Interested Vendors Sought to Offer Downtown Dining Alternatives to Residents

NAPERVILLE, Ill.— The City of Naperville’s process to consider vendors for its 2012 Downtown Mobile Vending Cart Program is now underway. License applications are being accepted through Wednesday, November 2, 2011.

The City has four available locations for free-standing vendor carts, and vendors awarded licenses will be authorized to operate in the 2012 calendar year. Desired vendors should be able to introduce a food element not currently found within the downtown to cater to an unmet need. Proposed vending operations must enhance, not detract from, the pedestrian and family friendly atmosphere of the downtown and also contribute to the overall downtown ambience.  

One vendor is currently operating a free-standing vendor cart in downtown Naperville. The City wishes to fill all four of its available locations next year to continue to enhance the overall ambience and vitality of the downtown area by providing an accessible outdoor location for visitors and employees to conveniently dine.

To qualify for the program, vendors must submit an original hardcopy and copy of their proposal, as stipulated in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ), to City of Naperville, Procurement Services Team, Attn: Theresa Dobersztyn, C.P.M., CPPB, 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL 60540. Applications are due by 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2011.

For more information about the Downtown Mobile Vending Cart Program and the license application process, visit the City’s website at www.naperville.il.us/mobilevending.aspx. For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us. Sign up to receive the latest news on the City of Naperville’s projects and initiatives via e-mail at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx.

About Naperville: Located 28 miles west of Chicago, Naperville, Ill., is home to approximately 145,000 people. This vibrant, thriving city consistently ranks as a top community in the nation in which to live, raise children and retire. The city is home to acclaimed public and parochial schools, the best public library system in the country, an array of healthcare options and an exceptionally low crime rate. Naperville has ready access to a variety of public transportation, housing and employment options. The city’s diversified employer base features high technology firms, retailers and factories, as well as small and home-based businesses. Residents also enjoy world-class parks, diverse worship options, the opportunity to serve on several city boards and commissions, a thriving downtown shopping and dining area, a renowned living history museum known as Naper Settlement and an active civic community. For more information, please visit our website at www.naperville.il.us.

Downtown Naperville, IL

Introduction

In 2010, the Naperville City Council approved a policy pertaining to free-standing vendor carts in downtown Naperville. The vending carts are retricted to designated locations and subject to certain conditions and application requirements.

The process to select qualified vendors for 2011 is closed. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be issued in fall 2011 to begin the selection process for vendors in 2012. For more information on this process, see the Vendor Selection Process section of this webpage.

Requirements

The City of Naperville will permit a maximum of four (4) mobile vending carts in the downtown per year. Applicants will not be considered for a Downtown Food Vending License unless the following minimum criterion is met:

• Proposed vendor must possess a valid DuPage County Health Department Permit;
• Proposed vendor must be at least eighteen (18) years of age;
• Proposed vendor must not be a registered sex offender as defined in the Sex Offender License Act; and
• Proposed vendor must pass a criminal background check.

In addition, successful applicants will be required to comply with Section 3-7 (Peddlers and Solicitors), as follows:

• $275 permit fee per vendor per calendar year.
• Vendor shall file and pay 1% food and beverage taxes as required in Section 3-1-9 of the Naperville Municipal Code.
• Vendor shall file and pay 1.5% downtown food and beverage taxes as required in Section 3-1-9 of the Naperville Municipal Code.
• Vendor shall file and pay the taxes required by the State of Illinois, including sales tax.
• Vendor shall provide Commercial General Liability Insurance in an amount specified by the City of Naperville.
• Qualified vendors shall be restricted to 1 of 4 approved downtown vending locations with a maximum of 1 vending cart allowed per location.
• Vending operations shall be limited in hours of operation (11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.).
• Vending operations shall be limited to food sales only.
• Vending licenses shall be subject to an annual bidding process.
• Other requirements may be applicable as determined through the bidding process.

Vendor Selection Process

In fall of each year, the City of Naperville will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking parties interested in vending in downtown Naperville for the following calendar year.

A selection committee comprised of City of Naperville staff and representatives from the Downtown Naperville Alliance (DNA) and Downtown Advisory Commission (DAC) will evaluate, score, and interview vendors who have submitted a response.  The four highest-ranking vendors will be selected to vend at 1 of 4 downtown vending locations; vending locations will be selected by the Committee for the vendor based on scoring and ranked preferences.  Vendors for future calendar years will be selected through a similar bidding process.

More information on the RFQ process will be posted to this page as it becomes available.

http://www.naperville.il.us/mobilevending.aspx