TITLE
AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH
LEVY PREMIUM FOODSERVICE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
FOR SOLDIER FIELD FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT
SPECIFICATION NO. P-23013
BODY
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
It is recommended that the General Superintendent and CEO or her designee enter into a contract with Levy Premium Foodservice Limited Partnership, a partnership between Levy and BOKA Restaurant Group, for the purpose of managing the food service operation Soldier Field. The contractor was selected pursuant to a publicly advertised Request for Proposals (“RFP”). No work may commence, and no payment shall be made to vendor prior to the execution of a written agreement.
II. Award Information
Company: Levy Premium Foodservice Limited Partnership
980 N Michigan Ave, Suite 400
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Company Type: Limited Partnership
Majority Interests: Levy GP Corporation 1%
Levy Restaurant Limited Partnership 99%
Contract Type: Term Agreement
Contract Term: Five (5) years with an additional five (5) year extension option
Contract Amount: See Exhibit A
Scope of
Services: Management and operation of the food and beverage services at Soldier
Field.
Affirmative
Action Goals: The Minority- and Women-Owned Participation for this contract include:
25% Minority-Owned and 5% Women-Owned.
Authorization: Authorize the General Counsel to include other relevant terms and
conditions in written Agreement. Authorize the General Superintendent to
execute the Agreement and the Secretary to attest as to the signing of the
Agreement and keep an original copy of the Agreement on file.
III. Budget and Financial Information
Budget Classification: Operating and Capital
Fiscal Year: 2024-2029
Source of Funds: n/a
IV. Procurement Information
Specification Number: P-23013
Date Advertised: August 30, 2023
Pre-Submittal Meeting: September 12, 2023
Solder Field Site Visits: Various dates September - October 2023
Date Proposals Due: November 27, 2023
Number of Proposals
Received: Five (5)
This contract was publicly advertised as a Request for Proposals (“RFP”). Pursuant to the Chicago Park District (“CPD”) - Chicago Bears Permit Operating Agreement (“POA”), this RFP was developed jointly with the Chicago Bears (“Bears”). The RFP provided a detailed scope of services (pages 11-29) as well as 26 exhibits that included: (i) historic sales from 2018, 2019 & 2022; (ii) concession equipment inventory; (iii) events and attendance detail for 2022; (iv) POS counts; (v) maps of the stadium and concession areas; (vi) core menus and pricing; (vii) copies of the agreements relating to the food service operation at Soldier Field; and (vii) potential Soldier Field capital improvement food service projects.
Five proposals were received on the proposal due date, and the Department of Purchasing (“Purchasing”) deemed all to be responsive and compliant.
Pursuant to the CPD-Bears POA, and as discussed in the RFP, the evaluation of the proposals was a joint CPD-Bears effort. Accordingly, the Evaluation Committee (“EC”) was comprised of 10 voting members, five (5) selected by CPD and five (5) selected by the Bears. Furthermore, both the CPD and Bears had non-voting members as part of their team, including experts in stadium food service operations.
The EC began their evaluation of the proposals at their first meeting on January 11, 2024 with a discussion of only the non-financial sections of the proposals. The EC members initially scored the proposals according to the criteria in the RFP that related to these sections of the proposals. The Department of Purchasing then distributed the financial sections of the proposals to each EC member for their review on January 23, 2024. After scores were tabulated, the EC elected to narrow the list to the top three proposals for invitation to Oral Presentations. Oral presentations with the three proposers were held on
February 15-16, 2024, and each session lasted approximately 2.5 hours. The EC met again on February 23, 2024 and decided to send a request for Best and Final Offers to all three proposers. Purchasing sent the request for Best and Final Offers to all three proposers on February 23, 2024 and received them on the due date of March 1, 2024. The EC then met on March 8, 2024 and submitted final scores on March 11, 2024. The EC held their final meeting on March 15, 2024 to discuss the final tabulated scores. The CPD scored Levy highest and the Bears also scored Levy highest. Accordingly, the EC recommended Levy Premium Foodservice Limited Partnership (“Levy”) for award.
V. Explanation
The Chicago Park District (“CPD”) and Chicago Bears (“Bears”) require the services of a firm to manage the food and beverage operations at Soldier Field for all events at the stadium. For the Bears, this includes regular-season and post-season home games, and other Bears-related events such as Family Fest, Draft Party, Bears Care Gala, etc. For CPD, this includes major events such as concerts, Chicago Fire soccer matches, international sports, collegiate sports, as well as smaller private functions such as weddings, birthdays, fundraisers, galas, and corporate meetings in the Club space and public assemblies (e.g., walks, runs, etc.) held in the festival areas. Altogether, Soldier Field hosts hundreds of events per year that rely on food and beverage services.
The food service manager will prepare, sell, and dispense food and beverages throughout the stadium including fixed and mobile concession stands, club spaces and suites. The manager’s responsibilities also extend to the back-of-the-house areas including the kitchens and storage spaces.
The manager’s responsibilities for all events include, but are not limited to:
• Staffing and operating all concession stands and kitchens;
• Preparing, selling, and serving all food, in the stadium bowl and stadium;
• Selling all beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic;
• Catering services;
• Suite services;
• Improving the menu offerings throughout the stadium;
• Incorporating the latest technology into the concession operation;
• Keeping all concession areas in a clean and well-maintained state at all times; and
• Assisting with capital improvements at the stadium as they relate to the food and beverage operation.
The EC evaluated proposals in terms of alignment with the goals and objectives of CPD and the Bears in the following categories:
1. Food & Beverage - The vision, creativity, and ideation to develop and implement a dynamic food and beverage program focused on a high-quality offering and speed of service.
2. Financial - The overall strength of the financial proposal and proven ability to optimize and grow revenue and operate efficiently.
3. Partnership - The ability to cultivate a mutually beneficial, trusted relationship between stakeholders at all levels of the organization as measured by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and to identify creative, effective solutions to engage and employ local businesses and communities that reflect the diversity of the Chicagoland area.
4. Experience & Resources - The relevant experience, overall qualifications and local, regional and corporate resources that will benefit the parties.
Levy was the highest scoring proposal, and the Evaluation Committee determined that they presented the best overall proposal, considering all evaluation criteria, to manage and grow the food service operation at Soldier Field for the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Bears. The Evaluation Committee felt they had the strongest combination of approach and vision, analytics, use and implementation of technology, strength of their personnel, and creativity to move the food service operation at Soldier Field forward.
Levy serves 300+ partners across North America, including 10 NFL & CFL, 17 soccer, 50 baseball, 22 NBA & WNBA, 12 NHL and 17 NCAA facilities to name a few. Levy has been providing food and beverage management services for decades and is considered a leading company in the industry. Although their reach is extensive, it is also their Chicago presence and deep roots within the local market that provide opportunities to drive resources and efficiencies to their operations and most effectively optimize local partnerships.
Therefore, it is in the best interest of the Chicago Park District to recommend Levy Premium Foodservice Limited Partnership for the award for the Soldier Field Food Service Management contract.
I. General Conditions
1) Conflicts: The Agreement shall not be legally binding on the Chicago Park District if entered into in violation of the provisions of 50 ILCS 105, the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act.
2) Ethics: The Chicago Park District’s Ethics Code, Chapter III of the Code of the Chicago Park District, shall be incorporated into and made part of the agreement.
3) Contingent Liability: Any agreement lawfully entered into for a period of more than one year shall be executory only for the amounts for which the Park District may become
liable in succeeding fiscal years pursuant to Section 17(i) of the Chicago Park District Act, 70 ILCS 1505/17(i). All agreements authorized herein shall contain a clause that
any expenditure beyond the current fiscal year is subject to appropriation in the subsequent fiscal year budget.
4) Economic Disclosure Statement (“EDS”): Contractor has submitted a full and complete EDS form.