates four warehouses; with the main warehouse and the central receiving location being at:
301 Wyandot Street
Denver, CO 80223.
Operates the School Supply Store for purchase of a wide variety of supplies by schools and departments
Operates a fleet of 40 vehicles
Responsible for the warehousing and distributing food and supplies to all schools and buildings once a week
Responsible for the distribution of intra-district mail to schools and buildings every other day
Responsible for distributing books, furniture, musical instruments, etc. as needed basis (when manpower is available)
Fixed Assets
Responsible for the receiving, bar coding and conducting an annual inventory of new technology assets
Responsible for the removing old and unserviceable technology assets from schools and buildings and preparing them for auction
Responsible for maintaining the database on all District technology and capital assets
Human Resources Benefits
- subsidized health benefits for Full-Time and Part-Time employees
- longevity pay
- paid holidays
- sick leave
- stipend for certification
Training classes offered throughtout the year. (See Training)
Paid CDL licensure for Warehouse Employees
Careers Available in Enterpise Management
Food and Nutrition Services - school sites:
- substitutes
- workers
- managers
Warehouse
- truck drivers
- shipping and receiving clerks
Central Office
- area supervisors
- clerical support
- financial staff
Vending
- vending drivers
To Apply for a Job - Part Time of Full Time
- On-line at:
https://secure.recruitingcenter.net/Clients/DPS/PublicJobs/canviewjobs.cfm
- In person at:
2320 West 4th Avenue
Denver CO 80223
Vending
Equipment
- 120 vending machines of various types – snack, coffee, cold food, coin changers and microwaves
- Machines (Crane National, Rowe, AP, GE, and ASI)
- three box trucks, one equipped with a refrigerated box
- one refrigeration truck
- vending supervisor evaluates, purchases and installs department owned equipment
Product
- current main supplier, Vistar Corp, was chosen by bid process
- at least 50% of products in vending machines meet state health standards of: 35% fat cal, 10% saturated fat, 35% sugar by weight
- 40-50% of products in vending machines meets DPS health standards of: 40% fat cal, 10% saturated fat, 35% sugar by weight
- an average of 3860 items sold per day
- fresh food such as sandwiches and salads are available at select locations
- vending supervisor evaluates samples of potential products
Vending Office Address
All correspondence, food, or equipment are delivered to:
ATTN: Vending or Carlos Vigil Jr.
2800 W 7th Ave Denver CO 80204
Ph 720-423-4275
Fax 720-423-4279
