Photo by Ellie Strikes Weird

Five months after the District of Columbia Public Schools’ embattled food supplier up and quit, the system is officially soliciting proposals for a new Food Service Management Company (FSMC).

One or more selected companies are needed “to prepare, furnish and to deliver high quality food services products and services” to over 100 DCPS sites, according to a notice published last week.

In June, Chartwells Dining Services agreed to pay $19.4 million to settle a lawsuit brought by former DCPS food services director Jeffrey Mills, but admitted no wrongdoing in the case. Meanwhile, a Washington City Paper cover story chronicled the allegations of mismanagement that included “rotting food, fraud, and millions of dollars lost.”

Shortly thereafter, Chartwells quit as DCPS’ main food services provider after seven years on the job. Chartwells’ president Rhonna Cass, said in a letter to the D.C. Council in July that the company was “no longer a valued partner to DCPS,” and it was best to “exit the contract and allow DCPS to move forward in another direction”—causing concern that the system would be left in the lurch for the school year.

But in a second letter to the D.C. Council, Cass said they would not leave the system without a replacement. DCPS hosted a pre-proposal/bid conference today for a replacement to Chartwells, which will continue to supply food to DCPS until a new supplier is chosen.