PLCB Now Accepting Sealed Bids for Sixth Auction of Expired Restaurant Licenses

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Bids for 25 licenses in 25 counties due Aug. 2

Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today issued an invitation for bids to award 25 expired restaurant licenses in the sixth license auction since Act 39 became effective in August 2016.

This auction includes one license in each of the following 25 counties: Armstrong, Bradford, Bucks, Cameron, Carbon, Clinton, Crawford, Dauphin, Elk, Greene, Huntingdon, Lebanon, McKean, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Washington, Wayne, and Westmoreland.

The sixth auction will again use a sealed bid process, which has successfully awarded 191 licenses in the previous five auctions.

Bids for the 25 licenses offered in this restaurant license auction are due by noon Thursday, Aug. 2. Bids will be opened Monday, Aug. 6, and auction winners will be determined soon thereafter.

The minimum bid for each license is $25,000, and each bid must be accompanied by a bid surety of $5,000 or 5 percent of the total bid amount – whichever is higher – to avoid frivolous and underfunded bids.

The highest responsive bidder for each license will win the right to submit an application for the license to the PLCB within six months of auction award. If bid payment is not received within two weeks of auction award, the second-highest bidder will have the opportunity to apply for the license. Bids will be held in escrow by the PLCB, pending approval of the license application.

Bidders with questions regarding this invitation for bids must submit inquiries via email to RA-LBLicenseAuction@pa.gov by noon Thursday, June 28. Questions and answers will be posted to the Department of General Services e-marketplace website by 3:00 PM Monday, July 2.

Lists of winning bids from each of the five previous auctions are available on the license auction page of the PLCB website. Auction revenue recognized in fiscal year 2016-17 and thus far in 2017-18 totals $19.5 million, while another $5.5 million remains in escrow, pending license approvals.

The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling $15.8 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit www.lcb.pa.gov.