Project Information

Bid Title

Food Beverage Concession Farm Show Complex

Issuing Agency

State Government of Pennsylvania

Location

Pennsylvania

Published Date

Apr 3, 2026

Closing Date

Apr 30, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

SPDA-SFP-2026-2

Original Source

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Project Description

General Information
Department for this solicitation:	Procurement
Date Prepared:	04/03/26	Types:	SFP
Advertisement Type:	Service Materials Service & Materials PW Construction Agency Construction Real Estate
Solicitation/Project#:	SPDA-SFP-2026-2	Solicitation/Project Title:	Food & Beverage Concession Farm Show Complex
Description:	Through this Solicitation for Proposals (SFP), the Department of Agriculture is seeking proposals from interested parties to enter into a lease agreement of the food and beverage concession for the Farm Show Complex and the Agriculture Building.

Department Information
Department/Agency:	Department of Agriculture	Delivery Location:	2300 North Cameron St  Harrisburg  Pa  17110
County:	Dauphin	Duration:	5 years

Contact Information
First Name:	Sheila	Last Name:	Strubhar
Phone Number: (XXX-XXX-XXXX)	717-787-1467	Email:	sstrubhar@pa.gov

Solicitation Information
Bids must be received by the purchasing agency on the Solicitation Due Date no later than the Solicitation Due Time as set forth in the solicitation. Any conflict between the dates and/or times contained in the solicitation itself or its attachments and this advertisement shall be resolved in favor of the solicitation.
Solicitation Start Date:	04/03/26
Solicitation Due Date:	04/30/26	Solicitation Due Time:	2:00 PM
Solicitation Opening Date:	04/30/26	Solicitation Opening Time:	2:15 PM
Opening Location:	There Will Be No Public Bid Opening
No. of Addendums:	0
Amended Date:	04/03/26

Related Solicitation Files

Original Files SFP 2026-2 FARM SHOW FOOD & BEVERAGE PROPOSAL.pdf Attachment A Inventory of Physical Fascility SFP 2026-2.xlsx Attachment B Event List SFP 2026-2.xlsx Attachment C Food & Beversage Sales by Month.pdf

Attachment Preview

April 1, 2026

Thank you for your interest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Solicitation for Proposals to lease the food

and beverage operation at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, located at 2300 N.

Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA, and the cafeteria in the Agriculture Building, located at 2301 N. Cameron

Street, Harrisburg, PA. The selected tenant will be required to operate the food and beverage concession in a

manner that serves and promotes Pennsylvania-sourced foods and beverages to the extent practical and

allowable by law.

Enclosed you will find the Solicitation for Proposals SPDA-SFP-2026-2 (SIP). The SFP contains Information

that will guide you in preparing and submitting a proposal.

Proposals must be received in the office of the Contracts and Procurement Division at the address below no

later than April 30, 2026. Late proposals will not be considered.

Proposal must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the words "Farm Show Food and

Beverage Proposal' printed boldly on the front of the envelope. Also, show the following information on the

front of the envelope: SFP SPDA-SFP-2026-2, Due Date April 30, 2026. Please supply five (5) hard copies

and at least one (1) electronic copy. Do not submit a proposal for another requirement in the same envelope

with your proposal for this particular requirement.

Please be advised that this is a Proposal Solicitation Process. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reserves

the right to reject any and all proposals, waive any defect, or negotiate for better terms. To ensure that your

proposal is considered, please be sure to carefully read the whole document and follow all instructions.

If you have any questions concerning the enclosed SFP, please contact Sheila Strubhar, the Issuing Officer at

(717)787-1467 or sstrubhar@pa.gov.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Contracts and Procurement Division

Bureau of Administrative Services

Room 103

2301 Cameron Street

Harrisburg, PA 17110-94013

SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS

#PDA-SFP-2026-2

LEASE OF

FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONCESSION

PENNSYLVANIA FARM SHOW COMPLEX ANDEXPO CENTER, AND

AGRICULTURE BUILDING CAFETERIA

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

Date of Issue: March 23, 2026

Issuing Office:

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Contracts and Procurement Division

Bureau of Administrative Services

Room 103

2301 Cameron Street

Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408

SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS # PDA-SFP-2026-2

Table of Contents

I. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PROPOSERS ...................................................................................4-6

PURPOSE: ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Issuing Office: ........................................................................................................................................... 3

SCOPE: .................................................................................................................................................... 3

RESPONSE DATE: .................................................................................................................................. 3

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS: ............................................................................................................. 3

TYPE OF AGREEMENT:.......................................................................................................................... 3

REJECTION OF PROPOSALS: ............................................................................................................... 4

INCURRING COSTS: ............................................................................................................................... 4

ECONOMY OF PREPARATION: ............................................................................................................. 4

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: .......................................................................................................... 4

BEST AND FINAL OFFERS: .................................................................................................................... 4

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:................................................................................................................ 4

ADDENDA TO THE SFP: ......................................................................................................................... 4

SELECTED PROPOSER RESPONSIBILITIES: ...................................................................................... 4

EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS: .................................................................................................. 4

NEWS RELEASES: .................................................................................................................................. 5

PENNSYLVANIA STATE SALES AND USE TAX:................................................................................... 5

ORDER OF PROCEDURE: ...................................................................................................................... 5

PROPOSER'S REPRESENTATIONS AND AUTHORIZATIONS: ........................................................... 5

II. PURPOSE..............................................................................................................................................6-8

FOOD CONCESSION AT THE FARM SHOW COMPLEX: ..................................................................... 6

THE AGRICULTURE BUILDING CAFETERIA: ....................................................................................... 6

PENNSYLVANIA SOURCING:................................................................................................................. 7

1

CUSTOMERS: .......................................................................................................................................... 7

CATERING: .............................................................................................................................................. 7

TERM: ....................................................................................................................................................... 7

LIMITED PURPOSES:.............................................................................................................................. 7

PROFIT MAKING: .................................................................................................................................... 7

COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS: .................................................................................................. 8

III. REQUIREMENTS ...............................................................................................................................8-11

DAYS AND HOURS OF OPERATION ..................................................................................................... 8

HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS:.................................................................................................... 8

TENANT RESPONSIBILITIES — PROPERTY: ....................................................................................... 8

FOOD CONCESSION OPERATIONS: .................................................................................................. 10

STAFFING: ............................................................................................................................................. 10

PA PREFERRED: ................................................................................................................................... 10

PEST CONTROL: ................................................................................................................................... 11

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES:......................................................................................................... 11

MARKETING SUPPORT: ....................................................................................................................... 11

INVESTMENT:........................................................................................................................................ 11

EXCEPTIONS — EXCLUSIONS:........................................................................................................... 11

IV. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................ 12

COVER LETTER: ................................................................................................................................... 12

WORK PLAN: ......................................................................................................................................... 12

PRIOR EXPERIENCE: ........................................................................................................................... 12

PERSONNEL:......................................................................................................................................... 12

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATION SUBMITTAL:........................................................................................ 13

Attachment A: Inventory of Physical Facility ...................................................................................................

Attachment B: Schedule of Booked Events ....................................................................................................

Attachment C: Food and Beverage Sales by Month………………………………………………………………

Attachment D: EXCEPTIONS — EXCLUSIONS………………………………………………………………...14

2

I. GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PROPOSERS

PURPOSE:

Through this Solicitation for Proposals (SFP), the Department of Agriculture is seeking proposals from

interested parties to enter into a lease agreement of the food and beverage concession for the Farm

Show Complex and the Agriculture Building as described fully in Appendix A. The term of this agreement

shall be three years beginning on July 1, 2026, with two one-year options.

Issuing Office:

The Department of Agriculture Contracts and Procurement Division has issued this SFP for the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The sole point of contact is:

Issuing Officer: Sheila A. Strubhar

Department of Agriculture

Contracts and Procurement Division

2301 N. Cameron Street

Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408

Phone: (717) 787-1467

sstrubhar@pa.gov

SCOPE:

The SFP contains instructions governing the proposals to be submitted, the materials to be included,

requirements that must be met to be eligible for consideration, and a description of the Commonwealth's

and the selected tenant’s responsibilities.

RESPONSE DATE:

To be considered, proposals must arrive at the Issuing Office, on or before the date specified in the cover

letter. No late proposals will be considered.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS:

To be considered, interested parties must submit a complete response to this SFP, using the format

provided in the "Proposal Requirements" section of this document. Proposers will make no other

distribution of their proposals. Proposals must be signed by an official who is authorized to bind the

interested party to its provisions. For this SFP, the proposal must remain firm and binding for at least 90

days from the date specified in the cover letter. Moreover, the conditions of the selected proposal will

become contractual obligations if a contract is entered into with the Commonwealth.

Proposers are permitted to subcontract the Agriculture Building Cafeteria to a Pennsylvania-based

catering provider. Subcontractors must be identified in the proposal. When selecting subcontractors,

creativity is welcomed. Culinary arts programs, minority and women-owned businesses, and locally driven

venues are encouraged. The proposer is responsible for oversite of the subcontracted catering

organization.

Proposers must submit a complete proposal. Failure to include any of the required information or forms

will delay evaluation of the proposal and may, at the Commonwealth's sole discretion, result in its

rejection.

Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the words "FOOD AND BEVERAGE

CONCESSION PROPOSAL" printed boldly on the front of the envelope.

Also print SFP# PDA-SFP-2026-2, DUE DATE April 30, 2026.

TYPE OF AGREEMENT:

The selected proposer will be expected to enter into a lease agreement in substantially the same form as

attached in Appendix A. The terms and conditions of this SFP and the selected Proposer's proposal will

be incorporated into the lease agreement by reference.

3

REJECTION OF PROPOSALS:

The Issuing Office reserves the right, in its sole and complete discretion, to reject any proposal received

as a result of this SFP.

INCURRING COSTS:

The Issuing Office is not liable for any costs Proposers incur in preparation and submission of its

proposal, in participating in the SFP process or in anticipation of award of the lease agreement.

ECONOMY OF PREPARATION:

Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing straightforward, concise descriptions of

the interested party's ability to meet the requirements of the SFP.

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

A mandatory pre-proposal conference and mandatory walk-through of all food facilities will be conducted

on April 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM. All parties must meet in the Cameron Street lobby of the Farm Show

Complex promptly by 9:00 AM. Upon completion of the Farm Show walk-through, Cameron Street will be

crossed and where a tour of the Agriculture Building cafeteria will be conducted.

The purpose of this conference is: 1) clarify any points in the SFP; 2) allow proposers to have a tour of

the physical facilities. The pre-proposal conference is for information only. Answers furnished during the

conference will not be official until verified, in writing, by the Issuing Office. All questions and written

answers will be answered as an addendum to and become part of the SFP.

All potential offerors must attend or have a representative participate in the virtual pre-proposal

conference and on-site tour.

BEST AND FINAL OFFERS:

To obtain best and final offers from Proposers whose proposals are determined by the Commonwealth, in

its sole discretion, to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award, the Commonwealth may (a)

enter into discussions; and (b) schedule oral presentations; and (c) request revised proposals.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

If a Proposer has any questions regarding this solicitation, the Proposer must submit questions by email,

with the subject line "SFP # PDA-SFP-2026-2Question" to the Issuing Officer.

All questions of this nature must be asked prior to the pre-bid conference to ensure a timely response. All

responses will be posted to the PA Department of Agriculture website. All questions and responses

posted will be considered an addendum to, and part of this SFP. Each Proposer shall be responsible to

monitor the PA Department of Agriculture website for new and revised SFP information.

ADDENDA TO THE SFP:

If it becomes necessary to revise any part of this SFP, an addendum will be issued to all Proposers who

received the original SFP. For those who downloaded the SFP from the PA Department of Agriculture

website, it will be their responsibility to check the website for addenda to the SFP prior to submitting

proposals.

SELECTED PROPOSER RESPONSIBILITIES:

The selected Proposer (tenant) will be required to assume responsibility for all concessions offered in the

proposal whether the tenant actually performs them or contracts others for services. Further, the

Commonwealth will consider the tenant to be the sole point of contact regarding contractual matters.

EMPLOYEE BACKGROUND CHECKS:

The tenant will be required, at its cost and expense, to arrange for a background check for each full-time

employee.

4

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 722310Food Service Contractors
• NAICS 722320Caterers

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