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- About   - About Us
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- ican!

# 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                       - Contracting Considerations
                      - Contracting Terms
                      - Sample 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                       - Memorandum of Understanding Template 
                    - 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.

*Last modified on 01/16/2024*

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ACL funds the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center to build the capacity of senior nutrition programs funded by the Older Americans Act to provide high-quality, person-centered services and enhance program sustainability and resiliency.

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An official website of the Administration for Community Living, an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.