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AXA/SOUTH

Food Service & Catering contracting in Texas

Cafeteria operations, catering, and meal programs for government sites. We carry the contract; licensed food-service operators run the kitchens.

How AXA South operates in Texas

No special license required to bid or hold the prime. No professional or trade license is required for AXA South to bid or hold the prime contract in this category. Any work that requires a state-issued trade, professional, or specialty license is performed by a properly licensed subcontractor in the project jurisdiction. AXA South does not self-perform licensed trade work and does not represent itself as a licensee of any trade or profession.

This categoryFood service is performed by operators holding the state and local food-service licenses required at the site. Randolph-Sheppard priorities are respected on federal property.

TexasTexas licenses construction at the trade level rather than statewide GC. Qualifying work is performed by appropriately licensed trades.

AXA South is a contracting and program-management firm, not a licensed trade.

Texas

The market, honestly.

Texas is the largest defense market in the country by installation count. Combined with the largest decentralized state buying program in the South, it produces constant demand across every category we cover.

Energy production and refining, aerospace and space operations, semiconductors, agriculture, border logistics, and the largest concentration of Army installations in the country.

For food service & catering specifically in Texas, our model is direct: AXA South responds to the solicitation, holds the contract, and runs the program. Local crews and licensed trade partners in Texas perform the work that requires their license or specialized credentials.

Fort Cavazos, Fort Bliss, Fort Sam Houston, Lackland, Randolph, Dyess, Sheppard, and NASA Johnson each buy independently. Texas state procurement is decentralized: the Comptroller runs statewide contracts, but large agencies, TxDOT, the university systems, and independent school districts all hold their own purchasing authority.

Timing

Texas' state fiscal year ends August 31, one month before the federal year, which produces two distinct year-end waves five weeks apart. The Legislature meets biennially, so major funding shifts land in odd-numbered years. The federal fiscal year closes September 30, so August and September carry the heaviest volume of simplified-acquisition and micro-purchase activity at every installation in the state.

Set-asides

Texas runs the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program with statewide participation goals that vary by procurement category, and a HUB subcontracting plan is mandatory on many contracts above threshold.

Where bids die

Submitting without a compliant HUB subcontracting plan. In Texas this is the leading cause of otherwise competitive bids being thrown out, and the plan format is not negotiable after opening.

State portal

Texas SmartBuy / ESBD

https://www.txsmartbuy.com/

Operated by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Statewide Procurement Division.

Federal sites in Texas
  • · Joint Base San Antonio
  • · Fort Hood / Fort Cavazos
  • · Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
  • · Naval Air Station Kingsville
  • · Sheppard Air Force Base
  • · Dyess Air Force Base
  • · Laughlin Air Force Base
  • · Goodfellow Air Force Base
Key state buyers
  • · TxDOT
  • · Texas HHS
  • · University of Texas system
  • · Texas A&M system
Prevailing wage

Texas prevailing wage applies to qualifying state public-works projects.

Construction licensing

Texas licenses construction at the trade level rather than statewide GC. Qualifying work is performed by appropriately licensed trades.

Scope

What this contract covers in Texas.

  1. 01

    Cafeteria and dining operations

    Daily service in agency dining facilities, with menu planning and nutrition targets per the agency's standards.

  2. 02

    Catering and event meals

    Conference catering, training-day meals, and ceremonial events to the agency's appropriations rules.

  3. 03

    Meal programs for residential settings

    Three-meal programs for residential and care settings with diet-appropriate planning.

  4. 04

    Vending and micro-markets

    Unattended retail aligned with Randolph-Sheppard priorities where applicable.

  5. 05

    Food safety and sanitation

    ServSafe-certified management on every kitchen, with HACCP plans and local health-department compliance.

Where we deliver in Texas

We respond to solicitations and execute work statewide. Common delivery markets for food service & catering in Texas include Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, EL Paso.

Other contracts we hold in Texas
FAQ

How do you handle Randolph-Sheppard priority?

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Where Randolph-Sheppard applies, we coordinate with the State Licensing Agency and either step aside or team appropriately. We do not chase awards we are not allowed to hold.

Can you run a one-time catering event?

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Yes. We scope, price, and execute single-day catering against the agency's PO.

Are your kitchens ServSafe-certified?

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Yes. ServSafe-certified management is on every kitchen we operate, and HACCP plans are maintained per site.

Have a food service & catering requirement in Texas?

Request a quote