Creation of a National Food RFP Model(s)

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Leveraging the power of public procurement to create value for patients, communities, and planet is the ultimate objective of this project. This project was born of the ambition for health care food buyers to “take control of their supply chains” and to make purchasing decisions based on criteria beyond the dominant measures of cost, availability of supply, and food safety, and to introduce values-based criteria that reflects the fuller cost of food decisions, (e.g. waste, GHG emissions) and the opportunity to create value through purchasing (e.g. sustainable agriculture, economic multiplier effects, increased access to affordable fresh food and better health outcomes).

An initial research phase examined contract tools and language that could enable values-based contract models. The research phase was followed by a tool-development phase, which is currently underway with legal and procurement practitioner partners, who are helping to ensure compliance with domestic and international trade regulations. Beta testing of the tools developed by the team will occur over the summer of 2019 and will then be available for public use, adoption, and adaptation.

At least two-thirds of the Innovator’s individual projects included goals around procurement, most often to increase procurement of local foods from their on-site gardens, province, or region. A conversation is also emerging about the need to think more systematically about sustainable and traditional foods. Five Nourish organizations also developed gardens to augment locally-sourced food used on-site, as well as for both therapeutic and educational purposes.

Read the final deck presented at the Food for Health Symposium below

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PROJECT Updates

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Jul 31, 2018

Values-Based Procurement: July 2018 Update

Jul 31, 2018

Here’s a quick update from our team:

We are currently reviewing the 30 food services RFPs from public buyers in multiple jurisdictions; 10+ policies specific to food/catering; 30 reports/academic articles to identify which are most relevant.
Pulling out language and “low-hanging fruit” from existing RFPs, eventually trying to push the envelope on language available for writing more values-drivin RFPs.
Scanning for and pulling out measurement methods or tools for evaluating social and environmental criteria in food RFPs.

We welcome any resources related to evaluating sustainability criteria in food and catering RFPs. We keep coming back to the reality that “If we can’t evaluate the sustainability language, it’s useless!”

We plan to beta-test the two RFP tools we create this Fall, one for self-operated sites and one for sites who outsource food services. Be in touch with us if you are interested in reviewing and testing these tools, by contacting: Maija Fiorante, maijafiorante@gmail.com.

“I get goosebumps when we talk about this project, we need it so badly and I am so glad this is rolling!” says co-lead Donna Koenig.

Jul 31, 2018

Jun 29, 2018

Welcome to Fasken Law & Buy Social Canada

Jun 29, 2018

Today we are delighted to officially welcome Fasken Law and Buy Social Canada as our partners on this project to bring value-based food procurement to Canadian health care. Under the leadership of Buy Social Canada's David Le Page and Maija FIorante, a scan of best-in-class social procurement language is currently underway. With the legal expertise of award-winning firm Fasken Law, led by Kathryn Beck, Vanessa Mui, and Daniel Fabiano, we will bring this research to life by developing and open-sourcing tested language for adoption by health care food purchasers. Read more here.

Jun 29, 2018