ACRTC Food Services RFP 230000000003

The State of Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is procuring comprehensive food service operations for the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center (ACRTC) through Request for Proposal No. 230000000003. The contractor will provide full meal service operations at two dining facilities—the Thunder Bay Dining Facility (approximately 10,687 square feet) and the Small Dining Facility (approximately 3,200 square feet)—serving three meals daily (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), seven days per week to Department of Defense personnel, including Essential Station Messing (ESM) recipients and authorized secondary customers. Services include food preparation, serving, carryout meals, special dietary accommodations, emergency meals, table cleaning, sanitation, housekeeping, and grounds maintenance. The contract period is five years with two optional one-year renewals, with an anticipated commencement date of May 1, 2023. The contractor must appoint a site manager with a minimum of five years' food service industry experience and two years of management experience, and must staff positions including Cook 1, Cook 2, Cashier, Food Service Worker, and Storeroom Clerk, with no individual exceeding 832 hours per calendar year. The contractor must maintain FDA Food Code compliance, ServSafe certifications, and comply with Air Force Manual (AFMAN) 34-240 standards and Air Force Instruction (AFI) 48-116 food safety protocols. Evaluation is based on product quality (60 points), service capabilities (5 points), delivery capabilities (5 points), and vendor questions (30 points), with proposals receiving 80 or more technical points eligible for pricing evaluation. A mandatory pre-proposal meeting was held on January 24, 2023, at the facility in Alpena, Michigan; written questions were due by January 27, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern with answers posted by January 31, 2023; and proposals were due on February 13, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern through the Michigan.gov/SIGMAVSS portal.

The RFP does not specify any set-asides or restrictions on the types of organizations that can respond, though bidders must submit supplier diversity information and demonstrate compliance with equal employment opportunity requirements and Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance where applicable. No incumbent contractor or current operator is identified in the solicitation materials. The government furnishes all facilities, food service equipment, utensils, food items, expendable supplies, display and menu boards, decorative materials, a government-owned vehicle for transportation, and building-related services including utilities, maintenance, and refuse collection, with the contractor responsible for all personnel, labor, and supplies necessary for operations. Minimum hourly pay rates are specified by position, ranging from $15.50 for Cashier and Food Service Worker positions to $20.50 for the Site Contract Manager and Storeroom Clerk, and contractors must submit pricing in modifiable formats covering one-year and five-year contract terms with estimated annual hours for each position. The estimated annual workload varies throughout 2023, ranging from 60 to 600 units (service members requiring meals) depending on the period, with the heaviest demand in July and August and lighter demand during winter and early spring months. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the solicitation materials; however, contracts valued at $250,000 or greater require State Administrative Board approval. All undisputed invoices are payable within 45 days of receipt, pricing is firm for the five-year base contract period, and the contractor must maintain Commercial General Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, Automobile Liability Insurance of $1,000,000 per accident, and Workers' Compensation Insurance.