Dining services

Lander University, located in Greenwood County, South Carolina, is seeking a comprehensive dining services management contractor through a Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation. The procurement encompasses full-scale food service operations across multiple campus locations, including a 480-person main cafeteria in Grier Student Center, a 200-person food court, a 50-person coffee shop, a sandwich shop, two Provisions on Demand (P.O.D.) Express locations, and branded operations like Chick-fil-A, Freshens, and Starbucks. The contractor will be responsible for procurement, preparation, and serving of food, as well as campus-wide catering, summer camps, and conference food services. Proposal submissions are due by March 3, 2023, at 11:00 AM EST, with questions accepted until February 10, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST. A non-mandatory pre-proposal site visit is scheduled for February 9, 2023, at 10:00 AM at the university's campus. The initial contract term is four years, with three optional one-year renewals, creating a potential seven-year contract period starting May 16, 2023. Contractor qualifications include demonstrated financial resources, experience with similar university accounts, and a dining services director with 8-10 years of management experience.

The solicitation does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The current food service operations generated approximately $5.88 million in total revenues in 2021, with residential meal plans representing $3.44 million of that total. Financial arrangements include the contractor retaining all gross receipts and receiving a 5% management fee and 3% entitlement fee on gross receipts, with a required 15% commission on net receipts from catering and concessions returned to the university. The university will provide existing facilities, utilities, basic telephone service, and handle major equipment repairs and facility maintenance. Initial board plan rates range from $1,130 to $2,200 per semester for residential students, and the campus currently supports approximately 1,250 non-resident students. The contractor will be expected to maintain comprehensive quality assurance programs that exceed state health and sanitation standards, with the university anticipating continued services like mobile ordering at retail locations and meal exchange programs for students.