North Shore School District 112 recently announced a new request for proposals for a food service management company, but the process looks a bit different from last year when the district was reprimanded by the state Board of Education for “questionable actions” related to its search for a contractor.
What would normally be an unassuming part of district management turned into a controversy last year after OrganicLife, which was the district’s food service management company during the 2024-25 school year, submitted a protest to the Illinois State Board of Education against D112’s RFP process for the 2025-26 school year.
According to May 20 and June 10 D112 board meeting documents from Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Jeremy Davis, the district had opened three food service management proposals: OrganicLife, Quest and K-12 by Elior.
Based on the results of a “proposal scoring matrix” and the outcome of taste tests, the district recommended contracting with Quest. While not the lowest-cost proposal, their submission received the highest overall score, Davis’ memo said. The district board approved Quest as its food service management company in June.
But in the protest sent to the ISBE, OrganicLife raised issues over the use of unofficial channels of communication, the scoring matrix and the taste test process that the ISBE had “not been informed” about when it approved the district’s contract.
Those included accusations of changing the deadlines for the taste test, contacting Quest and other vendors through unofficial channels to encourage them to participate in the taste test after the original deadline, and various issues with the scoring matrix.
Various changes had been made without amending the RFP, seeking the ISBE’s consent or informing all potential offerors of the change, OrganicLife legal representatives said.
Following the protest, the ISBE sent a letter on Aug. 11 to D112 Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld rescinding its prior approval and cutting off previously approved federal funds until the district ended its contract with Quest and entered a one-year emergency contract with OrganicLife.
ISBE’s letter pointed to “substantial ex parte communications” with Quest, offers of gratuities or benefits from a prohibited source during procurement, and “material departures” from the RFP’s stated terms.
It also named Davis, the assistant superintendent for business services, alleging “several other questionable actions” taken by him and the district.
“These irregularities in their totality significantly undermine the appearance of impartiality and fairness, indicating that the procurement and/or resulting contract is not compliant with federal procurement requirements, and is contrary to open and free competition,” the letter said.
Changed process
Following the letter, Lubelfeld said an independent legal firm would conduct a review of the district’s RFP process. That review is reportedly complete, the district said, conducted by the law firm Franczek, with the report shared with the district board.
“The board will determine what, if any, actions to take based on the findings. Our focus is the current RFP, and we have updated it based on last year’s experience,” a district representative said.
A Freedom of Information Act request for reports generated by any investigations or reviews of D112’s request-for-proposal process was denied on the grounds that it contained communications from the district’s attorney for the purpose of providing legal advice, and were exempt from disclosure because they contain internal opinions and preliminary recommendations shared for the purpose of formulating policies or actions.
Davis, who had been named in the ISBE’s letter, is not involved in this year’s RFP process, the district said. It declined to comment on whether he has or will face any internal reprimands because of last year’s controversy, noting it does not comment on employee personnel matters.
As the district looks for a potentially new food service management company, Lubelfeld said D112 officials are conducting a “competitive request-for-proposal process,” and are “glad to be expanding the National School Meal Program, so students at all nine schools will have access to breakfast and lunch.”
According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, the NSMP is a federally assisted meal program providing low-cost or free lunches to schoolchildren.
The district’s RFP process this year is using the ISBE’s food service management company request for proposal template, the district said, and it is working with legal counsel throughout the process. Vendor communications are routed through a single email address so the whole committee can review them, the district said, and phone calls and one-off emails “are not part of the process.”
Also changed is a ban on site visits and taste testing. The district said those are not mandated by the ISBE, and will not be included in this year’s RFP process. Additionally, the district will not negotiate after proposals are submitted, instead “evaluating proposals using the published criteria and what vendors submit in writing.”
That includes food safety and compliance documentation, USDA nutrition requirements, service capacity and references, the district said. The new approach will keep the process “consistent” for respondents and create a “clear audit trail for state and federal reviewers.”
When asked whether Quest will be allowed to submit a proposal after last year’s controversy, the representative said the district does not comment on potential respondents in advance and that any vendor that meets published requirements can submit a proposal.
The district also recently created a food service concern page on its website. The district said it was part of a “districtwide approach for family-facing third-party vendors,” and it has similar forms for transportation and after-school care.
“It gives families one place to submit concerns, and it creates a clear path for follow-up so issues are answered and addressed,” the district said.
