Prepare
Learn Institutional Procurement Basics
- Public & Private
- FSMC & Self-Operated
Introduction
Food purchasing decisions may be limited or influenced by several factors, including legal constraints, food service management company policies, affiliations with group purchasing organizations, and available vendors. On this page, you can:
- Learn about the legal constraints unique to public and private institutions.
- Learn how employing a food service management model or joining a group purchasing organization may impact your institution’s procurement practices.
- Learn about the landscape of food vendors.
Keep In Mind:
These concepts help inform each step of procurement decisionmaking, and you may want to return to this section as you work through through the rest of the Toolkit.
Guiding Activities
Understand Legal Limitations: Public vs. Private Institutions
Different laws, rules, and restrictions guide the procurement practices of public and private institutions.
Understand Food Service Management Strategies: Food Service Management Companies vs. Self-Operation
Institutions can either manage their own food operations, as “self-operated” institutions, or outsource some or all of their food operations to a food service management company.
Understand Purchasing Power: Group Purchasing vs. Individual Purchasing
In addition to choosing whether to work with a management company, an institution may choose to join a group purchasing organization.
Understand Vendor Types: Values-Based Vendors vs. Traditional Vendors
This Toolkit distinguishes between “values-based vendors” and “traditional vendors.”