Candy / Snack Vending Machine Services

Louisiana Tech University's Office of Purchasing has issued an Invitation to Bid for Candy/Snack Vending Machine Services on its main campus in Ruston, Louisiana, located within Livingston Parish. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to provide comprehensive vending machine services, including the supply and operation of chips, candy, pastries, snacks, mints, and gum vending machines across multiple campus buildings detailed in Exhibit B. The awarded vendor must operate vending routes using its own personnel, service machines daily, maintain machines filled to capacity, and provide twice-daily service during high-volume periods such as summer camps. Deliverables include supplying new or like-new vending machines equipped to accept coins and debit/credit cards, maintaining at least one factory-trained service technician available on-call seven days per week, providing online system access for the University to review sales data per machine, and submitting monthly commission payments by the 10th of each month with detailed sales reports by building and machine. The contract term runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with two optional one-year renewal periods available upon mutual agreement. Sealed bids are due on April 22, 2026, at 2:00 PM, submitted via mail or in-person delivery to the Louisiana Tech University Office of Purchasing, with no pre-bid conference scheduled. Evaluation will be based on the bid commission rate, with compensation to the University calculated as the greater of either a percentage of gross receipts or an annual guaranteed minimum of 75 percent of projected sales times the bid commission rate, using a baseline expectation of $55,000 in annual gross receipts.

The solicitation does not indicate specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting bidder eligibility based on disadvantaged enterprise status or organizational type. The awarded vendor must furnish a Performance Bond of $15,000 within ten days of notification of award and provide a valid Certificate of Insurance compliant with Louisiana Tech University's insurance requirements, naming the University as an additional insured; notably, no bid bond is required. Historical sales data provided in Exhibit C shows gross sales averaging approximately $54,000 to $55,000 annually, establishing the baseline for compensation calculations and award value expectations. The solicitation does not identify an incumbent vendor or reference existing vending infrastructure requiring integration. Louisiana Tech University reserves the right to reject any and all bids, cancel the solicitation at its sole discretion, and terminate the contract with sixty days' advance written notice if the vendor fails to perform according to contract terms. The University does not guarantee sales volume, and all risk regarding revenue projections rests with the bidding vendor.