By Paul Harrington Staff Writer Returning students may have noticed the disappearance of the Coca-Cola machines and retail products on campus. This is a result of Framingham State rolling out a 10-year contract with Pepsi. PepsiCo was selected by Framingham State through a request for proposal (RFP) process, according to Director of Procurement and Contracts Management Natasha Bizanos-Ashe and former Executive Vice President Dale Hamel. Hamel said, “When those contracts expire, we go back through an RFP process to consider either continuing with the current vendors or to make a change in matters.” According to Hamel, Framingham State had a contract with Coca-Cola for 10 years, including an additional year at the end to take the RFP process into account. Bizanos-Ashe said, “We try to get these out six to nine months ahead of when we'll actually need the service, so a total of 11 years for our most recent contract.” According to Bizanos-Ashe, the proposal was officially made by Framingham State on January 22, 2024. The evaluation committee that oversaw the process took both the financial aspects and the offerings of the vendors into account when making the final decision. According to Bizanos-Ashe, the only two providers to bid on the “pouring rights” contract were Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Hamel said, “It's not surprising. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi are going to be good at providing these types of services.” He added a lot of [committee] members focused on the “Cola” aspect of it, but that it's much larger than whether Coca-Cola or Pepsi is provided. Hamel noted that students don't just drink Pepsi, and that student tastebuds depend on the time of day. He said, “What we found out was, in the morning, they go with fortified milk, they might have an energy drink, they might have sparkling water, and then they'll have the actual Coca-Cola ola at another time.” According to Hamel, once the committee learned about the different beverages, they began to analyze the financial components, and that's where there were significant differences in what was provided. He said, “[We had] come to find out that Pepsi currently has eight of the nine state universities, and now they would have nine of the nine state universities.” Hamel added, “They're basically buying these contracts because they see it as a strategic initiative. You get students used to that firm's drinks during their college period.” In terms of student benefits, he said, “The individual funds [from the contract] will go into the dining service trust fund.” According to Hamel, the additional revenue “impacts what rates we have to set overall for the meal plan.” He added, “In terms of direct payment to the University, that was significantly different, and it was advantageous to Pepsi.” The contract is set to last 10 years with the possibility for one five-year renewal once the contract runs out. According to Bizanos-Ashe, there are currently 13 vending machines located across campus, with Pepsi products also being offered at retail locations and fountain machines at the Dining Commons. Bizanos-Ashe noted, “We didn't realize until we had that presentation about all the different products that Pepsi has. I didn't know Bubbly was a Pepsi product.” She added,“So then you're like, ‘Oh, it's not just Pepsi.’” Jacob Measmer, a senior fashion design major, is unfazed by the new contract. He said,“I couldn't care less between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. I just miss peace tea.” Heather Welsh an administrative assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, is not thrilled about the new contract. She said, “There's a lot more variety with Coca-Cola, and I would be more OK with the prices if it were Coca-Cola.” Welsh added, “I do know Coca-Cola is expensive, and places tend to prefer Pepsi because it's a cheaper contract. So for the fact that we have now switched over to Pepsi and the prices haven't even gone down a bit is really annoying.” Meriam Boutissant, a junior deaf studies major, said, “I prefer coke products because they have sprite, and I believe they have more options that people would like.” She added, “I’m a big fan of sprite, but you know, unfortunately, they have taken it away.” Dylan Rezendes, a junior psychology major, said coke reigns above all. He said, “Honestly, Cherry Coca-Cola hits.” Jocelyn Pepe, a freshman chemistry major, agreed. She said, “I just have never been a fan of Pepsi. I like how it [Coca-Cola] tastes.”
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