Request for Proposals

The selected vendor will be responsible for curating engaging, high-quality food experiences that showcase the area's diverse culinary landscape. A SeaTac International Dining District is being established, and a guided food tour will enhance the experience and awareness of the new district. Therefore, the selected experiences must be in the city of SeaTac and focused near International Blvd from S 150th Street to S 216th Street.

• Proposal Deadline: March 1, 2025 DEADLINE EXTENDED: March 14, 2025
• Submission Method: Email proposals to Marketing@SeattleSouthside.com with the subject line "Food Tour RFP Submission - [Your Company Name]"
• Questions & Clarifications: Submit any questions by February 28, 2025, to Marketing@SeattleSouthside.com.

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Q: Can you explain what the $100,000 support entails? Is that the amount available to cover all of the tour vendor costs and payment for the tours? Does the vendor have this total amount at their disposal to build, market, run the tour, and make a profit? Or does some of that funding go to other related projects?

A: The organization has earmarked $100,000 to launch a successful food tour program in SeaTac in 2025. The earmarked funds are available to cover the costs of the tour program incurred by the contracted tour operator and the direct marketing costs incurred by the organization. As part of the proposal submitted, the tour operator is expected to provide an estimate of costs associated with operating SeaTac tours in 2025. The tour company’s ‘overhead’ (accounting, office labor, website, insurance, etc) is expected to be covered by the other tours that the operator operates and the ‘margin’ guarantee.

The tour operator should provide a budget that reflects the revenue and expenses that the tour can reasonably expect to generate.

The example below is for presentation purposes only. Please do not take any of the approximations as limits or expectations. They are simply placeholders to clarify what the earmarked funds may be used for.

20 food tours priced at $89/pp (estimate 12 people/tour) = $21,360 in revenue
Cost of van (assume $400 x 20 tours) -$8,000
Cost of food for meals/tasting/samples -$7,200
Cost of tour leader labor(assume $500 x 20 tours) -$10,000
Cost of prep before each tour (assume $300/tour) -$6,000
Cost to create collateral/social media posts/ads -$3,500
LOSS <$13,340>

Tour company margin ($1,000/tour) -$20,000
Contingency -$10,000

Tour company proposed reimbursement: $43,340

Q: How much does Explore Seattle Southside help with marketing? Is it more than our regular promotion of partners? Would some of the funding go towards this on our end?

A: Explore Seattle Southside will create extensive marketing to support the food tour program and the featured businesses, including a landing page, interviews, videos, social posts, and influencer partnerships. The tour operator would also be reimbursed for their marketing expenses to promote the tour. A marketing plan should be included in the proposal.

Q: Are the vendors expected to price the tours so that they make a decent profit, regardless if the tours sell out? What if only the number of seats sold that break even, can the vendor add a cushion to get paid the same amount regardless of how many seats are sold?

A: The hope is that the tour will become self-sustaining in the long term. In the short term, these funds will help offset the operating loss of starting a new venture. Future funding support may be needed for the first several years. Please include a detailed budget as part of your proposal, including a breakdown of expenses.