Alberta Parks operates some "facilities" (campgrounds, group camping areas, day use areas, concessions) directly, contracts out the operation of other facilities, and purchases services to supplement some operations. All these business opportunities follow a competitive process, with Requests for Proposals (RFPs) posted on Alberta Purchasing Connection.
Under a Facility Operating Agreement, a private operator manages and maintains one or more revenue generating sites (i.e. campgrounds) and non-revenue generating sites (i.e. day use areas). These contracts are usually for a 5 to 10 year term.
A Facility Operating Agreement is a type of revenue contract. The operator collects approved fees from visitors and pays a portion of their total revenue to Alberta Parks (Facility Replacement and Development Levy, surcharges and Return to Crown requirements). The operator keeps the remainder of the revenue to cover their expenses and as profit.
Concessions help enhance visitor experience by offering products and services such as food (prepackaged and/or prepared), sundry and gifts, laundromat, or sports equipment rentals (e.g. bikes, non-motorized watercraft). Under a Concession Operating Agreement, a private operator runs one or more concessions in a park. These contracts are generally for a 3 to 5 year term.
A Concession Operating Agreement is also a type of revenue contract, under which the Operator pays a portion of their revenue to Alberta Parks and retains the rest.
Where Alberta Parks operates a park, service contracts may be used for private contractors to provide specific maintenance tasks like grass cutting or building cleaning. Under a service agreement, Alberta Parks pays a specific fee to the contractor for the contracted service.
Agreement and contract opportunities with Alberta Environment & Parks are advertised on Alberta Purchasing Connection (APC). Once signed up as a Vendor, use "Search Opportunities" with keyword "park" or "parks" to identify current opportunities.
The related Commodity Codes used on APC are:
For general information on the RFP process, Facility or Concession Operating Agreements, or service agreements, contact AEP.ParksRevenueContracts@gov.ab.ca
Questions about a specific RFP should be directed to the RFP Contact identified in the package posted on APC.
