Operator – Gift Shop at Breakwater District Ogden Point Cruise Ship Terminal - 185 Dallas Road, Victoria, BC RFP #: 2023-BWD-01

Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (“GVHA”) invites interested parties with relevant and extensive experience to submit a Proposal under this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to provide operate a retail Gift Shop (“Services”) at the Victoria Cruise Ship Terminal located at the Breakwater District, 185 Dallas Rd., Victoria, B.C.. The Victoria Cruise Terminal is the busiest cruise ship port-of-call in Canada. In 2023, we project 330 ship calls and 850,000 passengers.
Please see Schedule E for a draft of the 2023 Cruise schedule. This draft schedule is provided for information purposes only and included to give Proponents an idea of what a typical Cruise season could look like.
This RFP is for operation and services of a retail gift shop in the Pier A Terminal Building, and a retail gift shop in the Pier B Terminal Building. A detailed summary of the available space is provided as Schedule C in this RFP. Proponents are encouraged to consider future opportunities for other retail terminal activations, such as markets, during the Cruise season, and include those ideas in their Proposal.
The Selected Proponent will be responsible, subject to the Contract, for the Services set out in Section 3. This RFP document describes the supply of services sought by GVHA and sets out GVHA’s RFP process, evaluation and selection process and Proposal requirements. Proponents must demonstrate through their proposal proven experience in successfully operating and managing a retail gift shop with a primary objective of servicing cruise ship guests arriving at the terminal. Necessary key objectives for GVHA are:
• Ability to begin operating on the terminal no earlier than January 1, 2024 and no later than March 15, 2024
• Provision of retail gift shop Services during, at minimum, all cruise ship calls in a given season, regardless of the size or capacity of vessel, or arrival and departure times
• Implementation of a long-range business plan (3-5 years) that provides for a well-managed, visitor-oriented partnership with GVHA as the property owner.
• Satisfy a cash flow analysis which provides payments to GVHA, resulting in reasonable financial compensation to GVHA for use of the available spaces as indicated in Schedule C.
• Equip, operate and maintain a high-quality retail operation to ensure collaborative compliance with GVHA’s mission and guiding principles.
• Maintain retail and any licensed/storage areas (subject to availability) and premises in good condition in accordance with GVHA standards set out in a future Operating Agreement or other contract.
• Work effectively with GVHA’s Terminal Operator, GVHA and all other stakeholders.
• Provide quality customer service and serve as an ambassador for Victoria at the cruise ship terminal.
• Provide quality, variety and unique products suited to the tourist market, including, where possible, products that are: Indigenous, locally sourced or produced, reflective of area history and marine conservation, and/or educational.
• Maximize sales and optimize revenues.
• Be responsive to the changing needs of the tourism and cruise industries
• Communicate effectively with GVHA about operational concerns, technology, industry trends, concerns brought forward by patrons and community issues.
Proponents are also invited to submit, as a part of their Proposal, plans for operating a profitable, sustainable outdoor retail market on the terminal during the cruise season. This is not a mandatory requirement of the Proposal. GVHA is under no obligation to accept or permit plans for an outdoor retail market which may be part of an otherwise successful Proposal for the Services. Granting permission to operate a retail market separate from the space offered to provide the Services is at the sole discretion of GVHA.
GVHA makes no representations or warranties with respect to the market demand for gift shop services at Breakwater District in support of tourism. Notwithstanding the information provided in this RFP, Respondents must satisfy themselves through their own due diligence with respect to the market characteristics and demand for the Services.