Cafe Services

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Shared Services Center, on behalf of Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia (Washington County), is issuing a Request for Proposals to procure comprehensive cafe style operations services. The contractor shall provide all labor, materials, supplies, and equipment necessary to operate a cafeteria serving students, faculty, and staff, with the college supplying the facility, utilities, and specified commercial kitchen equipment including a stove, griddle, deep fryer, and refrigeration units. The cafe will operate Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM with potential for modified hours by mutual agreement, and the contractor must provide catering services upon request and accept all forms of payment including cash, credit/debit cards, declining balance cards, and touchless payments. The contract has an initial one-year term with nine optional one-year renewals for a potential ten-year engagement. Evaluation criteria, weighted at 100 percent total, include menu and product selection with prices (20 percent), proposed methodology and service plans (20 percent), company and personnel experience and qualifications (20 percent), overall pricing proposal (20 percent), and small business subcontracting plan (20 percent). A mandatory pre-proposal conference is scheduled for April 1, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Godwin Hall, Room 130, and sealed electronic proposals through eVA are due April 20, 2026, at 2:30 PM local time. Pricing proposals must include all menu items with proposed prices and catering service offerings submitted on the provided pricing schedule.

The solicitation requires compliance with Virginia's Public Procurement Act and mandates small business subcontracting plans, Payment Card Industry (PCI) Level 1 compliance for payment processing, and comprehensive insurance coverage including workers' compensation and $1,000,000 commercial general liability. Contractors must also comply with all federal, state, and local food service regulations and health codes. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises are mentioned in the solicitation materials; however, the small business subcontracting plan requirement represents 20 percent of evaluation criteria, making it a significant component for all bidders. There is no identified incumbent vendor or current contractor referenced. The RFP does not specify a guaranteed minimum or maximum service volume, meaning award value depends on actual patron demand and pricing proposed by the selected contractor. Price increases at renewal periods may be negotiated but cannot exceed the Services category increase of the Consumer Price Index for the preceding twelve months. The VCCS reserves the right to conduct pre-award site visits at no cost to offerors, make multiple awards, or cancel the contract with 60 days' written notice.