RFP for Pahaska Concession Services
| Location: | Colorado |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Oct 16, 2025 |
| Due: | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Agency: | City of Denver |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
RFP for Pahaska Concession Services
Closing date November 21, 2025, 12:00 PM
- Reference number 202580844
- Status Open
- Summary The City and County of Denver Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR”) is requesting proposals from companies with the interest, capability, and financial backing to operate indigenous-focused food and beverage, retail marketplace, and cultural programming concession services at Denver Mountain Parks’ historic Pahaska facility located at Lookout Mountain Park, 987 Lookout Mountain Rd, Golden, CO
The City and County of Denver Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR”) is requesting proposals from companies with the interest, capability, and financial backing to operate indigenous-focused food and beverage, retail marketplace, and cultural programming concession services at Denver Mountain Parks’ historic Pahaska facility located at Lookout Mountain Park, 987 Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, CO 80401 (“Concession Site”). This opportunity seeks proposals from vendors focused on providing a food and retail experience that honors and celebrates contemporary indigenous culture in keeping with the historical theme of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West traveling show. The City anticipates awardingone (1) contract (“Concession License”) with athree to five (3-5) year term. DPR may request interviews with finalists following initial proposal evaluation to determine award.
View the full Request for Proposal (PDF, 1MB)
- PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Friday, November 21 at 12:00 pm
- Proposals will ONLY be accepted electronically via BidNet at www.rockymountainbidsystem.com (search for solicitation number 202580844 )
- CONTACT DETAILS: Jennifer Simmons at DPR.Proposals@denvergov.org
Contact details
Jennifer Simmons
Important Dates
RFP Issued & Advertised:
Oct. 13, 2025
Pre-Proposal Meeting:
Oct. 28, 2025 @ 12:30 p.m. MT
Site Tour:
Nov. 4, 2025 @ 12:30 p.m. MT
Deadline to Submit Questions:
Nov. 10, 2025 @ 12:00 p.m. MT
Questions & Answers uploaded to BidNet:
Nov. 14, 2025
Proposals Due:
Nov. 21, 2025 @ 12:00 p.m.
Finalist Interviews:
December 2025
Contract Execution:
Quarter 1 2026
Attachment Preview
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FOR
Pahaska Concession Services
Solicitation #202580844
Department of Parks and Recreation
October 13, 2025
RFP 2025: Pahaska Concession Services
Page 1 of 23
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Pahaska Concession Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Notice of Availability of Requests for Proposals ................................................................... 3
SECTION 1 - Invitation to Submit a Proposal ..................................................................... 4
SECTION 2 – Scope of Work................................................................................................ 5
SECTION 3 – Proposal Submittal Requirements................................................................ 9
SECTION 4 - General Requirements...................................................................................13
SECTION 5 – Selection Process .........................................................................................15
ATTACHMENT 1: Site Maps and Pictures ......................................................................17
ATTACHMENT 2: City-Owned Equipment Inventory .....................................................19
ATTACHMENT 3: Contract Certification Form ...............................................................20
ATTACHMENT 4: Diversity & Inclusiveness in City Solicitations Information Request
Form ..................................................................................................................................21
ATTACHMENT 5: Sample Contract.................................................................................22
ATTACHMENT 6: Proposer’s Checklist..........................................................................23
RFP 2025: Pahaska Concession Services
Page 2 of 23
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER
Pahaska Concession Services
Notice of Availability of Requests for Proposals
IT SHALL BE CONCLUSIVELY PRESUMED THAT THE PROPOSER DID, BEFORE SUBMITTING A
PROPOSAL, CLOSELY REVIEW THE RFP, ALL EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS, AND OTHER
ITEMS RELEVANT TO THE RFP.
RESPONSES DUE:
Proposals must be submitted electronically through BidNet®; see Section 3 for details.
Responses must be received no later than:
12:00 P.M. MT, November 21, 2025
SUMMARY OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The City and County of Denver (“City”) and the Department of
Parks and Recreation (“DPR”) are requesting proposals from companies with the interest,
capability, and financial backing to operate indigenous-focused food and beverage, retail
marketplace, and cultural programming concession services at Denver Mountain Parks’ historic
Pahaska facility located at Lookout Mountain Park, 987 Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, CO
80401 (“Concession Site”). This opportunity seeks proposals from vendors focused on providing
a food and retail experience that honors and celebrates contemporary indigenous culture in
keeping with the historical theme of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West traveling show.
PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING: Proposers should attend the pre-proposal meeting which shall
take place virtually/online on Tuesday October 28, 2025 at 12:30 P.M. MT via Microsoft
Teams https://tinyurl.com/mvfz3m4d. Proposers may also attend by calling 720-388-6219, ID
317 824 883#. The pre-proposal meeting is not mandatory, but proposers will be held
responsible for all information presented at the meeting.
SITE TOUR: Proposers who are interested in viewing the Concession Site are encouraged to
attend the optional site tour which shall take place in-person on Tuesday November 4, 2025
at 12:30 P.M. MT at 987 Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, CO 80401. RSVPs for attendance
must be submitted to dpr.proposals@denvergov.org no later than the pre-proposal meeting
on Tuesday October 28, 2025 at 12:30 P.M. MT. No additional tours of the concession site will
be made available.
DESIGNATED CONTACT: Jennifer Simmons, Department of Parks and Recreation Contract
Administrator, is the Designated Contact for this Request for Proposals. All inquiries and
questions regarding the RFP should be submitted in writing to dpr.proposals@denvergov.org.
REVIEW PROCESS: The Executive Director of Parks and Recreation issued this solicitation
pursuant to the authority vested in the Executive Director by the Charter of the City and County
of Denver. The Executive Director of Parks and Recreation reserves the right to terminate,
suspend, modify the selection process; reject any or all submittals; modify the terms and
conditions of this selection process; and/or waive any informalities, irregularities, or omissions in
any submittals, as the City’s best interests may appear.
Jolon Clark, Executive Director of Parks and Recreation
RFP 2025: Pahaska Concession Services
Page 3 of 23
SECTION 1 - Invitation to Submit a Proposal
By issuance of this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), the City and County of Denver (the “City”),
acting through the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation (the “Executive Director”), invites
all qualified proposers to submit a proposal for Pahaska concession services.
Proposers are expected to familiarize themselves with the details in connection with the
proposed operations. Any person, firm, entity, joint venture, or corporation desiring to submit a
proposal shall examine this RFP and shall judge for themselves their qualifications and all the
circumstances and conditions affecting their proposal. Failure on the part of any proposer to
make such thorough examination or to thoroughly investigate the conditions of the proposal
shall not be grounds for a declaration that the successful proposer did not understand the RFP.
Proposals shall be disqualified if the proposer is in default or past due under any previous or
existing agreement with the City, if any unresolved monetary claims by the City exist against the
proposer, or if the proposer is unable to show evidence of their financial capabilities to execute
the work of this contract.
Should a proposer find a discrepancy or omission in this RFP, or should a proposer be in doubt
as to the meaning of any provision of this RFP, the proposer should promptly notify the
Designated Contact in writing, and any necessary clarifications or addenda will be provided in
writing. THE CITY WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ORAL INSTRUCTIONS OR
INTERPRETATIONS GIVEN BY OR TO ANYONE.
The instructions contained within are not intended to completely define the proposed contractual
relationship between the City and County of Denver and the successful proposer. The awarded
contract will be similar in form to the attached Attachment 5 - Sample Contract, but the City
reserves the right to make changes and additions prior to the final award at the sole discretion
of the Executive Director.
In making a final selection recommendation, the competitive selection process provided under
this RFP will focus consideration on the qualifications and prior history of similar performance of
each submitting proposer, in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section 5.
Written responses to this RFP will enable the City to select the most qualified candidate. The
Executive Director will appoint a selection committee to evaluate the proposals. The selection
committee will recommend a finalist or finalists to the Executive Director who will decide on the
successful proposer and will approve the contract before submittal to the Denver City Council
and Mayor for ordinance or resolution approval, if applicable, and Mayoral signature of the
contract. NO RIGHTS TO PROVIDE SERVICES SHALL ARISE UNLESS AND UNTIL THE
CONTRACT IS APPROVED BY ORDINANCE (IF APPLICABLE) AND SIGNED BY THE
MAYOR.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
RFP Issued & Advertised
Pre-Proposal Meeting
Site Tour
Deadline to Submit Questions
Questions & Answers Uploaded to BidNet
Proposals Due
Finalist Interviews
Contract Execution
12:30 PM MT
12:30 PM MT
12:00 PM MT
12:00 PM MT
October 13, 2025
October 28, 2025
November 4, 2025
November 10, 2025
November 14, 2025
November 21, 2025
December 2025
Q1 2026
RFP 2025: Pahaska Concession Services
Page 4 of 23
SECTION 2 – Scope of Work
A. GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The City and County of Denver (“City”) and the Department of Parks and Recreation (“DPR”)
are requesting proposals from companies with the interest, capability, and financial backing to
operate indigenous-focused food and beverage, retail marketplace, and cultural programming
concession services at Denver Mountain Parks’ historic Pahaska facility located at Lookout
Mountain Park, 987 Lookout Mountain Road, Golden, CO 80401 (“Concession Site”). This
opportunity seeks proposals from vendors focused on providing a food and retail experience
that honors and celebrates contemporary indigenous culture in keeping with the historical theme
of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West traveling show.
The City anticipates awarding one (1) contract (“Concession License”) with a three to five (3-5)
year term. DPR may request interviews with finalists following initial proposal evaluation to
determine award.
B. BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
For over 100 years, Denver’s Mountain Parks have connected people with some of Colorado’s
most scenic landscapes, spanning nearly 15,000 acres across 5 counties. Lookout Mountain
Park, home to the popular Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, is located outside of Golden in
Jefferson County, Colorado. The park is visited by more than 500,000 people per year and
holds historical significance with breathtaking views of the surrounding landscapes. The Buffalo
Bill Museum is open to the public year-round and hosts approximately 80,000 museum guests
per year. The park is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.
William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody died in 1917 and was buried in Lookout Mountain Park overlooking
Denver. The site soon became overrun with visitors and tourists, and the historic “Pahaska
Tepee” building was constructed in 1921 to serve visitors to the site. Now known as just
“Pahaska,” the building housed museum exhibits, a restaurant, public bathrooms, and a gift
shop until the construction of the current museum in 1977. Pahaska continued to operate as a
restaurant and large gift shop through the end of 2024, generating an average of over
$1,500,000.00 in reported annual gross revenues for 2022 through 2024.
Denver Mountain Parks is undertaking a long-range planning effort to reimagine the future of
Lookout Mountain Park and to improve the visitor experience. As part of this effort, the City
seeks a Concessionaire to operate Pahaska on a more limited scale than in previous years
during this interim planning phase.
C. SCOPE OF WORK:
Concession Services
The primary objective of the Concessionaire must always be to service the wants and needs
of the general public. As a public facility, the Pahaska concession must offer a satisfying
experience to the public.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show sought to connect people around the world with his experience of
the culture of the American West, and Denver Mountain Parks seeks to continue this tradition by
offering Native American cuisine and an indigenous-focused retail marketplace at Pahaska. The
City seeks a Concessionaire with a mission aligned with Denver Mountain Parks’ objectives and
a vision for enhancing the visitor experience through sharing contemporary indigenous food and
culture in a manner appropriate for the general public.
RFP 2025: Pahaska Concession Services
Page 5 of 23
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
Daily notification on new contract opportunities
With GovernmentContracts, you can:
- Find more opportunities and win more business
- Receive daily alerts for all new bid opportunities
- Get contract opportunities matched to your business
See also
...and recreation centers, cultural facilities, affordable housing, improved streets and bridges, a family ...
City of Denver
Bid Due: 6/18/2026
...and recreation centers, cultural facilities, affordable housing, improved streets and bridges, a family...
City of Denver
Bid Due: 6/18/2026
...and Recreation ("DPR") are seeking responses from companies with the interest, capability, financial ...
City of Denver
Bid Due: 6/22/2026
...across Denver, including libraries, parks and recreation centers, cultural facilities, affordable... program needs. ...
City of Denver
Bid Due: 7/21/2026
* Disclaimer: Information regarding bids, requests for proposals (RFPs), or requests for qualifications (RFQs) is provided on this website only for convenience and does not constitute official public notice. Persons wishing to respond to or inquire about bids, RFPs, or RFQs should contact the appropriate government department.