This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
The state has canceled its request‑for‑proposals process to lease its two Interstate 95 liquor store properties in Hampton after narrowing the field to two finalists and preparing to award a final contract to the winning bidder.
According to an April 24 notice from the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, the state Department of Justice identified a “procedural deficiency” that “affected the review of all submissions” to the state’s request for qualifications and proposals. The properties include the northbound and southbound liquor stores along I‑95.
The two finalists — Common Man Roadside and Global Partners — had been awaiting word on which would be selected. A selection committee was scheduled to issue a recommendation on April 13, but the state never made the decision public.
“On the advice of the Department of Justice… the RFQ/RFP has been cancelled and withdrawn,” Patricia Peters, director of administration for the Liquor Commission, stated in the notice. “The Commission expects that it will re-issue it in substantially the same form in the very near future.”
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