Active

Contract Opportunity

Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) are an official government contracting resource for small businesses. Find your local PTAC (opens in new window) for free government expertise related to contract opportunities.

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. This is not a solicitation or a request for proposal and no contract will be awarded from this notice. No solicitation or specifications are available at this time.

The General Services Administration (GSA), New England Region, Acquisition Management Division, is conducting market research to determine if any Small Business concerns have the current relevant qualifications, experience, personnel, and capability to perform the work described herein.

Building Food Concession Services will be performed at the federal buildings located in Massachusetts.

1. John F. Kennedy Federal Building

15 Sudbury Street

Boston, MA 02210-2318

Building Number: MA6018ZZ

• Additional Data
  
  
  
  • Location: 2nd Floor Cafeteria, Low Rise Building
  
  
  • Approximate Square Footage of Food Service Space: 8,437
  
  
  • Approximate Seating Capacity of Space: 200
  
  
  • Approximate Building Square Footage: 1,045,000 GSF
  
  
  • Official Building Hours: 7 am to 5 pm
  
  
  • Peak Building Days and/or Times: Tuesday to Thursday
  
  
  • Estimated Foot Traffic:
    
    
    
    • Monday: 400 Occupants + 400 Visitors = 800
    
    
    • Tuesday: 585 Occupants + 400 Visitors = 985
    
    
    • Wednesday: 580 Occupants + 400 Visitors = 980
    
    
    • Thursday: 560 Occupants + 400 Visitors = 960
    
    
    • Friday: 360 Occupants + 400 Visitors = 760
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Randolph-Sheppard program operates all vending machines in the building. There are two staffed Randolph-Sheppard snack bars located in the building on the 1st floor low rise and 6th floors high rise, which sell(s) pre-packaged beverages and snacks.
  
  
  
  

2. John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

220 Binney Street

Cambridge, MA 02142

Building Number: MA0183ZZ

• Additional Data
  
  
  
  • Location: 3rd Floor Cafeteria Space
  
  
  • Kitchen & Office Space: 1,979 SF
  
  
  • Cafeteria Space: 4,400 SF
  
  
  • Approximate Seating Capacity of Space: 101
  
  
  • Approximate Building Square Footage: 565,799 GSF
  
  
  • Official Building Hours: 7 am to 5 pm
  
  
  • Peak Building Days and/or Times: TBD (the Volpe Center is a newly-built facility)
  
  
  • Estimated Foot Traffic: 415
  
  
  • Approximate range of daily building occupants and visitors: 1,500 (the Volpe Center is not estimated to be fully-occupied until December 2023)
    
    
    
    • In addition, the building has an average of approximately 20 visitors during the day that attend short seminars, on-site meetings and other functions. These visitors have access to the cafeteria but may not necessarily “overlap” breakfast or lunch period.
    
    
    • The Government estimates 50 percent of the 1,500 federal employees listed above will telework a minimum of one to four days each week.
    
    
    • The number of Alternate Work Schedule (AWS) employees with one day off (typically a Monday or Friday) every two weeks is approximately 100.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Randolph-Sheppard program operates all vending machines in the building. There is one staffed Randolph-Sheppard snack bar located in the building on the 1st Floor, which sells pre-packaged beverages and snacks.
  
  
  
  

3. Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Federal Office Building

10 Causeway Street

Boston, MA 02222

Building Number: MA0153ZZ

• Additional Data
  
  
  
  • Building Structure: 11-story High Rise and a 5-story Low-Rise connected by a 5-story interior courtyard covered by a continuous skylight.
  
  
  • Location: 2nd Floor Cafeteria, High Rise Building
  
  
  • Approximate Square Footage of Kitchen and Serving Space: 5,842
  
  
  • Approximate Square Footage of Adjacent Dining Area Space: 5,031
  
  
  • Approximate Seating Capacity of Space: 275 seats
  
  
  • Approximate Building Square Footage: 853,007 GSF
  
  
  • Official Building Hours: 6:00 am - 6:00 pm
  
  
  • Peak Building Days and/or Times:
  
  
  • Estimated Foot Traffic:
    
    
    
    • Monday: 400 Occupants + 300 Visitors = 700
    
    
    • Tuesday: 520 Occupants + 300 Visitors = 820
    
    
    • Wednesday: 530 Occupants + 300 Visitors = 830
    
    
    • Thursday: 480 Occupants + 300 Visitors = 780
    
    
    • Friday: 360 Occupants + 300 Visitors = 660
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The Randolph-Sheppard program operates all vending machines in the building. There are two staffed Randolph-Sheppard snack bars located in the building on the 1st floor low rise and 6th floors high rise, which sell(s) pre-packaged beverages and snacks.
  
  
  
  

While this notice encompasses all three buildings, any potential subsequent solicitation would result in three separate contracts (i.e., one contract per building). However, one Contractor might be awarded more than one contract.

This will be a performance-based acquisition service contract utilizing the commercial item procedures of FAR Part 12. The Contractor shall provide management, supervision, labor, materials, equipment, and supplies, and shall be responsible for providing concession services to furnish food and nonalcoholic drinks to Federal employees situated at the above buildings. A draft statement of work is attached to this notice.

GSA is considering the potential for a 5-year contract (1-year base period with four (4) 1-year options).

GSA is contemplating allowing Food Concession Contractors to supplement their income by using kitchens and associated concessions space (and the equipment therein) on Federal property for private catering or third-party food delivery apps, provided that such activities do not interfere with the operations of their contractually-required activities and the use does not damage the property or equipment.

(Due to security constraints, in the case of third-party food delivery apps, it would be the vendor’s responsibility to transfer the food to delivery personnel outside the secured perimeter. Additionally, third-party food delivery app usage would be limited to normal building business hours.)

Any such private catering activities would allow for Contractors to prepare food for catering onsite, but the actual serving or delivery (whether by Contractor personnel or a third party) of such food would be restricted to off-site locations, as the Government does not currently contemplate the availability of dining space (either during or after normal business hours, or on weekends) at any of the above facilities.

Additionally, Contractors will not be permitted to offer only pre-packaged “grab-n-go” service to building tenants/visitors while providing full catering services to the commercial public. The Government expects that some level of hot meals will be provided to building tenants/visitors.

All qualified businesses are encouraged to respond. The Government will not pay for any information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. One of the main purposes of this Sources Sought Notice is to assist the Contracting Officer in determining if a Small Business Set-Aside is the acceptable strategy for the procurement. The Government anticipates a contract award for these services in or about May 1, 2024.

This is only a request for responsible, technically-qualified sources to respond in order to determine the appropriate method of procurement. Interested technically-qualified firms should submit detailed Statements of Capability. The Statements of Capability should include detailed reference information and fully address and respond to all below bullets and questions.

NOTE: Failure to submit all information requested will result in a contractor not being considered as an interested business.

Interested vendors are requested to respond to this RFI with the information outlined below:

1. Company Information

A. Name of firm

B. Point of contact (name, phone number, and email address)

C. UEI number

D. Annual Receipts

E. Office Location(s)

F. Business Size (Large/Small) for NAICS

G. Socioeconomic Category(ies) (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB)

Capabilities Narrative

1. Provide evidence of successful experience providing Food services industry for projects of similar duration within the last three (3) years in an office building of a similar size, scope, and complexity.

• Briefly describe the services performed and how the referenced contract relates to the work described.


• Indicate whether this experience was performed as a prime contractor or subcontractor.


• Include information such as building size, dollar value, duration, location, government or commercial requirement, etc. to facilitate making a capability determination for this future requirement.
  
  
  
  • If outside catering was also provided, please provide a broad overview of the catering business model, mission, and targets/demographic.
  
  
  
  


• Provide an agency or owner point of contact.

2. Briefly describe the services performed and how the referenced contract relates to the work described.

3. Indicate whether this experience was performed as a prime contractor or subcontractor.

4. Include information such as building size, dollar value, duration, location, government or commercial requirement, etc. to facilitate making a capability determination for this future requirement.

5. Provide an agency or owner point of contact.

6. Provide a brief narrative describing how--in the event you were awarded two or more contracts--you plan on managing multiple buildings simultaneously within the geographic area without compromising cost, timeliness of delivery, and quality of work.

7. Provide a brief narrative describing how you would implement quality control under this contract, including how you would manage subcontractors, to ensure timely delivery of quality work.

8. (For small business concerns) Will your firm provide at least 50 percent of the personnel cost of the contract performance with employees of your concern?

9. Will your firm submit a detailed proposal at a fair and reasonable price for this requirement when it is issued?

10. Are you interested in this opportunity as a prime contractor, or a Contractor Teaming Arrangement (CTA)?

11. If your firm intends to submit a proposal, are any of your Key Personnel and other contemplated staff cleared through the Department of Homeland Security HSPD-12 security process?

12. Indicate whether your firm is small business, small disadvantaged business, service-disabled veteran-owned, HUBZone, Woman-Owned, 8(a) or Large Business. The NAICS code for this procurement will be 722310 and the small business size standard is $41.5 million.

13. Would you be able to provide full service? With or without the outside catering? What restrictions or conditions would be necessary in order to make full service feasible?

14. What service options [i.e., entrees, sandwiches, grill, salad bar, etc.] would you envision being able to offer?

15. Potential hours of operation (i.e., breakfast, lunch, etc.) and days of the week?

16. What level of occupancy would you need to make this option viable?

17. Should this requirement be combined as one contract or kept separate by location?

18. Do you perform these services under Federal Supply Schedule? If so, under what category and what is your schedule contract number?

Additional Information

1. Please include any other information and/or recommendations to assist GSA in its structuring of this contract requirement to facilitate competition, its approach to acquiring the services and the manner in which requirements are described for the identified items/services.

The capabilities package requested under this RFI is not expected to be a proposal, but rather a short statement regarding the company's ability to demonstrate existing expertise and experience in relation to this requirement. Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities package. Submission of a capabilities package is not a prerequisite to any potential future offerings, but participation will assist the GSA in tailoring its requirements to be consistent with industry standards.

Statements of Capability must be in writing. Responses are limited to no more than twenty (20) pages, exclusive of any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This notice does not constitute a Request for Quote (RFQ)/Invitation for Bid (IFB)/Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFQ, IFB, or RFP in the future. This notice does not commit GSA to contract for any supply or service. Further, GSA is not seeking quotes, bids or proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals in response to this RFI.

This is for planning purposes only and is a market research tool to determine availability and adequacy of potential business sources. Failure to submit all information requested will result in a contractor not being considered as an interested small business concern.

GSA will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice. The government will not reimburse responders for the cost of the submittals. Submittals will not be returned to the responder.

Statements of Capability are due August 30, 2023, 4:00pm (EST) and should be e-mailed to Simeon.Berry@gsa.gov and Tony.Schmidt@gsa.gov.

Attachments/Links