Food Service Management

Introduction Minnesota State is issuing this RFP for the Dining Services Program Management for Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU). The Dining Services Program includes Residential Dining Services Retail Dining Services Catering/Hospitality Services Summer Conferences/camps Provision of alcohol service as required in conjunction with the above. Concurrently, Minnesota State is issuing an RFP for Dining Services Program Management at Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, Minnesota State University Moorhead, St. Cloud State University, and Winona State University. Each Site will independently award to the Supplier that best meets the needs of the Site. Suppliers may propose on one, several, or all of the contracts. For the purpose of this RFP, the supplier response must be structured for a single site. Each site, with input from the system office, will select the Supplier whose proposal and interview demonstrates in the Site's opinion, the clear capability to best fulfill the purposes of this RFP in a cost-effective manner. Project Scope Refer to the Southwest Minnesota State University Statement of Work in the Buyer Attachments section of this RFP. The Statement of Work describes the Scope of Work to be provided along with the key programmatic, investment, and financial expectations for the contract. Scale of Program In FY24, the Dining Program had revenues of $3,017,284 , operating 1 residental dining center and 3 retail center locations. Mandatory Supplier Engagement Discussion Each university will host a mandatory 90-minute, virtual engagement discussion with key University stakeholders to better understand the visions and objectives for the Dining Services Program. Supplier must attend the Engagement Discussion in order to submit a proposal for that Site. Suppliers are asked to submit their questions in advance according to the Timeline. SMSU's engagement discussion will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2025 at 1:00pm. It is recommended that visionary questions vs. data/process clarification questions be the focus for this activity. To attend the mandatory virtual meeting, suppliers must register in advance by responding to the Notice of Intent to Issue RFP for Food Service and Mandatory Registration for Engagement Discussion no later than August 18, 2025 at 5:00pm. Supplier questions, University responses and discussions occurring in the Stakeholder Engagement Discussion are not binding and do not to replace the answers to questions posted in Marketplace. Suppliers will have the opportunity, as time permits, to ask additional questions via the meeting chat feature. Mandatory Site Tour Southwest Minnesota State University will hold a mandatory site tour for Suppliers to tour the dining locations at the site. Supplier must attend the site visit tour in order to submit a proposal for that Site. Each Supplier will be limited to six (6) participants for each of the site visit tours. Location: Southwest Minnesota State University, Founders Hall Lobby, 360 O'Connell Street. Marshall, MN 56258 Date: September 17, 2025 Time: 2:00 PM Parking information: Supplier questions, University responses and discussions occurring during in the site tour are not binding and do not to replace the answers to questions posted in Marketplace. Questions are due in Marketplace by 2:00pm, Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Selection Process Supplier selection will be based on the information submitted and contained within the response to this RFP as well as management candidates’ responses during a Supplier Finalist Interview at each Site. Suppliers are not guaranteed a Finalist Presentation & Interview opportunity; therefore, it is imperative that the Supplier’s response contains all information relevant to the complete understanding of the Supplier’s capabilities, experience, proposed Dining Services program and financial terms of Minnesota State. The selection process includes a Selection Committee at each University, a Minnesota State System Office Selection Liaison, and the Minnesota State System’s Food Service Consultant. Specifically, each University’s Selection Committee will evaluate the proposals received for that institution, supported by the Minnesota State System Office Liaison as well as the Food Service Consultant for Minnesota State. If a proposal response provides an opportunity for Minnesota State to benefit from awarding two or more contracts to a single supplier, this decision will be made by representatives from all six Selection Committees as well as the Minnesota State System Office Liaison(s). The intent of the RFP, however, is to best meet the needs of each individual Site. Evaluation Factors The following factors and their identified weight will be used to evaluate the responses and select a vendor: Topic Factor Weight Adherence to Minnesota State Terms and Conditions. A statement of the objectives, goals, and tasks to show or demonstrate its view and understanding of the nature of the contract. 3 Work Plan Review of the proposed approach & alignment across key areas including company resources, culinary strategy, dining program (residential, retail, catering, concessions, and athletic dining), customer engagement, marketing, wellness, sustainability, technology integration, and pre-occupancy and investment plans. 30 Supplier Staffing Plan Supplier Staffing Plan. A description of the deliverables to be provided by the Responder along with a detailed work plan that identifies the major tasks to be accomplished and be used as a scheduling and managing tool, as well as the basis for invoicing. 15 Cost/Value. Supplier Financial Proposal. Identify the level of the participation of Minnesota State in the contract, as well as any other services to be provided by Minnesota State, and details of cost allowances for this participation. 30 Qualifications of Respondent and its personnel. An outline of the Responder’s background and experience with examples of similar work complete by the Responder and a list of personnel who will conduct the project, detailing their training, and work experience. Resumes or other information about project personnel should not, if possible, contain personal telephone numbers, home addresses or home email addresses. If it is necessary to include personal contact information, please clearly indicate in the proposal that personal contact information is being provided. Quality of references (professionalism, flexibility, listening/responsiveness, continuous improvement mindset, and partnership). 10 Finalist Presentation and Interview Gain a deeper understanding of the strengths of each firm and team member. Clarify questions related to Supplier's response. 10 Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response Completeness, thoroughness and detail of the response as reflected by the proposal's discussions and coverage of all elements of work listed above 2 Total: 100 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. Some responses to questions require the Supplier to download a file then upload a file. Uploaded file formats must be the same as the downloaded format, for example, if a question requires downloading and excel file, then the uploaded file must be an excel file. If a file is not provided for download, uploaded file formats may be any of the following: .pdf, .docx, or .xlsx. Do not upload compressed or zipped files into Marketplace. Finalist Presentation and Interview Suppliers that move forward in the process to Finalists are asked to make presentations to the Selection Committee(s) of the University or Universities for which they are Finalists. Suppliers not selected as a Finalist will be notified by the Minnesota State System Office. Finalists’ presentations & interviews will take place the week of January 12, 2026. Finalist Suppliers will be notified as to the details of the date, time, location and schedule for the day. Suppliers should plan accordingly as their proposed GM/FSD candidate, Executive Chef candidate, Catering Manager candidate, Marketing Manager, and potentially, Residential Dining Manager and Retail Dining Manager candidates must participate. The presentation & interview format will be as follows: 50 minutes – Why ‘your firm’? (highlight proposal strengths) 50 minutes – Questions & Answers (led by University Selection Committee) 45 minutes – Interview with proposed on-site staff only (all other Supplier representatives leave the room) 10 minutes – Final Questions and Wrap Up NOTE: Selection Committee members cannot accept gifts. Do not bring gifts, food, or ‘leave behind items’ to the Finalist Presentations & Interviews. A document with the names, photos, roles and responsibilities of the interview participants is acceptable. Contract The successful Supplier will be required to meet all the terms and conditions and execute the most current Minnesota State Services Contract. A template is provided in the Buyer Attachments. The final Scope of Services and Financial Arrangements will be negotiated with the selected Respondent. Contract Terms Minnesota State desires to enter into contracts for each Site with the successful Supplier effective July 1, 2026. The initial contract term shall be seven (7) years. At the sole option of Minnesota State, a Site contract may be extended for one (1), three-year period. If Minnesota State and the selected Supplier for a Site are unable to negotiate and sign a contract by February 1, 2026, then Minnesota State reserves the right to seek an alternative Supplier for that Site. Inquiries and Submission Instructions Minnesota State accepts all questions and response 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. Site Visits to Supplier's Accounts University Selection Committee members may choose to make unannounced visits to existing Supplier accounts to observe Supplier's operations. These visits may occur on any day based on the timeline above. Supplier selection will be based on the information submitted an contained within the response to this RFP as well as the Finalist Presentation and Interview. Suppliers are not guaranteed a Finalist Presentation and Interview opportunity; therefore, it is imperative that Supplier's response contains all information relevant to Minnesota State's complete understanding of the Supplier's capabilities, experience, proposed Dining Services program and financial terms. The selection process includes a Selection Committee at each University, a Minnesota State system office representative, and Minnesota State System's Food Service Consultant. Specifically, each university Selection Committee will evaluate the proposals received for that institution, supported by the system office representative and Minnesota State's Food Service Consultant. The university will make the final selection. Consideration for Multi-site proposals If a Supplier intends to offer favorable terms or financial benefits if awarded multiple sites, that information will be considered during the contract negotiation phase. If a proposal response indicates an opportunity for Minnesota State to benefit from awarding two or more contracts to a single supplier, then the decision may be made by representatives from all six Selection Committees as well as the system office representative. The intent of this RFP, however, is to best meet the needs of each individual university.