CITY OF TUSCALOOSA )
STATE OF ALABAMA )
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
(OCA-26-1519)
TO: Qualified Businesses
FROM: The City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
RE: Request for Proposals for Alcohol Vendor for Tuscaloosa River Market
DATE: November 4, 2026
Section 1. Introduction.
This is a Request for Proposals ("RFP") to select an alcohol vendor for Tuscaloosa River Market. The RFP contains an abbreviated scope of work and evaluation items. Businesses expressing interest should be fully capable of providing the end results requested.
The purpose of this RFP is to determine the interest or non-interest and the qualifications of businesses in providing the services required. A number of firms may be asked to express their interest in regard to these services.
The Tuscaloosa River Market is located at 1900 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. The River Market hosts approximately 170 private events annually with an average of 200 guests per event. Guest counts can range from 100 to 1,600 guests. Bar service must be able to accommodate the maximum guest count with bartenders, ID checkers, and bar equipment. Roughly 50% of events utilize bar service.
Section 2. General Scope of Services
The City desires to select a firm to provide services in the following general areas:
· Vendor will be responsible for supplying of all merchandise/inventories of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including specific client requests for sales.
· Vendor will be responsible for providing all staffing and training including adhering to the responsible vendor's program.
· Vendor will operate all bars at Tuscaloosa River Market for all events.
· Vendor will be responsible for working with River Market Manager to plan and set up bars/staffing where designated for each event.
Vendor must also meet the following requirements:
· Provide all necessary and relevant service equipment, including but not limited to bars, carts, serving dishes, utensils, cups/glasses, plates, napkins, cleaning cloths, cleaning products, etc.
· Large-quantity ice makers are provided. Larger events require bar service to provide additional ice.
· Take good care of the facility, and return the facility in as good a condition as when received.
· Bus/remove trash from bar / drink areas.
· Place trash from the service areas (pantries/bar area) in the provided carts or in another designated area as directed by the Facility Rep. Trash bags should be double-bagged when disposing of leftovers.
· Clean all vendor used service areas prior to leaving the facility, including but not limited to the pantries, bars, and bar areas.
· Remove all non-perishable materials that were brought in (bars, linens, vases, pitchers, etc.) immediately after the event. The City is not responsible for items left behind.
· Inform the Facility Rep of when they are finished with their clean-up so that a quality check may be performed prior to their departure.
The selected business will be required to have personnel on-site to complete the tasks required by this scope of services. The selected business will complete the required tasks in a timely and efficient manner.
Section 3. Firm Qualification and Proposal Requirements
The selected business must be experienced and qualified to provide the required scope of services. Businesses interested in performing the work will be considered on the basis of a proposal containing information submitted in response to this request in a form limited to five (5) pages in 12-point font or larger of either Times New Roman or Ariel. Front and back shall be considered 2 pages.
Proposals are due on or before 10:00 am CST, on Thursday, December 3, 2026. ++Proposals received after this deadline will not be accepted++.
All proposals should be submitted in 8 ½" x 11" paper size. Each proposal shall be prepared simply and economically, providing straightforward, concise delineation of the firm's capabilities to satisfy the requirements of this RFP. Fancy binding and color displays other than those necessary are highly discouraged.
Submittal Instructions:
Submit proposals via email to Alexis Clark, Tuscaloosa River Market Operations Manager at aclark@tuscaloosa.com.
The following information must be submitted with the proposal on the date indicated above:
a. Experience and Qualifications. A statement of the businesses qualifications to perform the work and years in business should be included. The statement should include the following:
(1) The general experience of the business as it relates to the scope of
Services.
(2) Contact information for at least three (3) professional references.
(3) A list of all currently held alcohol licenses.
(4) Plan of action for servicing the Tuscaloosa River Market's varying bar service needs. Including, plan for large event with 1600 people requiring 9 bars, 18 bartenders, and ID checkers.
(5) Include photos of bar service equipment including bars and special features. Such as, High end wooden bars, Light up bars, etc.
b. Price list. Attach a price per drink listing. At minimum, include prices for:
· Bar Set Up Fee
· Describe any other necessary Fees and break them down.
· Domestic Beer 12oz - Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light or equivalent
· Premium Beer 12oz -- Michelob Ultra, Yuengling, Corona, or equivalent
· Wine 6oz -- Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio
· House Liquors (specific size of alcohol per serving) -- Vodka, Bourbon, Rum, Tequila
· Call Liquors (specific size of alcohol per serving and brands)
*Additional liquors and specialty drinks available upon request by client will be reviewed by the River Market Manager to ensure consistency in pricing.
· Signature drinks -- Describe how they will be handled. Describe pricing per total quantity for renter and then per drink to end consumer.
· Donated Alcohol --
· Corkage fees per bottle of wine
· Pour fee per draft beer
*Bar set up fee still applies, unless alcohol vendor chooses to waive the fee
[Note: The contract will include language stating that the vendor can charge no more than what is stated on the approved price per drink listing.]
c. Vendor would be expected to pay 10% of sales to the City of Tuscaloosa (10% of total beverage sales and service fees). Gratuities are not subject to the royalty. Royalty is due on the total drink price, including the included tax. Please acknowledge that this arrangement is acceptable.
d. License and insurance. The selected business will be required to purchase a special events retail alcohol license for the Tuscaloosa River Market. Also, the selected business will be required to provide insurance as the City requires, but generally as follows:
The Permittee agrees to, and shall at all times, maintain a minimum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) of both Dram Shop (Liquor Liability) insurance and General Liability insurance providing coverage for all activity authorized by this permit, listing the City of Tuscaloosa, its officers, agents, and employees as additional insured thereon and furnishing to the City of Tuscaloosa copies of the Certificates of Insurance to such effect, and to immediately notify the City of Tuscaloosa of any changes in, modifications to or cancellation of said policies.
The City reserves the right to reject any proposal and to interview a firm or multiple firms as it sees fit. This RFP and it requirements may be modified or amended at any time and for any reason, in the discretion of the City.
Businesses must be prepared to begin work pursuant to this RFP by April 1, 2027. The selected firm will be expected to enter into a contract with the City of Tuscaloosa for a period of three (3) years.
Any questions by the firm related to this RFP should be submitted in writing along with the firm's proposal. In the interest of fairness and in order to maintain impartiality, the City may not respond to questions from individual firms during the RFP process.
END RFP.
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aclark@tuscaloosa.com
