Ensuring High Quality Visitor Services

Concessioners fill a vital role with helping the National Park Service (NPS) carry out its mission. Private companies work with the NPS to offer necessary and appropriate services to park visitors that parks do not provide directly. By welcoming the private sector as a partner in park operations, the NPS broadens the economic base of the region and the communities surrounding parks. The Commercial Services Program administers nearly 500 concession contracts that, in total, gross over $1 billion annually. NPS concessioners employ more than 25,000 people in a variety of jobs during peak seasons, providing services ranging from food and lodging, to whitewater rafting adventures, motor coach tours and others.

Leasing/concession management/CUA management are part of the NPS Commercial Services Program.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Also visit the Commercial Service Program News Feed and Greenline News Update.

To support park concessions staff and concessioners in the development and implementation of good structural fire management plans and programs and minimize structural fire risks at NPS commercial services facilities park service wide the Commercial Services Program has adopted a structural fire checklist as additional criteria for review during the third-party environmental audits at concessions facilities. The checklist is available for review and reference by park and concession staff under Concessioner Tools, Risk Management.

2024 Concession Rate Administration Guide Addendum

The Department of the Interior (DOI) has revised the regulations at Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 51—Concession Contracts, pursuant to a final rule published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2023, that took effect on January 29, 2024. The NPS has issued the “NPS Concessions Management Rate Administration Guide Addendum,” which provides guidance regarding the changes to rate administration found at 36 CFR § 51.82. The Addendum can be viewed by clicking here.

Single Use Plastic Elimination Timeline and Goals

Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3407, Department-Wide Approach to Reducing Plastic Pollution, sets the target of eliminating single use plastics from the Department by 2032. Concessioners can find the full text of SO 3407 here: https://www.doi.gov/reducing-single-use-plastic-pollution

Required Targets	Source	Year
Elimination of All Single Use Plastics	Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3047	2032
Diverting 50% of all non-hazardous solid waste, including construction/demolition, food, and other waste.	SaveOur Seas 2.0 Act (Public Law116–224)	2025
Diverting 75% of all non-hazardous solid waste, including construction/demolition, food, and other waste.	SaveOur Seas 2.0 Act (Public Law 116–224)	2030

Concessioners should work toward 2032 as the finish line in full elimination of single use plastics from park operations. The following Department of Interior and NPS targets for reduction in specific types of plastics serve as a roadmap of incremental changes to enact full elimination of plastics by the 2032 deadline. While these targets are not mandatory at this time, the NPS is being asked to report on progress toward these targets (including concessioner progress).

Interim Progress Goals	Target Year for Implementation
All sites have water bottle filling stations	2027
All sites provide messaging promoting plastic reduction	2026
Eliminate Disposable Plastic Bags	2026
Eliminate Plastic Straws	2026
50% of Facilities Eliminate Plastic Beverage Containers	2025
50% of Facilities Eliminate Plastic Food Containers	2026
50% of Facilities Eliminate Plastic Cups	2026
50% of Facilities Eliminate Plastic Cutlery	2026

Changes to Annual Overall Rating Scoring Methodology

The NPS Commercial Services Program will be updating the AOR scoring methodology to incorporate the cumulative impact on the annual overall rating of multiple program areas that score less than satisfactory. The new scoring methodology will be used starting January 1, 2024, which means it will be reflected in the 2024 AORs but will not affect the 2023 AORs. Any 2023 winter season contracts that start after the issuance of this memo [Annual Overall Rating Scoring Methodology Changes] will be evaluated using the new methodology for the 2023-24 season.

NPS Plastics Elimination and Reduction Plan

The NPS Plastics Elimination and Reduction Plan was published September 28, 2023, and is available at Buy Green & Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Sustainability.

National Park Service Adoption of International Fire Code over the former adherence to National Fire Protection Association Codes

The NPS has adopted the International Fire Code (IFC), the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC), the complete International Code Council (ICC) family of codes (I-Codes), and the National Electrical Code (NEC, NFPA 70, published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). As such, these codes replace the NFPA codes as the “applicable law” that concessioners must adhere to. Please see the attached Technical Bulletin Memorandum from the Commercial Services Program for more information. The memo can be found under the Risk Management & Insurance section under the Commercial Services Program’s website Laws, Regulation, and Policy section.

Concessioner Solid Waste Data Collection

In conjunction with the Green Parks Plan, the recent focus on solid waste minimization, and efforts to reduce single-use plastics, DOI now requires the NPS to include concession solid waste amounts in its annual solid waste reporting.

In 2024, concessioners with Category I or II concession contracts will be required to use the Concessioner Waste Data Collection tool to report solid waste. Concessioners are requested to use the new NPS tool and provide feedback in 2023.

Details are provided in the attached memo and the draft solid waste data collection form, which can be found under the Other Environmental Management Tools section of the Environmental Management webpage.

Guidance on Labor Practices under National Park Service Concession Contracts

The NPS recently issued guidance and more recently an addendum affirming the importance of NPS concessioner compliance with the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and laws enforced by the Department of Labor. NPS also provided a news item on recent updates to posters on employee rights under the NLRA that are available for download and printing.