Brooklyn Cafeteria Responses To Technical Questions 7-18-23 (6).pdf

RESPONSES TO VENDOR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS-July 18. 2023 Walk-Through Conducted At The Theodore Roosevelt Courthouse, Brooklyn, NY, Solicitation # RLNY0399ZZ2023; Notice ID #RL0399ZZ2023 and RL0399ZZ2023-2

Key: Q- Question; A- Answer/Response To Question

1. A. Reminder: All proposal submissions must be received by 12 noon on Friday August 4, 2023. Please review SOW Ex. 1 for full instructions. One proposal set is to be emailed to Rhonda.greene@gsa.gov and a full copy is to be emailed to Kathleen.rumell@gsa.gov. To insure receipt, please attach the Proposal itself as one attachment and each supporting exhibit, menu or other paperwork, as a separate attachment. You may submit the Proposal package earlier than 8/4/23, but not after 12 noon on 8/4/23. Late submissions will be rejected.

2. Q. What is the current daily occupancy?

A. The current and projected daily occupancy figures were provided in Exhibit 5. The figure currently is estimated at: 1,200, Visitor and Occupants, combined- 225 Cadman, Brooklyn, NY.

3. A. The Conrad Duberstein FB and Courthouse located next door at 271 Cadman Plaza, and the Post Office, Brooklyn, NY have no cafeteria or food vendor (other than vending machines) and are occupied by tenant Agencies eligible for services from this cafeteria. The current combined occupancy number for these next door buildings is over 700 daily.

4. Q. Can food from the cafeteria be delivered to the Tenant Agencies at 271 Cadman Plaza?

A. Yes. It was suggested that it be pre-paid and perhaps a cart with the prepaid orders be rolled over to the 271 Cadman Plaza lobby for pick up by the ordering tenant agency employees.

5. A. It was suggested that if the food provided in the cafeteria was desirable enough and well-priced, surrounding offices might have employees come over to pick up their or multiple employee orders, for a potential expanded market of purchasers. The building is open to the public, but all entering without government ID badges must pass through security to enter the building.

Delivery to outside office buildings or “DoorDash” type of outside contracting is not permitted.

6. Q. Can the cafeteria vendor cater outside?

A. The cafeteria vendor can only provide services to Tenants of the two Federal Courthouses. Other private organizations that come into the building are mailto:Rhonda.greene@gsa.gov mailto:Kathleen.rumell@gsa.gov encouraged to utilize the cafeteria vendor for their in-building functions.

7. Q. Can non-Court related events be catered?

A. Tenant agency- related events can be catered. There may be outside organizations that hold Court-related meetings with catering opportunities offered, such as Moot Court, Bar Association meetings, Inductions, and other events that are related to the tenants, but not ordered by the Tenant agencies.

Tenant agency ordered catering is permitted.

8. Q. Can the cafeteria operator prepare food in the GSA Licensed kitchens to service the needs of outside contracts and corporate offices?

A. No. The GSA Licensed kitchen space is to be used to prepare food for and service Federal Tenants and their related catering and food service needs. It is not to be used to prepare food and deliveries for outside, non Tenant-related contracts or corporate events.

9. Q. When did the most recent vendor leave?

A. Approximately 3 months ago, May 2023.

10. Q. Is there a subsidy offered to the cafeteria operator?

A. No financial subsidy is provided. HOWEVER, NO rent or utilities are charged for this location, so that portion of operating cost is “subsidized”with waiver of these costs.

11. Q. Is the cash register and cashier a responsibility of the vendor?

A. Yes, as are the Internet connection and any wiring needed for electronic menu boards, credit card readers, computers, phones, etc.

12. Q. Are we allowed to purchase equipment or is this the responsibility of the building?

A. The cafeteria operator is permitted to purchase equipment, but the installation and type of equipment proposed,must be approved by the GSA Building Manager. You may use the already existing GSA equipment. The coffee machine is the responsibility of the cafeteria operator to provide. The BM will share the information on a possible prior contact for coffee services, or the vendor may use their own sources.

13. A. All intended electrical, WiFi, Internet and renovation work, must be described and permission to use the equipment and process must be obtained from the GSA Building Management team prior to installation. Use of the in-house maintenance teams may be required. All costs involved are the cafeteria operator’s, unless otherwise indicated by the Building Management team.

Verizon is the current Internet provider in the building.

14. Q. May I use a cell phone service generated Internet system?

A. The proposed system must be submitted to the BM and be vetted with the BM and Courts.

The cell phone service strength should be checked for capabilities.

15. Q. Does my staff need to obtain building clearances?

A. Yes. Please see Ex. 13 A- 13D to review the clearance documents.

16. Q. How many jury trials are held at a time?

A. Approximately 2-5/week, depending on whether trials settle, are postponed, are long or short. Approximately an average of 10-12 daily jury meals are provided.

17. Q. Does the Court pay for meals for prospective jurors on the jury selection days/ Are the individuals called in for Jury selection provided meals as part of the jury meals ordered from the cafeteria vendor?

A. No. However, the prospective jurors are an increased number of visitors/traffic in the building, and represent prospective new customers for the cafeteria. Breaks are limited and they must be re-screened at security to re-enter the building if they go outside, so there is an incentive to utilize the cafeteria.

18. Q. Will I have advance notice of the scheduled jury selection days and approximately how many prospective jurors are expected to be present on a given day?

A. Upcoming jury selection days and catering opportunities are discussed in cafeteria meetings which include the operator. The BM schedules the periodic cafeteria meetings and the Regional Concession manager attend.

19. Q. Are the Jury Meal and Catering opportunities included in the License or separate contracts?

A. The Jury Meal and building tenant related catering opportunities are allowed within the included License opportunities, but are done by separate agreements/contracts with the Courts or tenant-Agencies.

20. Q. How flexible are meal options for the jury meals?

A. The meal options are fairly basic. Basic sandwich or wrap selections (2-3 or so), chips or cookies, beverage. The options and components are arranged with the Court representatives. GSA is not involved with arrangement of the Court jury meal or catering options. These arrangements and payments are done directly with and through the Court personnel. Generally, the determination of what constitutes a jury lunch, or specialty lunch (Kosher, vegan, etc.), the costs and associated daily juror order sheet format, is determined ahead of time, with individual jurors selecting specific sandwich or drink types from a daily selection sheet.

21. Q. How are jury meals and catering services paid to the operator?

A. The operator is generally paid through a purchased order. This requires pre-approval of the agreed-to amount, submission of an invoice once services are rendered and an approximate 30 day payment turnaround period. Catering events are paid according to the contracted terms and may be paid by credit card, check or a purchase order according to what was agreed upon.

The vendor contracts directly with the Courts and Tenant Agencies. GSA is not involved in the billing and payment process, except as a cafeteria meeting issue to assist with.

22. Q. Is there a yearly budget for jury meals?

A. There is one. The ceiling payment is approximately $12-$15 per juror per meal (lunch) currently.

23. Q. Can the cafeteria vendor cater outside?

A. Only to provide services to Tenants of the building (225 and 271 Cadman Plaza tenants). Other private organizations that come into the building are encouraged to utilize the cafeteria vendor for their in-building functions and the cafeteria operator may contract with these tenant-related organizations.

24. Q. Average time span for jury trial?

A. It ranges. It might settle, might be a long or short trial. Not able to provide an average for the number of trials. The average for ordered jury meals is currently estimated at 10-12 lunches per day.

25. Q. Is all the equipment present in the kitchen owned by GSA?

A. Yes, all that is present, except for the Pepsi/Coke cooler and fountain service machine. They are not the prior vendors and seem to have been left behind by prior operators as abandoned property. Those are available for use unless the vending company claims them at a later date.

26. Q. Are “small-wares” included for the vendor’s use?

A. There are a few and only those present in the kitchen. A stack of baking trays, a couple of whisks, a food chopper, and what is present in the kitchen.

27. Q. Is menu item pricing set by the vendor or is set by GSA?

A. The Vendor submits requested pricing for each item to GSA for approval (may have been in proposal), it should be Fair and Reasonable in comparison to surrounding food option pricing and provide a means for the vendor to make a reasonable profit. The operator is cautioned to keep in mind that the Federal work staff is has a personal meal budget that is paid from their own income and also impacted by high living costs. Pricing should be affordable if daily consistent sales to the building employees is desired. Likewise, the average visitor is under similar cost constraints.

28. Q. Are there restrictions on food pricing?

A. The pricing is subject to approval by GSA, must be Fair and Reasonable and should consider that if priced outside of a population’s affordability range, the operator may lose business to surrounding food operations with better pricing if prices are not affordable for consistent meal purchases..

29. Q. Can you operate under the current company name?

A. Yes, you can operate under your current company name, as long as that is the entity that submitted the proposal and was awarded the License to operate the cafeteria business. Be sure the proposing entity is properly registered and remains active in SAM.gov.

30. Q. Who cleans the space?

A. The public areas are cleaned by the government’s janitorial contractor. The cafeteria work, cooking, service, patron tables and private areas are cleaned by the cafeteria operator. The operator is responsible for removal of grease and oil.

31. Q. Who conducts the cafeteria inspections?

A. The GSA Building Manager and FOH- Federal Occupational Services. The NYC Department of Health does not have jurisdiction in a Federal building.

32. Q. Is the Cafeteria Operator limited to the suggested hours of operation in the Statement of Work?

A. No. These are the minimum hours of operation. The operator may begin operation earlier or end later and is mainly bound by the hours the air conditioning or heat are operated.

33. Q. Can the cafeteria operator get an email list of tenants in the building to send marketing flyers or announcements to?

A. Possibly. The Building Management team will work with the operator to develop an email contact list. The Building Management team may be able to assist in sending weekly announcements of cafeteria menus or special events to key Agency points-of-contact for distribution to employees and the cafeteria contractor can request that interested patrons provide their email addresses to receive email notices from the cafeteria at.

34. Q. How are food supply deliveries handled?

A. The cafeteria vendor pre-schedules a time span for a delivery truck to arrive at the loading dock, M-F during work hours. The driver should have picture identification and registration documents for the vehicle available. The carded cafeteria employee should meet the vendor at the loading dock and take the delivered items up to the cafeteria on the designated elevator. The truck is not to be parked in the garage, but must be unloaded at the loading dock. If a delivery vendor is bringing items up to the cafeteria (ie: two delivery people so one remains with the truck), a carded cafeteria employee must accompany and is responsible for the delivery person the entire time of in-building presence. The cafeteria vendor may also bring in their own food supplies but must use the loading dock and assigned freight elevator.

35. Q. What do you mean by online ordering? Do you have a record of what system did the previous vendor use or how he did it?

A. Online ordering is the ability of tenants to go onto a computer, IPAD or smartphone, look at the menu for your on-site cafeteria offerings, and then place and pre-pay an order for pick up at the cafeteria. We do not have the prior operator’s system to provide. The operator may install an electronic menu board, or use signage to advertise their offerings in the cafeteria.

36. Q. For the established menu, would you like to have included nutritional value, like ingredients and calories included in the menu that will be presented to customers?

A. Yes. The specials should also disclose this information.

37. Q. Are alcoholic beverages allowed?

A. No.

38. Q. What does the required monthly cafeteria operator profit and loss statement look like—what information is required to be reported monthly?

A. The monthly statement is a very simple emailed report of: 1) the Gross Monthly income from all cafeteria operations the prior month and 2) the Profit or (Loss) from that same month’s income (after payment of expenses).

39. Q. Does the vendor’s food supplier need to go through a security clearance process or have a building ID card?

A. The vendor’s food supplier is not given a building ID card and must make deliveries through the loading dock, as described in question # 34, above.

40. Q. It was mentioned that the cafeteria operator and its employees must go through a security clearance process. Could you please specify what exactly you mean by this?

A. All staff of the cafeteria operator must have background checks (GSA and Court clearance) done. The HSPD-12 card clearance process is described in the Solicitation documents: Ex. 13, A-D. Please review these exhibits.

41. Q. Will there be specific paperwork that we would have to gather from our employees?

A. Yes. You will coordinate input needed with the GSA Building Manager assigned, you should have someone in your company appointed to assist your employees with input of information on a computer and alert your employees to look for and reply to emails they receive for follow up processing information that will be needed.

In basic, the Cafeteria Operator:

-Completes a CIW (form 850), a Requesting Official (RO) approval list of the employees who will work for the cafeteria and lists the main contractor for this list (the entity awarded the License, plus that License number).

-Each employee’s FULL name (Last, First, Middle and Suffix), which MUST match the picture ID submitted to identify that employee.

-The position that person will be filling (cook, line server, cashier, grill person, prep.cook, dishwasher, accountant, manager, etc.) is listed.

-The employee’s; full name (matching the picture ID name shown), social security number, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, place of birth, US citizen or not US citizen, gender, position hired to fill (should match the position listed on the CIW and RO approval list), a valid, current picture identification with a matching full name description, and other follow up information as the background clearance process may require, will need to be provided. Please review Ex. 13 for full clearance procedure details.

42. Q. Some of my staff are undocumented, but they have their NYC ID. Is that a valid form of ID?

A. A valid picture ID and social security number is indicated as needed. For non-US Citizens, the Exhibit 13 materials state: “Non-US Citizens Only:

must complete city and state of entry into the United States, full date of entry (MM/DD/YYYY), alien registration number, and country of citizenship.”

43. Q. Does the Licensed space include a phone line or phone or is the cafeteria operator responsible to provide the phone and lines/hookup themselves?

A. The cafeteria operator is responsible for providing their own phone and hook-up. Approval to run all lines, hook ups, proposed equipment and renovation work must be obtained from the GSA Building Manager.

44. Q. Does the vendor have the ability to modify the space? How?

A. The vendor can modify the space, with the GSA Building Manager’s approval. The vendor submits a plan for the proposed renovation, including specifications for wiring and equipment, to the GSA Building Manager for approval. For any work not dedicated to the in-house maintenance staff, the proposed vendor is also submitted for GSA approval. Once approved, the vendor will schedule the work, contractor access and loading dock needs through the GSA Building Manager.

45. Q. Is there an expectation of environmental sustainability?

A. Yes. Recycling should be done in dedicated recycling bins, oil should be disposed of properly, coffee grinds should be recycled. When non restricted due to COVID-19 related protocols or otherwise, patron use of reusable mugs and containers should be encouraged.

46. A. It was suggested that the operator consider providing the Building Manager with an advance notice of their intended weekly specials and food offerings, by the Friday prior. The BM is willing to assist the operator by distributing this advance notice menu list or special promotional materials to tenant POC’s for distribution to employees.

47. Q. Must unsold food be thrown out daily?

A. Food is required to be held, stored and served according to FDA Food Code and Servesafe principles. Fresh food may be properly repurposed (muffins to bread pudding or bread crumbs; Chicken or vegetable cuts to soups, sauces, etc.) provided the resulting new food creation is fresh and has been properly prepared. Food left out beyond its safe time period or not held at required temperatures (or expired/spoiled/contaminated) food must be disposed of.

48. A. The proposed food offerings should be geared to provide cafeteria style foods, breakfast, lunch and snacks, to a typical working employee and visitor and should include at minimum:

juices, coffee/tea, muffins, and hot and cold breakfast selection items for the breakfast period, snacks and grab-and-go items, and 2 or more hot entree and side selections for the lunch period, with soup, salad, dessert, cookie, specials, and other food items. Daily specials or combined package meal specials are encouraged.

49. Q. Can you provide the Complaint Log list, for customer complaints received relating to the prior vendor’s service?

A. See attached Suggestion Log Sheet.

50. Q. Is the Food Handler certification the only certification required for the food service staff?

A. Yes. All food service staff (ie: employees in the cafeteria) should have their Food Handler certification. The "additional" certification due is that the required on-site manager must hold a Food Protection Manager's certification. All staff must be properly cleared through the Ex.

13 A-D illustrated clearance process.

51. A. Please be sure your proposal package clearly demonstrates how your proposed plan of cafeteria operation will remain financially viable and addresses: the proposed pricing levels, the freshly prepared and pre-packaged food selections to be offered, employee staffing number and wage/benefit costs, monthly costs and estimated sales revenue and monthly profit.

52. Q. Can you provide a list of Vendors bidding?

A. No.