SDM - Fresh Ideas Questions.pdf
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- Attached to
- Dining Service Operations for SDBOR Institutions
- Solicitation number
- 26RFP-SDBOR07142026
- Issued by
- Kingsbury County, South Dakota
About this file
This is a Fresh Ideas Information & Data Request document submitted by South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSMT) in response to a South Dakota Board of Regents (SDBOR) dining services procurement. The document provides comprehensive operational and financial data for the institution's dining program, which serves approximately 1,095 meal plan holders across seven plan types including Gold Rush, Hardrocker (multiple tiers), Hardrocker Flex, Rocker Square Flex, and commuter block plans. SDSMT operates multiple dining locations including Pearson Hardrocker Cafe, Miner's Shack (open 24/7), Peking Plate, Market at Rocker Square I, and C-Store, with operating periods for Fall 2026 running August 20 through December 18 and Spring 2027 from January 11 through May 8. The institution requires new students living on campus to select either the Gold Rush or Hardrocker 160 meal plan, with 302 student-athletes and 168 international students on campus, of which 216 and 19 participate in meal plans respectively. Operating hours vary by location with adjusted schedules for academic breaks and holidays. Preboard spending for early arrival meals is estimated at $65,000 for FY25 and $67,000 for FY26.
The institution operates under South Dakota sales tax rates ranging from 6.2 percent to 8.7 percent depending on location-specific tax combinations, with all vendor pricing required to include applicable taxes in final quoted rates. SDSMT owns all kitchen equipment, smallwares, and infrastructure currently in use, and retains ownership of campus credential card systems and equipment including Mashgin systems and food pick-up lockers in the Miner Shack. Current retail and POS systems include on-premise illumia (formerly Transact) CPOS suite with planned migration to illumia IDX within two years, Grubhub registers for Ghost Kitchen and Einsteins, and Mashgin hardware for retail locations. The contractor holds the franchise agreement for Einsteins. Any proposed capital investments must be fully amortized within the initial five-year contract term ending June 30, 2032, with no amortization assumed beyond that date. Current hourly dining associates are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement. Daily rates, commissions, fees, revenue-sharing arrangements, and concession pricing for the 2026-2027 academic year are detailed, with concessions expanding to include Asian cuisine options such as potstickers, Korean chicken dishes, and boba tea beverages.
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FRESH IDEAS INFORMATION & DATA REQUEST
SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES & TECHNOLOGY
Meal Plans
1. Please provide Fall 2026 projected meal plan enrollment by plan.
Meal Plan Number of Plans (projected) Fall 2026 Gold Rush 367 Hardrocker 160 254 Hardrocker 125 101 Hardrocker 75 152 Hardrocker Flex 55 Rocker Square Flex 103 Block 50 (commuter plan) 45 Block 25(commuter plan) 18 Total 1,095
2. Which students are required to have meal plans? Which meal plans are they required to have?
Under SDBOR Policy 3.7.1, students enrolled at a university in at least six on-campus credit hours are required to live in university housing during the first two years following their high school graduation.
Students subject to the on-campus housing requirement are required to have a meal plan. Institutions may grant waiver exceptions to the housing and meal plan requirements in accordance with the waiver provisions of the policy.
New Students to SDM who are required to live on campus must choose either Gold Rush or Hardrocker 160 meal plan.
3. What is the % (or number) of international students on campus? How many are on a meal plan?
168 international students, 19 of these students are on a meal plan
4. What is the % (or number) of athletes on campus? How many are on a meal plan?
302 athletes on campus, 216 of these students are on a meal plan.
5. Are there designated faculty/staff meal plans, and, if so, please provide details.
Faculty and Staff may sign up for any of the meal plans offered, they are not restricted.
6. Meal Plan Taxability Are meal plans taxed? If so, what is the tax rate?
If flex dollars are taxed, are they taxed at the point of sale when redeemed or up front in the total meal plan cost? What is the tax rate?
During the last procurement process, there was confusion regarding the treatment of sales tax within the pricing submitted by respondents. To avoid a similar issue, all pricing provided in proposals should include any applicable sales tax and be presented as the final price that would be charged to students. The universities will not add sales tax to the prices proposed by the vendor. Therefore, vendors must clearly identify any sales tax assumptions included in their pricing and specify their responsibility for calculating and remitting applicable taxes. All tax-related assumptions should be clearly documented to ensure proposals can be evaluated on a consistent basis and that the resulting agreement accurately reflects the parties' intent. For clarity, Flex Dollars are subject to sales tax at the point of sale and are taxed separately by the food service provider when purchases are made. Below are the current sales tax rates applicable at SDSMT, as defined by the South Dakota Department of Revenue. Please note that tax rates are subject to change based on state and local tax decisions. It is the vendor's responsibility to remain informed of and comply with the applicable tax requirements for the location(s) included in its proposal and to incorporate any applicable taxes into its proposed pricing
1. State + municipal = 6.2%
2. State + Municipal + Municipal gross = 7.2%
3. State + municipal + tourism = 7.7%
4. State + municipal + municipal gross + tourism = 8.7%
7. Daily Rates
What are your current daily rates for each plan?
Do your daily rates include flex dollars?
The current agreement includes meal-plan pricing and other financial arrangements related to meal plan revenue. The campuses are not requiring proposers to replicate the current pricing structure.
Proposers should clearly identify their proposed meal-plan pricing methodology, including any daily rates, commissions, fees, revenue-sharing arrangements, or retained revenue components included in their proposal.
Sales History
8. Please provide a two-year sales history (Fall and Spring combined) for each dining location by tender.
Please specify if the sales figures include tax.
No, the sales figures below do not include sales tax.
9. Operating Days & Hours:
What are the board operating days by semester?
Fall 2026: August 20-Dec 18 with adjusted hours for Native American Day, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving
Spring 2027: January 11-May 8 with adjusted hours for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Spring Break, and Easter
Please confirm the hours below from the RFP are the current operating hours. Are these the desired hours?
Some hours have changed. See Amendment #1 posted with RFP.
Miner’s Shack open 24/7 Added Peking Plate – open M-F 11am-8pm; closed Sat-Sun
Are any locations open during the summer? If so, please provide the summer operating days and hours.
Market at Rocker I: open 24/7 Pearson Hardrocker Café: Hours are coordinated each summer with Summer Conferencing and dependent on camps and number of attendees.
Do any locations on campus remain open during academic breaks or holidays? If yes, please provide which remain open and the days and hours of operation of each location.
Labor Day Weekend:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Brunch and Dinner o C-Store open Weekday Hours o Market at Rocker Square I – open 24/7
Native American Day Holiday:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Brunch and Dinner o C-Store open Weekday Hours o Market at Rocker Square I – open 24/7
Veterans Day Holiday:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Brunch and Dinner o C-Store open Weekday Hours o Market at Rocker Square I – open 24/7
Thanksgiving:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café’ – Open Wed of Thanksgiving for Breakfast and closed the remaining of Wed through Sunday, and open Sunday for Dinner.
o Market at Rocker Square I – open 24/7
Winter Break:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Open Thursday (last day of Fall semester finals) for Breakfast and then closed remaining of the Winter Break and reopen for Brunch and Dinner on the Sunday before classes start for Spring Semester.
o Market at Rocker Square I – open 24/7
Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Brunch and Dinner o C-Store open Weekday Hours
Presidents’ Day Weekend:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Brunch and Dinner o C-Store open Weekday Hours
Spring Break o Pearson Hardrocker Café closes starting the Saturday of Spring Break and reopens the following Sunday for Dinner.
Easter Weekend:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café open Easter Weekend - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – for
Holiday Brunch and Dinner.
Summer Break:
o Pearson Hardrocker Café – Breakfast on Saturday after finals is last meal served for meal plans. Café is open during summer break as coordinated for summer camps between Dining and Summer Conferencing.
10. Please provide the current summer conference and camp rates.
plan revenue. The campuses are not requiring proposers to replicate the current pricing structure.
Proposers should clearly identify their proposed meal-plan pricing methodology, including any daily
11. Please provide your preboard service days, rate and total preboard spending for the last two years.
(Preboard includes any meal expenditures before the board plan start date, for example, student-athletes, orientation leaders, new student orientation, etc.)
Early Arrival Meals - dates are determined each year and coordinated between Dining and the university. The preboard numbers we’d like to see increase.
The preboard spending for the last two years are estimated at:
FY25: $65,000
FY26: $67,000
12. Please provide Spring 2026 and Fall 2026 retail menus and pricing for the Miner Shack.
Spring 2026 Information Unavailable
Fall 2026
13. Please provide the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 concessions menu and pricing.
2025-2026
20oz soda $4.60 Peace Tea $4.60 PowerAde $4.60 Miners Water $3.68 Hamburger $7.35 Hot Dog $5.51 Grubby Dog $7.35 Nachos $4.60 Pretzel and Cheese $4.60 Walking Taco $6.44 Popcorn $2.76 Box Candy $3.68
2026-2027
Potsticker Chicken $8.99 Potsticker Edamame $8.99 Chicken Wings 6pc $10.99 Chicken Wings 9pc $13.99 Korean Gochujang Chicken $12.99 Teriyaki Chicken $12.99 Orange Chicken $12.99 Sweet and Sour Chicken $12.99 Mango Mochi 2 pack $3.99 Cookies and Cream Mochi 2 pack $3.99 Strawberry Mochi 2 pack $3.99 Blue Raspberry (w/Strawberry Boba) $5.99 Bursting Berry (w/Strawberry Boba) $5.99 Dragon Berry (w/Mango Boba) $5.99 Purple Dragon (w/Strawberry Boba) $5.99 Thai (w/Brown Sugar Boba) $5.69 Matcha (w/Brown Sugar Boba) $5.69 Salted Caramel (w/Brown Sugar Boba) $5.69 Strawberry (w/Brown Sugar Boba) $5.69 Classic (w/Brown Sugar Boba) $5.69 Blue Raspberry Freeze $5.99 Dragon Berry Freeze $5.99 Mango Thai Citrus Tea $5.99 Strawberry Tea $5.99 Citrus Mango $5.99 Berry Citrus Burst $5.99 Mango Sunset $6.89 Vanilla Matcha Protein $6.89 Strawberry Vanilla Protein $6.89 Creamy Mango $6.29 Strawberry Dream $6.29
14. Provide details regarding student-athletes working in the concessions program.
The Athletic Department asks for teams and student organizations to sign-up to work football games as a fundraiser. The food service provider provides professional/dining staff to assist with the football games as well.
The food service provider runs the concession areas on their own for volleyball and basketball games (no student groups help or volunteer).
15. Please provide the dining hall door rates, as applicable:
plan revenue. The campuses are not requiring proposers to replicate the current pricing structure.
Proposers should clearly identify their proposed meal-plan pricing methodology, including any daily
Chili $0.69 Jalapeno $0.92 Nacho Cheese $0.92 Sour Cream $0.92 Hot Hand Warmers $1.84 20oz. Soda $4.60 Coffee $2.76 Hot Chocolate $4.60 Monster $4.60 Miners Water $3.68 Peace Tea $4.60 PowerAde $4.60 Whipped Topping $0.46 Brisket Sandwich $8.28 Grubby Dog $7.35 Hot Dog $4.60 Nachos $4.60 Pretzel with Cheese $4.60 Super Nachos $5.29 Hamburger $7.35 Hot Dog with Chili & Cheese $4.60 Polish Sausage $5.06 Pulled Pork Sandwich $8.28 Special of the Week $7.44 Walking Taco $7.35 Box Candy $4.60 Chips $2.76 Free Popcorn $0.00 Popcorn $4.60 Elks Theater Popcorn $10.12 Ice Cream Bomb Pop $4.60 Ice Cream Chips Galore $4.60 Ice Cream Dove Bar $4.60 Ice Cream Drumstick $4.60 Pretzel NO Cheese $4.15
Financials
16. Would you consider a longer amortization period than the five years outlined in the RFP?
No. The Board's intent for this procurement is that any proposed investment, including the payoff of existing unamortized investment balances, be fully recovered within the initial five-year contract term.
Respondents should structure their proposals accordingly and should not assume amortization beyond June 30, 2032.
17. Are the current hourly associates represented by a CBA (collective bargaining agreement)?
No.
18. Student Employees How many students work in the dining program?
Are students on the university payroll (work study) or the current vendor payroll?
What is the average wage for student workers in dining services?
The requested human resources and employee information is not available to the University. The employees are employed by the current dining services contractor, and these records are maintained by that contractor. Therefore, the University is unable to provide the requested information.
Annual Donations & Commissions
19. Please provide any in-kind or annual donations you receive from your current vendor (for example, catering funds, scholarships, complimentary meal plans for RAs, faculty/staff, etc.). Which ones would you like to see continued?
The institutions currently benefit from various vendor-supported programs and investments that may differ by campus and contract year – however information regarding contributions, scholarships, sponsorships, capital investments, donations, and other in-kind support provided under the current agreement will not be disclosed. Proposers should describe any value-added services, financial contributions, scholarships, capital commitments, sponsorships, or other benefits they are proposing as part of their response.
20. Do you have any specific requests for new in-kind or annual donation support?
The institutions currently benefit from various vendor-supported programs and investments that may differ by campus and contract year – however information regarding contributions, scholarships, sponsorships, capital investments, donations, and other in-kind support provided under the current agreement will not be disclosed. Proposers should describe any value-added services, financial contributions, scholarships, capital commitments, sponsorships, or other benefits they are proposing as part of their response.
21. Do you receive commissions (e.g. catering, retail, concessions/alcohol)? If so, please provide the commission structure and the total commission dollar amount received in each of the past two (2) years.
The current agreement includes certain commissions, fees, and retained revenue arrangements associated with specific revenue streams. Rather than requiring proposers to match the existing financial structure, the campuses are seeking each proposer's recommended financial model, including any commissions, revenue sharing, fees, or other financial arrangements proposed as part of its response.
Equipment & Licensing
22. Card Access System/POS Who owns the card access system/POS for dining?
Please provide the make, model, and date of purchase of the current Access & POS systems.
How much is the annual fee, and who pays for it?
Current retail card system is using on-premise illumia (previous Transact) CPOS suite, with a planned migration to illumia IDX in the next 2 years. Current POS hardware is End of Support in Dec '27 and will need to be replaced by the university before then. The Ghost Kitchen (now Peking Plate) in the Miner Shack and Einsteins switched over to Grubhub registers. Rocker 365 and Miner Shack are using Mashgin hardware. University pays annual fees; a breakdown is not available.
23. Who holds the franchise agreement for Einsteins, the contractor or the school?
Contractor
24. Who owns the Mashgin system in the Miner Shack/C-Store, the contractor or the school?
School
25. Who owns the food pick-up lockers in the Miner Shack, the contractor or the school?
School
26. Please list the equipment, small equipment, and smallwares the incumbent will be taking from the premises if they do not retain the account.
Per Appendix E of the RFP, South Dakota Mines owns all kitchen equipment, smallwares and infrastructure currently utilized by the existing vendor on their campus.
Other
27. Please provide floor plans for all dining venues on campus. CAD or PDF file preferred.
PDFs will be provided via email to offerors present during the pre-submission conference call.
28. Who is on the RFP dining selection committee? Who is the key decision maker(s)?
The identities of evaluation committee members will not be disclosed during the procurement process.
Respondents should direct all questions and communications through the designated procurement contact identified in the RFP.
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