Lake Waramaug Concession Building

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is soliciting proposals for a food, beverage, and campground store concessionaire to operate the concession building at Lake Waramaug State Park in Kent/New Preston, Middlesex County. The concessionaire will be responsible for providing full-service food, beverage, souvenirs, and outdoor recreation-related merchandise to approximately 50,000 annual day-use visitors and 10,000 campers at a facility that has been inactive since 2023. Minimum qualifications include two or more years of experience operating food, beverage, and campground concession services, immediate access to personnel, supplies, and equipment, and a valid food service license from any Connecticut health department; preferred qualifications include three or more years of experience, park venue operation experience, and Connecticut knowledge. The concessionaire must provide all staffing, equipment, and supplies; maintain compliance with health department regulations and fire suppression systems; carry commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 minimum, automobile liability insurance of $1,000,000 minimum, worker's compensation insurance, and fire liability insurance at the appraised building value with the State listed as an additional insured. Proposals will be evaluated on qualifications (35 percent), service expectations including operating schedule, staffing, and rent (35 percent), and menu selection and pricing (30 percent). Key dates include an optional site visit on May 7, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., a written question deadline of May 12, 2026, with answers released by May 15, 2026, and a proposal submission deadline of May 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST through the CTSource online portal. The contract includes a three-year initial term with an option to extend for up to three additional years in one-year increments, and the concessionaire must operate minimally on weekends and holidays from the weekend before Memorial Day through Labor Day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and weekdays in July and August from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The solicitation indicates that all vendors are eligible to respond to this bid, with no set-aside designations or restrictions on organizational types mentioned in the available documentation. No incumbent vendor or current contractor is identified, as the concession building has been inactive since 2023. The concessionaire will be required to pay $3,000 in annual fixed rent plus a percentage of annual revenue, with rent subject to evaluation and annual increases of no more than 5 percent effective each May; annual payments are due by May 15th and July 15th if installments apply. The estimated total contract value has not been disclosed in the RFP documentation. All concession equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, and grills must be provided by the concessionaire, though state-owned equipment may be available for use with the understanding that DEEP assumes no responsibility for repair or maintenance. Interested parties should direct inquiries to Tenia Seay at the DEEP Parks Division, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106, by telephone at 860-424-3064, or by email at DEEP.parksdivisionRFP@ct.gov.