Project Information

Bid Title

RFP Vending Services

Issuing Agency

County of Lorain

Location

Ohio

Published Date

Jan 5, 2026

Closing Date

Jan 26, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

1-5-26

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Number:	1-5-26
Bid Title:	RFP Vending Services
Category:	County Project Bids
Status:	Open
Bid Recipient:	Fiscal Department

Publication Date/Time: 1/5/2026 8:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 1/26/2026 4:00 PM Submittal Information: Fiscal Department Contact Person: Jessica Burns jburns@loraincounty.us Fee: N/A Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Related Documents: RFP Vending Services

Attachment Preview

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

COMPREHENSIVE FULL-SERVICE VENDING PROGRAM FOR VARIOUS

FACILITIES OF THE LORAIN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS.

Introduction:

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners are accepting proposals for a full-service, hot and

cold drink and snack vending program for various facilities. Vendors will provide equipment,

supply, maintain and stock cold and hot drinks and snack vending equipment to specific facilities

owned by the Board of Commissioners.

The County will expect a percentage of sales for providing the space and utilities required to

maintain the vending machines. Because the County does not intend to enter into a vending

machine contract for the purpose of profiting from vending machines installed at its facilities, the

County expects that all products dispensed from vending machines shall be priced at a cost

savings to be passed on to the consumer purchasing these products. The County will not be

responsible for insuring any equipment owned by the vendor or for the servicing, restocking or

security of any vending machines operated in its facilities. While the County has used

considerable efforts to ensure an accurate representation of information in this proposal, the

information is not guaranteed or warranted to be accurate by the County nor is it necessarily

comprehensive and exhaustive. The following County facilities will be part of this Request for

Proposal:

*Administration Building, 226 Middle Avenue Elyria, Ohio

*Justice Center; 225 Court Street, Elyria, Ohio

*Job & Family Services/Workforce Development; 42485 N. Ridge Road, Elyria, Ohio

*Agricultural Center; 42110 Russia Road, Elyria, Ohio

*Lorain County Regional Airport, 44050 Russia Road, Elyria, Ohio

Remaining sites or additional facilities under operation of the County may be added at a later

time at the discretion of the County in review of its operations. This proposal will be awarded to

the company in the County’s opinion that appears most qualified to offer the best price, service

and variety to the County. The County’s decision will be made on the factors listed below:

 Best pricing of products to the consumer

 Quality and range of products offered/customer food program preferred (Note: Hot drinks

must be served at a temperature no higher than 192 degrees Fahrenheit)

 Experience/Reputation in the industry and local community

 Strength of organization including financial stability and management structure

 Demonstrated Sanitation practices

 Flexibility of “hassle-Free” return policy for spoiled/expired goods

 Refund policy for non-vending issues (County will not participate in refund process)

 Delivery schedules, including flexibility of change of delivery day, etc.

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 Warehousing facilities, service, support and geographic location

 Quality and state of the art of equipment supplied/selection count per machine “sure

vend” feature preferred

 Management and service experience of account executives

 Experience/qualifications of service technicians

 Quality of product/merchandising

 Creativity/Innovation, Examples of Innovative Products or additional services offered

 Ability to exceed specifications and terms and conditions of submitted proposal

 Thoroughness of completing all elements of the RFP

 Commission Rate

The County reserves the right to reject any and all proposals which it deems, at its sole

discretion, unacceptable. The County reserves the right to waive any technicalities,

discrepancies or informalities in the proposals. Your proposal shall outline and document your

company’s ability to satisfy the above criteria. Please provide the following information in the

introduction of your proposal:

1. A current annual financial report prepared within the last 12 months.

2. A list of at least five (5) of your current vending accounts in Lorain County

3. An organizational chart of your corporation/company on a national, regional, and

district basis.

4. A resume of the supervisor and manager who would handle this account.

5. A formal description of your standards and policies for your employees, including the

basis for which they are paid (are they employees or sub-contractors)

6. A list of your purveyors.

7. A list of equipment you will be providing in the cafeteria, including cut sheets.

Term:

The successful vendor(s) shall be required to enter into a (12) twelve-month contract. The

County reserves the right, with approval of the vendor, to exercise an option to renew the

contract for up to two (2) additional twelve (12) month periods

Vending Machines

The vendor shall install, at its expense, at the locations set forth in the attachment, the number

and types of machines agreed upon. No changes can be made in equipment, items provided or

location without the approval of Lorain County.

 The County shall have the right to determine at any time during the period of this

agreement that any of the vending machines are no longer required. These machines, that

are no longer required, shall be promptly removed by the vendor at the vendor’s expense.

 All vending machines and cafeteria equipment shall be equipped so as to provide thermal

overload protection. In addition, all machines shall be equipped with all necessary safety

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devices which shall be always maintained in operating condition. All machines shall be

approved by the Underwriter’s Laboratories, Inc., the National Sanitation Foundation,

and the National Automatic Merchandising Association.

 The vendor shall, at all times and at its expense, maintain the vending machines,

including any meters and special attachments in proper mechanical working order and

make all necessary repairs and replacement of parts/fluids in accordance with existing

statute and law.

 The vendor will maintain the vending machines, materials handling equipment to

move/stock the vending machines and service vehicles to ensure safety and keep them in

a clean, attractive and sanitary condition to the satisfaction of the County.

 The County shall have the right to inspect any and all vending equipment at any time for

sanitation and housekeeping reasons and conduct bacteriological examinations of the

vending machines and products vended that the County deems appropriate. To this end,

the vendor will supply the County with a designated representative with the necessary

means to access all vending machines. The County agrees to notify the vendor whenever

such access is required.

 On a separate page, the vendor shall provide a table indicating model number, number of

selections, capacity and format (can, bottle, other) available from each proposed machine.

Also, for each piece of equipment recommended, the vendor shall provide specifications

regarding: water requirements, power consumption (kw for a 24-hour period),

dimensions, electrical requirements (including information on special receptacles if

required) and photocopies of signage available for each machine. Indicate if/how the

equipment should be fastened or chained to permanent building structures.

Additional Equipment:

The vendor shall furnish, at its own expense, any necessary condiments associated with products

vended. This shall include, but not be limited to, sugar, stir sticks, spoons, cup holders, cups,

napkins and related products as deemed necessary by the County in relation to the product

offerings. The vendor shall furnish and maintain at its own expense change machines as

applicable to the vending machines noted to enhance sales.

Equipment Repair and Maintenance:

1. The vendor shall maintain all equipment in a good state of repair at no cost to the

County. This shall include all materials, supplies, and labor required in the operation

of this agreement at the vendor’s own expense.

2. The vendor shall state how long it will take for service technician to arrive on site to

repair a malfunctioning machine or provide refills, once the problem has been

reported to the vendor.

3. The vendor shall display, in an accessible location, the vendor name and telephone

number to call in case of equipment malfunction and have available staff available to

address emergency calls outside the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday thru

Friday.

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4. The vendor shall maintain the equipment in a safe, clean, and presentable manner. At

no time should any machine be left open/unattended creating a potentially unsafe

environment for clients, staff or members of the public. Machines damaged by

vandalism, accident, or natural occurrences shall be repaired or replaced at the

vendor’s expense within twenty-four (24) hours of notification.

Stocking of Equipment:

1. The equipment shall be stocked by the vendor, as often as necessary to ensure that all

products are consistently available. There will be no charge to the County for the

costs incurred by the vendor in the stocking of equipment.

2. The vendor shall provide only products that are fresh, of quality and properly

packaged and that comply with all County policies and procedures in place from time

to time.

3. The vendor shall insure that products offered for sale have been transported and

stored in compliance with Federal, State and Local regulations for food products.

4. The County Administrator/designee shall have the final say on the types of

products/food/beverages stocked in all machines, product mix, vendor signage,

machine locations and product pricing. A list of the contents of each machine

(including brand names), proposed prices for item sold, and package volume or

weight, shall be provided with the vendor offer. The County reserves the right to

negotiate the addition or deletion of items to the contract based upon the need for new

quality and quantity items.

5. At no time shall the price of any item exceed the current market prices.

Installation:

The initial installation and replacement cost for subsequent installations shall be at the expense

of the vendor. No cost shall be borne by the County. The successful vendor shall provide funds

to cover the cost for any new additional utilities (such as electrical upgrades) required at the

installation locations. The location of these upgrades shall be mutually agreed to by the County

and the vendor. In offering utility hookups and space, the County does not assume liability for

the contractor’s equipment and/or its contents. The vendor is not an employee of the County. The

vendor is an independent contractor. The vendor shall be responsible for providing Worker’s

Compensation Insurance for any employees of their firm who perform work under this

agreement.

Marketing Program:

Any vendor marketing program (s) shall be pre-approved by the County Administrator or his

designee and the County. Please detail the types of marketing (if any) your firm may propose to

undertake.

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Customer Satisfaction:

The vendor shall conduct a satisfaction survey after the initial six months of service to determine

if the service can be improved during the term of the contract, and provide the county with the

results of the survey thereafter.

Sub-Contracting:

It shall be a condition that the successful vendor is required to carry out, using their own

forces and equipment, 100% of the total vending installation and operation. Any exceptions must

be approved by the Board prior to the commencement of any installation or work.

Personnel:

Vendor shall at all times maintain on duty adequate staffing of employees for efficient

operations. All service calls shall be responded to within four (4) hours. If a technician

cannot respond within this time frame, vendor shall contact the Board building

representative with the expected time of problem correction.

Vendor’s personnel shall observe all County regulations for driving, parking and work

behavior while on agency properties.

Personnel issues of employees on the vendor’s payroll shall be the vendor’s

responsibility. The vendor shall comply with all applicable governmental regulations

related to the employment, compensation and payment of personnel.

For identification purposes, the employees delivering for the vendor must wear a uniform which

clearly identifies the company, including the name and logo (if applicable). The County may

issue identification badges to vendor personnel for security purposes which shall be required to

be worn for admittance into County facilities.

Pricing:

All prices shall be current market prices.

Insurance:

Vendors shall maintain comprehensive general and vehicle liability insurance, with minimum

limits of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence/$2,000,000.00 aggregate for bodily injury and for

property damage, as appropriate during the term of the contract.

Vendor shall maintain business automobile liability insurance written on an “occurrence basis,”

with minimum limits of at least $1,000,000.00 per occurrence/$2,000,000.00 aggregate.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 454210Vending Machine Operators

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