CNCC FY26-014 - Food Service Management for Aux Services

Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) in Pueblo County is soliciting proposals through Request for Proposals FY26-014 for exclusive food service management of auxiliary dining services at its Rangely, Colorado campus. The procurement seeks a qualified vendor to operate residential dining, retail dining, catering services, and summer conference/camp food services for approximately 1,100 students annually, with 40% residing on campus. The dining hall must operate a minimum of 6 hours daily Monday through Friday during the academic year (7:00-9:00 a.m. breakfast, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. lunch, 5:00-7:00 p.m. dinner) and 4 hours on weekends (11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. brunch, 5:00-7:00 p.m. dinner) when classes are in session. The vendor shall operate all dining services at its own expense, including food and beverage inventory, labor, licensing, and equipment maintenance, while the college provides food preparation equipment, small wares, facilities, utilities, pest control, and structural maintenance. Evaluation criteria include business experience and qualifications, proposed services quality, management plan comprehensiveness, cost/meal plan reasonableness, higher education industry experience, continuous process improvement capabilities, and conflict resolution abilities. The mandatory virtual pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for April 30, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. MST, with optional site visit walkthroughs on May 7 and May 14, 2026. The proposal submission deadline is May 21, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. MST via sealed physical delivery to the CNCC Purchasing Coordinator in Rangely, Colorado, with proposers' conferences and demonstrations tentatively scheduled for the week of June 1-8, 2026, and Best and Final Offers due the week of June 8-15, 2026.

The contract includes a one-year initial term from the bid award date with renewal options for up to four additional one-year periods, subject to mutual agreement and potential pricing/specification modifications. Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) must submit U.S. Small Business Administration certification documentation to satisfy the State's 3% goal for contract awards to certified SDVOSBs. The vendor must pay commissions to the college of 12% on guest meal sales and conference sales, 10% on catering sales for non-college-sponsored functions, and 0% on college-sponsored catering, with annual commission adjustments reflecting increases in the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index for Finished Consumer Foods (Denver/Boulder area). All bidders must be registered with the State of Colorado Vendor Self Service (VSS) system prior to bid submission. The RFP requires vendors to submit pricing proposals for resident dining plans (Plan A: 7 days, 19 meals per week; Plan B: 7 days, 14 meals per week) with rates varying based on resident population ranges, guest meal pricing for various meal types and service options, and partial service day charges. The solicitation does not identify a specific contract value or budget range; however, the vendor's financial obligations and revenue potential will be determined by enrollment levels, meal plan pricing structures, and commission rates negotiated through the competitive proposal process.