SLED Opportunity · FLORIDA · CITY OF LAKELAND
AI Summary
The City of Lakeland seeks a non-alcoholic beverage distributor for an exclusive long-term partnership to provide beverage services at city facilities and events, generating revenue for capital improvements. The partnership includes marketing rights and exclusive vending locations within the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.
The City of Lakeland is seeking to develop an exclusive long-term partnership with a non-alcoholic beverage distributor to provide beverage services for all City facilities and events and as a method of generating revenue for new capital and program improvements to City properties and facilities. The scope of such partnership agreements would include providing the official beverage distributor with territory exclusivity, category exclusivity, use of the City logo and marks, signage, access to points of sale, access to City publications, direct mailings, special events, and the provision of exclusive vending locations on City properties, specifically the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department.
To determine the best corporate partner and the exact benefit package that will be required in a partnership agreement, the City has provided the attached Request for Proposals (RFP) document for you to complete. Please respond to the attached RFP questions as completely as possible. You may include sample pictures or drawings to illustrate how your firm is proposing to implement the marketing partnership proposal.
The City of Lakeland is pleased to announce its innovative approach to enhance public service delivery through long-term partnerships with commercial enterprises. This exceptional opportunity opens the door to long-standing, exclusive, up close and personal sales and promotional access to the thousands of people, that live, visit, work and play in one of the most advanced cities in America.
Conveniently located halfway between the Tampa Bay and Orlando markets, with a population over 100,000 is bold and confident in its role as a premier community for raising families and building business. Lakeland is proud to welcome future marketing partners to the City and is certain that you will find everything you need to secure a solid and profitable partnership. Here are just a few reasons why…Lakeland is host to multiple special sports events, including Detroit Tigers Spring Training games, tournaments annually, a number of recreational events, and historical sites throughout the City’s boundaries. The largest Frank Lloyd Wright collection in one location resides on the campus of Florida Southern College.
The City’s Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department provides more than 200 programs which benefit tens of thousands of children in the greater Lakeland area. With over 70 parks and miles of trails, City residents enjoy wide playing fields, picnic areas, and activities ranging from basketball, swimming, jogging, tennis, bike riding, volleyball and baseball.
We have either had Coke or Pepsi and we were paid originally .15 per item sold but now that has been increased to .25 to .30 per item sold and paid out monthly.
RFP DUE DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL: 3:00 P.M., THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2026
RFP DUE DATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL: 3:00 P.M., THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2026
“I attest no City of Lakeland employee, their spouse, or child has an ownership stake in this organization.”
A certificate of existing insurance coverage should be submitted with the proposal as proof of insurability. If the current coverage does not meet the RFP requirements, then the Respondent should request an affidavit of insurability from the Respondent’s insurance agent that certifies the requirements can and will be met.
THIS RFP SHALL BE VALID FOR SIXTY (60) DAYS FROM DATE OF OPENING.
The following RFP is in strict accordance with the City of Lakeland Request for Proposal No. 2026-RFP-014, dated Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and all attachments as referenced therein.
“I hereby certify that I understand and am aware that the City of Lakeland at its sole discretion reserves the right to waive technicalities or irregularities, to reject any or all proposals, and/or to accept that proposal which is in the best interest of the City. The award of this RFP, if made, may be based on considerations other than total cost and may be awarded based on various considerations, including without limitation; Respondent’s experience and/or qualifications, past experience, administrative cost, standardization, technical evaluation and oral and/or written presentations as required. The City reserves the right to accept all or part, or to decline the whole, and to award this RFP to one (1) or more Respondents. There is no obligation to buy. The RFP, if awarded, will be in the judgement of the City the most responsive to the City’s needs. The City of Lakeland encourages the use of minority and women owned businesses as subcontractors or in joint venture arrangements.
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, I certify that the company satisfies each of the following criteria at the time of their submission of a response to the solicitation necessary to qualify as a “Local Business”: a vendor, supplier or contractor that: (i) conducts business within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory by providing goods, services or construction; (ii) maintains a physical business location within the jurisdictional limits of Lakeland Electric’s service territory in an area legally zoned for conducting such business; (iii) conducts business on a daily basis from the local business location; (iv) has conducted business from such location for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the due date for the applicable bid or proposal; and (v) provides a copy of its local business tax receipt, if located within the City of Lakeland, or a copy of its Polk County local business tax receipt, if located outside of the City limits but within Lakeland Electric’s service territory.”
If claiming Local Vendor Preference, a valid Local Business Tax Receipt must be provided at the time the response is submitted in order to qualify for such consideration.
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Q (No subject): Can you please confirm the total annual beverage vending machine sales were last year?
A: That is not provided to us by the current vendor
Q (No subject): Can you please confirm the current beverage pricing in the vending machines?
A: Gatorade $2.25 Water $2.00 Celius $2.50 Soft Drinks $2.25
Q (No subject): Can you please provide the current retail beverage pricing in the pro-shop at Cleveland Heights?
A: Water $3 Gatorade $3 Gatorade Zero/Light $4 Soft drinks $3 Propel $4 Rock Star $3
Q (No subject): Can you please confirm what the total annual commission $ dollars paid to the City of Lakeland by the vendor last year?
A: Last year was about 15k
Q (billing): how are funds collected? Do the machines have card readers that would be transferred to our company? There are also refrigerators, how would those be collected as well?
A: The vendor collects all funds, and yes, the machines can have card readers. Once we select a vendor, Pepsi will remove all machines from each location.
Q (maintenance): will we be responsible for mainteneance of the machines ie compressor failures, bill/coin validators and such?
A: The machines are maintained by the vendor as it is their machines.
SLED stands for State, Local, and Education. These are solicitations issued by state governments, counties, cities, school districts, utilities, and higher education institutions — as opposed to federal agencies.
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