University Housing and Dining (UHD) Temporary Labor Services

The University of Texas at Austin's University Housing and Dining (UHD) department issued Request for Proposal No. 721-26068 on March 19, 2026, seeking qualified vendors to provide comprehensive temporary labor staffing services supporting multiple high-traffic dining halls, retail food outlets, cafes, catering services, and residence hall operations. The procurement encompasses staffing for diverse positions including cooks, line cooks, food prep staff, servers, dishwashers, warehouse workers, cashiers, baristas, bartenders, banquet personnel, facilities staff, and building service attendants, with the vendor required to confirm staffing availability within four hours of request and fill positions within 24 hours. Key objectives include maintaining operational continuity, upholding established service standards, and providing flexible, scalable workforce solutions responsive to fluctuations in staffing demands throughout academic years. Minimum qualifications require current Food Handler or ServSafe certification for food service roles and compliance with OSHA, ADA, EEO, immigration, and state tax law requirements. Proposals will be evaluated on respondent qualifications and reputation (25%), quality of proposed services and methodology (25%), price proposal and long-term costs (30%), and staffing resources and past business relationship strength with the University (20%). The question deadline was April 2, 2026, and proposals are due Friday, April 17, 2026, at 2:30 PM Central Daylight Time. The anticipated contract term begins April 2026 and expires April 2029, with an option for one additional two-year renewal term.

Responding vendors must submit a completed VetHUB Subcontracting Plan as a mandatory condition of responsiveness, requiring good-faith efforts to include service-disabled veteran-certified businesses in contract opportunities and demonstrating commitment through documentation of outreach to VetHUB centers and state-certified vendors. All pricing must be submitted as firm fixed costs inclusive of all associated expenses for labor, delivery, insurance, taxes, overhead, and profit, with University standard payment terms of net 30 days. Respondents must complete and submit a Certificate of Interested Parties using Texas Ethics Commission Form 1295, an Execution of Offer certification form acknowledging representations and warranties regarding legal compliance, absence of conflicts of interest, and non-discrimination practices, and an Addenda Acknowledgement form confirming receipt of all solicitation modifications. The University reserves the right to make multiple awards under this solicitation and may extend participation to other University of Texas System institutions through group purchasing opportunities. While specific award values or budget ranges are not detailed in the solicitation documents, vendors should consider proposing pricing models reflecting potentially higher volumes from expanded opportunities across the UT System.