Date: September 16, 2010
Contact: Annelise Lesmeister, Concessions Specialist, (509) 682-4921
September 21, 2010: Prospectus Available at https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices
October 4, 2010: Site Visit
January 19, 2011: Proposals Due
The National Park Service has a unique business opportunity for commercial services including overnight accommodations, food and beverage, retail, fuel, and transportation services within the Stehekin Valley on beautiful Lake Chelan. This business opportunity with the National Park Service in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, located within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park Service Complex https://www.nps.gov/noca, will be operated as a Concession Contract.
The Stehekin Landing Resort provides the primary accommodations including lodging, food and beverage and retail, at the Stehekin Landing located on the shore of Lake Chelan and at the base of the North Cascades Mountains. Accessible only by foot, ferry or plane, Stehekin is a destination for relaxation, adventure, and family fun – offering visitors an escape from the hustle of the modern world and providing an array of recreation opportunities. Summer recreation opportunities include bicycling, kayaking, rafting, boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, and National Park Service ranger-led and naturalist activities. In addition to the majestic scenery, attractions include the 312-foot Rainbow Falls, Historic Buckner Homestead (apple orchard), and the dynamic Stehekin River.
Stehekin is home to roughly 100 year-round residents. In the summer, this population grows significantly with the arrival of summer residents and seasonal employees who work for the National Park Service and private businesses. Visitation to Stehekin is a combination of day trippers who want to enjoy a tour to Rainbow Falls and lunch at Stehekin Landing Resort and those who stay longer to enjoy several days recreating in the valley.
“There is ample potential for developing partnerships with the National Park Service, local Stehekin businesses, as well as the resort communities of our neighbors, Chelan and Manson,” said Chip Jenkins, North Cascades National Park Complex Superintendent. “Partnerships are an important aspect of visitor service operations in Stehekin and potential bidders are encouraged to consider these opportunities.”
What is a National Park Service Concession?
Stephen T. Mather, first Director of the National Park Service, said “Scenery is a hollow enjoyment to the tourist who sets out in the morning after an indigestible breakfast and a fitful night's sleep on an impossible bed.” Director Mather believed that only well-rested and well-fed visitors would be capable of appreciating the wonders of our national parks. The National Park Service remains mindful of this legacy, ensuring that park visitors have access to high-quality commercial visitor services at reasonable prices.
Concessioners fill a vital role in helping the National Park Service carry out its mission by operating publicly owned facilities and offering goods and services to park visitors. This business opportunity is a key component in supporting visitors to North Cascades National Park and the vibrant Stehekin community.
Concession Facilities Available Under This Business Opportunity
The Concessioner will be assigned a total of 21 buildings, which includes standard motel rooms, units with kitchenettes, a full service restaurant, a general store and a variety of housing units for concession employees. In addition, the Concessioner will be assigned four recently purchased heritage style buses with which to provide tours and shuttle service within the Stehekin Valley. In recent years, significant improvements have been made to the buildings and facilities, providing a solid base for hospitality operations.
Nature of Business and Services to Be Required
The Contract term will be for ten years and is estimated to start on November 1, 2011. Certain types of visitor services must be provided under the Contract, and are referred to as “required”. Additional visitor services may be provided at the option of the Concessioner and are referred to as “authorized”. The required and authorized visitor services under this Contract can be downloaded here.
The National Park Service Concessions management Improvement Act of 1998 requires the National Park Service to award concession contracts through a competitive bid process. “The National Park Service encourages people, organizations and businesses to consider bidding on the contract and welcomes open competition for this business opportunity,” said Superintendent Jenkins.
A prospectus, which is a solicitation for proposals, for the commercial services at the Stehekin Landing Resort will be published on September 21, 2010. This document describes in detail the list of services and requirements of the contract including the process for bidding.
Potential Offerors are invited to visit the site in Stehekin on October 4, 2010.
The site visit will include tours of the Concession Facilities and current operation of Stehekin Landing Resort. For directions and travel information, please contact Annelise Lesmeister, Concessions Specialist for North Cascades National Park, at (509) 682-4921 no later than noon, Friday October 1, 2010.
The prospectus will be available on September 21 at https://www.nps.gov/commercialservices.
There is no cost to download the documents from this website.To request a hard copy of the prospectus (fee for hard copy is $50), please contact Isabel Alvarado, Concessions Management Specialist, National Park Service, at (510) 817-1471 or by email at isabel_alvarado@nps.gov. Proposals must be received by 4:00 pm on January 14, 2011 in order to be evaluated and considered for award. Proposals should be sent to the Pacific West Regional Office, Attn: Isabel Alvarado, 1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700, Oakland, CA 94607. Please contact Isabel if you are interested in being placed on a mailing list to receive additional information specific to the prospectus.
