Deal sweeteners built into the university’s upcoming food services contract—all resident students will be required to purchase a meal plan and outside event caterers will be excluded—may be unpalatable for students and local caterers.
On-campus dining will be available for the first time at USFSP when the Multipurpose Student Center opens in August. The proposed five-year, once renewable agreement between the university and a food services provider will determine what food options are available for students.
Details of the proposals, including the identities of the companies that sought the contract, are exempted from Florida open records laws until the university provides notice of a decision. This exemption was passed by the Florida legislature to protect private trade secrets, but also allows university officials and private companies to settle deals outside of public scrutiny.
However, an investigation by The Crow’s Nest has revealed provisions of the proposals, including the identities of the two finalist companies. This information was later verified by an anonymous source familiar with the negotiations.
An advisory committee will decide between two vendors on Jan. 23: Aramark, which currently manages dining services at USF Tampa, and Sodexo, which performs the same role at the University of Tampa. Its recommendation will be passed to the campus governing board for final approval in the coming weeks.
The university received three proposals following its “invitation to negotiate,” the most freeform of three tools public institutions can use to make large purchases. Two of those vendors “knocked it out of the park,” said Director of Student Services Kay-lynne Taylor during the SG General Assembly meeting on Jan. 18.
She announced that all students living on campus, including those in “Residence Hall Hilton,” will be required to purchase a meal plan. The vendors would not move forward on proposals without a mandated minimum number of purchases, she said.
In the fall, 572 students will reside on campus. Another 300 will be added within five years as part of the third phase of the campus housing plan, according to an addendum to the invitation to negotiate.
When Senators bristled over being excluded from the process, Taylor assured them that student concerns have been taken into account.
“The student voice was, for me, absolutely essential to be heard,” Taylor said.
SG President Courtney Parish and Resident Housing Association President Jerrica Glaeser provide that voice, but are prevented from discussing any aspect of the negotiations with their peers due to the open records blackout.
The two student leaders were not able to answer questions from The Crow’s Nest, as all communication regarding the proposals must be approved by university officials.
Student Government, through its environmental sustainability office, attempted to collect and present student input. Last September, David O’Neill, then director of that office, said the group had “a prime opportunity to get into that conversation at the ground level … and create a partnership with the administration.”
However, those efforts fell flat. The group created a survey for students to describe their dining needs, but was pressured by Student Affairs to drop it.
“The powers that be wouldn’t allow us to administer it,” O’Neill said. The administration says it wants student input, he said, but “When it comes down to it, they don’t want that.”
Instead, the university relies on Parish to be the sole voice of the students—“the university believes she represents all student views,” he said.
A follow-up survey that was to be administered by the student government never came to fruition, O’Neill said.
Details of the food service agreement have not been passed to the Senate, said Sen. James Scott. On the other hand, “Maybe we haven’t been asking,” he added.
“Until now, no one’s raised a red flag,” he said.
Scott, who is a former student body president, said it is Parish’s job to go out and speak with students, but understands the difficult position she is in. At the end of the day, her influence can be negligible, especially without the ability to openly discuss issues with students.
The university has an incentive to keep student input contained, Scott said. “There’s a blurry line between what’s in the best interest of students and what’s in the best interests of the university.”
Local restaurant owners were also surprised to learn of an exclusive catering deal with the potential vendor, worth an estimated $60,000 per year. The exclusive contract will last a minimum of one year, when university officials will decide whether or not to continue to arrangement.
Tom Herzhauser, owner of The Tavern at Bayboro, said he was assured by university officials that the dining contract would be fair to everyone.
Contract applicants apparently were unhappy with the one-year provision, claiming that without “surety of ‘exclusivity’” beyond the first year, the vendors would “greatly [increase] financial risk and exposure,” according to the addendum.
The campus governing board does not have to agree with the committee’s recommendation and even has the power to reject all proposals, but with time running short, this is an increasingly unlikely outcome. The bidding process began with a pre-bid meeting on Oct. 18, 2011, and the deadline for proposals was Nov. 21.
Even then, the options available for institutional dining are limited. Three companies—Aramark, Sodexo and Compass Group—control 87 percent of the market, according to industry publication Food Management. USFSP’s relatively small size may also give large vendors increased leverage to set favorable terms.
The USF system has a history with both potential USFSP food service providers. Aramark has served as the provider at USF Tampa since 2002, when it took over from Sodexo (formerly Sodexho Alliance). USF Tampa’s five-year, once renewed contract with Aramark ends this year, and shares the invitation to negotiate with USFSP.
The contract will be awarded or the proposals rejected by Jan. 30.
Students will then learn the full details of the agreement that will govern campus food options for the next decade. Determining whether it tastes very good will have to wait until August.
At the student government meeting, Taylor, of the student services office, said the advisory committee tasted the food as part of the decision-making process, and assured the members that it was good.
“But you’re not going to have to eat it three times a day, either,” said SG Sen. Michael Jernigan.
Email: news@crowsneststpete.com
Photos by Daniel Mutter
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