Snack Bar Operator

City of

Purchasing Department

City Hall

, Room 60

Project Name: Lowell City Hall Snack Bar Operator

Quote No.: 26-40

Date: January 26, 2026

Buyer: P. Michael Vaughn

Tel. No.: 978-970-4110

Email: pmvaughn@lowellma.gov

The CITY OF LOWELL is requesting proposals from qualified food service operators to provide snack bar services at Lowell City Hall with a basic menu of high quality beverages, breakfast and lunch items, desserts, and snacks.

DUE DATE

Proposals are due on: February 12, 2026 at City Hall in the Purchasing Department, Room 60, 375 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852, at 11:00 AM, EST/EDST, for the work described herein. There is no public opening

DURATION:

This is a three (3) year contract, April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2029, with a three (3) year option

Scope of Work and Contract Requirements

1. General

A. The successful proposer (“Operator” hereafter) will provide snack bar clientele with a basic menu of high quality beverages, breakfast and lunch items, desserts, and snacks during the hours of operation. It is preferred at a minimum the hours will be:

a. 7:45am to 2:00pm Monday, Wednesday & Thursday

b. 7:45am to 5:30pm Tuesday

c. 7:45am to 11:00am Friday

1. City Hall is open from 8:00 to 5:00pm Mon, Wed & Thursday

2. City Hall is open from 8:00 to 8:00pm Tuesday

3. City Hall is open from 8:00 to noon Friday

d. Be advised that City Hall may change its hours, including but not limited to 8:00 to 5:00 Monday - Friday

B. It shall be the responsibility of the Operator to establish, review and control the pricing and portion sizes of all items available for sale in the snack bar.

C. The City may terminate this Agreement at any time upon thirty (30) days written notice for any reason including its own convenience or for cause, including but not limited to, failure to pay monthly, failure to have any necessary local, state, or federal licenses and/or permits, failure to pay any and all taxes, failure to maintain required worker’s compensation insurance in force at all times, failure to comply with any local, state, or federal regulations pertaining to food establishments of this type, failure to promptly correct any use of the premises that conflicts with the City, and failure for satisfactory behavior of all staff/management. In the case of a termination for cause, the City shall give the Operator a written notice of termination stating the basis of the termination, effective thirty (30) days after the Operator’s receipt of such notice. The Operator shall have the right to cure the cause of termination within ten (10) days of receipt of the notice.

D. The Operator shall indemnify the City from any theft, damage, or loss of property, the City and Operator will agree on what insurance the Operator will need.

The Operator will obtain at its own expense all local, state, or federal licenses and/or approvals throughout the time it uses the premises pursuant to this quote. The Operator will comply with all local, state and federal laws and ordinances in operating the snack bar. In order to obtain an annual food permit, the Operator must complete all required food licenses and permits. In addition to other requirements, the application submittals consist of specification sheets for all food storage and preparation equipment, proof of Food Protection Manager training and an approved menu.

The Operator will on a quarterly basis provide to the City a detailed statement of all revenue and operating expenses relating to snack bar operations. Annually, the Operator shall document its payment of all applicable taxes and compliance with all federal, state, or local tax laws. Annually at minimum, and as may be otherwise requested by the City, the Operator shall provide evidence of Worker’s Compensation and General Liability insurance as required in paragraph D above.

2. Facilities and Equipment

A. The City authorizes the Operator to use the snack bar space for the sole purpose of operating a snack bar in accordance with this bid. The following equipment is installed in the snack bar and will be available for use by the Operator:

Sam 4 er-5215 Cash Register

Convection Oven

Conveyor Toaster

Panini Press

Steam Table

Grill with an ansul system

Hot Chocolate Dispenser

2ea Bunn Coffee Makers

Bunn Coffee Grinder

Refrigerated Cream & Milk Dispenser for coffee/tea

2ea True 1 door Refrigerator

Small Refrigerator

Deli Counter

3 Bay Sink

6’ Stainless Steel Rack

3’ Stainless Steel Rack

Griddle

Micro-wave

B. The Operator shall be responsible to provide any additional equipment which it deems necessary by reason of its operation of the snack bar. All such additional equipment to be delivered to or installed in the snack bar must be approved in advance by the City. Any and all changes to the building requested by the Operator will be paid for by the Operator, but only the City or the City designee can make said changes

C. All kitchen mechanical equipment, including but not limited to soft drink display cases, dessert, dairy, and other assorted refrigerated cases, shall be serviced at the Operator’s expense at least annually to ensure proper operation. Service to heating and cooling equipment must include compressors, coils, and related mechanical components. It shall be the Operator’s responsibility to ensure that all display cases are moved and the compressors, coils, interior, and exterior of machines and equipment are washed and cleaned of dirt, dust grease, and debris including behind and beneath the units. Upon termination of the contract, the Operator will remove any non-permanent equipment installed at his/her expense, unless other arrangements are made between the Operator and the City.

D. The City will not guarantee the uninterrupted provision of electric, gas or other utilities or services except to ensure that all reasonable and diligent efforts will be pursued in restoring interrupted service. The City shall not be liable for any losses incurred by the Operator which may result from interruptions or failure of such service.

E. The Operator will not perform any spatial modifications to the snack bar. The City will in good faith, but without obligation, consider modifications to the facility which the Operator desires to enhance serviceability. All such modifications will be performed by the City’s own contractors. In no instance shall failure by the City to perform a requested modification relieve the Operator from fully performing its obligations under this contract.

F. The Operator shall provide all required equipment, furnishings, appliances, dishware, flatware, paper goods and other utensils required for the serving and consumption of the menu items. Commercial quality paper/plastic ware for customer use will be acceptable.

3. Access To and Use of Space

A. For purposes of food preparation, cleaning, etc., the Operator will be allowed access to the snack bar between the hours of 7:00 am and City Hall closing times as outlined within. The Operator will have no right to use the premises except during those hours described above except as specifically permitted by the City, which permission shall not be unreasonably withheld

4. Cleaning and Sanitation Requirements

A. The Operator shall maintain all areas of the snack bar space in a clean and sanitary manner in accordance with the highest industry standards. The Operator shall train all employees in a “clean-as-you-go” policy. The snack bar will be subject to regular inspection by City of Lowell Health Department Officials.

B. The Operator may deposit trash in the City Hall dumpster.

C. The Operator shall encourage the recycling of plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage containers and shall provide separate receptacles for this purpose. The Operator is strongly encouraged to use recycled products.

5. Personnel Requirements

The Operator will be responsible to recruit, train, supervise, direct, discipline and, if necessary, discharge any and all personnel working in the snack bar. Service should be timely, attentive, and friendly. Each employee should be clean, neat, and well groomed.

1. Suggested Menu (sold well by previous operators)

A. Breakfast Items – available all day

a. Toast, english muffins, bagels

b. Cold Cereal

c. Muffins, Donuts

d. Egg sandwiches, with options type and with cheese, bacon or sausage

e. The “DUPE” egg, cheese, choice of meat and home fires on choice of bread,,bagel or english

B. Lunch Items

a. Sandwiches, various cold cuts, cheese options, using bread, rolls & wraps

b. Salads, greek, chef, garden

c. Healthy choice options daily – veggie wraps, veggie burgers…

d. Daily soups and/or chowdah (particularly in cold weather, rotate daily)

e. Daily specials, these have been successfully offered in the past

i. Monday – chefs choice

ii. Tuesday – lunch – Chili, dinner Pizza (bring in from outside vendor, sell by slice)

iii. Wednesday - Tomato soup & grilled cheese

iv. Thursday - Day after sandwich, turkey, stuffing & cranberry on roll

v. Friday – breakfast focus

C. Beverages – sold from Snack Bar & Vending Machine

a. Coffee, reg, decaf and flavored, hot & cold

b. Tea, hot and cold

c. OJ, V8, Sports Drink, Milk reg & chocolate

d. Water & Selzer flavored choices

e. Soda

D. Snacks

a. Cheezits, Chips, Fritos, Doritos, Popcorn

b. Candy Bars, Hershey Bars, Snickers, M&Ms

c. Kind Bars, Luna Bars

d. Fresh fruit

E. Operators are encouraged to include their specialties

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The City will designate a Committee to evaluate all Proposers to qualify them as being responsible and responsive to the requirements of the Proposal. The City will award the contract on the basis of the most advantageous proposal taking into account proposal quality and proposal price.

Minimum Criteria: Proposals failing to comply with one or more of the minimum criteria set forth below may be disqualified from further consideration. Proposals which fulfill all minimum criteria will be evaluated on the basis of the comparative criteria.

1. Proposer experience

2. Proposer must respond to each of the following areas(s):

a. Must demonstrate related experience

b. Must detail the organizational plan and management plan for the

snack bar

3. Must provide suggested menu with pricing

a. The City does expects reasonable menu pricing for the Snack Bar

PAYMENT:

The Operator shall pay $100 to the City to offset utility costs. The Operator is to make payment within five (5) days of the last day of the preceding month. If the Operator is delinquent for 10 days or longer, the Operator shall pay a $25 late fee (subject to change), accrued monthly until the payment is made in full.

The City will provide electricity, heat and air conditioning (as provided in the entire building) and trash disposal for the snack bar, you are required to collect and put trash in bags. A City telephone will be provided to receive call orders, but no long distance outgoing calls will be permitted.

SELECTION PROCESS:

The City will evaluate all offers received and reserves the right to select the best candidate to operate the snack bar with or without interviews

Required Submittals

A. In order to be considered responsive, proposals must include the following documents and information. Information provided should be succinct and informative. All Proposers are to utilize the following outline.

B. Identifying Information

a. Name, address, principle place of business, and telephone number of legal entity with whom the Agreement is to be written.

b. Who will be at snack bar

c. Suggested menu with pricing, this is for evaluation and the basis for what the snack bar operator would offer

Signature of Bidder _____________________________________________________

Print Name and Title ____________________________________________________

Company Name and Address _____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number ______________________________________________________________

Email Address __________________________________________________________________

AFFIDAVIT OF NON-COLLUSION

It shall be understood that any bid submitted to the City is made without collusion with any other bidder submitting a bid on the same commodity/service, and is in all respects fair and without fraud.

STATE OF: Date:

COUNTY OF: S.S.: ______________________

The undersigned being duly sworn, deposes and says that he/she is the

(Sole Owner; Partner, President, Treasurer,

or Other Duty Authorized Official of a Corporation)

of

(Name of Firm as Appearing in Submitted Proposal)

and works in

(City/Town)

and certifies under penalties of perjury that this proposal is in all respects bona fide, fair and made without collusion or fraud with any other person. As used in this paragraph the word “person” shall mean any natural person, joint venture, partnership, corporation or other business or legal entity.

(Signature and Title of Person Making Affidavit)

Sworn to before me this day of , 20

Notary Public: My commission expires:

FAQ’s

Where will I park?

Answer - The temporary unloading area is in JFK Plaza, the Snack Bar Operator will be given one pass to park in employee parking lot.

What licenses do they need to operate?

Answer – They would need a Food Permit from Development Services, plus a Common Victualler’s License from the License Commission. They also need allergy awareness certificate. The Food Permit requires the operator to be ServSafe Certified. The selected operator should immediately arrange a meeting with the Senior Sanitary Code Enforcement Officer, to review the proposed operation and begin permitting, this will all be documented in their new food business application before they can open.

Can they advertise to outside the City to attract additional patrons?

Answer – Yes, meaning they can advertise their business in the same way they would at another location

What were the gross sales of the previous operator?

Answer – Gross Sales averages between $300 and $350 per day.

GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN PROPOSAL REVIEW COMMITTEE

Each Committee Member is responsible for independently ranking each preliminary proposal in accordance with the system below.

	Highly Advantageous	Advantageous	Not Advantageous
I. Plan of Services Ratings will be based on the project approach and the menu offered	Proposal includes a detailed, logical, and highly efficient approach and menu	Proposal includes a credible scheme for addressing all of the required issues.	Proposal is not sufficiently detailed to fully evaluate, or does not contain components necessary to address all the required issues.
II. General Qualifications of Firm Particular attention will be paid to evidence of successful past performance.	Candidate has successfully operated services similar to what is being proposed for Lowell Snack Bar	Candidate has successfully operated food service venues	Candidate has successfully has no experience
III. Personnel & Resources to be Utilized Rating will be based on evidence that adequate qualified personnel are assigned to all phases of the project, and that sufficient resources are available.	The resources offered have experience providing similar food service operations	The resources offered have limited experience providing similar food service operations	The resources offered have no experience providing similar food service operations
IV. References. Strength and credibility of client references.	The proposal indicates three or more strong and credible client references with contact information.	The proposal indicates one or two strong and credible client references with contact information.	The proposal indicates no strong and credible client references with contact information.