Food Service & Catering Services

Project Overview St. Cloud Technical and Community College is requesting proposals to assist in developing year round food and catering services to provide students and staff with wholesome food and refreshments at moderate prices. A full menu and services is expected on student contact days, with limited services offered over school breaks and summer. The services should be inviting, responsive to the needs of students and staff, and serve as a positive force in attracting and retaining students and community support. St. Cloud Technical and Community College is seeking to enter into a mutually beneficial relationship with an enthusiastic, creative food service provider to develop and implement unique solutions to the specific dining needs of the campus. Contractors are encouraged to be as creative as possible in proposing a food service and catering program that will provide a high level of customer service. Vendor Requirements College Operating Conditions Utility services as may be reasonable and required for the efficient performance of the contract shall be furnished by the College. The College will provide adequate equipment for the manual food service line and kitchen preparation areas. Replacement of existing college-owned equipment shall be the responsibility of the college. The purchase of additional pieces of preparation or service equipment shall be done only on a written and signed contract with the college. The College shall be responsible for the maintenance and repair of college-owned food service equipment. The college shall have the final decision regarding the replacement of college-owned pieces of equipment. The College shall be responsible to do the cleaning/upkeep of the exhaust duct systems in the food service preparation areas. The College will allow the vendor use, with no charge, of all the college-owned cafeteria equipment and supplies that are already in place. The College retains ownership of equipment and will not allow other entities to use said equipment. The College will pay for the disposal of the refuse generated in the college at the cafeteria. The College shall be responsible for all costs and maintenance of insect and pest control in all assigned areas for production, service and storage. A schedule of frequency of service shall be maintained by the college. The College will be responsible for cleaning the dining room floor and tables during the times the manual food service is not open. The college will be responsible for cleaning of walls and floors in the entire food service area over the Summer Break, and will coordinate this cleaning with the vendor. The College will be responsible for cleaning restrooms and stocking with necessary paper products. The maintenance of the dining room furniture will be the responsibility of the College. Vendor Operating Conditions A. Food Service The hours for the manual food service during the academic year will be at a minimum 7:30 am – 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Additional hours will be provided for special functions when the College deems it necessary. The SCTCC kitchen area includes: Kitchen/serving line: 4393 square feet Instructional kitchen: 683 square feet Small Dining: 1109 square feet Commons: 4774 square feet Blueprints of kitchen area can be found in the Buyer Attachments. The manual food service will operate with the official school calendar and will be open every day the College has classes and/or exams (see attached academic calendar). The breakfast menu will be available from 7:30 am until 10:30 am each day the manual food service line is open. The food service line will include, but not limited to: · nutritionally balanced daily special · a variety of hot grilled and non-grilled luncheon selections; · low-fat and healthy food choices, including fresh fruits and vegetables; · deli-sandwiches and other pre-prepared “eat on the run” items; · seasonal foods/beverages, e.g. ice cream, hot chocolate, etc.; · ethnic or cultural foods occasionally · specialty sandwiches/salads with some variety in options; · vegan, non-meat, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, allergen free options; · grab and go options, with a variety of portions and prices. Food presentation should be aesthetically pleasing, and “extras” such as cookies, fruit, condiments, eating and serving utensils, etc. should be conveniently located to traffic flow and accessible to wheelchairs. All food should be of a quality comparable to other restaurants in the community, with affordable prices that are competitive with other local dining options. All food must also meet government regulations. Basic nutritional and allergen information should be available upon request. B. Menus, Prices, and Catering Weekly menus must be published and/or posted in multiple formats. The vendor will prepare a weekly menu to be available for the students and staff of the college. The vendor will post the menu in “key” areas around the college campus to advertise the weekly menu selections. The vendor will set up a display board near the food area to advertise the daily and weekly food selections. Vendor will be also expected to provide marketing materials for college distribution and to collaborate with the college’s marketing department for campaigns. Food and beverage catering service for select College and outside group-sponsored functions such as banquets, receptions, conferences and/or other special events will be provided by the food service vendor upon request of the services required and advised on effective program arrangements. For events not sponsored by the college, St. Cloud Technical and Community College shall recommend the vendor be used for catering services, when possible. Vendor has the right to utilize its assigned Premises to cater non-College events held off campus, provided it does not conflict with the performance of this contract. The College shall have the right to determine in its sole discretion whether the Vendor’s catering of a non-College event held off campus is in conflict with the performance of this contract. Vendor shall notify St. Cloud Technical and Community College of such events in writing no less than ten (10) business days prior to the event. Such events shall be commissionable to the College at the same rates as for on-campus events. The vendor must be alert and accommodating to changing diet patterns and culinary trends. As a result, the vendor will be expected to initiate ideas for varied methods of food service and menu preparations and by mutual agreement implement these variations within the conditions of this contract. Proposals will include a proposed menu for the manual food line (or a weekly sample menu at a minimum). The menu should be detailed in respect to names and prices individually and in aggregate. The size (weight, volume, etc.) of each serving shall be stated. Proposed menus should include samples of special diet menus, dollar/value menu options for breakfast and lunch, a sample weekly menu with daily specials, and salad bar options. Menus for catering service including prices shall also be included in the proposal. Any special services available through the catering program (waitress service, dinnerware, etc.) should be included with prices attached. A proposed itemized catering menu to include hot/cold lunch options, box lunch options, and meeting “break” options, at a minimum, must be included in the RFP response. Budget friendly options shall also be included. Catering includes services related to delivery, set up, and clean up. Prices stated in the proposal shall be in effect for at least the first year of the contract. The vendor will be expected to have allowed for the inflationary factor, etc., in presenting a food service proposal and should not expect college approval to increase prices during the first year of the contract. Under no circumstances shall price changes be put into effect without having first obtained written consent of the college. After the initial contract year, the parties, upon mutual written contract, may negotiate the specific terms and conditions of this contract where circumstances beyond the control of either party required said adjustments. The exclusive rights granted to the vendor to conduct the food service shall not prevent concession sales by athletics, student clubs, SCTCC foundation or others designated by the college. Nor shall it limit the right of the bookstore to sell candy, gum, snacks, grab and go items, coffee, and other beverages. Furthermore, for special circumstances (such as culturally authentic ethnic food), limited specialized food service may be provided by the college, external vendors, or others. Vendor will also be expected to establish a partnership with the bookstore and other auxiliary enterprises to provide pre-packaged food options to sell outside of food service hours if requested by the college. C. Supplies The vendor shall furnish all food, supplies, paper supplies, and products that are necessary for the efficient and effective operation of areas mentioned in this contract. The vendor will be responsible for providing all cleaning supplies including, but not limited to garbage bags, mop heads, and cleaning buckets, institutional grade dishwasher soaps/supplies, and garbage bags for use in the kitchens and cafeteria areas. D. Equipment Pictures and/or descriptive information of any additional equipment to be used by the vendor shall be included in the proposal. The vendor agrees to maintain in good condition, satisfactory to the college, the college-owned equipment and facilities. The vendor will secure the approval of the local health department in addition to other governmental agencies having applicable jurisdiction. In addition, the vendor will possess all Federal, State, and local licenses required for said operation. The vendor will be responsible for the daily and ongoing cleaning of the food service equipment. E. Sanitation and Maintenance The vendor has the responsibility for keeping the dining area tables clean and cleared during the hours that the manual food line is open. The vendor will also have the responsibility for keeping the floor service area clean and cleared during the hours that the manual food line is open. The floor service area is defined as the area in which food is prepared, served, dispensed, and/or purchased. The vendor will also be responsible for collection and properly disposing of refuse from the food preparation and dining area. The refuse will be disposed of daily, when garbage containers are full and at close of business each day. The vendor will move refuse to the disposal area. The cleaning of the preparation, kitchen, serving, and payment areas will be the responsibility of the vendor. Cleaning and maintenance should be performed daily. The vendor will be responsible for the daily and ongoing cleaning of the food service equipment and the kitchen floor area, along with all sinks including the hand washing sink. Microwaves and condiment stands will be maintained and cleaned daily by the vendor. The vendor shall set up catered events within the hour prior to the scheduled function. The vendor shall clean up catered events within one hour after the scheduled function. The vendor shall furnish copies of the Safety Data Sheets to the college’s Physical Plant Director/Environmental Health and Safety Officer. F. Environmental Issues The vendor will provide information as to how it will comply with “environmentally friendly” operational expectations of the contract. The vendor shall stipulate as to how it will actively practice energy conservation. The vendor is expressly forbidden to use any products that may result in the release of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) into the atmosphere. The vendor will actively participate in recycling of glass, plastic, and metal products. G. Accountability The vendor agrees to collect the proceeds of all sales and services, provide monthly sales and cash count reports for the manual and catering services, and render, when requested, daily sales register tapes and daily cash counts report to the college. The monthly report should include a daily summary including sales and customer count and be delivered to the SCTCC Director Business Services on a monthly basis. The college/state reserves the right to inspect the vendor’s records and conduct an audit of the records dealing with the vendor’s business at the college. H. Other Considerations The vendor will accept all major debit/credit cards, cash, checks. The vendor will establish security procedures to protect cardholder data and comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. The vendor can find details of the PCI DSS at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml. The Vendor will obtain its own internet services which will not be connected to the college’s network. None of the hardware used by the Vendor will be connected to the college’s internet, intranet, or servers. The Vendor will be responsible for all costs associated with its communications, including any costs related to with maintenance, equipment, and service charges. Selection Process The selection process includes the Vice President of Administrative Services and the Director of Business Services, along with representatives from SCTCC faculty, staff and Student Services representative. This group will evaluate the proposals and make the final decision. Pre-award Vendors Conference A pre-award vendor conference at St. Cloud Technical & Community College will be optional. Please contact Rochelle Krantz at +1 (555) 000-0000 if you wish to schedule a pre-award conference to include a tour of campus operations. Pre-award vendor conferences must be scheduled prior to April 10th, 2026. Evaluation Factors The following factors and their identified weight will be used to evaluate the responses: Factor Weight Expressed understanding of proposal objectives. 5 Concept proposal (menu, pricing, catering services, nutritional information, display, and marketing) 35 Consistency of the proposed solutions to St Cloud Technical and Community College present and future needs. 20 Qualifications of the vendor and its personnel 15 Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response as reflected by the proposal's discussions and coverage of all elements of work listed above 25 Total: 100 Contract Terms Minnesota State desires to enter into a contract with the successful Respondent(s) effective 6/1/2026 or on the date the last recognized signature is obtained, whichever occurs later. The length of such contract(s) will be 3 years with an optional 2-year extension. If Minnesota State and Respondent are unable to negotiate and sign a contract by May 15, 2026 then Minnesota State reserves the right to seek an alternative Respondent(s). Minnesota State reserves the right to name a date which all responding Respondents will be invited to present demonstrations or participate in an interview. Minnesota State does not agree to reach a decision by any certain date although it is hoped the evaluation and selection will be completed by the contract terms date identified. Inquiries and Submission Instructions Minnesota State accepts all questions and bid submissions exclusively through Minnesota State's e-procurement system. Hard copy submissions, emails, or submissions through any other medium will not be considered. Each Respondent is solely responsible for the timely delivery of its questions and bids by the RFP date and time deadlines. Failure to meet the deadlines shall be grounds for rejection.