REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)
Announcement Title: Assessing Point-of-Service / Point-of-Sale Systems in School Nutrition
Programs in the United States.
Funding Agency: This project is being funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service through an agreement with the National
Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI). The National Food Service Management Institute,
Applied Research Division (NFSMI, ARD) is responsible for coordinating this RFP. NFSMI,
ARD is located at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
NFSMI, ARD supports the NFSMI mission by systematically conducting research and
development projects that influence child nutrition operational practices by increasing
knowledge, providing research based resources, and determining best practices for issues
impacting the operation and improvement of Child Nutrition Programs. NFSMI, ARD’s primary
research threads include: operational accountability, customer service, best practices, human
resources, wellness, and equipment purchasing and facility design.
Key Words: school lunch; school nutrition programs; school food authority (SFA); point-ofsale / point-of-service (POS); National School Lunch Program (NSLP); School Breakfast
Program (SBP); non-certification errors; cashier-errors; aggregation-errors; reimbursable-meal;
participation; meal pattern; meal component; Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA);
and nutrition standards
Announcement Number:
Release Date:
NFSMI-ARD-RFP: 0002-2013
October 1, 2014
Award Amount: One project will be funded up to a maximum of $34,250.00
Deadline for Proposal Submissions: December 15, 2014
Award Notification Date: on or about January 19, 2014
Project Activity Period: April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016
Background Brief: According to USDA, FNS, point of service (POS) is defined as “that point
in the food service operation where a determination can accurately be made that a reimbursable,
free, reduced price or paid lunch has been served to an eligible child (USDA, 2012). In 2007, the
Food and Nutrition Service division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded the Access,
Participation, Eligibility, and Certification (APEC) study. The purpose of this study was to
determine national estimates of erroneous payments associated with the National School Lunch
Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The findings of this study revealed a
relatively high incidence of non-certification errors, many of which originate at the point of
service. Non-certification errors were defined as errors that occur in the stages between
certifying students’ eligibility status and reporting meal counts to state agencies for
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reimbursement. Two primary types of non-certification were identified, cashier errors and
aggregation errors. (USDA, 2012)
Cashier errors were defined as errors by cafeteria staff in assessing and recording whether
a specific meal selection meets the criteria for a reimbursable meal under the NSLP or SBP.
Examples of cashier error included: counting meals as reimbursable that do not contain the
required number of components, counting meals as reimbursable that are served to ineligible
people and failing to count meals as reimbursable that meet all the requirements. (USDA, 2012)
Aggregation errors were defined as counting, consolidation, and claiming errors that
occur between the time meal reimbursement status is recorded by the cashier at the point of sale
and the time the district submits the claims for reimbursement to the state agency. Examples of
points where aggregation errors occur included the following: “adding up the meals from
individual points of service to a total daily count at a school,” “communicating meal counts
between a school and the school food authority (SFA),” and “totaling counts across schools at
the district level and filling out and submitting the claims for meal reimbursement.” (USDA,
2012)
Background Brief References:
National School Lunch Program, 7 CFR § 210.2, United States Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services (2012). Retrieved from:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2012-title7-vol4/pdf/CFR-2012-title7-vol4.pdf
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research,
Nutrition and Analysis. (2007). NSLP/SBP Access, Participation, Eligibility, and Certification
Study – Erroneous Payments in the NSLP and SBP, Vol. I: Study Findings (Report No. CN-07APEC) Alexandria, VA.
Goal & Objectives: The goal of this study is to assess POS systems in school nutrition
programs that do not participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the NSLP and
SBP. The research objectives are to:
1. Describe the sequential flow of information/activities/personnel with paper and electronic
POS systems in school nutrition programs throughout the United States.
2. Identify the key personnel involved in paper and electronic POS systems, including their
skill level, role and responsibilities, in school nutrition programs throughout the United
States.
3. Describe the training provided to key personnel involved in paper and electronic POS
systems in school nutrition programs throughout the United States (such as length of
individual training activities, the frequency of training activities related to POS, content of
the training activities, etc.).
4. Describe the impact of school district size and demographics on the different aspects of
POS systems in school nutrition programs throughout the United States (such as paper
versus electronic, flow of information/activities, personnel, and training).
Project Requirements / Constraints: (Methodology, Budget, Quarterly Reports,
Deliverables, and Site Visits by NFSMI, ARD Project Coordinator, and Timeline)
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Methodology: The award recipient will utilize a combination of qualitative (e.g., qualitative
observation, case studies, structured interviews, focus groups, and/or expert panels) and
quantitative data collection (e.g., questionnaires, surveys, and/or quantitative observation)
methodologies to meet the research objectives.
Budget: $34,250 (indirect costs, or F&A, are limited to a maximum of 29%). Project costs will
include the cost of qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analysis and reporting the
findings.
Quarterly reports: The award recipient will submit quarterly progress reports via email to the
NFSMI, ARD Project Coordinator at the end of the following quarters (until the project is
compete):
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April 2015 - June 2015
July 2015 - September 2015
October 2015 –December 2015
January 2016 – March 2016
Each quarterly report will be reported on a form provided by NFSMI, ARD to include the
following information:
 Activities planned for this quarter
 Activities / milestones / deliverables completed for this quarter
 Deviations from proposed plan for this quarter
 Difficulties encountered and solutions developed during this quarter
 Major activities planned for the next quarter
Deliverables: Upon completion of the research project, the award recipient will submit a
technical report of the research project and all supporting documents and data files created
during the course of the project for review to the NFSMI, ARD project coordinator. The final
technical report, which will be revised by the award recipient based on the NFSMI, ARD project
coordinator review comments, will be submitted to the NFSMI, ARD project coordinator on or
before March 31, 2016. The final technical report will be formatted utilizing a NFSMI, ARD
template (to be given to the award recipient after acceptance of the award) and include the
following components:
 Table of Contents
 Executive summary
 Introduction
 Methodology
 Results and Discussion
 Conclusions and Recommendations
The award recipient will also participate in the production of manuscripts and poster sessions
related to this project. It is the intent of this funding that the NFSMI, ARD project coordinator be
involved in the development and preparation of all publications related to this project. All
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deliverables must be submitted to NFSMI, ARD prior to an award recipient using the data from
the project for an undergraduate or graduate thesis or a doctoral dissertation.
Site visits by NFSMI, ARD Project Coordinator: The NFSMI, ARD project coordinator will
conduct two site visits to data collection locations. The purpose of these site visits is observe the
implementation of the research, determine if the agreed upon methodology is being followed,
and monitor the progress of the project based on the award recipient’s project timeline.
Eligibility Requirements:
Only faculty or researchers employed at a Higher Education Institution (Public/State Controlled
Institutions of Higher Education and Private Institutions of Higher Education) in the United
States may apply.
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APPLICATION CHECKLIST
A successful application must include all of the items listed below. Packets missing one or more of these items
will not be considered for the award.
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A completed Applicant / University Research Administration Signature Form with the names and
signatures of the principal investigator (PI), the department chair, and an authorized signature from the
University Research Administration. A copy of the Applicant / Research Administration Form is
provided at the end of this document.
Documentation verifying the PI has completed Human Subjects Protection Training, such as a certificate
of completion. (Please make sure the PI’s name is on this document.)
A copy of the PI’s current vitae brief. This document should be no more than three pages and focus on
publications / research that demonstrate the PI’s capacity to meet the goal and objectives of this project.
(Please make sure the PI’s name is on this document.)
A research proposal cover page with the PI’s name and the name of the university and department with
which they are affiliated.
(Please format the cover page as follows: 12-point Times New Roman font / triple spaced.)
A narrative which describes the PI’s capacity to successfully conduct:
o operational child nutrition research, such as that described in the purpose and objectives section
(above), and
o qualitative and quantitative research, such as that described in the project requirements and
constraints section (above).
(Please format this section as follows: centered at the top of the first page type the section title
“RESEARCHER’S CAPACITY” in all caps; use 12-point / Times New Roman Font; single space
the text, use 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides; use headings underlined in bold to
delineate the different components of this section. This section should be no longer than 2 pages.)
 A background / literature review expanded beyond that provided in background brief section (above).
(Please format this section as follows: type the section title “BACKGROUND” centered at the top of
the first page in all caps; use 12-point / Times New Roman Font; single space the text, use 1-inch
margins at the top, bottom, and sides; use headings underlined in bold to delineate the different
components of this section. This section should be no longer than 5 pages.)
 A detailed description of the proposed research design and methodology, including the following items
listed below:
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Data needed
Sample selection / description
Data collection strategies
Data analysis strategies
Identify how the results of the proposed research will be disseminated to the public or scientific
community
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 Timeline to include these milestones: human subjects approval, research preparation, data
collection site approval, data collection, data analysis, data dissemination / deliverables
(Please format this section as follows: Type the section title “RESEARCH
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY” centered at the top of the first page in all caps; use 12-point / Times
New Roman Font; single space the text, use 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides; use
headings underlined in bold to delineate the different components of this section. This section should
be no longer than 2 pages.)
 A detailed budget that supports the research design
(Please format this section as follows: type the section title “BUDGET” centered at the top of the first
page in all caps; put the budget in a table; use 12-point / Times New Roman Font; single space the
text, use 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides. This section should be no longer than 1 page.)
 A detailed budget justification.
(Please format this section as follows: type the section title “BUDGET JUSTIFICATION” centered at
the top of the first page in all caps; use 12-point / Times New Roman Font; single space the text, use
1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides; use headings underlined in bold to delineate the
different components of this section. This section should be no longer than 1 page.)
 PDF files of two manuscripts that demonstrate the PI’s capacity to conduct the types of research listed
above.
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SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
The Applicant will submit an email with the six attachments listed below to the NFSMI, ARD
Project Coordinator Keith Rushing at Keith.Rushing@usm.edu on or before December 15, 2014.
1.
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3.
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6.
A completed Applicant / University Research Administration Signature Form (saved as
a PDF file)
Documentation verifying the PI has completed Human Subjects Protection Training
The PI’s vitae brief
A research proposal with the following components:
a. A cover page with the PI’s name and the name of the university and department
with which they are affiliated (12-point Times New Roman font / triple spaced)
b. A narrative describing the PI’s capacity to successfully complete this project
c. A background / literature review
d. A description of the proposed research design/methodology
e. A detailed budget
f. A budget justification
A PDF file of a sample manuscript
A PDF file of a sample manuscript
When saving these documents to send as application attachments, please use your last name with
the initial of your first name and a description of the document as the name. For example, my
name is Keith Rushing. If I were saving a narrative describing my capacity to successfully
complete this project. I would name it as follows: rushingk-researchproposal. If you have any
questions, please free to contact me at (800)321-3054
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APPLICANT / UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION SIGNATURE FORM
NAME OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
TITLE
DEPARTMENT/UNIVERSITY
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
PHONE NUMBER
FAX NUMBER
E-MAIL
ALTERNATE E-MAIL
I ____________________________________________have read and understand the
(Signature of Principle Investigator)
Assessing Point-of-Service / Point-of-Sale Systems in School Nutrition Programs in the
United States (NFSMI-ARD-RFP: 0002-2013) request for proposals (RFP). I meet the
eligibility requirements; I have the capacity and support to successfully implement the project
goal and objectives and I agree to comply with all the project requirements and constraints
outlined in the RFP.
Department Chair _______________________ / __________________________/________
(Print Name: Last, First)
(Signature)
(Date)
University
Research
Administration
Representative _______________________ / __________________________/________
(Print Name: Last, First)
(Signature)
(Date)
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