PKC was engaged by Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in Fall 2017 to assist and guide them in developing a comprehensive request for proposal document to rebid the University’s foodservice contract. At the time, dissatisfaction was growing with many elements of the campus dining program (including hours of operation, food quality, menu variety and value related to the meal plans offered) and campus administrators were looking for ways to increase customer satisfaction, grow meal plan participation and secure a fair and enforceable contract with a foodservice management firm. The University’s contract with its existing provider was scheduled to expire in 2025, however, the University was eager to implement the exciting proposed changes so the student could begin enjoying the benefits as soon as possible.
For this project, PKC completed qualitative market research which we used combined with our national experience to develop innovative strategies that would help OWU address the aforementioned challenges but that would also allow the University to transform its campus dining program in ways that would expand service and fully support the critical role campus dining plays in student success, retention and the overall student experience.
The solution provided expanded hours, more versatile meal plans and enhanced retail options; all while maintaining/improving the financial return to the University.
The University embraced our recommendations for the optimum dining program on its campus and we moved forward with rebidding the University’s foodservice contract in order to ensure that the programming recommendations we provided and the University embraced could be implemented beginning in Fall 2018. As part of this scope of work, our team developed a comprehensive and detailed RFP and we managed the entire operator selection process from issuing the approved RFP, facilitating the pre-bid conference, completing an in-depth evaluation of the bids, assisting with finalist interviews and facilitating contract negotiations. The new foodservice contract become effective May 1, 2018.
