Procurement Resource
Technical specification template: ready-to-eat emergency food
A generic, non-restrictive specification that procurement officers and BAC secretariats can adapt when buying ready-to-eat emergency food. Free to copy and edit.
Quick answer: A usable specification for ready-to-eat emergency food covers eighteen lines: format and preparation, energy and protein per defined serving, declared fortification levels, shelf life and remaining shelf life on delivery, primary and secondary packaging with carton dimensions, storage conditions, labelling and lot coding, regulatory documents, sampling, and delivery terms. The table below gives wording for each.
The specification, line by line
Adapt the middle column to your requirement. The right column explains why each line earns its place — useful when a specification is questioned during review.
| Specification item | Suggested wording | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | Ready-to-Eat Food (RTEF) — fortified compressed biscuit | Defines the format. Prevents bids offering items that need cooking. |
| Preparation required | None. Consumable directly from primary packaging without water, heat, fuel, or utensils. | The single most important line for first-response use. |
| Energy per meal serving | Minimum 500 kcal per meal serving | Set against your planned meals per person per day. |
| Protein per meal serving | Minimum 15 g | Guards against high-calorie, low-nutrition offers. |
| Micronutrient fortification | Fortified with, at minimum, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, and Iron, at declared levels per serving | Require declared levels, not just the word "fortified". |
| Serving definition | State grams per piece and pieces per meal serving | Without this, per-serving costs are not comparable across bids. |
| Shelf life | Minimum 24 months from date of manufacture, under ambient storage | Drives how far ahead of season you can procure. |
| Remaining shelf life on delivery | Not less than 80% of total shelf life remaining at delivery | Prevents delivery of near-expiry stock. Frequently omitted. |
| Packaging — primary | Individually sealed, moisture and oxygen barrier packaging | Determines field durability and hygiene at distribution. |
| Packaging — secondary | Sealed carton. State pieces or packs per carton, carton dimensions and gross weight. | Required to compute warehouse and vehicle capacity. |
| Storage conditions | Ambient storage; no refrigeration or cold chain required | Cold-chain items are unusable in most LGU warehouses. |
| Labelling | Product name, manufacturer, lot or batch code, manufacturing date, expiry date, net weight, ingredients, nutrition facts | Lot coding is what makes traceability and recall possible. |
| Regulatory | Valid Philippine FDA registration for the product; certificate to be submitted with the bid | Ask for the certificate itself, not a claim of registration. |
| Manufacturing standard | Produced under Good Manufacturing Practice principles; supporting documentation on request | Distinguishes documented process control from an assertion. |
| Country of manufacture | State country of manufacture | Affects replenishment lead time and supply chain exposure. |
| Traceability | Batch or lot coding enabling identification and recall | Required for any credible food safety response. |
| Sampling | Supplier to provide samples for evaluation prior to award | Cheap, and catches palatability problems before scale. |
| Delivery | State delivery locations, schedule, and whether delivery is inclusive of freight | Ambiguity here is the most common source of dispute. |
Three lines most often left out
- Remaining shelf life on delivery. Without it, near-expiry stock is compliant.
- Carton dimensions and pieces per carton. Without them you cannot compute warehouse or truck capacity, or compare bids on space.
- Serving definition in grams. Without it, “550 kcal per serving” is not comparable between suppliers.
Documents to require with the bid
- Valid Philippine FDA product registration certificate
- Nutrition facts and product specification sheet
- Evidence of manufacturing standard (GMP documentation)
- Company profile and manufacturing capacity statement
- Samples for evaluation
Requiring the certificate itself, rather than a statement that one exists, is the difference between verification and trust.
Need this as an editable document?
We can send this specification as an editable file alongside the FoodSecure PH specification sheet, nutrition facts, and FDA documentation, so your technical working group can compare a real product against the template.
From beneficiary count to purchase quantity
The specification says what to buy. This says how much.
Target people
The population you are covering — evacuees, students, personnel.
Days of coverage
Commonly two to three days for a first-response tier.
Meals per person per day
Two is a common planning basis for emergency feeding.
Buffer
Adds contingency for distribution loss and undercount.
The procurement planner performs this calculation and returns estimated meal servings and total weight for your purchase request.
Frequently asked questions
What should a technical specification for emergency food include?
At minimum: product category and whether preparation is required, energy and protein per defined serving, declared micronutrient fortification levels, shelf life and remaining shelf life on delivery, primary and secondary packaging with carton dimensions, storage conditions, labelling and lot coding, FDA registration, manufacturing standard, sampling, and delivery terms. Specifying a serving definition matters as much as the nutrition figures, because without it bids cannot be compared on a per-serving basis.
What is the difference between a technical specification and terms of reference?
A technical specification describes the characteristics the goods themselves must meet. Terms of reference are broader and cover the engagement: scope, deliverables, delivery schedule, obligations of each party, and evaluation criteria. For a goods procurement such as emergency food, the technical specification is the core document and delivery and evaluation terms are usually attached alongside it.
Should a specification name a brand?
Philippine government procurement generally requires specifications to be generic and non-restrictive so that competition is not unduly limited. Describe required characteristics and performance rather than naming a brand or a product only one supplier can meet. The template on this page is written as generic characteristics for that reason.
Why specify remaining shelf life on delivery?
A product with a 24-month shelf life delivered with four months remaining is close to useless for prepositioning. Requiring a minimum percentage of shelf life remaining at delivery — commonly 80% — is a single line that prevents this, and it is one of the most frequently omitted clauses in emergency food specifications.
How do I turn a beneficiary count into a quantity to procure?
Multiply target people by days of coverage by meals per person per day, then add a buffer for contingency and distribution loss. The procurement planner on this site performs that calculation and returns estimated meal servings and total weight, which you can carry into your purchase request.
Please note: this template is offered as a practical starting point, not as legal or procurement advice. Requirements vary by agency, funding source, and procurement modality. Confirm wording against the rules and issuances applicable to your organisation, and have your Bids and Awards Committee or legal adviser review before use.