Comprehensive Vending, Micro-Market, and Dining Solutions

Agency:	State Government of North Carolina
State:	North Carolina
Type of Government:	State & Local
NAICS Category:	454210 - Vending Machine Operators 722310 - Food Service Contractors
Posted Date:	Feb 12, 2026
Due Date:	Feb 27, 2026
Solicitation No:	86-2026-008
Original Source:	Please Login to View Page
Contact information:	Please Login to View Page
Bid Documents:	Please Login to View Page

Solicitation Number:	86-2026-008
Project Title:	Comprehensive Vending, Micro-Market, and Dining Solutions
Description:	Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) is seeking market intelligence to modernize its food and vending ecosystem. The intent is to gather information on vendor capabilities for comprehensive vending, micro-markets, and full-service food offerings (quick-serve/fast-casual) across multiple campus locations. This RFI will assist the College in evaluating modern service models prior to issuing a formal RFP.
Opening Date:	2/27/2026 3:00 PM
Posted Date:	2/13/2026
Status:	Open
Department:	CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE


Solicitation Number * 86-2026-008	Department CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE	Status Reason Open
Opening Date 2026-02-27T15:00:00.0000000	Posted Date * 2026-02-12T22:13:17.0000000Z	Commodity Code Cafeteria services
Mandatory Conference/Site Visit — —	Special Instructions —	Solicitation Type * Select RFP IFB RFI
Owner Brandi Hernandez
Description Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) is seeking market intelligence to modernize its food and vending ecosystem. The intent is to gather information on vendor capabilities for comprehensive vending, micro-markets, and full-service food offerings (quick-serve/fast-casual) across multiple campus locations. This RFI will assist the College in evaluating modern service models prior to issuing a formal RFP.

Attachments RFI 86-2026-008 Vending and Food Service.pdf (222.90 KB)

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Central Carolina Community College

Refer ALL inquiries regarding this

RFI to:

Brandi Hernandez

bhernandez@cccc.edu

(919) 718-7419

Request For Information (RFI) # 86-2026-008

Due Date: February 27, 2026

Commodity No. and Description: 901017 - Cafeteria services

Issue Date: February 12, 2026

RFI SUBMITTAL

Vendor responses shall be submitted electronically via the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP),

https://evp.nc.gov. It is the Vendor’s sole responsibility to ensure its response has been received

as described in this RFI by the specified time and date of opening. Any response received after the

submission deadline may be considered non‑conforming and may limit the College’s ability to

consider them.

NOTICE TO VENDOR

Request for Information (RFI) will be received until 3:00 PM EST on the day of opening.

QUESTIONS

Submit written questions to Brandi Hernandez by February 19, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST. Questions

may be submitted by e-mail to bhernandez@cccc.edu. Please insert “RFI No. 86-2026-008 -

Questions” in the subject matter of your e-mail and reference the section that the question

pertains to.

A summary of all questions and answers will be posted to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP),

https://evp.nc.gov, as an addendum to this RFI on or about February 20, 2026.

EXECUTION

COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:

STREET ADDRESS:

CITY & STATE & ZIP:

TYPE OR PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING:

VENDOR’S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE:

P.O. BOX:

TELEPHONE NUMBER:

ZIP:

TOLL FREE TEL. NO:

DATE:

E-MAIL:

RFI 86-2026-008

SECTION I: ADMINISTRATIVE OVERVIEW

Background

Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) is seeking market intelligence to modernize its food

and vending ecosystem. Currently, the College maintains a traditional vending presence at all

locations, with dedicated Fresh Food Vending machines at the Lee, Harnett, and Chatham Main

Campuses. Daily food services on the Lee Main Campus (LMC) are currently operated by the

College's Culinary Arts program.

The College is considering a transition of these operations to a professional vendor to provide

consistent service and expand fresh food access across all satellite locations. A primary objective is

to determine if modern solutions, including but not limited to Micromarkets or Smart-Fridges, can

better serve our students and staff.

Campus maps for all College locations are available at: https://www.cccc.edu/student-

life/campuses-parking. Maps are not necessarily to scale and are for illustrative purposes only.

Purpose

The intent of this RFI is to gather information regarding vendor capabilities for comprehensive

vending, micro-markets, full-service food offerings (primarily quick serve and fast casual varieties),

and catering. The College seeks solutions balancing cost efficiency, high‑quality service delivery,

and student experience, rather than prioritizing a single factor. Responses will be used to narrow

down service models before issuing a formal RFP.

The College makes no commitment to acquire services under this RFI. This is for planning purposes

only and does not constitute a solicitation or a binding contract. The vendor solely bears any costs

incurred in preparation and submission.

Schedule of Events

• RFI Issued: February 12, 2026

• Deadline for Questions: February 19, 2026

• Response Deadline: February 27, 2026

• Vendor Meetings: Week of March 9, 2026 (Respondents will be notified of specific times at

least one week in advance)

Clarification Questions

Clarification questions regarding this RFI will be accepted until the specified time on the cover

sheet of this RFI. All questions must be submitted in writing to the email address specified on the

cover sheet of this RFI. An addendum containing clarification questions and their answers will be

issued as an addendum via eVP.

Enrollment, staffing counts, and detailed traffic data can be provided during the Vendor Meetings. A

group walkthrough of the Lee Main Campus (LMC) kitchen facilities may also be conducted during

the Vendor Meetings. Access to satellite locations may be available upon request.

RFI 86-2026-008

SECTION II: CURRENT STATE & SCOPE OF WORK

Current Inventory and Objectives

The primary objective is to identify a partner capable of managing the LMC transition while scaling

services to satellite campuses. The College is specifically interested in your analysis of whether the

current "Fresh Food Unit" model at HMC and CMC should be maintained or transitioned to a

Micromarket or "Smart Fridge" solution. The College is also looking to entertain other potential

alternatives, such as a ‘coffee shop’, cafe, or prepackaged foods and pastries shop. Furthermore,

for LMC, please consider how the existing kitchen infrastructure can be leveraged for both daily

café operations and a catering program.

Location

Lee Main Campus (LMC)

Harnett Main Campus (HMC)

Chatham Main Campus (CMC)

Current Service Level

Snack/Soda +

Fresh Food Units +

Student-Run Cougar Café

(lunch 2 days/week, light

breakfast 1 day/week)

Snack/Soda +

Fresh Food Units

Snack/Soda +

Fresh Food Units +

Student-Run Natural Chef

Café (lunch 1 day/week)

Goal for Future State

Full-Service On-Demand Hot

Food / Catering / Micro-

markets / Supplemental

Vending

Staffed Café (Pre-packaged

& Coffee Service) / Micro-

market / Supplemental

Vending

Staffed Café (Pre-packaged

& Coffee Service) / Micro-

market / Supplemental

Vending

Moore Center,

Emergency Services Training Center (ESTC),

Harnett Health Science Center (HHSC),

Chatham Health Science Center (CHSC),

Siler City Center (SCC)

Snack/Soda Only

Center for Workforce Innovation (CWI),

West Harnett (WHC),

Auto Restoration

Snack/Soda Only

Standard Vending; Potential

opportunity for more at

Moore Center as renovation

projects progress

Telemetry-based / Low

Maintenance Vending

Scope of Services

• Tier 0 (Full-Service): On-demand hot food preparation, diverse daily menus, and full

catering capabilities utilizing existing kitchen infrastructure

o Vendors should assume weekday operations only. No weekend service is expected at

this time.

• Tier 1 (High Traffic): Staffed café environment focusing on professional coffee service, fresh

pre-packaged meals, and pastries; supplemented by unstaffed Micro-markets

• Tier 2 (Moderate Traffic): Standard vending/healthy snacks

• Tier 3 (Intermittent): Telemetry-enabled vending

Vendors are expected to furnish, install, maintain, and retain ownership of all vending,

micro‑market, and telemetry‑enabled equipment installed on campus. College‑owned kitchen

equipment at LMC will remain under College ownership.

RFI 86-2026-008

Service Limitations and Reserved Rights (Non-Exclusivity)

To maintain its educational mission and community flexibility, the College reserves the following

rights:

• The Culinary Arts program reserves the right to cater internal College events across all

campuses.

• The College reserves the right to engage food trucks.

• The College reserves the right to partially limit the exclusivity of external catering services

for special events.

• The College reserves the right to implement and maintain self-run vending units in the

future as needed.

• The College maintains the right to operate student-led learning environments that may

include pop-up food services, specialized café hours, or laboratory-based food production

• The College reserves the right to hold the Dennis A. Wicker and Civic Center location and

operations completely apart from the exclusivity provisions of any agreement.

RFI 86-2026-008

SECTION III: PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

The College recognizes the level of detail requested in this section. Vendors are encouraged to

provide concise but complete responses. Responses may reference existing materials, such as

brochures or case studies, where appropriate.

Respondents are asked to provide detailed, thoughtful answers to the following questions. The

College intends to use this information to better understand vendor capabilities, assess potential

operating models, and inform the development of a future formal solicitation.

Fresh Food Production, Menu Diversity & Dietary Accommodation

• Describe your approach to fresh‑food production and delivery, including options such as

on‑site preparation, daily delivery to smart‑fridge units, commissary production, or unstaffed

micro‑market solutions.

• Describe your approach to offering diverse menu options that accommodate various dietary

needs, including gluten‑free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy‑free, and allergen‑sensitive selections.

o How do you ensure these items are consistently available?

o How are dietary and allergen labels communicated to consumers?

• What is your strategy for ensuring healthy and dietary‑specific snacks (e.g., low‑sodium,

plant‑based, gluten‑free) are included in standard vending inventories across all tiers of

service?

• Provide sample menus representative of offerings for:

o a staffed café environment (LMC), and

o fresh‑food vending or micro‑market environments.

Catering Capabilities & Event Support

• Describe your process for managing high‑volume on‑campus catering, including Board of

Trustees meetings, faculty events, student events, and multi‑location service demands.

• Do you provide tiered catering menus that accommodate different budgets and event types?

Technology, Telemetry, Payments & Accessibility

• Do your vending machines, micro‑markets, and smart-fridges utilize real‑time telemetry?

Describe how your team uses telemetry to:

o monitor inventory,

o forecast restocking needs, and

o respond to outages or maintenance needs.

• Describe your point‑of‑sale (POS) technology, including support for:

o PCI‑DSS compliance,

o contactless payment,

o mobile wallet payments,

o secure data handling, and

o remote payment‑device monitoring.

• Describe how your equipment and micro‑market layouts meet ADA accessibility standards,

including reach ranges, interface design, lighting, and placement.

This page summarizes the opportunity, including an overview and a preview of the attached documents.

* Disclaimer: This website provides information about bids, requests for proposals (RFPs), or requests for qualifications (RFQs) for convenience only and does not serve as an official public notice. Individuals who wish to respond to or inquire about bids, RFPs, or RFQs should contact the relevant government department directly.

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