Active

Contract Opportunity

The National Park Service (NPS) is issuing a concessions prospectus on Thursday, September 1, 2022, for a 10-year concession contract to operate passenger ferry transportation and retail service between the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island in New York Harbor. One of the most iconic and popular national parks in the United States, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island together averaged 4.36 million visitors annually from 2015 through 2019, prior to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. All visitors must arrive by ferry from Battery Park in New York City or Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Visitors enjoy self-guided tours, exhibits, ranger-led and audio tours, and other programs and activities on Liberty and Ellis Islands. The Park also hosts numerous school groups, special civic ceremonies, corporate and other events.

The Concessioner will provide year-round passenger ferry service to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, including charter ferry service for special events. The Concessioner will provide onboard food and beverage service on all ferries. As part of its ferry ticketing system, the Concessioner will manage Pedestal Reserve and Crown General Admission Tickets on behalf of the National Park Service, audio tours on behalf of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation, and Hard Hat Tours on behalf of Save Ellis Island, Inc. The Concessioner will also provide access to lockers on Liberty Island for passengers visiting the Pedestal and Crown.

Ferry service contract, Statue of Liberty National Monument

Contract Number -- CC-STLI001-24

Services -- Ferry transportation services for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island

Contract effective date -- 01 March 2024

Contract term -- 10 years

Projected Annual Gross Receipts, 2025 -- $77 - $85 million

DRAFT CONTRACT TERM

The term of the Draft Contract will be ten (10) years, with an estimated effective date of March 1, 2024. The effective date may change prior to award if necessary; however, in such event, the Service will change the expiration date of the Draft Contract to maintain a 10-year term.

The Service intends to award the Draft Contract around October 2023, or 5 months prior to the anticipated effective date when the Concessioner would commence operations (March 1, 2024). The Service intends to announce the selected Offeror around May, 2023, or at least three to four months prior to award. Award of a concession contract does not occur until the competitive process has been completed and both the selected Offeror and the Service have signed the concession contract.

The prospectus is available on the NPS website at:https://www.nps.gov/subjects/concessions/prospectuses.htm. Hard copy prospectuses are not available.

The Service will host a site visit for this opportunity on Friday, September 16, 2022. The site visit provides interested organizations an overview of the concession operation along with a tour of the facilities assigned to the Concessioner under the Draft Contract. Each interested Offeror is limited to five persons attending the site visit, and all attendees must be over the age of eighteen. If you plan to attend the site visit and would like more information, please contact:

Ben Hanslin

Chief of Concessions

Statue of Liberty National Monument & Ellis Island

Phone: (646) 356-2108

Email: Ben_Hanslin@nps.gov

Please register for the site visit at least one week in advance. When registering, you must provide your name, the name of the organization interested in bidding that you represent, the primary contact for the organization, and the number of people in your party. All parties attending the site visit must disclose to the Service the names of the interested organizations engaging their services. The Service will provide further information and additional directions by return email message to the primary contact.

Questions in response to this prospectus are due in writing by 4:00pm Eastern Time on September 30, 2022 by email to NER_Concessions@nps.gov. Answers to questions received will be published under this Contract Opportunity on https://sam.gov/.

If you plan to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation, you must notify Judy Bassett via email (NER_Concessions@nps.gov) no later than 4:00 p.m. eastern time on November 4, 2022. The Service will not accept proposals from entities that do not provide notice on or before November 4, 2022.

All proposals are due by 4:00pm Eastern Time on December 1, 2022 to be evaluated and considered for an award of a concession contract. The prospectus describes the business opportunity and includes the terms and conditions under which the NPS will award the concession contract.

Ship proposals to:

Judy Bassett

Chief, Commercial Services Management

National Park Service

Northeast Region

1234 Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107

215-597-4903

Offerors must send original hardcopy of the “Offeror Transmittal Letter” to the address listed on the Inside Cover by December 1, 2022. The original hardcopy of the “Offeror Transmittal Letter” may not be dropped off in person, or by messenger or courier. The Service will only accept tracked delivery by USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

Questions, intents to submit an electronic proposal, proposals and Offeror Transmittal Letters must be received by the National Park Service no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time of the due date listed above and on the inside cover of the prospectus.

Attachments/Links