DINING REVITALIZATION

Frequently Asked Questions

Photo of architect's rendering of New Central Residence Hall

Dining FAQ Update 9/11/2013

What is prompting the Dining Program Review?
Our dining facilities, like our housing, are aged and are in need of substantial upgrade. This limited capacity in aging residential dining facilities and the student center -- linked with future growth in students living on campus -- necessitates a review of opportunities.

In an era of constrained resources, questions of affordability, debt and limited capacity necessarily take on even more importance. We must deliver this critically important service to our students, faculty and staff in the highest quality and in the most cost-effective manner. It’s why we are moving forward in a partnership to build new residence halls. It’s why we are increasingly relying on our own sources of dollars to construct new classroom and research space.

Our commitment is to do what's right -- for the institution, for the students we serve. But it's even more important that this process be conducted correctly and comprehensively.

What are the goals?
Our goal is to achieve a transformational modernization of dining at the University. As UK moves forward with rebuilding and expanding its residence halls, several dining facilities will be demolished. The dining review complements and must support the aggressive timeline for expansion of student housing. We have no limits -- nor should we -- to our ambitions for our students and our university. But we do have limited resources, which requires us to seek innovative solutions.

What process has the University followed?
A national consultant, Envision Strategies, was hired to complete a Dining Services Master Plan. A Request for Information (RFI) so that third-party offerors may submit a response was issued in mid-February. An RFI is a non-binding solicitation process.

The RFI was distributed in mid-February. Interested parties submitted RFI responses on March 12. Between March 12 and March 29, a taskforce of 17 administrators and staff reviewed the RFI responses. As part of the RFI, our in-house Dining Services team also submitted a proposal for how to change and improve existing service. A contract cannot be made from an RFI. With the information from the RFI and the proposal from UK's Dining Services in hand, the committee, on March 29, recommended taking the additional step of seeking more specific, formal proposals -- an RFP or Request For Proposals -- from potential business partners.

We traveled to four different institutions that have partnered with a private company for dining.

We expect to release an RFP within the next few days. Based on the responses to this process, we will make a final decision as to whether or not to outsource.

What criteria will be included in the RFP?
In considering how best to proceed, we have included several requirements that will -- and must be -- part of any partnership we enter into with a food service provider, should we decide to recommend that course to the university administration.

The RFP requires that the successful proposer would guarantee employment for our 114 full-time employees (on the payroll as of February 1, 2013), students, and continue and expand our sustainability efforts -- Kentucky proud, unique efforts such as partnering with college of agriculture, and provide substantial 100% equity investment. Specifically the commitment is as follows:

  • We will retain the 114 food services full-time employees as university employees with the same salary and benefits in a “reimbursement” arrangement. We will require that employment opportunities continue for students, as food services provides important compensation and potential career paths for many students who participate.
  • We will mandate our continued involvement with Kentucky Proud, local purchasing of food, and enhanced sustainability initiatives.
  • We will require continued support and sponsorship for campus activities and engagement.
    1. We will require expanded academic interaction with units like the Lemon Tree, Butcher Shop, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Hospitality Management, and other campus departments. We will expect a bigger influence on developing collaborative faculty and student engagement in support of our land-grant mission for diversified agriculture and creating new market research practices.
  • We will require more food options and healthier food choices than we currently provide students and others.
    1. UK has strong relationships, for example, with many existing food franchises. Those need to be strengthened and expanded. At the same time, we must have a dining services operation that can adapt to changes in tastes and in technology to provide students and others more information about choices, health, nutrition, wellness options, and the latest trends.
  • We will seek a significant capital investment to improve and expand dining venues in conjunction with student enrollment growth and the rapid transformation of on-campus housing from 5,100 up to 7,000-9,000.
    1. We are asking that the investment not include any project-specific debt (100% equity investment). In conjunction with the capital investment in dining facilities that serve our students and campus community, the potential business partners must provide an implementation schedule that has a delivery timeline to provide these critical new and temporary dining facilities as plans are developed for demolition of K-Lair, Commons, and Blazer Cafe.

What has been the level of student, staff, faculty, and community input?
Three open forum meetings with dining employees were held in spring 2013. Two open forums with interested students, faculty, staff and those in the community who have thoughtfully given voice to a range of concerns were held in April to ensure that everyone has the latest information. The Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment also conducted an open forum on the issue. Several committee members attended this session. Two additional employee forums were held on September 11. A community forum is scheduled for September 18. A website www.uky.edu/diningrevitalization was created for individuals to view more information about the timeline, delve more deeply into the planning documents, provide feedback, and offer suggestions.

Additionally, we worked with Envision Strategies to develop and distributed a student survey to gain anonymous input. 5,000 students were randomly chosen to receive the dining survey (1,000 from each class: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students). 991 responses were received. The results of that survey were tabulated by Envision Strategies and will be provided as an exhibit in the RFP.

Four university staff members traveled to other universities the week of May 20th for site-visits to learn more about their experiences with outsource business partners.

What is the process and timeline for the RFP?
An RFP Evaluation Committee was appointed in August 2013. UK Purchasing will release the RFP in mid-September 2013. At each step of this process, we will engage in dialogue to ensure that our UK Dining employees, campus constituents, and interested groups have the most complete information possible.

The RFP Evaluation Committee charge is to:

  • Finalize the development of the RFP and to review and evaluate responses to the RFP.
  • Determine which potential business partners are most responsive to the RFP and to create a short-list for formal presentations.
  • Following presentations, the Committee will select one or more potential business partners eligible for contract negotiations.

Once the short-list process is complete, President Capilouto will determine whether or not to proceed to the contract negotiation phase. Should the negotiation phase be authorized, UK Purchasing will lead a negotiating team to begin deliberations with the potential business partner(s) selected for negotiations.

Upon completion of negotiations, the RFP Evaluation Committee will have an opportunity to review the final contract terms and conditions and to recommend the business partner who will receive the contract award.

 

Dining FAQ Update 5/29/2013

What is prompting the Dining Review?
In short, limited capacity in aging residential dining facilities and the student center linked with future growth in students living on campus. In an era of constrained resources, questions of affordability, debt and limited capacity necessarily take on even more importance. We must deliver this critically important service to our students, faculty and staff in the highest quality and in the most cost-effective manner.

Our commitment is to do what's right -- for the institution, for the students we serve. But it's even more
important that this process be conducted correctly and comprehensively.

What are the goals?
Our goal is to achieving a transformational modernization of dining at the University. As UK moves forward with rebuilding and expanding its residence halls, several dining facilities will be demolished. The dining review complements and must support the aggressive timeline for expansion of student housing. We have no limits - nor should we - to our ambitions for our students and our university. But we do have limited resources, which requires us to seek innovative solutions.

What process has the University followed?
A national consultant, Envision Strategies, was hired to complete a Dining Services Master Plan. A Request for Information (RFI) so that third-party vendors may submit a response was issued in mid-February. A RFI is a non-binding solicitation process. A committee of administrators and staff (17 members - see below) were appointed to review the responses. As part of the RFI, our in--house Dining Services team also submitted a proposal for how to change and improve existing service.

What was the timeline for the RFI process?
The RFI was distributed in mid-February. Interested parties, including UK Dining Services, submitted RFI
responses on March 12. Thee appointed committees evaluated RFI proposals between March 12 and March 29. A contract CANNOT be made from an RFI. With the information from the RFI and the proposal from UK's Dining Services in hand, the committee recommended taking the additional step of seeking more specific, formal proposals - an RFP or Request For Proposals - from potential business partners.

What has been the level of student, staff, faculty, and community input?
Three open forum meetings with dining employees were held. Two open forums with interested students, faculty, staff and those in the community who have thoughtfully given voice to a range of concerns were held in April to ensure that everyone has the latest information. The Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment also conducted an open forum on the issue. Several committee members attended this session. A website (www.uky.edu/diningrevitalization) was created for individuals to view more information about the timeline, delve more deeply into the planning documents, provide feedback, and offer suggestions.

Additionally, we worked with Envision Strategies to develop and distributed a student survey to gain anonymous input. 5,000 students were randomly chosen to receive the dining survey (1,000 from each class: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students). 991 responses were received. The results of that survey are being tabulated and will be provided as an exhibit in the RFP.

What's the timeline for the RFP process?
The RFP process will continue into summer/early fall before any final recommendations are made, all of which will be subject to approval from the Board of Trustees. Again, at each step of this process, we will engage in dialogue to ensure that our campus constituents have the most complete information possible.

Three committee members traveled to other universities the week of May 20th for site-visits to learn more about their experiences with business partners.

And, without question, part of our consideration in this process is whether and how significant investment could be made in dining facilities that serve our students and campus community. Facility revitalization is an important part of the equation in terms of creating an atmosphere that maximizes the potential of our students and of the faculty and staff who work with them. It’s why we are moving forward in a partnership to build new residence halls. It’s why we are increasingly relying on our own sources of dollars to construct new classroom and research space, even as President Capilouto and our Board of Trustees delivered on a commitment to the smallest tuition increase at UK in some 15 years.

What criteria will be included in the RFP?
In considering how best to proceed, we will include several requirements that will - and must be - part of any partnership we enter into with a food service provider, should we decide to recommend that course to the university administration and our Board of Trustees.

  1. 1) We will retain the 118 food services full-time employees as university employees with the same salary and benefits in a "lease" arrangement. We will require that employment opportunities continue for students, as food services provides important compensation and potential career paths for many students who participate.

  2. 2) We will mandate our continued involvement with Kentucky Proud, local purchasing of food, and enhanced sustainability initiatives.

  3. 3) We will require continued support and sponsorship for campus activities and engagement.
    1. We will require expanded academic interaction with units like the Lemon Tree, Butcher Shop, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Hospitality Management, and other campus departments. We will expect a bigger influence on developing collaborative faculty and student engagement in support of our land-grant mission for diversified agriculture and creating new market research practices.
  4. 4) We will require more food options and healthier food choices than we currently provide students and others.
    1. UK has strong relationships, for example, with many existing food franchises. Those need to be strengthened and expanded. At the same time, we must have a dining services operation that can adapt to changes in tastes and in technology to provide students and others more information about choices, health, nutrition, wellness options, and the latest trends.
  5. 5) We will seek a significant capital investment to improve and expand dining venues in conjunction with the rapid transformation of on-campus housing from 5,100 up to 8-9,000 and the associated student enrollment growth.
    1. We are asking that the investment not include any project-specific debt. In conjunction with the capital investment, the vendors must provide an implementation schedule that has a delivery timeline to provide these critical new and temporary dining facilities as plans are developed for demolition of K-Lair, Blazer Cafe, and Commons.

What do other universities do?
It's a mix. The majority of institutions in Kentucky use an outside vendor for dining services. A majority of schools in the SEC also use a third-party vendor. However, a majority of our benchmark institutions have maintained in-house dining services.

Who served as members of the dining review committees for the RFI?

  1. A. Dining Project Revitalization Committee
    1. 1.   Stephen Bilas, President Student Government Association
      2.   Dall Clark, Capital Construction Director
      3.   Penny Cox, Chair
      4.   Ben Crutcher, Associate VP Auxiliary Services
      5.   Bill Harris, Purchasing Director (ex officio, non-voting)
      6.   John Herbst, Student Center Executive Director
      7.   Angie Martin, VP Financial Operations & Treasurer
      8.   Robert Mock, VP Student Affairs
      9.   Bob Wiseman, VP Facilities
      10. Jim Wims, Associate VP Student Affairs
  2. B. Dining RFI Taskforce
    1. 1.   Mike Adams, Chair, Staff Senate
      2.   Sandra Bastin, Extension Professor, Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition
      3.   Sandra Chambers, UK HealthCare
      4.   Penny Cox, Chair (ex officio)
      5.   Jody Ensman, Wellness
      6.   Lee Meyer, Co-Chair, President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee
      7.   Russ Pear, Athletics
      8.   Steve Skinner, Chair, Department of Marketing & Supply Chain

What is prompting this move?
As UK moves forward with rebuilding and expanding its residence halls, that will impact several dining facilities. Given the growth of the campus and changes in where students want to live, there will be a need to examine where future dining facilities are located. Also, in a time of continued economic challenges and change we must ask the question about how to best deliver this critically important service to our students, faculty and staff in the highest quality and in the most cost-effective manner.

What process will the University follow?
A national consultant, Envision Strategies, was hired to complete a Dining Services Master Plan. A committee of administrators and staff were appointed to review the responses. They will do this, first, by distributing a Request for Information (RFI) so that third-party vendors may submit a response. As part of that, our in-house Dining Services team also will put in a proposal for how to change and improve existing service. All proposals will be considered and a recommendation on whether to issue a formal RFP will be sent to the President by the end of March.

What do other universities do?
It's a mix. The majority of institutions in the state use an outside vendor for dining services. A majority of schools in the SEC also use a third-party vendor. However, a majority of our benchmark institutions -- those schools across the country that we compare ourselves to -- have maintained in-house dining services.

Will employees be impacted?
Our Dining Services team provides exemplary service from dedicated and committed employees. It's too early to say what, if any, impact there will be on current employees. The University will keep everyone as informed as possible throughout this process.

What issues will be considered?
A number of issues will be examined: Where should dining facilities be located to maximize effectiveness? What's the most cost-effective way to provide this service? What are the options available for employee retention and/or transition plans? What is their commitment to sustainability and local purchasing of food? Are there ways to invest more in our infrastructure at the Student Center and other dining services to improve what we do? Those are some of the issues that all interested parties will be asked to consider and outline proposals on during this process.

Where can I find the RFI?
http://www.uky.edu/Purchasing/docs/uk-1238-13.pdf

What's the timeline for this process?
A committee has been formed. An RFI was distributed in mid-February. Interested parties will have until March 12 in which to respond to the RFI. The committee will evaluate RFI proposals between March 12 and March 29.


Frequently Asked Questions - April 17, 2013


1. What are the goals of the RFP?
The primary goal is to create the best possible dining services for our students, faculty and staff. The RFP will mandate employment of the current full-time dining employees.

The University of Kentucky is a public, land grant university dedicated to improving people's lives through excellence in education, research and creative work, service, and health care. The University needs to be in a position to better support these core functions.

2. Why is the dining facility replacement schedule important?
As part of the revitalization of the university's residence hall system, between now and 2015, three dining facilities across campus will be demolished. UK hopes to build up to 9,000 residence hall beds over the next five to seven years as part of a dramatic transformation of its campus core. New facilities are necessary as enrollment increases.

There are several types of facilities that support the "quality of life" and enhance student success. Those include: housing, dining, recreation, student center, and athletics.

3. What will UK include in the RFP for employees regarding hiring preferences for job
openings?
The RFP will have a provision that all full-time dining employees, on the university payroll as of February 1 will remain University of Kentucky employees with the same salary and benefits. The university will also require that student workers continue to be employed, if the university administration and the Board of Trustees ultimately take that path.

4. Will the RFP require the business partner to use STEPS employees?
No, there will not be a requirement to use STEPS. However, the RFP will provide an option for the
business partner to engage with the HR STEPS program to fill student and temporary positions in a
capacity that is beneficial for both parties should we outsource.

5. If dining is outsourced, who will do the performance evaluations, hiring, and firing in the
future?

The business partner will have responsibility for these functions.

6. Will UK current dining employees be able to advance without giving up UK status?
The current employees will be eligible for career opportunities. UK will work closely with the business partner to review individual situations and circumstances. Employees will have options as the dining services grow, but we cannot promise with certainty the career advancement opportunities will be available in UK dining services positions.

7. What will UK include in the RFP for Kentucky Proud?
UK has a strong sustainability program that purchases local food produce and has actively participated in the Kentucky Proud Program.

The University needs to greatly expand the types of food offered, and continue the focus on healthy and local foods in support of the Kentucky Proud program.

8. What will UK include in the RFP for Sustainability?
Food service is a resource-intense operation. UK intends to make our operations more sustainable by minimizing carbon impact, while at the same time implementing best practices that lower operational costs in the areas of decreasing waste disposal and energy and water use.

9. I have heard that International students will not be permitted to work for a privatized
dining vendor. Is that true?
No. Immigration considers on-campus dining services to meet the regulatory standard of "on-campus" employment. It is permissible for international students to work for on-campus dining service providers regardless of "who" issues the paycheck as long as the dining service job is one in which the employee (international student) will be serving university students on an "almost daily basis" (That specific language comes from a regulatory memo by legacy INS).

International students who are on an F-1 visa can work 20 hours a week on campus during the fall and Spring Semester. They can work full time during university breaks and in the summer.

International students who are on a J-1 visa need permission from their sponsor before beginning to work on campus.

10. Will the name UK Dining Services change if dining is privatized?
No, the University will require in the RFP that the UK brand remains in the name.

11. Is the catering program included in the RFP?
Yes.

12. When will the RFP be released?
The schedule is to release the RFP in early May with responses due in early June, 2013.

13. Was there ever the thought, when working on the EdR housing contract, to have them build the dining halls and have Dining Service lease the space?
Yes, UK has previously asked EdR to build 'shell' spaces in the residence halls. EdR is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). They are using 100% equity to build the residence halls. EdR will build shell space at the Haggin Hall site that will be "cold-dark shell" space. The "cold-dark shell" means there are walls and a gravel floor. The fit-up costs to make the space usable are born by the University or by a 3rd party. Estimates to fit up a dining pavilion to seat 300-500 students are in the multi-millions. It is possible that this space could be designated for dining operations, but it is not free. It will take millions of dollars in capital to make the space usable.

14. If outsourced, what steps will the University take to prevent the vendor from backing out of their commitments to employees, sustainability and food quality?
The University will actively manage the business relationship to ensure compliance with the contractual commitments. There will be termination clauses and a cure period to resolve issues. The University will have strong management oversight that will include specific cycles of review, secret shoppers, customer satisfaction surveys, etc.

15. How will the RFP ensure engagement with academic programs like Lemon Tree, College of Agriculture Butcher shop, etc.?
These academic programs are vital components of student success and will be included as deliverables in the contract.

Updated September 12, 2013 by Web Administrator