Call Description

CITY OF PHOENIX
Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture
Call to Artists
ASR WELL 317 at CORTEZ PARK

SECTION I – PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture’s Public Art Program is requesting qualifications from professional artists for a permanent public art project at an Aquifer Storage and Recovery Well (ASR), at Cortez Park. Applicants should have expertise in 2D or 3D work, collaborative design experience, and proven proficiency and involvement with permanent outdoor art installations.  The project design contract could be awarded to an individual artist or an artist team.  This opportunity would require the artist to work collaboratively as part of a project design team, including architects, engineers, and City of Phoenix Staff.  The work will be integrated into the design of the Well Site and its surroundings. This will involve designing safety, security and aesthetic enhancements. The art opportunities could include, but are not limited to, concrete walls, fencing, gates, lighting, and landscaping. 

Applicants to this RFQ may be considered as an applicant pool for other similar City of Phoenix public art projects. Arizona artists are strongly encouraged to apply.

This project will be located at the NW corner of Cortez Park, at 35th Avenue and the Arizona Canal.  The goal of the overall ASR Well Project is to improve the capacity of the City of Phoenix water delivery system to meet the demands of long-term water shortages, emergency outages and distributing potable water citywide.

The site was formerly home to a historic Zanjero house. Zanjero’s were workers who controlled the flow of water from the canals to the surrounding land by opening and closing the canal gates.  Artists will have the opportunity to research both the history of Zanjeros and the current water delivery function of the site in developing designs for the project’s walls and fences.
 
SECTION II – TRANSPARENCY POLICY
Beginning on the date this RFQ (hereinafter referred to as the “Call”) is issued and until the date a contract is awarded or the Call withdrawn, all persons or entities that respond to this Call for the services outlined below, including their employees, agents, representatives, proposed partner(s), subcontractor(s), joint venture(s), member(s), or any of their lobbyists or attorneys, (collectively, the “Respondent”) must refrain from any direct or indirect contact with any person (other than the designated procurement officer) who may play a part in the selection process, including members of the evaluation panel, the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Deputy City Managers, department heads, the Mayor and other members of the Phoenix City Council.  As long as the solicitation is not discussed, Respondents may continue to conduct business with the City and discuss business that is unrelated to the solicitation with City staff.

Respondents may discuss their proposal or this Call with the Mayor or one or more members of the Phoenix City Council, provided such meetings are scheduled through Romeo Rabusa, Procurement Officer, conducted in person at 200 West Washington, Phoenix, Arizona 85003, and are posted as open meetings with the City Clerk at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled meetings.  The City Clerk will be responsible for posting the meetings.  The posted notice shall identify the participants and the subject matter, and invite the public to participate. Romeo Rabusa’s contact info is romeo.rabusa@phoenix.gov.

This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all Respondents, assure that contracts are awarded in public, and protect the integrity of the selection process. RESPONDENTS THAT VIOLATE THIS POLICY SHALL BE DISQUALIFIED.

SECTION III – SCOPE OF WORK
The selected artist(s) will be expected to work with the project team to create an integrated design at ASR Well 317 at Cortez Park. The project will require a professional artist with expertise in 2D or 3D work, collaborative design experience, proven proficiency and involvement with permanent outdoor art installations, and the potential to develop successful designs for permanent functional elements at the site. These could include concrete walls, fencing, gates, lighting, or landscaping.  The enhancements will need to be fully integrated into the overall project, and be of durable, weather-resistant materials. The selected artist will be expected to review concepts with the city and the design team to ensure that the artwork is incorporated into the project’s architectural design and specifications.

During the planning and design phase of the project, the artist(s) will be expected to review and, as necessary, revise design and plan concepts with the city to ensure that the integrated art meets safety and other site-specific regulations. If the design is completed successfully, the artist(s) may be contracted separately to participate in the project’s construction and completion.  

Estimated Budget
The amount available for design could range from $30,000 to $50,000 depending on the scope of services required to fully develop artwork design and construction documents for the site. The amount would cover all costs associated with the design process (design fee, engineering, lighting coordination, insurance, mileage, research, materials, etc.), including contingency. Estimated fabrication costs will be determined through the design development process.

Estimated Timeline of Project
November 12th, 2019............................................................. Call is open for submissions.
November 19th, 5:30 TO 7:30 pm........................................ Open RFQ Workshop (optional)
Location: Cholla Library, 10050 N Metro Pkwy E, Phoenix, AZ 85051
Friday December 6th, 2019, 11:50 PM (AZ time)............... Deadline for Submission
December 16th – 20th ........................................................... Selection Panel Phase I – Finalists Selected
January 13th – 20th ................................................................ Selection Panel Phase II – Artist Selected
March 2019............................................................................ Artist Contracts and Design phase begins

SECTION IV – RESPONSE INFORMATION
General Information
Requirements and Deadlines for Submitting a Response to this Call:

COST. There is no fee to apply to this call.
DEADLINE. Friday December 6th, 2019 at Midnight, local Arizona time. Late applications will not be considered.

ELIGIBILITY.  This project is open to any professional artist who demonstrates that they meet the criteria regardless of residency, race, ethnicity, gender, age or experience. Arizona artists are strongly encouraged to apply. City of Phoenix employees and Phoenix Arts and Culture Commissioners and their immediate family members, and selection panelists and the panelists’ immediate families are excluded from participating in this project. Applications from Artists’ representatives, managers, or galleries will not be accepted.

SUBMISSIONS. Submissions will be accepted via CaFE at www.callforentry.org. No e-mailed, mailed, or hardcopy submissions will be accepted.

DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL ARTWORK.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to retain a complete copy of their application for their records.  Late applications will not be considered.

APPLICANT NAME. If applying as a team, please select a team lead as a point of contact for all communications and enter their name here. Artists applying as a member of a team are not eligible to also apply as an individual.

BLIND JURY. The selection panel will review all applicants as a blind jury.  Please do not include your name or identifying information in your image captions, on your images, or in your statement of Intent. Compromising the anonymity of the process for the panelists will result in disqualification.

APPLICANT POOL. Applicants to this RFQ may be considered as an applicant pool for other similar City of Phoenix public art projects.

Submission Materials:
1.     Images - Up to 6 digital images of previously created artwork in .jpg format. Follow CaFE Guidelines for size. Do not include photographs of yourself, your name, or any identifying information. Do not put text on your images. We recommend using only one photograph per image. Collaging more than one image together may reduce the panelists’ ability to see your work clearly. 

2.     Image List (1-page limit; .doc, .docx, or .pdf) - Describe the project in terms of materials and site applicable, and scale. Include media, dimensions, year completed & estimated budget. If created as a collaboration, list all partners involved and describe your role in the process. Specify whether the piece is a studio piece, temporary, or permanently installed work.

3.     Statement of Intent (1000-character limit) - Think of this as a job application and this is essentially your cover letter. Be as succinct as possible. Describe why you are interested in this opportunity, and highlight any relevant experience. Do not include your name or any identifying information, such as a website link, in your statement.

4.    Resume or CV. (3-page limit per artist) Current professional resume or curriculum vitae (CV) including artist address, email, and phone number. Teams must submit one resume/CV per team member merged into one PDF. 

Contact information:
The City contact for this Call is Romeo Rabusa, Procurement Officer (the “City Contact”).  Any questions relating to this Call to Artist shall be directed, in writing, to Romeo Rabusa via email (romeo.rabusa@phoenix.gov) or phone (602-534-8334). To be considered, such questions must be received by Monday November 25th, 2019, 12:00 noon (local Arizona time).

If a Respondent believes that any portion of this Call is ambiguous, inconsistent or contains an error, the Respondent shall promptly notify the City Contact of the apparent discrepancy before November 20th, 2019.  If the Respondent fails to notify the City Contact of the discrepancy before that date, the Respondent’ shall be deemed to have waived any such claim of ambiguity, inconsistency or error in this Call.

SECTION V – EVALUATION AND SELECTION
A selection panel will be convened by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. Members of the panel will include arts professionals, city staff, and community members.  Non-voting advisors to the panel may include additional city staff and members of the design team. The panel will review the work of all applicants before recommending finalists. The selection panel will have the authority to invite finalists to be interviewed or to develop concepts for the projects.

Responses to this Call should be concise and well organized according to the requested information. Responses that are not written specifically in response to this request will not receive consideration.

Stage 1
At the first selection panel meeting, finalists are selected from the pool of applicants using a 20-point system.  The scoring will be based upon the following distribution of possible points:
1. Demonstrated artistic quality of previously completed projects.  10 points
2. Potential to create a successful design for this project.   5 points
3. Experience in collaborative design work.   5 points

After evaluating submissions, the City, at the request of the Evaluation Committee, may ask some or all Respondents to submit supplemental information and concepts, or to participate in interviews.

Stage 2
If the Evaluation Committee recommends holding a second stage of the selection process, qualified applicants (hereinafter referred to as “Finalists”) will be evaluated on the basis of a 20-point system.  Finalists will be scored, and awards will be recommended, based upon the following distribution of possible points:
1. Demonstrated artistic quality and feasibility of the proposed concept.   10 points
2. Potential to fully develop the proposed concept into buildable plans.   5 points
3. Potential to work successfully with the overall project design team.   5 points

Finalists will be given approximately four weeks to produce a proposal, and will be given detailed information on selection criteria for each opportunity. They will be expected to present their proposal to the selection panel before the panel recommends artists for the commissions.

Finalists will receive an honorarium for their proposals, the amount and nature of which honorarium will be determined by the City in its sole and absolute discretion. The final recommendation(s) of the selection panel will be reviewed by the Public Art Committee; the Phoenix Arts and Culture Commission; a subcommittee of the City Council; and the Mayor and City Council prior to the award of contract.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria