Zero Waste Services for Special Events (Staffing, Sorting, and Education)

The City of Golden is seeking proposals for zero waste services for special events. Proposals are due no later than  on Sunday May 24. Questions must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, May 15. Proposals and Questions must be submitted through the E-Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/cityofgolden.

The following link has helpful information and videos for vendors, contractors, and consultants new to OpenGov Procurement - Video Guides: OpenGov Procurement Vendor Training. It is strongly encouraged to familiarize yourself with the portal well in advance of the bid submission date, email the Project Manager or Procurement Manager with portal questions, and use the OpenGov chat feature in the lower righthand corner.

Background

Every year between the summer and autumn months, the City of Golden hosts several special events on the City’s public property. Event organizers are required to follow established sustainability guidelines including providing trash, recycling, and compost collection services. Event organizers are provided with a list of accepted items that vendors may use.

Traditionally, the event organizers are responsible for educating their staff and volunteers to properly dispose of the recyclable items by emptying the contents of the bag used to collect the items in the appropriate recycling dumpster. At past special events, recycling has been compromised when staff and volunteers did not remove recyclable materials from the plastic bags in which they were collected, resulting in contamination of the entire load. The City has found that waste diversion is most successful when using a dedicated service to assist organizers and attendees in following correct procedures for sorting waste.

To address these challenges and improve waste diversion outcomes, the City is seeking a qualified contractor to provide staffed zero waste stations, material sorting, and public education services to reduce contamination and support successful implementation of these programs at the events.

Beginning in 2026, the City will reintroduce compost collection at events, with the goal of increasing diversion, reducing landfill waste, and expanding education with support to vendors, food trucks and attendees. These efforts will be supported by increased education and coordination with vendors and food trucks to ensure proper use of compostable materials and alignment with the City’s waste diversion goals.

The City is also evaluating future waste reduction initiatives, including a transition away from single-use plastics toward more sustainable alternatives such as aluminum beverage containers, anticipated as early as 2027. These efforts may impact materials accepted at events and the overall approach to waste management over the course of the contract.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2025-RFP-264
• Department: Sustainability
• Department Head: Theresa Worsham (Director)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-15T23:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Qualifications and Relevant Experience (20 pts) —

  Experience of the firm and proposed team in providing zero waste services, event waste station staffing, and waste diversion programs. Emphasis on experience with municipal clients and events of similar size, scope, and complexity. Includes qualifications of key personnel and references.

• Project Approach and Staffing Plan (25 pts) —

  Quality and clarity of the proposer’s approach to delivering services, including pre-event coordination, on-site staffing and operations, post-event closeout, and coordination with event organizers. Emphasis on ability to fully staff all waste stations, educate attendees, and effectively manage contamination during events.

• Capacity and Availability (10 pts) —

  Demonstrated ability to support approximately 10–15 events annually and provide sufficient staffing across multiple events. Includes ability to scale staffing based on event size, number of waste stations, and concurrent event demands.

• Organics Management and End Processor Capability (20 pts) —

  Ability to manage organics materials, including chain of custody and delivery to certified composting facilities or approved end processors. Emphasis on acceptance of a wide range of compostable materials (e.g., food scraps, compostable serviceware) and established relationships with regional processors.

• Pricing and Rate Schedule (20 pts) —

  Clarity, completeness, and competitiveness of the proposer’s rate schedule, including hourly rates, staffing costs, and any additional fees. Preference for unit-based or scalable pricing that can accommodate events of varying size and service levels.

• References and Past Performance (5 pts) —

  Feedback from references regarding the proposer’s reliability, communication, and performance on similar projects.

Submission Requirements

• Proposal (required) —

  Please upload proposal per Proposal Elements and Format Section.

• Statement Submittal (required) —

  A completed Acceptance of Conditions Statement is required. This Statement affirms the acceptance of all conditions or requirements contained in the Request for Qualifications, and lists the names of any of the submitting firm’s employees, and any proposed subconsultant’s employees, who are spouses or children of City employees or the spouse of a City employee’s child. 

  Please download the document, complete, and upload.

• Does firm commit to DBE requirements? (required) —

  Failure to commit to DBE requirements will result is rejection of proposal.

• DBE Goal Compliance - Affidavit (required) —

  CDOT Affidavit of Small Business Participation must submitted with the proposal. Failure of the proposer to submit the affidavit will result in the consultant being deemed non- responsive and ineligible for award. 

  Please download the below document, complete, and upload.

• Is your business located in Golden, Colorado —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• Is your business located in the Denver Metro Region? —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• Do you have any small business certifications from the City and County of Denver? —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• Does your business qualify as a small business under the SBA size standards at https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards? —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• Is your business majority owned (at least 51%) by women or minorities? —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• How many full time employees does your business employ? —

  For information only and not to be used as part of evaluation

• Will you be using the systems electronic pricing table? (required)
• Which contract will you be using? (required)
• Does the project have DBE requirements? (required)