DEEP-BOR-01012026 Q and A.pdf

This is a Questions and Answers document related to a Request for Proposals issued by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) for a food, beverage, and campground store concessionaire to operate the concession building at Lake Waramaug State Park in Kent/New Preston, Middlesex County. The solicitation (DEEP-2026-016-MM) seeks a concessionaire to provide full-service food, beverage, souvenir, and outdoor recreation-related merchandise to approximately 50,000 annual day-use visitors and 10,000 campers at a facility that has been inactive since 2023. The concessionaire must provide all staffing, equipment, and supplies, with mandatory minimum operating hours on weekends and holidays from the weekend before Memorial Day through Labor Day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and weekdays in July and August from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. An optional site visit was scheduled for May 7, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., with a written question deadline of May 12, 2026, and answers released by May 15, 2026. The proposal submission deadline was May 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST through the CTSource online portal. The contract includes a three-year initial term with an option to extend for up to three additional years in one-year increments.

Minimum qualifications for applicants include two or more years of experience operating food, beverage, and campground concession services, immediate access to personnel, supplies, and equipment, and a valid food service license from any Connecticut health department. The concessionaire must carry commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 minimum, automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000 minimum, worker's compensation insurance, and fire liability insurance at the appraised building value with the State listed as an additional insured. Proposals will be evaluated on qualifications (35 percent), service expectations including operating schedule, staffing, and rent (35 percent), and menu selection and pricing (30 percent). Annual compensation consists of $3,000 in fixed rent plus a percentage of annual revenue, with rent subject to annual increases of no more than 5 percent effective each May, and annual payments due by May 15th and July 15th if installments apply. No set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types are mentioned, and all vendors are eligible to respond. No incumbent vendor or current contractor has been identified, as the concession building has remained inactive since 2023. The Q and A document clarifies that DEEP is seeking only a concessionaire to operate the concession building and is not accepting proposals from technology or operational systems partners.