Aloha Stadium recommended to its winning bidder that the swap meet not coincide with University of Hawai'i home football games.

The Aloha Stadium Authority yesterday issued an intent to award a vendor contract to Centerplate Catering Services, which beat out four other bidders. The authority outlined steps that include having the swap meet vacate Aloha Stadium when UH has Saturday games there. Centerplate will oversee swap meet vendors, and has held the contract since 2004.

UH has six home football games on Saturdays this upcoming season. With more than 600 merchants, the swap meet proclaims itself as the state's largest flea market, and is held on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Since the 1980s, UH has asked for exclusive use of Aloha Stadium on Saturdays, claiming the swap meet reduces tailgating time for fans and adds to traffic problems.

Centerplate has 15 days to submit documentation and respond before the contract is made. Centerplate referred questions to its corporate office yesterday.

The new three-year contract includes a pair of two-year extensions.

Kevin Chong Kee, authority chairman, said "we're going to leave it up to whoever the vendor is, to work it out with the (swap meet) vendors." He suggested the new vendor provide incentives to swap meet vendors.

Previous swap meets have been suspended during the Pro Bowl and Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.