Contracting
Contracts are formal agreements between parties that establish a clear roadmap for doing business together. Nutrition programs may have a number of contracts with various vendors and suppliers, each with their own unique roadmap to follow. Having a thorough understanding of how to develop and employ contracts will help you to protect your organization, foster successful partnerships, and ensure you meet your program goals.
Quick Guides
- Business Contracts: Ensuring Flexibilities During the Unexpected — Considerations for food service contracts
- Contracting Tips for Purchasing Meals/Food — Outlines the recommended process for sourcing meals
- Options for Contracting Meals — How to choose the right meal provider for your program
- Proposal To Hire a Kitchen Manager — MSAC Feast Meals case study in evaluating food service approaches
- Evaluating Food Service Approaches Tip Sheet — Tips for evaluating features and limitations of different food service approaches, including contracted or self-operated models
Guides
- SBA Contracting Guide— Resource from the U.S. Small Business Administration
- Guide to Working With Restaurants and Grocery Stores for Meals During COVID-19 — Guidance in partnering with food retailers to maintain competitiveness, provide high quality meals, and offer increased meal choice
- Proposal To Hire a Kitchen Manager — MSAC Feast Meals case study in evaluating food service approaches
Tools & Toolkits
- HCBS Business Acumen Toolkit— Toolkit to prepare community-based organizations to contract with integrated health care entities
- Request for Proposals Template — Customizable tool with tips to simplify the process of soliciting bids and selecting vendors
- Aging and Disability Business Institute Contracting Toolkit— Critical elements
of CBO-health care contracts - Sample Contract Language for RDNs — Examples of deliverables that can be included in RDN contracts or requests for proposals
Presentations
- Implementing a Medically Tailored Meals Program (YouTube)— Network spotlight about contracting with health care plans in California to implement a medically tailored meals program
- Business Acumen — Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana presentation regarding contract with an Accountable Care Organization
- Contract in Hand: Now What? — Southern Maine Agency on Aging presentation on contracts with healthcare organizations
Resources
- Understanding and Writing Contracts and Memoranda of Agreement— Community Tool Box resource on drafting and reading contracts and memoranda of agreements successfully
- NASPO Procurement and Professional Skills Trainings— Free on-demand and instructor-led courses from the National Association of State Procurement Officials
- Partnerships With Food Banks and Other United States Department of Agriculture Programs — Frequently asked questions on how Older Americans Act programs can partner with SNAP, TEFAP, food banks, SFMNP, etc.