Expo Pavilion Food and Beverage - SOO Draft.docx

Expo Pavilion Food and Beverage Statement of Objectives

1. Summary

The Expo Unit within the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State requires a contract vendor to provide public food and beverage services at a restaurant in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka, Japan Expo as well as private catering for Pavilion events.

2. Background

Expo 2025 Osaka is a large-scale, universal exposition (also known as a World’s Fair) registered by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE). The BIE is an international treaty organization established to regulate certain international exhibitions. The United States rejoined the BIE on May 10, 2017. Invitations to world’s fairs are extended from the host government to other governments. The Government of the Japan has invited the United States to participate in Expo 2025 Osaka.

The Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will take place on Yumeshima (“Dream Island”), Osaka, Japan, and officially opens on April 13, 2025, and closes on October 13, 2025. Pavilion hours of operation are from 9:00 to 22:00 for 184 consecutive days.

Over 150 countries are expected to participate in the 2025 Expo. With a projected 25-28 million visitors, 70 percent of whom will come from outside of Japan, Expo 2025 Osaka offers an excellent opportunity to inform and inspire foreign audiences— especially those residing in Japan, South Asia, and East Asia—about the United States, its people, values, and foreign policies, and to promote U.S. economic and commercial interests. The U.S. Pavilion is expected to receive up to 5 million foreign visitors over the course of the 2025 Expo.

The Contractor is responsible for providing the services addressed below for the Pavilion from the time of ES Global handing over the building to the Contractor until the custody of the building is returned to ES Global. Tentative dates are March 1, 2025, through October 23, 2025. The Contractor shall comply with local laws and regulations for safety and security. All operations shall be in close coordination with Expo 2025 Osaka authorities and compliant with applicable Expo, Government of Japan, and other regulations, guidance, requirements, licenses, permits, and authorizations as applicable. In handling sensitive information, such as passports, visas, accreditation, U.S. Government VIP schedules and personally identifiable information, the contractor shall adhere to the USG requirements. The Period of Performance is August 2024-October 2025, and the primary location is Osaka, Japan.

3. Performance Objectives

3.1 Objective 1: Provide Food and Beverage Service on contract

· Develop a theme, concept, and menu for a public, casual restaurant and take-away window. The menu will serve items at a range of price points, and the Department has the right to review and approve all food and beverage products offered for sale.

· Product Availability: The Contractor shall ensure the availability of all items listed on menus and menu boards, in adequate supply, during the entire serving period.

· Food Safety Certification: All food service employees shall have a current food safety certification as required by local health department and Expo 2025 guidelines.

· Public Health: All food storage, handling, and service shall conform to the requirements contained in Expo 2025 Guidelines and in accordance with local health laws.

· Reduction of Food Waste and Recycling of Beverage Containers: If disposable table settings are needed, the Contractor shall use biodegradable disposable products (e.g. cups, plates, and cutlery).

· Public Menu Offerings: The menu shall feature diverse offerings suitable for lunch and dinner and highlight American agricultural exports and ingredients, with an understanding of Japanese tastes and flavor profiles. A subset of the menu shall be developed for mobile ordering and take-away. The contractor shall provide healthy food options for adults and children’s menus including vegetarian, foods with less additives, and foods that are gluten free. Offerings shall be quickly and easily executed with consistent delivery. A sample menu is provided only as a reference. None of these menu items are a requirement and the sample serves as a guide for the types of foods/variety desired.

· Food Quality: To the extent possible, the Contractor must use fresh ingredients, especially for produce. The food served shall be of the highest quality possible.

· Highlighting U.S. Exports: The Contractor shall work closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on supply-chain/product sourcing and may be asked to incorporate raw American export product (i.e., U.S. beef imports) into the menu, however the Contractor has final agreement approval on raw product integration. Some raw food products may be donated to the Department as part of a larger sponsorship/supplier program.

· Alcoholic Beverage Sales: Any sale by the contractor of alcohol must conform to all local laws and regulations. Alcoholic beverage service will be available to the public only in designated areas per Expo 2025 guidelines.

· Develop a concept and menu for private catering and events. The menu shall serve items at a range of price points, and the Department has the right to review and approve all food and beverage products offered for sale. Menus are required for the following services:

· Coffee/Tea/Snacks

· Sit down lunch

· Sit down dinner

· Buffet lunch/dinner

· Standing Reception/Passed Hors D’oevres

· Dessert

· Open Bar

· The contractor shall Execute the approved menus for public and private consumption.

· The contractor shall purchase or lease required commercial kitchen appliances, kitchen utensils, health, safety and sanitation equipment and other needs required to service a public restaurant, not provided already through the kitchens, dining room and event spaces.

· Contractor shall work alongside ES Global, the contracted general contractor, to install necessary items and appliances.

· Develop a supply-chain and procurement strategy to ensure fresh, high-quality ingredients and U.S. exports in compliance with all local import laws and food storage requirements.

· Provide efficient and hospitable food and beverage service for the public restaurant and private events.

· Develop a hiring strategy and employ qualified staff for all kitchen, restaurant, and catering services, including cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, bussers, and servers. Hire the following Management-level positions with Department approval:

· Food & Beverage Manager*

· Executive Chef *

· Catering Manager

· Restaurant/Bar Manager

· Finance/HR Manager *U.S. citizen required

· The contractor shall purchase or lease linens, trays, flatware, stemware, silverware, catering service equipment and all other materials required to serve food and beverage at events.

· The contractor shall lease required point-of-sale (POS) equipment through Expo 2025 Association. The dining room/restaurant operations system envisioned allows customers to prepay and order food through a table-top QR code, with food runners delivering food and drinks and then bussing tables afterwards. The operational structure mirrors sit-down restaurant concepts in many international airports.

· The contractor shall procure a mobile-ordering platform that integrates with the POS and allows sit-down diners as well as take-away customers to prepay and order food and beverage.

3.2 Objective 2: Provide Waste Management Services on contract.

· The contractor shall prepare kitchen waste and recycling bins for waste generated during food preparation during the Expo. In accordance with Expo 2025 guidelines, the contractor shall separate the food and cooking oil waste into separate items and bring them to the sub-stockyards after-hours as designated by Expo 2025. The Operations Contractor will be responsible for sorting and removing all other consumer waste and recycling.

Waste shall be removed, sorted and bagged multiple times per day during Expo 2025. Waste brought to the sub-stockyards is weighed on site and the disposal costs are invoiced by Expo 2025 and paid for by the Contractor (per kilo).

3.3 Objective 3: Provide Insurance for the kitchens and dining room to support staff and visitors to address potential liabilities.

· Proof of insurance beginning on March 3, 2025, through October 23, 2025, must be provided by February 15, 2025 to the Contracting Officer Representative.

3.4 Objective 4: Provide Staff Meals on the contract.

· The Contractor shall provide one (1) shift meal for every direct hire employee, including Youth Ambassadors.

3.5 Objective 5: Provide Support for U.S. Commissioner General

· Provide catering services for up to fifteen events (lunch, dinner or reception) for up to 100 guests per event, hosted by the U.S. Commissioner General.

3.6 Objective 6: Provide Culinary Diplomacy services.

· Recruit and program American chefs, showcasing the diversity of American cuisine as well as U.S. agricultural exports.

· Contractor shall have a minimum of five (5) chef programs each lasting a minimum of five (5) days. Chefs may be programmed as speakers at the Pavilion and at Expo venues as well as curating a special event meal, hosted by the Commissioner General and will be conducted in coordination with the Department of State and Department of Agriculture. Recruitment, vetting, and selection will be done in coordination with the Department. The Contractor shall coordinate with visiting chefs on ingredients, food preparation and service, and other technical needs.

· Develop an overall culinary diplomacy strategy over the 184 days of Expo to highlight American food and beverages, both at the USA Pavilion and across the Expo site.

· Support the Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Cooperators, and Official U.S. pavilion sponsors in the F&B industry in developing and executing culinary diplomacy programs at the pavilion.

· Procure or lease a mobile kitchen stage for chefs to demonstrate food preparation for public audiences on the USA Pavilion stage.

3.7 Objective 7: Provide Food & Beverage Closeout services.

· All returnable point of sale (POS), queuing and other equipment, technologies, assets and supplies obtained for the purpose of the event from Expo or its authorized vendors servicing the Pavilion by November 13, 2025.

· Close all customs, insurance, visas, licensing, permits related to food-beverage (alcohol, etc.), banking, access, accreditation, and other issues related to Japanese Government or Expo requirements.

· All assets and equipment shall be removed after closing day, October 13, 2025.

· The Contractor shall return the pavilion/building in the condition equivalent to that when the pavilion/building was handed over by November 13, 2025. The Government has the right of first refusal to take ownership of any components including, but not limited to: furnishings, fixtures, and equipment.

· Removal of all installed equipment;

4. Constraints

The layout, design and electrical allowances of the main commercial kitchen and catering kitchen is attached, as well as the floor plans for the dining room and event spaces. A list of suggested appliances, suitable for the pre-designed kitchens, is attached.

Cost-Share: The Department will provide an allowance for all required equipment and appliances as well as the five management positions outlined above. The Contractor is responsible for the employment of additional full-time and part-time staff including cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, bussers, and servers. The Contractor is responsible for the procurement of the food and beverage supply and consumables/disposables. This is reflected in the attached matrix.

A separate Department grantee, Meridian International, shall coordinate and pay for all the travel logistics for the chefs, and if required, sous chefs, to include visas, airfare, accommodations, local government registration requirements, per diem, honorarium, and as applicable, meals.

Royalties totaling 8% of revenue must be paid directly to Expo 2025 as directed. The Contractor is required to provide proof of royalty payments on a monthly basis.

All electrical, water and telecommunications utility costs are provided by the Operations Contractor (OC). All cleaning services (except the kitchens) are provided for by the OC. Front of House (FOH) Uniforms will be designed by the OC, the F&B Contractor will need to purchase FOH staff uniforms from the OC. Uniform cleaning is provided by the OC. The OC will provide physical on-site security services to include F&B facilities, including Caption TV – Security Cameras (CCTV).

5. Attachments

· Expo 2025 Guidelines.

· Pavilion drawings, plans and installed/included furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E);

· Suggested kitchen appliances and equipment.

· Sample menu