EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR FOOD & BEVERAGE VENDORS DURING THE SECOND EDITION OF THE VALLETTA LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL 2023

1. INTRODUCTION

Following the success of the First Edition of the Valletta Local Food Festival, the Valletta Cultural Agency will organise the Second Edition of this Festival; a 3-day culinary event aimed at promoting local food, ingredients, local producers and local businesses within the gastronomy field.

The Valletta Cultural Agency is cordially inviting food and beverage vendors to submit their proposals and register their interest to create and sell their art and crafts related to or inspired by local cuisine, local kitchen décor and Valletta during the Valletta Local Food Festival.

The best proposals which will contribute quality to the event will be selected.  Chosen food and beverage handles will have the opportunity to sell their products in a stall area provided by the Agency.

The Valletta Local Food Festival is a 3-day festival aimed at promoting local food, local ingredients, local producers and local businesses within the gastronomy field. The Festival is an effort to raise awareness about the diversity and creativity within the local culinary scene, to showcase local delicacies, and to demonstrate that our local products can compete strongly with foreign ones. This year, the Festival will also focus on reviving old traditional and historical cuisine from the 17th and 18th centuries. A local guest chef hailing from Valletta will be invited to demonstrate and give a talk/seminar on local pastries and their background.

Hosted at the Valletta Design Cluster, this project aims to engage the public through a maximum of 15 food and drink stalls, 5 artisan stalls and 4 chefs, each offering their products and recipes, while also providing short informative and interactive talks covering various food sectors and their history.

The Festival shall be taking place at the Valletta Design Cluster, on the 5th, 6th, and 7th October 2023, from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

Disclaimer:

Prospective applicants are to note that by submitting an application as specified below, they are confirming agreement to all the terms and conditions set out in this Expression of Interest.

Applicants should also note that the Agency will respect any restrictions published by the local Health Authorities on the organisation of public events.

1. GUIDELINES

• CREATION AND SALE OF DISHES/PACKAGED PRODUCTS AND BEVERAGES
  

Applicants must provide a proposal including a list of all the locally produced ingredients for the packaged products, beverages and/or dishes.

The successful applicant, as a local food manufacturer, shall provide us with a detailed proposal of the dishes, including ingredients, presentation, etc. These dishes can be further developed together with the Valletta Cultural Agency following signing of the contract agreement. Any amendments to the content of the proposal should also be presented to the Valletta Cultural Agency for approval and must be in accordance with its vision for the Festival. Unless otherwise stated throughout the execution of the contract, each dish is to contain the equivalent of a starter portion and must be reasonably priced to encourage the public to purchase dishes consisting of local produce.

The Agency will provide successful applicants with a stall at the Valletta Design Cluster and logistical support free of charge.

The stalls may include the following:

• Locally packaged products such as olive oil, ġulepp tal-ħarrub, honey, chutneys, etc….
• Meat
• Fish and seafood
• Fruits and vegetables
• Eggs
• Dairy and cheese
• Local bread and bakery
• Traditional delicacies (savoury)
• Chocolate and sweets (traditional desserts, honey rings, ħelu tal-festi, imqaret etc…)
• Vegan and vegetarian products

Successful applicants shall retain all income generated from sales.

• INSTRUCTIONS TO PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS

• Prospective applicants are to submit a duly filled in and endorsed Application Form that includes all requested details and documents.
• Prospective applicants are to ensure that the contact name on the Application Form is that of the individual who, if successful, shall enter into an agreement with the Valletta Cultural Agency for participation during the Valletta Local Food Festival.
• By submitting the Application Form, it is understood that the applicant has read and is in agreement with the terms and conditions of this Expression of Interest and affirms all declarations. No conditions and alterations to the requirements listed in this document shall be introduced / imposed by the applicant on the Valletta Cultural Agency.
• Multiple offers may be accepted as long as separate submissions are effected.
• Collaborations with other chefs / producers are permitted, however the Applicant shall remain the sole responsible party related to this application and any subsequent communication / agreement.
• Each applicant must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application.
• Each applicant must have a valid VAT number.
• By submitting an application, prospective applicants shall be confirming that their submissions shall remain valid for a period of 90 days from the submission deadline.

• APPLICATION TIMETABLE

The deadline for submission of applications is Monday 14th August 2023 at 12:00 hours (GMT+2/CEST).  Applications are to be submitted via email to opencalls@vca.gov.mt.

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

An opening schedule shall be affixed on the notice board of the Valletta Cultural Agency in the sequence of how applications are received based on the time stamp on the email.

• SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are to fill in and submit the Application Form included in Annex I of this Expression of Interest.

As part of the Application Form, each applicant is to submit the following information and documentation:~

SECTION A: Applicant’s Details

SECTION B: Collaborators’ Details (if applicable)

SECTION C: Proposal

SECTION D: Declaration

SECTION E: Checklist and Additional Documentation

N.B. Should one or more of the listed requirements or fields be missing or incomplete, the submitted application shall be immediately disqualified and will not be considered.

Note 1: Applicants are to submit the relevant documents in PDF format via email or file transfer links (e.g. wetransfer.com). Links to cloud storage systems such as Google Drive or One Drive will not be considered.

• SELECTION AND EVALUATION

2.5.1 Selection Guidelines

Each application will be treated in strict confidence by the evaluation committee. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to select and/or reject any or all the submitted applications at its discretion. Should none of the applicants be considered satisfactory, the Contracting Authority reserves the right to assign the designated stalls to other economic operators (who may not necessarily be involved in this Expression of Interest).

The Contracting Authority also reserves the right to put some applications on a reserve list and contact them at a later date. In this case, no alterations to the contents of the applications as submitted by the respective economic operator shall be entertained.

The Selection Process shall be based on the following:

• The Agency is seeking food and beverage vendors who can contribute to a celebration of local produce and creativity during the Valletta Local Food Festival; an event dedicated to the uniqueness of Maltese gastronomy through the promotion of genuine local and creative food, and drinks. This is to be reflected in the contents of the application, proposal and supporting documentation submitted by the applicants.
• The Valletta Cultural Agency shall determine which are the most suited applicants at its discretion and in line with the vision it has of the Valletta Food Festival 2023 depending on the concept proposed by the applicants.

Agreements will be entered into with applicants whose proposals best reflect the vision that the Valletta Cultural Agency has for this Festival. Should more than one applicant propose the same artistic concept, the spaces may be awarded by the Valletta Cultural Agency on a first-come-first-served basis according to the timestamp of the email submitted containing the application form and related documents.

2.5.2 Evaluation Grid

The prospective participant to submit the following documentation as part of their submission. Points shall be allocated based on the criteria listed adjacent to the points. All criteria are mandatory and thus a response to each criterion is to be provided in order for the technical compliance of the submission.

Pass mark:             60

Total marks:          100

3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3.1 PRODUCTS AND STALLS

• Only locally manufactured and produced products are to be sold and used in the food preparation of the dishes;
• Attend a preparatory talk on the 4^th October 2023 at the Valletta Design Cluster in Valletta (time to be confirmed in due course);
• Participate on all Festival dates, specifically on the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th October 2023 between 6:00pm and 11:00pm;
• Produce and make available the culinary dish/es and / or drink/s agreed upon with the Valletta Cultural Agency on all the Festival dates. Any changes to the culinary dish/es and / or drink/s proposed, including the pricing, need to be approved beforehand by the Agency to ensure adherence to the Project’s concept;
• Provide all the ingredients necessary to prepare the dish/es and / or drink/s proposed and approved by the Agency;
• Provide own equipment to prepare the dishes and / or drink/s, unless the use of the kitchen at the Valletta Design Cluster is requested and approved. Should selected applicants make use of the Valletta Design Cluster kitchens and equipment, they will need to agree to be responsible for the equipment made available, to return all equipment at the end of each cooking session clean and in good condition, and to report any malfunction to the Valletta Design Cluster team immediately;
• The successful applicants must comply to the Event Sustainability Policy;
• The successful applicants shall retain all income generated from sales. No financial compensation shall be requested by the Agency for the provision of this service.

• Fees

No application fees are required.

• Setup and Dismantling

• A setup and dismantling schedule of the Valletta Local Food festival will be provided to successful applicants together with the contract agreement.
• The successful applicants shall provide their own equipment. Should selected applicants need to make use of Valletta Design Cluster equipment, they will need to agree to be responsible for the equipment made available, to return all equipment at the end of each day in good condition, and to report any malfunction to the Valletta Design Cluster team immediately;
• Electricity supply will be provided by the Agency for the operation.

• PERMITS AND LICENSES

• The selected economic operator shall conform to local Health and Safety regulations, the regulations and legislation of the Maltese catering industry, any licenses and permits necessary to be eligible to sell/trade and the VAT Department. All food and beverages for sale must conform to the local sanitary regulations set by authorities and the applicant must have all the necessary licenses and permits so as to sell the product. Such permits may be requested at any time by the Contracting Authority.

• The selected economic operator shall be in possession of a valid Food Handlers Certificate if applicable.
• The selected applicants selling alcohol must be in possession of a Licence for selling alcohol and all sales are the responsibility of the applicant;
• The selected applicants must be in possession of all necessary licences and permits to sell/trade upon submission of the application. (Such permits shall be requested by the Agency upon signing of the Contract;
• All food and beverages for sale must conform to local sanitary regulations set by the authorities;
• All those serving / handling food and drinks shall wear the necessary protective clothing, disposable gloves and any other form of protective hygienic gear;
• All items for sale must conform to local regulations and legislation;
• If the selected economic operator(s) is caught breaking any regulation, he/she may be requested by the Contracting Authority and/or other competent local authorities to close the stall and discontinue the sales with immediate effect. The economic operator(s) will not be entitled to any compensation and shall be liable to settle any fines incurred by the competent local authorities. Any fines incurred or Court proceedings resulting from such actions shall be entirely borne by / be the responsibility of the economic operator(s). In addition, any request for reimbursement shall not be entertained.
• All Maltese Laws relevant to the activity are to be observed in their entirety by the selected economic operator(s);
• The Agency will not be liable for any action or fines incurred as a result of non-compliance with local regulations