Inactive

The National Park Service (NPS) releases the Prospectus to solicit proposals for the award of a Concession Contract to provide for visitor convenience items and vending at Cades Cove, Oconaluftee, and... The National Park Service (NPS) releases the Prospectus to solicit proposals for the award of a Concession Contract to provide for visitor convenience items and vending at Cades Cove, Oconaluftee, and Sugarlands visitor centers, Clingmans Dome Information Station, and the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The effective date of the next Concession Contract is January 1, 2023. The Prospectus explains the business opportunity and the terms and conditions under which the 28NPS will award the Concession Contract. The Prospectus will soon be available at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/concessions/prospectuses.htm. Site Visit: Prospective offerors may schedule a time to visit the current operations by contacting directly Jamie Sanders, Concessions Specialist at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at jamie_sanders@nps.gov. Questions Due: If you do not understand something in this Prospectus, you must submit your questions via email to William Gordon, Jr., Commercial Services Specialist, at william_gordon@nps.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 26, 2022. The questions must be in a format that allows the Service to copy the questions to Microsoft Word. Proposals Due Proposals, including the original signed transmittal letters, must be received via the process explained in the Proposal Instructions no later than 2:00 pm ET on the due date which is December 6, 2022 to National Park Service, Concessions Office, 100 Alabama Street, N.W., Bldg 1924, 6th Floor, Mailroom, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Please note that the original signed transmittal letters must be mailed. The remaining portion of the proposal will only be accepted electronically via the process explained in the Proposal Instructions. AMENDMENT #1 Question 1: In the Draft Contract, Section 4. Concessioner Personnel, (a) Employees: sections 7-9 describe various requirements associated with a drug-free workplace. Then in Exhibit A: Operating Plan, 3) General Operating Standards and Requirements, F) Human Resources Management, Item 1 (b) Drug-free Awareness and Testing Program, it states “The Concessioner must instill a drug-free environment.”Is the Concessioner required to conduct mandatory or random drug screening tests as a condition of hiring or continued employment? If so, would mandatory or random drug testing apply only to employees who are performing work associated with this contract, or would it also apply to other employees of the Concessioner who are not involved in the execution of the contract? Answer: The Concessioner is responsible for implementing its approach to instill a drug-free environment. Question 2: In Contract Exhibit E: Maintenance Plan, 2) Part A - General Standards, B) Definitions: the definition for "Facility Operations” states that “Certain Facility Operations requirements may be included in Exhibit B (Operating Plan) to the Contract.” We understand that Exhibit B to the contract addresses Nondiscrimination. Should that Exhibit E definition refer instead to Exhibit A (Operating Plan)? Answer: Yes, and the Maintenance Plan has been updated accordingly. EXHIBIT E MAINTENANCE PLAN In Section 2 (B) the last sentence of the definition of “Facility Operations” is amended as follows: Certain Facility Operations requirements may be included in Exhibit A (Operating Plan) to the Contract. The Prospectus explains the business opportunity and the terms and conditions under which the 28NPS will award the Concession Contract. The Prospectus will soon be available at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/concessions/prospectuses.htm.