Vending services (RE-bid)

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is conducting a re-bid procurement for comprehensive vending services across ten correctional institutions, including Evans, Kershaw, Lee, Turbeville, Lieber, Broad River, Kirkland, McCormick, Perry, and Tyger River Correctional Institutions. The solicitation seeks qualified vendors to furnish, install, maintain, and operate automatic vending equipment, with specific requirements for product mix, including a minimum of 10% cold food items, snacks, and beverages. Vendors must provide factory-new or like-new vending machines (no more than ten years old) that are Multi Drop Bus (MDB) compliant and support cashless payment systems with credit/debit card readers and PayKey technology. The evaluation criteria will focus on the highest commission percentage, with a minimum acceptable rate of 10% of gross sales, and current commission rates ranging from 18% to 26.1% across different institutions. Key procurement dates include a site visit scheduling deadline of April 9, 2024, question submission deadline of April 17, 2024, bid due date of May 2, 2024, and award notification scheduled for May 9, 2024. The initial contract term is one year, with four optional one-year renewal periods, and all vending services must be operational by June 1, 2024.

The procurement does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. Vendors are not required to bid on all ten lots and may submit offers for one or more locations, providing flexibility for smaller or specialized vendors. The contractor will be responsible for comprehensive service requirements, including 24/7 out-of-stock and repair service with a three-hour response time, monthly detailed sales reporting, and maintaining comprehensive insurance coverage, including $1 million in commercial general liability and auto liability. Historical sales data indicates annual institutional sales ranging from approximately $18,900 to $37,500, with total system-wide vending revenues growing from $34,615 in FY 2020-2021 to $181,520 in FY 2022-2023. The procurement requires vendors to use nationally known brand products and provide monthly commission payments with itemized sales reports, offering a potentially lucrative opportunity for vending service providers with the capability to meet the stringent operational and reporting requirements of the South Carolina Department of Corrections.