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Resource | Policy Buy American Accommodation Process for School Year 2025-26

This memorandum provides guidance on the Buy American accommodation process. This memorandum provides the state agency the ability to approve temporary relief for school food authorities that demonstrate they cannot meet the thresholds for non-domestic food purchases for school year 2025-26.

02/20/2025
Resource | Policy Memos Market Basket Analysis when Procuring Program Goods and Modifying Contracted-For Product Lists

This memorandum provides guidance to state distributing agencies and recipient agencies on the use of market basket analysis in procuring processed end products for USDA Foods in Schools and commercial goods for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program. 

01/18/2018
Resource | Policy Memos Compliance with and Enforcement of the Buy American Provision in the NSLP

This memorandum replaces SP 24-2016, Compliance with and Enforcement of the Buy American Provision in the National School Lunch Program. It provides several updates, including suggested contract language to be utilized in solicitations, and serves to reinforce the importance of the Buy American provision to our economy and its positive effects on small and local businesses.

06/30/2017
Resource | Policy Memos Q&A: Purchasing Goods and Services Using Cooperative Agreements, Agents, and Third-Party Services

This memorandum provides general guidance on the various procurement groups FNS has identified, how to use each group in a way that complies with federal procurement standards, and supersedes SP 35-2012, Procuring Services of Purchasing Cooperatives, Group Purchasing Organizations, Group Buying Organizations, etc., dated June 12, 2012.

10/19/2016
Resource | Policy Federal Small Purchase Threshold Adjustment

This memo clarifies the small purchase threshold applicable to procurements under FNS programs.

04/30/2013
Resource | Policy Memos Further Clarification in Crediting for, and Use of, Donated Foods in Contracts with Food Service Management Companies

The attached memorandum is Food Distribution Policy Memo FD-110, which clarifies requirements in crediting for, and use of, USDA donated foods in contracts with food service management companies, and provides guidance to ensure compliance with such requirements in the first and final years of such contracts.

10/22/2010
Resource | Policy Memos Geographic Preference for the Procurement of Unprocessed Agricultural Products in the Child Nutrition Programs

The purpose of this memorandum is to update the definition of what is considered “unprocessed” for the purposes of applying the optional geographic preference for procurement in the child nutrition programs.

11/13/2009
Resource | Policy Memos Procurement Questions

Please be aware that the procurement questions from July 22, 2009 have been revised. This new set of procurement questions supersedes the previous set, as a change has been made to the second Q&A under “Local Purchasing."

10/09/2009
Resource | Policy Memos Economic Price Adjustments in Vendor Contracts

Today’s unpredictable economy has made it important to consider accounting for the fluctuating costs of goods and services that are beyond the control of either the school food authority or the vendor.

01/23/2009
Resource | Policy Memos Prototype Language for Return of Discounts, Rebates and Credits to School Food Authorities

In response to several requests and to assist state agencies and school food authorities in their compliance efforts, we are providing the following prototype contract language requiring the return of purchase incentives to SFAs.

05/01/2008
Page updated: October 14, 2021