This summer, EPCC’s seven-year contract with the Pepsi Bottling Group will end, and new bids from beverage vendors will be accepted.
The selection process for all proposals will begin in March or April, and a decision will be made in June, according to Juan Flores, EPCC manager of Property Management.
“[The vendor selected] will be the most advantageous to EPCC in regards to financial incentives, product, price, service, savings and other evaluation factors considered,” said Flores.
He also said that students, faculty and staff may encourage a preferred beverage distributor vendor to place a bid to the Purchasing Department.
Flores did, however, give limitations to acceptable kinds of beverages, such as carbonated or noncarbonated, nonalcoholic beverages including fruit juices, tea products and energy drinks. Freshly-brewed coffee, tea or freshly-squeezed juices will not be eligible.
Andres Baeza, physical therapy student at EPCC and UTEP, indicated his preference of product. “[EPCC] should sell only juice and water, because they’re healthier, and it would alleviate the obesity problem in El Paso.”
Pepsi’s contract, which began in 2001, will terminate on July 31 but Cesar Molina, account executive manager for the Pepsi Bottling Group, would like to renew it.
“Hopefully, we can keep this contract. Our volume has grown three to five percent and we support the college in every way.”
He also said that the Pepsi Bottling Group intends to increase the amount of scholarship money in their bid.
Last year Pepsi experienced a less-than-one percentage loss in revenues, due to empty and malfunctioning machines, according to Molina. “We hired an intern three months ago to routinely maintain our equipment at all campuses. Since then, I’ve received no complaints.”
Flores said what he thought about the performance of EPCC’s current vendor.
“The Pepsi Bottling Group has faithfully fulfilled in an exemplary way the terms and conditions recited in the contractual agreement.”
He added, “Pepsi has become an active quality educational partner, enhancing the collegiate experience for EPCC students by contributing to the athletic fund, an annual sponsorship, marquee funding contribution and annual Pepsi product donation for student-related functions.”
The beverage vendor judging committee will be made up of EPCC students, faculty, staff and administration members.
