Vending Machine Services

Vending Machine Services

25P3-005

Contact Person: Akinola Oshodi

akinola.oshodi@santacruzcountyca.gov

Questions must be submitted during the Q&A Period as described in the Timeline using the Question and Answer tab for this solicitation.

The County of Santa Cruz invites sealed proposals from qualified and experienced vendors to provide vending machine services at designated County facilities. The selected contractor shall furnish, install, stock, maintain, and service vending machines, including all labor, equipment, products, and incidentals necessary to ensure reliable and high-quality service for County employees and visitors.

The County seeks a vendor capable of delivering a variety of food and beverage options, maintaining machines in clean and operable condition, and providing responsive restocking and maintenance services. The objective of this project is to enhance workplace convenience through accessible, well-maintained vending solutions that meet the needs of a diverse workforce while ensuring competitive pricing and dependable service.

Established in 1850 as one of the state’s original 27 counties, the County of Santa Cruz was originally called Branciforte.  The name was later changed to Santa Cruz, which is “holy cross” in Spanish.  The County of Santa Cruz geographically is the second smallest county within the State of California yet it has one of the largest unincorporated area populations.  The 2020 estimated population for the County of Santa Cruz by the U.S. Census Bureau was 270,861.  The County encompasses an urban service area of 440 square miles.

Background

The County is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide comprehensive vending machine services at select County locations. The intent of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to establish a service agreement with a vendor that can supply, install, and maintain vending machines offering food and beverage products for employees and authorized visitors.

The following provides a general overview of services associated with the scope of work anticipated under this Request for Proposals (RFP):

• Installation and placement of vending machines at County-designated locations
• Ongoing restocking of products with a variety of quality food and beverage options
• Routine maintenance, cleaning, and repair of machines to support reliable operation
• Availability of modern payment options, including cashless payment capabilities where feasible
• Customer service support and response to service issues
• Compliance with applicable health, safety, and accessibility regulations
• Coordination with County representatives regarding placement, service schedules, and operational expectations

Project Details

• Reference ID: 25P3-005
• Department: Central Purchasing
• Department Head: Shauna Soldate (Purchasing & Logistics Manager)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-04-18T00:00:00.000Z

Addenda

• Addendum #1 (released 2026-04-22T17:53:00.653Z) —

  25P3-005 Addendum 1

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualifications and Experience (25 pts) —

  Level of quality and performance of the services offered based on the proposer’s qualifications and experience providing vending machine services.

• Vendor’s Service Plan (30 pts) —

  Evaluation of the proposer’s plan for vending machine services, including machine types, product offerings, restocking schedule, maintenance procedures, and payment options.

• Compliance (20 pts) —

  Compliance with RFP requirements, terms and conditions, organization, staff, and ability to meet service expectations

• Quality and Performance (20 pts) —

  Quality and performance of services based on previous contracts, references, and reliability of equipment and service.

• Locally Operated Business (5 pts) —

  Business is physically located within the County of Santa Cruz.

Submission Requirements

• Point of Contact
• Contact Person - Full Name (required) —

  Please state the full name of the contact person for this proposal. Even if it is the same person submitting, please be sure to state it here.

• Contact Person - Position/Title (required) —

  Please state the position or title of the contact person for this proposal.

• Contact Person - Email Address (required) —

  What is the email for the above stated contact person for this proposal?

• Contact Person - Phone Number (required) —

  Please provide the full phone number of the contact person for this proposal.

• Proposal Information
• By checking this box , I acknowledge that, that if awarded, my company will agree to pay the County of Santa Cruz $140 per month per deployed vending machine. (required)
• Letter of Transmittal (required) —

  Please provide a letter of transmittal with information regarding your company and a statement of qualifications to provide the services required.

• Proposed Route Schedule (required) —

  Please provide a proposed route schedule for the currently known locations, including service and restocking frequency by site. If after-hours access is required, please describe it in your attachment. You may refer to Attachment 2 for County-provided map while building a proposed schedule.

• Proposed Menu (required) —

  Provide a proposed menu of beverages and food items. At least 30% of food items shall meet healthier food criteria, including reduced sugar content. Proposers are encouraged to highlight these items as part of their signature or wellness-focused offerings.

• Maintenance Request Process (required) —

  Describe your process for handling maintenance requests. Include how service issues are reported, response times, communication methods, and how requests are tracked through resolution.

• Proposed Equipment & Machine Specifications (required) —

  Describe the type of vending machines proposed for each locations listed. Include make and model (if available), machine type (e.g., snack, beverage, combo), capacity and key features.

• Payment System and Transaction Capabilities (required) —

  Describe your payment system and accepted payment methods. Include an overview of how transactions are processed and any associated features or limitations.

• Customer Service Procedures (required) —

  Describe your customer service procedures. Include how customers report issues (e.g., phone, email, app, or machine signage), typical response times for inquiries and complaints, your process for handling refunds or billing issues, and how you communicate with both customers and the County. Also include your customer service hours and any methods used to track and respond to customer feedback.

   

• Do you agree to the language, terms and conditions of Attachment 1 Draft License Agreement as currently written? (required)
• If no, please attach your exceptions to the license agreement here. (required)
• Compliance (required) —

  Has the Respondent complied with all specifications, requirements, terms and conditions of this Request for Proposals?

• Compliance - Explanation (required) —

  Please upload a detailed explanation giving reference to all deviations to be submitted on company letterhead. All exceptions must reference the RFP paragraph and section number followed by an explanation.

• Piggyback Option? (required) —

  If you are the successful Respondent, will you extend costs quoted to the County of Santa Cruz to other municipalities, districts or jurisdictions (political subdivisions)?

  If discounts quoted herein are offered to other political subdivisions, additional delivery charges, if any, must be negotiated between that political subdivision and the Supplier.

• Forms
• Exhibit A- Respondent Fact Sheet (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit B- Customer References (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit C- Designation of Subcontractors (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit D- Non-Collusion Declaration (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Exhibit E- Protests and Appeals Procedures (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Locally Operated Business within Santa Cruz County? (required) —

  “Locally operated business” means a legally formed and operated business, including but not limited to a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, which has a legitimate business presence in the County. In addition, the business must:

  (a)    Hold a valid seller’s permit issued by the State Board of Equalization and a valid business license if issued by an incorporated city within the County; and

  (b)    Have been in operation, transacting business in the County, for a minimum of six months prior to publication of the call for formal solicitation; and

  (c)    Not be delinquent in the payment of any taxes, charges or assessments owing to the County or an incorporated city within the County; and

  (d)    Have requested, completed, returned, and satisfied the requirements of a locally operated business preference affidavit of eligibility.

  Please review the full text of Code 2.37.108 here: https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/SantaCruzCounty/html/SantaCruzCounty02/SantaCruzCounty0237.html#2.37.108

  By selecting "Yes" to this question, I confirm that the above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

• Exhibit F- Locally Operated Business Preference Affidavit (required) —

  Once you click the link, you will be asked to complete a DocuSign form.

• Living Wage Compliance —

  Covered contracts:    

  • Automotive repair and maintenance
  • Equipment maintenance services
  • Facility and building maintenance
  • Furniture moving and installation/maintenance services
  • Janitorial and custodial services
  • Landscaping services
  • Laundry services
  • Office and clerical services
  • Pest control services
  • Recreation services
  • Security services
  • Transportation and shuttle services
  • Towing services
  • Tree trimming and removal

  Non-covered contracts:

  • Commodities, goods and supplies
  • Public works (construction projects)
  • Public projects subject to prevailing wage requirements
  • Professional services - including but not limited to architects, engineers, landscape architects, land surveyors, construction managers, scientists, physicians, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants
  • Leases

  Additional information can be reviewed here: https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/Departments/GeneralServices/Purchasing/CurrentLivingWageOrdinance.aspx

• Living Wage DocuSign Link (required) —

  Once you start your proposal you will be asked to complete a DocuSign form. Once completed, please attach in Section 4.2.

• Prevailing Wage
• Please provide your active DIR# (required)
• Please provide the current Expiration Date for your DIR# (required)
• Please upload confirmation of your active DIR Registration (required)
• Confirmation & Additional Information
• Authority to Submit (required) —

  Respondent confirms that they offer and agree to furnish all work, materials, equipment or incidentals required to complete the services subject to this Request for the costs stated within their submittal and in conformance with all plans, specifications, requirements, conditions and instructions of County of Santa Cruz RFP# 25P3-005.

  Respondent further confirms that they have the authority to submit on behalf of the stated company and have furnished any documentation necessary as proof of such authority.

• Official RFP Response Signature Page (required) —

  Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Proprietary or confidential information? (required) —

  Per Section 2:

  Proposals will be subject to public inspection in accordance with the California Public Records Act (CPRA). To protect proprietary information, if any, Respondent must clearly mark proprietary information as such, submit it in a separate sealed envelope and only reference it within the body of the proposal. Respondent should not include in the proposal any material that Respondent considers confidential but that does not meet CPRA disclosure exemption requirements. Respondent shall be responsible to defend and indemnify the County from any claims or liability to compel disclosure of any part of its proposal claimed to be exempt from disclosure. 

• Please upload confidential and proprietary information here (required) —

  Please only include things that are confidential and proprietary to your business in this section.  A best practice would be to include CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY on the header of each page.

  Examples of confidential and proprietary information:

  • Proprietary system design
  • Unique patented specifications or trade secrets
  • Banking information (routing numbers, etc)

  Confidential and proprietary information does NOT include things like:

  • pricing
  • customer history
  • basic vendor information like email or phone number
• Additional Information (if needed) (required) —

  Do you need to provide additional information requested or required by any of your provided answers?

• Please upload additional documentation here. (required)
• Years of Experience (required) —

  What is the minimum required number of years of experience that a qualified Respondent shall have conducted business of the nature specified within this RFP?

  Please state in written and numbered format as follows:

  Example 1:
  two (2) years

  NOTE: Number of years will default to 2 unless otherwise specified.

• Desired End Date of Contract (required) —

  What is the initial desired end date of contract?

• Extensions? (required) —

  Will there be potential extensions to this contract after the initial contract term has ended?

• Number of Possible Extensions (required) —

  How many extensions will this contract have after the initial term has ended?

  Please state in the following format: 
  (Written Number)

  Example:
  (two)

• Duration of Extensions (required) —

  How long will each extension last?

  Please state in the following format:
  (Number)-year

  Example:
  (two)-year

• Local Vendor Preference? (required) —

  Does local vendor preference apply to this RFP?

  NOTE: MAY NOT APPLY IF FEDERAL OR STATE FUNDS ARE INVOLVED- CHECK APPLICABLE FUNDING BEFORE INCLUDING THIS SECTION

• References? (required) —

  Does this RFP require the respondents to submit references as part of their proposal?

• Pre-Proposal Meeting? (required) —

  Will there be a pre-proposal meeting for this RFP?

  NOTE: Your answer to this question and the possible follow-up have no automatic effect on the timeline section of this RFP, you will have to adjust that section yourself when creating your solicitation.

• Mandatory or Non-Mandatory (required) —

  You have indicated that there is a pre-proposal meeting, conference, or job walk for this RFP. Is that pre-proposal meeting Mandatory or Non-Mandatory.

  REMINDER: Your answer to this question has no automatic effect on the timeline section of this RFP, you will have to adjust that section yourself when creating your solicitation. Please be sure to match it to your answer here.

• Living Wage? (required) —

  Does living wage apply to this RFP? Living Wage includes any of these categories:

  Covered contracts:    

  • Automotive repair and maintenance
  • Equipment maintenance services
  • Facility and building maintenance
  • Furniture moving and installation/maintenance services
  • Janitorial and custodial services
  • Landscaping services
  • Laundry services
  • Office and clerical services
  • Pest control services
  • Recreation services
  • Security services
  • Transportation and shuttle services
  • Towing services
  • Tree trimming and removal

  Non-covered contracts:

  • Commodities, goods and supplies
  • Public works (construction projects)
  • Public projects subject to prevailing wage requirements
  • Professional services - including but not limited to architects, engineers, landscape architects, land surveyors, construction managers, scientists, physicians, attorneys, financial advisors, consultants
  • Leases
• Prevailing Wage? (required) —
  • Construction, alteration, demolition, installation, or repair work done under contract and paid in whole or in part out of public funds.
  • It can include preconstruction and post-construction activities related to a public works project.
  • For a full definition of public works refer to Labor Code section 1720.

  Anyone working on a public works project must be paid prevailing wages as determined by DIR. Projects of $30,000 or more must meet DIR's apprenticeship requirements. Failure to comply with public works requirements can result in civil penalties, criminal prosecution, or both.

• Pricing (required) —

  Do you wish to use the electronic pricing table in OpenGov to receive pricing in a consistent manner from all proposers?

  By selecting "Yes", you wish to receive pricing electronically in table that you format here within OpenGov.

  By selecting "No", you will disable the electronic pricing table for this RFP and will need to create an upload option within the vendor questionnaire or provide a formatted document for vendors to fill out and submit.

• Will any wood products be purchased as part of this solicitation? (required) —

  Tropical Wood products are prohibited- if wood products will be involved, information must be provided to the respondents so they are aware.

• MICA/Multi-Department Solicitation? (required) —

  Will more than one department or division be using the services requested on this solicitation and/or will a Master Independent Contract Agreement (MICA) result from this procurement? 

  EXAMPLE: MICA for security guard services

  EXAMPLE: CDI and GSD both want a software that does the same tasks

Questions & Answers