Addendum 1 Juneteenth RFP-2.pdf

Addendum No. 1

Issue Date: 10/19/2026 Project Name: Community Production Partner City of Asheville Juneteenth Celebration 2027 Project Number: 298-FY27-CREF-RFP-Juneteenth-27-2 To: Prospective Applicants

TO: Prospective Applicants

This addendum forms a part of the Request for Proposals and modifies the original Project Number 298-FY27-CREF-RFP-Juneteenth-27 only to the extent specifically noted below.

Failure to acknowledge this addendum in the submittal may subject the submitter to being deemed non-responsive.

This Addendum is posted on the City procurement website at www.ashevillenc.gov/bids. This is the official source of this addendum. All addenda and attachments shall be published to the same location.

This Addendum consists of 6 pages in total.

This Addendum addresses the Responses to Questions and the Posting of the recording from the optional pre-proposal meeting conducted on October 13, 2026.

Clarifications

October 13, 2026 Pre-Proposal Meeting Recording (link)

Answers to Questions

A.Eligibility, local leadership, and procurement

Q. May an out-of-state nonprofit apply as lead?

A. Out-of-state nonprofit organizations are eligible to submit proposals, provided they meet the minimum eligibility requirements of the RFP. The selected organization will be responsible for obtaining any registrations, authorizations, or tax accounts required under North Carolina law before performing http://www.ashevillenc.gov/bids https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U7nbHOw8KCpQ2Ew3a12zKuIxJMLxXAnd/view?usp=drive_link activities for which those registrations are required. Depending on the organization's activities, these may include a Certificate of Authority from the North Carolina Secretary of State and applicable registrations with the North Carolina Department of Revenue. Applicants are encouraged to verify their specific requirements with the appropriate state agencies. The City will confirm applicable contracting requirements during the selection and contracting process.

Q. May a lead nonprofit partner with a local organization for delivery?

A. Yes. Cooperative proposals are permitted if the primary contractor and subcontractors are identified, with responsibilities, decision-making, fiscal oversight, and local engagement clearly described.

Q. May a related organization with common leadership serve as a subcontractor?

A. Yes. No additional categorical restriction is imposed. Disclose the participating organizations, their shared leadership, respective roles, and financial arrangements so the City can review the proposal in accordance with applicable conflict-of-interest requirements.

Q. What evidence of local participation is expected?

A. Identify Asheville/Buncombe County organizations and community members who helped develop the proposal, and explain their actual contributions. Letters, named collaborators, advisory membership, and documented planning or programming input may support the response. Community Leadership & Partnerships is worth 30 points.

Q. Can a specialized educational organization support the selected lead?

A. Yes, through a disclosed cooperative proposal or a subcontracting arrangement managed by the selected production partner. This RFP is for a comprehensive production lead, not a stand-alone educational services award.

Q. Are there MWBE goals or special subcontracting requirements?

A. No, the City’s MWBE program is currently on pause. The RFP’s community partnership and culturally relevant business programming criteria remain applicable.

B. Event design, dates, and community priorities

Q. What are the top five community programming priorities?

A. Appendix A ranks: (1) culturally relevant businesses and entrepreneurs (46 votes); (2) live music such as jazz, R&B, gospel, and reggae (39); (3) Black history exhibits and storytelling (34); (4) youth talent shows and activities (26); and (5) dance and cultural stage shows (26).

Q. Is June 19 required? Is the celebration one day or multiple days?

A. The primary celebration must occur on June 19, 2027. No fixed number of event days is prescribed.

Ancillary programming, if proposed, should be scheduled close to June 19; a previously selected Juneteenth production included activities throughout the preceding week.

Q. Are a parade or minimum vendor counts required?

A. No. The production partner, working with community nonprofit organizations, will propose activities and the appropriate number of food, craft, and informational vendors. Any parade is subject to applicable approvals and operational requirements.

Q. Are there preferred venues, a required layout, or an attendance target?

A. Pack Square Park is on hold for this event on June 19, 2027. However, no mandatory venue, layout, or minimum attendance target is established. Applicants should propose a feasible site plan within the applicable Downtown BID funding requirements, subject to site availability and City approval. An official BID boundary map can be viewed here.

Q. What educational priorities and audiences should be addressed?

A. Refer to Appendix A: Juneteenth history, local Black heritage, storytelling, African Diaspora culture, youth participation, and intergenerational engagement. No mandatory curriculum or age-group quotas are prescribed.

Q. Can previous event records or additional engagement materials be provided?

A. The RFP Appendix A provides the published community feedback summary. Available prior-year attendance, budgets, maps, vendor and performer counts, and other historical production materials will be shared with the selected contractor; they are not represented as complete applicant planning data.

C. Funding, sponsorship, vendors, and reimbursement

Q. What City cash amount should applicants assume?

A. Appendix B identifies approximately $20,000 in historical City cash support, plus in-kind assistance.

This is a planning reference, not a guaranteed 2027 award. Applicants must submit a complete budget and their requested City contribution.

Q. May the production partner budget a flat management fee?

A. Yes. A flat management fee may be shown as a separate budget line and included in the overall proposed project budget.

Q. May the partner retain sponsorship commissions?

A. Yes. Reasonable sponsorship commissions may be included in the financial plan. Sponsorship revenues supplement, rather than offset or automatically reduce, the City cash contribution agreed in the contract.

Q. Are naming rights or presenting sponsorships allowed?

A. Yes, subject to City review and approval of all sponsorships, recognition and related public communications. No categorical sponsor prohibition is specified here; tobacco- and smoking-related sponsors are discouraged because smoking is prohibited on City public property.

Q. Who retains food and craft vendor fees?

A. The production partner may collect and retain vendor fees. These amounts must be reflected transparently in the proposed event revenue and expense budget.

Q. How will reimbursements be documented and paid?

A. All City payments will be reimbursement-based; no advance, mobilization, or milestone prepayments will be available. Invoices, receipts, and proof of payment must be retained. Invoicing cadence will be established during contract negotiations. Payment terms are net 30.

Q. Are travel, curriculum, educator fees, stipends, management, or evaluation expenses prohibited?

https://avl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=b2557e1349e4412ead3c08f07e6b7c4e

A. No additional categorical restrictions on these proposed cost types are established. All costs must be tied to the contracted event scope, appropriately documented, and reviewed through the approved budget and reimbursement process.

D. Downtown BID funding

Q. Can the event include neighborhood programming outside the BID?

A. Yes, but separate neighborhood programming outside the Downtown BID must be supported by non-City cash sources. The City cash contribution is intended for productions within the BID.

Q. How are shared planning, administrative, and educational costs treated?

A. Shared costs may be eligible when they directly support BID programming, subject to City review of the proposed allocation and purpose. A mandatory proportional allocation formula is not imposed. Curriculum developed centrally and delivered at multiple locations may be eligible to the extent it supports the BID production.

Q. How should applicants document any proposed expenditure outside the BID?

A. Separately identify any such expense and the funding source in the budget, as required by Section F.

City cash will not fund stand-alone neighborhood programming outside the BID. The City will review any proposed shared or cross-location costs for compliance before approval.

E. City in-kind support and insurance

Q. What in-kind services does the City anticipate providing?

A. Subject to departmental approval, availability, and final contract terms, anticipated support includes barricades and traffic signs for closures; police, fire, and EMS public safety/medical services; sanitation and post-event waste recovery assistance; access to available power and other utilities; and waiver of applicable permit, property-use, parking-meter closure, and other internal City fees.

Q. Will the City provide stages, bleachers, or other production equipment?

A. No City-owned stage, bleachers, or additional production equipment is being offered. However, a permanent, fixed 20x30 stage at Pack Square Park is available for the event. Applicants should budget for their own production equipment needs. Specific utility access is subject to site feasibility and final agreement.

Q. Are the anticipated in-kind items guaranteed?

A. No. The final level and scope of City assistance, including staffing, fee waivers, and equipment, will be determined through contract negotiations and applicable departmental approvals.

Q. What insurance is required, and must it be in place when applying?

A. Applicants may submit before obtaining final coverage. At a minimum, the event organizer must furnish a general liability insurance policy from the producing organization, valid for all event activity dates, issued by a company licensed to conduct business in North Carolina. The City of Asheville must be named as additional insured: City of Asheville, P.O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802.

Coverage minimums

● Commercial general liability: $1,000,000 per occurrence

● Personal and advertising injury: conditional, varying limits

● Products/completed operations: conditional, varying limits

● General aggregate: conditional, varying limits

● Additional policies may include automobile liability, liquor liability, aviation liability, employer liability, and workers' compensation, depending on the event.

When safety-sensitive vendors or contractors are participating, the organizer must also furnish their general liability policies.

● Food and beverage vendors

● Amusements, rides, mobile attractions, and inflatables

● Fire performances, demonstrations, and pyrotechnics

● Equipment rental companies

● Portable toilet, sanitation, and waste management providers

● Private security services and other safety-sensitive staffing

● UAV or drone operations requiring aviation liability

F. Marketing, communications, and reporting

Q. Does the City have Juneteenth brand assets, social accounts, or a website to transfer?

A. No existing City-controlled Juneteenth branding, dedicated social accounts, or website/domain is being offered.

Q. May marketing, social media, website management, and public relations be included?

A. Yes. The production partner is expected to manage these functions during planning and through completion of the project. All sponsorship recognition, promotional materials, press releases, and public-facing communications must be submitted to City Communications and Public Engagement for approval before publication.

Q. When does the project end, and when is the final report due?

A. The project concludes when the required post-event report is completed. The final report is due within 90 days after the final event activity.

Q. What must the final report include?

A. In addition to the RFP’s attendance metrics, final financial reconciliation, community impact, and recommendations, report event dates and locations; programming and educational activities; performer and vendor participation (including locally based and Black-owned businesses where collected); volunteer involvement; sponsorship and vendor-fee revenue; outreach and marketing results; community engagement or participant feedback; and a summary of City in-kind support. Provide actual results and explain where measures could not be collected.

I understand that failure to acknowledge any addenda may cause this bid/proposal to be deemed non-responsive.

Authorized Signature Company Date

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