ADAMS COUNTY VISUAL ARTS COMMISSION OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS ADAMS COUNTY 

 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS for PHOTOGRAPHY

for the

ADAMS COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES CENTER

Thursday, Noember 30, 2017, 4:00 P.M. MST

Open To: Professional Photographers

Project Name: Adams County Human Services Center Photography

Project Number: 2017-030

It is the intent of the Adams County Office of Cultural Affairs, in association with the Adams County Visual Arts Commission (ACVAC) and the Communications Department to solicit for a Photographer. This professional will help to contribute to the County’s new Human Services Center (HSC). The building will open towards the end of 2017 and will serve the surrounding communities within the County. This pivotal new facility has been built to combat growing suburban poverty by providing centralized services in an environment that fosters a collaborative spirit among staff and the community. The County incorporated the theme of an orchard tree farm that local settlers planted in the early 1900s on the site to reflect both the historic nature and the mission of the facility. It is the Commission’s hope that the Artist’s work will build from the importance of this theme while imparting the sense of rustic tranquility that comes from home.

About the Commission

History of the Adams County Visual Arts Commission: ACVAC’s mission is to place public art in County owned facilities that reflect the nature and history of Adams County and its citizens. The ACVAC has placed nine projects around the County and will continue to place public art in County owned facilities. This Commission is made up of a 7 member, volunteer citizen board, appointed by the Adams County Board of Commissioners. ACVAC is supported by the Office of Cultural Affairs.

About the Facility
The Adams County Human Services Center is a 3-story, 314,650 square foot facility. It is nested behind the Digital Globe building, in the northeast corner of Westminster, west of I-25 and south of 120th Avenue between Huron and Pecos Streets. The building will house all 15 Human Service functions as well as other community partners that will serve an average of 500 clients per day.

The building’s interior and exterior materials have been chosen to reflect its history and mission. The property was originally a community orchard that became a gathering place as a park and picnic area, as well as during harvest.  More recently, it was an innovation and technology facility that supported research, development, and manufacturing in the telecom industry.  The concept of “Orchard to Innovation” is used to express the history and new use of the building.  To that end, the exterior is clad in precast concrete, large glass windows, and metal panels which reflect the overall development and context of surrounding buildings.  Details within these materials, such as board form concrete where one can see the image of wood grain in the concrete, reinforces the sense of hearth and home of the institution.  The interior materials are a mix of natural yet durable products, formally arranged including flooring reminiscent of stone with tree branch patterns, slate and stone clad walls, along with wood doors and accents.

Scope of Work

Adams County is looking for a proposal that coincides with the theme of the building which is included in the solicitation and can be found on the County’s website. The County wishes to contract with a Photographer and his/her team to provide photos for the new Human Services Center. The photography work should be able to highlight the history of the orchard itself and should utilize the theme of “From Orchard to Innovation: Respecting the past, embracing the future.” The Artist should highlight the orchard analogy of:

·         Rhythm
·         Wood/Nature
·         Linear
·         Colorful
·         Contrast
·         Aesthetic Beauty
·         Harvest

The County is looking for beautiful images with the emphasis on orchards, landscapes and the great Colorado outdoors. The photographs should not include images of individuals.

The Photographer will propose several collections of photographs – each based on the color scheme and the services provided in the different areas of the building. Attached to the bottom of this scope of work is the floor plan labeled with the service areas and their color coding for the proposing Photographer’s convenience. Adams County will purchase exclusive rights to these photographs.
Adams County will have the Artist print up to 100% of the purchased work and deliver to the Human Services Center. The Artist will also provide high resolution digital images of purchased photographs via flash drives.

The work will be installed by Adams County Facilities Department staff.

Project Budget

Adams County is willing to purchase exclusive rights for up to but not limited to 350 photographs that will be a representation of the interior and exterior theme of the Human Services Center. The Artist will provide Adams County with the following photographs broken up into the approximate mediums and sizes:

·         20% of selected work printed on matted frames
·         40% of selected work printed on canvas frames
·         40% of selected work printed on glass frames

Approximate sizes and mediums will fit within the designated spaces that will be provided by the Human Services and Facilities Department staff.

The Artist’s proposals should include the cost of work, printing the photos on the correct medium, the material to hang the photos inside the Human Services Center, travel and any other expenses associated with the scope of work.

Selected finalists will receive an honorarium of $1,500 for travel and design fees following the submission and presentation of their proposal.

Final negotiation of the mediums, sizes and number of selected works will be included in the final contract between the Artist and the Adams County Board of Commissioners.

Submission Requirements
All professional Photographers responding to the Request for Proposals must submit complete answers in the CAFÉ application.

Responses will be evaluated based upon the selection criteria listed below. Respondents should present the required information in a clear and concise manner.

1)      Resume and professional references
a.       Include degrees held, a summary list of exhibitions/public art projects completed in the last five (5) years, selected exhibitions/public art projects, awards, catalogues, current gallery affiliations, and grants/fellowships.
b.      Include phone numbers and email addresses for at least three (3) professional references.

2)      Letter of interest that provides a one-two page narrative outlining the Photographer’s qualifications and interest in this project and previous work experience. 
a.       Please describe the conceptual basis for the Artist’s body of work. In a separate paragraph, please explain the Proposer’s experience in photography and graphic design work (limit to 250-500 words).

3)      Preliminary Concept Statement and proposed photography, budget and timeline of project.
a.       Please describe the Artist’s initial impressions of and projected approach to this public art project for the Adams County Human Services Center. Specifically, please address the Artist’s thoughts on how to incorporate the theme of “From Orchard to Innovation: Respecting the past, embracing the future.”  (Limit to 250-500 words).

4)      Media Images for proposed and previous artwork is recommended.
a.       Images of previous work (PC compatible). Please closely observe the following guidelines for the submittal of digital images:
i.      Submit between five (5) and fifteen (15) images featuring select examples of previous public art projects with a particular emphasis on works of a similar scope or utilizing similar techniques.
ii.      Label each image with a number corresponding to the Slide List.
iii.      Within the numbered Slide List, include the Artist name, the year, location, media, and budget of the featured artwork.
b.      Images or sketches of proposed work.

All submissions should be clearly marked with the Project Name (Adams County Human Services Center Photography) and Project Number (2017-030).

All materials must be submitted online via the CAFÉ online application system. There is no application fee to apply or use the CAFÉ system.

Adams County reserves the right to request any additional information from the individual Artist.

Evaluation Criteria
ACVAC will select the Artist that best meets the requirements, based on the information contained in their response to the Request for Proposal, reference checks conducted, and the information presented during interviews as part of the selection process.

Specifically, in the selection of finalists, the Adams County Board of Commissioners and Adams County Visual Arts Commission will review and consider the following:

1)      Creativity and conceptual basis in the proposal demonstrates the Artist(s) ability to design and construct new ways of presenting public art in different mediums.
2)      The quality – technical and aesthetic – of the artist’s past work as represented in the image submissions.
3)      The experience of the artist in successfully designing, fabricating, administering, and completing public art projects and/or custom elements on time and in budget.
4)      Overall Budget and timeline of the proposal.

After evaluating the Artists’ submissions, ACVAC will narrow the pool of applicants to approximately two to three finalists to bring in for an in-person interview. Each finalist will be paid an honorarium of $1,500 for the submission and development of a final proposal and to facilitate travel and design fees associated with the scope of work.

Finalists will present to ACVAC and key stakeholders which will then make a recommendation to the Adams County Board of Commissioners. 

The Artist and their proposal will be subject to review through the Adams County Visual Arts Commission and key stakeholders. Final award will be made by the Adams County Board of Commissioners.

Legal Comments: The Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any or all submissions or applications and modify or terminate the process at any time, for any reason, with or without prior notice. The selected Artist will be required to enter into a time sensitive contract with the Adams County Board of Commissioners which will outline payment and installation schedules, including penalties for failure to meet agreed upon deadlines.

Legal Notice on purchased photographs:

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering into the contract, you grant Adams County (and those authorized by Adams County) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any Adams County purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the County and its website and exhibition, including but not limited to Adams County publications and its website. Any photograph reproduced will include a Photographer credit as feasible. Adams County will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Estimated Timeline: The selected Artist will work with ACVAC and key stakeholders in creating a timeline for the installation of artwork.  Final selection and acceptance of the installed works will be made by the Board of County Commissioners.  The estimated timeline is as follows:

November 30, 2017:                          Proposals due

December 2017:                                Individual Review Period

January - February 2018:                  Interviews with finalist  (January 29 - Feb 16)

February 2018:                                  Study Session to review finalist with County Commissioners

February 2018:                                   Notify and award the Artist

March 2018:                                       Public Hearing to award contract to Artist

TBD:                                                       Artist works with stakeholders to select photos

TBD:                                                       Final Purchase of photos and installation

Dates are subject to change except for the proposal entry deadline.

Deadline: The deadline to submit a complete RFP is November 30, 2017, 4:00 P.M. MST

All materials must be submitted online via the CAFÉ online application system.  

There is no application fee to apply or use the CAFÉ system. Late or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

Procurement Process: This RFP complies with all policies and procedures set forth by the Adams County Board of Commissioners.  Address any questions and/or concerns about the process to:

Gabriel Rodriguez
Office of Cultural Affairs
4430 S. Adams County Parkway
Brighton, CO 80601
Phone: (720) 523 – 6846
Email: grodriguez@adcogov.org

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria