Cold Beverage Vending Services

The City of Westerville, Ohio is procuring Cold Beverage Vending Services for its Parks and Recreation Department through a formal Request for Proposal process. The procurement encompasses the provision and management of a minimum of seven cold beverage vending machines across multiple city locations, including the Westerville Community Center (3 machines), Westerville Sports Complex (2 seasonal machines), and Highlands Park Aquatic Center (2 seasonal machines plus 2 soda fountain dispensing machines with 8 dispenser heads). Vendors must provide complete equipment installation, maintenance, and repair services with eight-hour service call response times, Monday through Friday operations from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and weekend operations from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. All machines must include dollar bill validators and PCI-compliant debit/credit card readers with contactless payment capabilities including Apple Pay and Google Pay functionality. The contractor is responsible for stocking a minimum product inventory including caffeinated and decaffeinated cola, diet drinks, three additional flavors, and plain and flavored water in flexible sizing options. Vendors must demonstrate at least three years of experience in similar cold beverage vending services and will be evaluated on Responsiveness (10 points), Experience & Customer Service (25 points), Capability (25 points), Inventory Selection (10 points), Energy Efficiency (5 points), and Pricing/Incentives (25 points). Critical deadlines include a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference on April 2, 2026, at 10:00 AM EDT via Google Meet, written questions due by April 8, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT, and proposals due by April 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM EDT, with proposal evaluation scheduled for April 29, 2026, and potential interviews between April 30 and May 12, 2026.

The procurement documents do not indicate set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types based on disadvantaged enterprise status. No incumbent vendor or current contractor information is identified in the available documentation. The successful vendor will be granted exclusive rights to advertise and sell beverages at designated City locations and will be responsible for supplying all products, cups, and carbon dioxide, with pricing to be mutually agreed upon at fair market rates (current beverage prices range from $1.75 to $3.50). In exchange for contract rights, the selected vendor must provide the City with a minimum percentage of gross sales, annual marketing merchandise valued at a defined amount for Parks and Recreation programs, product donations for departmental events, and optional sponsorship contributions to the Westerville Parks Foundation. The initial contract term extends from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, with optional renewal for up to three additional one-year periods through June 30, 2031. The contractor must maintain Liability and Property Damage Insurance of at least $1,000,000 per person and $2,000,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $1,000,000 per accident and $2,000,000 for all accidents for property damage. No specific budget range or award value is stated in the procurement documents; pricing will be negotiated based on vendor proposals and the City's evaluation of submitted incentive packages.