DSU Food Service Operation RFP

Dickinson State University (DSU) in North Dakota is soliciting proposals from a Dining Services Management Company to operate residential dining and catering services, with questions due November 16, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CST and proposals due November 30, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CST. The contractor operates the Perch Dining Center in the Student Center for approximately 400 residential students and the broader campus community, with entree, salad bar, deli, pizza, pasta, allergen-free, and vegan stations. Scope also includes on-campus catering, beverage service (currently Pepsi and Coca-Cola), a fueling station in the weight room, future U Cook stations with six new serving wells, and a planned coffee shop buildout.

Financial proposals must state management fees, commissions or returns to DSU, guaranteed annual returns, and minimum financial guarantees for each contract year. Offerors must also price tiered residential meal plans (Basic Block 190, Silver Block 160, and Unlimited Gold 7-Day All Access), voluntary block options at 80, 50, 25, and 10 meals, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner door prices. Current meal plans range from $96.30 to $5,392.88 annually. Value-added options such as the coffee shop build-out, contractor-provided equipment, and technology or POS investments must be priced separately, with a statement of whether each is included in the evaluated total cost.

The contractor covers all food and supply costs, sanitation and janitorial services, utilities for systems compromised by food service operations, and employee compensation and benefits. It must maintain current staff at existing compensation rates, run criminal background checks on all employees and full background checks on management, and obtain insurance before contract approval. The contract template sets commercial general liability minimums of $500,000 per person and $2,000,000 per occurrence. DSU provides office space, retains equipment ownership (excluding contractor-purchased items), covers equipment maintenance unless contractor negligence causes the need, and furnishes initial supplies.

The contract term is three years with three optional two-year renewals upon mutual agreement. Proposals are scored on a 100-point scale: ability to meet requirements (20 points), higher-education experience (15), technical competence (20), approach and strategy (15), references (10), and cost (20, covering commissions, guarantees, meal pricing, and contractor investment). The Procurement Officer is Stacey Winter, Director of Purchasing, at stacey.winter@ndsu.edu.