Request for proposal

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Parks Canada is seeking experienced individuals or organizations who may be interested in the management, operation, and delivery of food services out of the restaurant at the Visitor Reception Centre at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, located in St. Andrews, Manitoba.

Goals

Parks Canada is looking to enter into a Licence of Occupation with an operator to offer food service in the restaurant space at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site. On-site food service will meet the needs of visitors, giving them the opportunity to extend and expand their visit with food and drink options in the Visitor Reception Centre.

The purpose of issuing this Request for Proposals is to:

• Provide an opportunity for the greatest number of people to submit proposals to offer food service during Lower Fort Garry’s operating hours, at minimum; and
• Enter into a Licence Agreement with an operator who can fulfil visitors’ expectations of a high-quality, consistent experience while also being mindful of Lower Fort Garry’s history as a Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading site and its ties to Indigenous communities.

Timeline

Please email manitoba@pc.gc.ca with the subject line “Lower Fort Garry Restaurant RFP package” to express your interest in receiving the Request for Proposals package by Sunday, January 25 at 11:59 pm Central Standard Time. The package will be distributed to interested proponents as requests are received.

There will be a Mandatory Site Visit on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, beginning at 10 am Central Standard Time. Contact manitoba@pc.gc.ca to confirm your attendance.

ALL Submissions must be received by Monday, February 16, 2026, 2:00 pm Central Standard Time. Parks Canada anticipates selecting the successful proponent approximately 10 working days after the submission deadline. Parks Canada will contact the successful proponent in writing.

Parameters

Location

The restaurant space in the Visitor Reception Centre at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.

The indoor dining room located in the Visitor Reception Centre has a 110-person capacity. The restaurant includes a basic commercial kitchen, walk in cooler, tables, chairs, cutlery, and some small appliances. There is an outdoor patio with a takeout window adjacent to the indoor dining room, a private caged-storage area, and shared washroom facility and outdoor garbage bins.

Potential market segments

Visitors: 23,000 visitors in 2025

School children and teachers, families and adults who are interested in history and culture, interprovincial and international travelers.

Terms of the Licence Agreement

Parks Canada will enter into a Licence Agreement with the successful proponent for five (5) operating seasons beginning on the 1st day of April, 2026 and ending March 31, 2031. No option to renew or extend the term of the agreement will be considered.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated against the following mandatory requirements:

• Proponent information
• Individual(s) name, Company name or Partnership name of Proponent
• Contact person
• Completion of mandatory site visit with site certificate
• Tuesday, January 27 at 10 am Central Standard Time
• Minimum bid
• The greater of:
• a minimum of five percent (5%) of annual Gross Revenue
• a base fee of three-thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500.00), paid in equal instalments annually on April 1 and October 1 over the term of the Licence Agreement

Proposals meeting all mandatory requirements will then be evaluated on the following rated requirements:

• Experience
• Expertise and experience of proposed management team
• Organization’s operational capacity
• Operating proposal
• Description of the menu
• Description of plans for the operation and staffing of the concession
• Description of plans for the cleanliness and safety of the kitchen and dining area
• Description of advertising, marketing and promotion
• Financial proposal
• Proposed annual licence fee to Parks Canada

For any requests for clarification or further information, please contact:

Evan Reeve, A/Asset Manager
Parks Canada Agency
5925 Highway 9
St Andrews, Manitoba, R1A 4A8
Telephone: (204) 904-9617
Email: manitoba@pc.gc.ca