Food services operations

The State Fiscal Accountability Authority, Division of Procurement Services, on behalf of the South Carolina School for the Deaf & Blind (SCSDB) in Spartanburg County, is soliciting proposals for comprehensive food services operations at its Spartanburg campus. The contractor will design and operate a complete food service program serving approximately 200 students (including 100 residential students), 300 staff members, and faculty across three dining facilities: Walker Hall, Robertson Hall, and Herbert Center. The scope of work includes providing three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) Sunday evening through Friday afternoon for residential students, with an estimated 125,000 meals annually (110,000 during the academic year and 15,000 for summer programs), plus catering services, special dietary meals, take-out meals for ill or detained students, and support to the Hornets Cafe. The contractor must maintain USDA Choice beef and veal, USDA Grade A poultry and dairy products, and USDA #1 fresh produce and pork, while achieving and maintaining a Grade A health department rating and complying with NSF standards and South Carolina health department regulations. Key evaluation criteria include the contractor's ability to manage operations efficiently under a fixed management fee structure with no increases during the initial term, maintain comprehensive liability insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence for general and auto liability, and ensure management personnel communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) within six months of contract start. Important deadlines include a non-mandatory pre-bid conference on April 22, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET, a written questions deadline of April 24, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET, and electronic proposal submission by May 27, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET, with contract award expected August 4, 2026, and service commencement June 1, 2027.

The RFP does not identify any specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent eligibility based on disadvantaged enterprise status or organizational type. The solicitation requires that all current SCSDB food service employees be offered positions with the selected contractor, indicating an existing workforce transition requirement. The contractor must provide critical operational services including daily cleaning and sanitation, Point of Sale system maintenance, equipment maintenance, waste disposal, employee uniforms, and vehicle services featuring a 16-foot box truck with lift gate for campus deliveries, while SCSDB retains responsibility for utilities, insurance, building maintenance, kitchen equipment, and initial inventory of service ware and expendable equipment. The contract structure consists of an initial one-year term with four one-year renewal options, creating a maximum five-year contract period from June 1, 2027, through May 31, 2032. The solicitation requires offerors to submit a complete financial proposal including a pro forma operating statement for fiscal year July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, detailing projected food costs, salaries and wages, and direct expenses; however, no specific budget range or award value is publicly disclosed in the available documentation.