Venues for Conferences and Community Events

The State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Office of the Secretary, is soliciting qualified vendors through a Request for Proposals to establish a statewide pool of approved event venues for conferences, trainings, community forums, and engagement events. Vendors will be categorized into eight tiers based on capacity, ranging from Tier 1 (up to 10 attendees) to Tier 8 (300-400+ attendees). Required venue features include reliable Wi-Fi, audio/visual support, hand sanitizer stations, on-site parking, breakout rooms as appropriate to tier level, lactation rooms, and comprehensive catering services including beverage stations, box meals, buffet options, vegetarian selections, and snacks. Vendors must provide 24-hour pre-event access to space and maintain minimum commercial general liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$3,000,000 aggregate. The procurement schedule includes a question deadline of May 28, 2026, a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting on June 4, 2026, posted responses to questions by June 11, 2026, and a proposal submission deadline of July 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT. Award notifications are expected September 1, 2026, with an estimated project start date of October 1, 2026. The initial contract term extends for two years with three optional one-year renewal extensions. Evaluation criteria are pass/fail based on a signed transmittal letter, business license verification, proof of insurance, completed vendor questionnaire, discount offering (minimum 5% required with tiered discounts based on capacity), and non-collusion statement.

Vendors must be Delaware-licensed businesses or initiate licensing during the application process and must comply with all federal, state, and local laws, including prohibitions on storing or transferring non-public State data outside the United States and restrictions on alcohol service at any state-sponsored events. Vendors are required to provide a minimum of three business references from customers of similar scope and value, and any subcontractors must provide an additional minimum of three references each. The RFP does not specify set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises; however, vendors must submit quarterly subcontractor reporting tracking diversity supplier participation. The solicitation indicates that the State reserves the right to award contracts to multiple vendors and does not obligate selection to the lowest bidder. No specific award values or budget ranges are disclosed in the solicitation documents. Vendors must comply with comprehensive data protection requirements including HIPAA and Part 2 regulations if applicable, encryption of non-public data per NIST standards, and background checks for all personnel accessing State data or facilities.