Title
RFQ #25-029 Boley Farm Barn License Agreement
History
For approximately 30 years, Henry “Hank” Jacobs has operated a seasonal farm stand at the Village-owned Boley Farm property. Over the last several years, Mr. Jacobs and the Village entered into short-term lease agreements of one to two years to provide flexibility for both parties. In the fall 2024, Mr. Jacobs notified the Village that he would be discontinuing his Illinois operations and therefore would not return to Boley Farm in 2025.
RFQ #25-020 Boley Farm License Agreement (attached) was issued February 28, 2025, to solicit proposals from qualified and experiences vendors to lease Boley Farm for farm stand operations, or a similar purpose.
No proposals were received for RFQ #25-020. After follow-up conversations with several interested parties, staff learned that many were unaware of the original posting. During these discussions, parties also expressed interest in potentially leasing the farmland in addition to the barn. In response, staff revised the Scope of Work (attached) and reissued the opportunity as RFQ #25-029 (attached) on March 25, 2025, now including the farmland as an optional component.
The Scope of Work (attached) includes providing full operational services for a farm stand within the barn at Boley Farm, including staffing, sourcing and transporting product inventory, managing seasonal startup and cleanup, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations, and maintaining the barn space in a clean and organized manner. An alternate qualification is to farm the 2 acres of surrounding tillable land with Village approval of crops.
The selected licensee is required to provide all necessary equipment and supplies for daily operations, oversee personnel and labor-related requirements, carry required insurance, and handle all associated business licensing and employment compliance.
Proposal requests required operating history, relevant experience, a detailed operating plan, proposed capital improvements, and references. The lease agreement is for a three-year term, running May - October each year, including 2024, 2025 and 2026 with two optional one-year renewals for 2027 and 2028 at the Village’s discretion.
The attached Bid Compliance Summary sheet for RFQ #25-029 shows full details of two proposals received.
A summary of the proposals are shown below.
Dean’s Greens
2025: $500/month
2026: $500/month
2027: $500/month
Robotica Group
2025: $3,000 annually
2026: $3,000 annually
2027: $3,000 annually
Dean’s Greens is a well-established local business with five years of experience in horticulture, specializing in vegetable and flower starts and offering expert guidance to gardeners. They have strong roots in Orland Park and neighboring communities, and their proposal includes operating a seasonal farm stand, hosting gardening workshops, providing subscription kits, organizing community events such as farm-to-table dinners and a weekly farmers market, and expanding into demonstration gardens and greenhouse production over time. Their proposal supports community engagement, local job creation, and economic development.
Robotica Group, by contrast, submitted lease proposal fee with no supporting materials or operational information as shown on the RFQ Responsiveness Check. Additionally, staff were unable to locate sufficient background or business information to evaluate Robotica’s qualifications to operate the farm stand. The lack of a comprehensive proposal from Robotica Group makes them an unsuitable candidate to operate the farm stand.
Financial Impact
The license agreement is structured for 6 months of use per year at a rate of $3,000 annually, for each of the initial three years. There is also an option to renew for two additional one-year terms at the same annual rate of $3,000.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to approve and authorize the execution of a License Agreement between the Village of Orland Park and Dean’s Greens as the qualified responsive proposal for RFQ #25-029 Boley Farm License Agreement to operate a farm stand, including farming the 2 acres of surrounding tillable land with Village approval of crops in the amount of $500.00 a month for six (6) months of use per year, for a total of $3,000 per year 2025, 2026 and 2027, with the option to renew for (2) 1-year terms for years 2027 and 2028 at an amount of $3,000.00 per year at the Village’s discretion;
AND
To authorize the Village Manager to execute all related contracts, subject to Village Attorney review.