CAMPUS VENDING SERVICES

Denmark Technical College, a two-year institution within the South Carolina Technical College System, is soliciting bids for comprehensive campus vending services to be located across nine campus buildings. The procurement seeks a qualified contractor to furnish, install, maintain, and operate vending equipment including machines for beverages (12-ounce cans and 20-ounce bottles), snacks, candy, crackers, chips, pastries, juices, sandwiches, and hot food items. The successful vendor must provide new or like-new vending machines that accept cash, dollar bills, and credit/debit cards, and must offer only nationally recognized brand-name products. Key evaluation criteria include the highest annual commission to the college, with a guaranteed minimum commission rate of 10 percent of gross receipts. The solicitation mandates specific product pricing guidelines, including $1.50 for candy and chips, $1.00 for crackers and gum, $1.75 for pastries, $1.50 for canned beverages, $2.00 for 20-ounce bottle drinks, and $2.50 for bottled juices. Critical dates include a mandatory site visit on November 16, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., with questions due by November 20, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., and bid submissions due by December 1, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.

The solicitation does not specify specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, but requires all bidders to register for a South Carolina vendor number and identify their entity type. The contract term is one year with four optional one-year renewal periods, creating a potential maximum contract duration of five years with an anticipated start date of December 5, 2023. The estimated annual gross sales figure is $20,000, which will be used for comparison purposes in the bidding formula. The contractor will be responsible for all equipment, maintenance, stocking, sanitation, personnel, product quality assurance, and compliance with health department standards, with the college providing utilities and exterminating services. Vendors must maintain a Health Department Grade "A" rating and submit monthly operating statements and commission payments within 15 days of month-end. The vending services will be distributed across nine campus buildings, including residential halls, student services, and academic buildings, with current machine inventory ranging from zero to two machines per location depending on the building and machine type.