Final_RFP_126_2600000479_1_SO_FORM.PDF

Document ID: RFP 126 2600000479 Page: 1

Commonwealth of Kentucky

SOLICITATION

Modification: No Version #:

TITLE: 2026 Governor's Conf. Energy & Environment Cabinet

Date Issued:

06/22/2026 Record Date:

06/18/2026

Solicitation Closes Date:

07/31/2026 Time:

15:30

Solicitation No:

RFP 126 2600000479

Online Bidding Prohibited: Yes

For Information Call:

Barry Stigers 502-782-0345

Bid Receiving Location:

Bid Receiving

See Terms & Conditions for Bid Submission Instructions

Other KY

Vendor Customer Number:

Vendor Name:

Phone Number:

Fax Number:

Email Address:

Ordering

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Payment

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Name:

Contact Email:

Contact Phone Number:

Ownership Type

__ Sole Proprietorship __ Partnership __ Corporation __ Other_________________________

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED AGENT IS REQUIRED UNLESS RESPONSE

IS SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. FAILURE TO SIGN SHALL RENDER

THE BID INVALID.

Signature X_________________________________________ FEIN#____________________ Date____________

All offers subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

Document ID: RFP 126 2600000479 Page: 2

Line Items

Commodity Group: Default

Line CL Description Quantity UOM Unit Cost Line Total or Contract Amnt

1 Sponsorship-2026 Governor's Conf. Energy & Environmen

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

96377 Sponsorships (All Types)

Extended Description 2026 Governor's Conf. Energy & Environment Cabinet Sponsorship and Vendor Exhibit.

Shipping Information

Billing Information EEC Office of Administrative Services

300 Sower Blvd, 3rd Floor

Frankfort KY 40601

Document ID: RFP 126 2600000479 Page: 3

Submission Checklist

The following items will be required to be submitted with bid:

Item

Sponsorship/Exhibit Opportunity 2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & the Environment

Kentucky Energy & Environment Cabinet

Section I. General Information

A. Purpose of this Document

This sponsorship/exhibit opportunity is being issued by the Kentucky Energy & Environment Cabinet (hereinafter “EEC” or the “Cabinet”) and is issued in accordance with KRS 45A.097.

The purpose of this document is to solicit proposal responses from one or more individuals or companies to assist in presenting the 2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & the Environment to be held in person October 19, 2026 (hereinafter the “Conference”) with a post-conference event to be held on October 20 at the same location.

Each year, EEC hosts the Conference as a comprehensive and informative gathering of industry leaders to discuss energy, the environment, and economic development. EEC anticipates at least 250 in-person attendees. The attendees include representatives of public and private industry partners, local and state government leaders, university/college professionals, attorneys, students, and members of the public. The Conference will also include a variety of informative panel sessions, keynote speaker addresses, exhibits, and a post-conference women-in-energy forum.

B. Submission Dates, Instructions All proposals must be submitted electronically via MOVEit secure file transfer – See Attachment C.

All proposals must be received no later than 3:30 p.m. (EDT), Thursday, July 31, 2026.

C. Inquiries All inquiries regarding this solicitation for sponsorships/exhibits shall be submitted in writing, to the contact listed below. The below contact shall be the sole point of contact throughout the Request for Proposal (hereinafter “RFP”) process.

Inquiry Contact Kentucky Energy & Environment Cabinet Office of Administrative Services Attn: Barry Stigers Barry.Stigers@ky.gov

(502) 782-0345

No oral representations made or assumed shall be binding on EEC or the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

D. Verification/Clarification of Information EEC may request additional documentation from prospective Sponsors or Exhibitors (hereinafter the “Vendors”) to verify and/or clarify any information provided in its Proposal.

E. Cost of Preparing Response

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2600000479 Final 2026 Governor's Conf. Energy & Environment Cabinet

Total Pages: 11 mailto:Barry.Stigers@ky.gov

Costs for developing a Proposal are solely the responsibility of the Vendors. EEC shall not provide reimbursements for any Proposal preparation costs.

F. Cancellation EEC may terminate the agreement completely or in part upon a thirty-day (30) written notice to the Vendor(s) in accordance with 200 KAR 5:312. Any resulting damages shall be determined and calculated in accordance with the provisions of 200 KAR 5:312.

Pursuant to KRS 45A.105, EEC reserves the right to cancel or reject Proposals that are deemed to be contrary to the best interests of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

G. Endorsement EEC’s award of Sponsorship or Exhibit Space shall not constitute an endorsement of a particular business by the Commonwealth as the sole vendor of choice.

Section II. Scope and Evaluation Criteria

2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & the Environment October 19, 2026 In Person Event (exhibit area open Oct. 19, 7:30a - 4:00p)

Post-Conference Event: “Kentucky Women in Energy Brunch” October 20, 2026

Vendors may respond with an offer to supply one of the following sponsorship or exhibit levels:

Commonwealth Sponsor - $10,000

Item#1: Networking Lunch

Benefits:

# Acknowledgement of sponsor’s support of selected item (verbal, signage, slide show) # Option to provide door prize or giveaway item for registration bag # Logo included in sponsor listing shown before each general session # Logo featured prominently on conference website (Sponsor to supply logo) with company profile (350-character limit), contact information, and link to company website # Sponsor information will remain on the conference website for at least six (6) months after the event # Acknowledgement/logo included in emails to participants # Social media recognition pre- and post-event # Opportunity to speak 10 min. at selected lunch with option to introduce lunch speaker # One exhibit space with choice of premium location in pre-function exhibit area # Four (4) full conference registrations, plus 10% discount on any additional registrations Goldenrod Sponsor - $6,000

Item#2: Conference Breakfast Item#3: Post-Conference “Women in Energy Brunch”

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Cabinet

# Option to provide door prize or giveaway item for registration bag # Logo included in sponsor listing shown before each general session # Logo posted on conference website (Sponsor to supply logo) with contact information and link to company website # Sponsor information will remain on the conference website for at least six (6) months after the event # Acknowledgement/logo included in emails to participants # Conference Breakfast Sponsor: opportunity to introduce a session speaker and talk 3-min.

about company/organization # Post-Conference Brunch Sponsor: opportunity to introduce guest speaker and talk 3-min.

about company/organization # One exhibit space with choice of premium location in pre-function exhibit area # Three (3) full conference registrations, plus 5% discount on any additional registrations

Viceroy Sponsor - $3,000

Item#4: A.M. Break Item#5: P.M. Break

# Option to provide door prize or giveaway item for registration bag # Logo included in sponsor listing shown before each general session # Logo posted on conference website (Sponsor to supply logo) with link to company website # Sponsor information will remain on the conference website for at least six (6) months after the event # One exhibit space with choice of location in pre-function exhibit area # Two (2) conference registrations, plus 5% discount on any additional registrations Cardinal Exhibit Level - $500

Items #6 - 15: Corporate Exhibit Space

Benefits:

# Listing in conference materials # One exhibit space with up to two covered tables # Two chairs; wastebasket # Electricity upon request # WiFi # Two (2) full conference registrations

Additional attendees beyond two (2) must pay full conference registration

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Agate Exhibit Level - $200

Items #16 - 25: Non-Profit / University / Government Exhibit Space

Benefits:

# Listing in conference materials # One exhibit space with one covered table (+$50 for additional table) # Two chairs; wastebasket # Electricity upon request # WiFi # One (1) full conference registration + $100 for one additional registration

Additional attendees beyond two (2) must pay full conference registration

Section III. Statement of Sponsorship

EEC is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky (hereinafter the “Commonwealth”).

As such, the Cabinet must comply with applicable state laws, regulations, and procedures as they relate to donations, sponsorships, procurement, and other acquisitions. To that end the Cabinet is soliciting sponsorships in accordance with the provisions of KRS 45A.097 and provides the following general information regarding the sponsorship solicitation:

# The solicitation is for a specific event - the 2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & the

Environment.

# The Cabinet shall advertise the sponsorship/exhibit opportunity on its website, social media, and other written media for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days.

# This sponsorship/exhibit opportunity is limited to a maximum of five (5) Sponsors and twenty (20) Exhibitors.

Section IV. General Conditions

A. Vendor’s Responsibilities during the Award Term

The selected Vendors shall provide payment within forty-five (45) days of EEC’s notification of the award. The 45-day timeframe shall begin on the date indicated on EEC’s notification of award letter. EEC does not guarantee any benefit or consideration associated with Vendor’s chosen sponsorship package or exhibit level, if it fails to receive full payment within 45 days of notice of the award.

KRS 45A.485 requires that contractors, including sponsorship/exhibitor contractors, reveal to the Commonwealth, prior to the award of a contract, any final determination of a violation by the contractor within the previous five (5) year period of the provisions of KRS Chapters 136, 139, 141, 337, 338, 341, and 342. These statutes relate to state sales and use tax, corporate and utility tax, income tax, wages and hours laws, occupational safety and health laws, unemployment insurance laws, and workers’ compensation laws, respectively.

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To comply with the provisions of KRS 45A.485, the chosen Vendors will be required to report any such final determination(s) of violation(s) to the Commonwealth by providing the following information regarding the final determination(s): the KRS violated, the date of the final determination, and the state agency that issued the final determination.

KRS 45A.485 also requires that for the duration of any contract the chosen Vendors shall be in continuous compliance with the provisions of those statutes which apply to the contractor’s operations, and that the contractor’s failure to reveal a final determination as described above, or failure to comply with the above statutes for the duration of the contract, shall be grounds for the Commonwealth’s cancellation of the contract and the contractor’s disqualification from eligibility for future state contracts for a period of two

(2) years.

The chosen Vendors will be required to disclose whether they have a current contract with the Commonwealth or any agency of the Commonwealth.

No chosen Vendor may claim to be an “official sponsor” due to governmental regulations prohibiting such verbiage or an endorsement by the Commonwealth.

B. EEC’s Responsibilities during the Award Term For all Vendors chosen pursuant to this solicitation, EEC shall provide promotion, conference registrations, and sponsor/exhibitor recognition described in Section I.C. of this solicitation.

C. Modifications to Award Any modifications to the Award shall be in writing and submitted to the contact identified in Section I(C) of this solicitation.

D. Disputes Except as otherwise provided in this document, a question or act arising under the Award, which is not disposed of by mutual agreement, shall be decided by the Finance and Administration Cabinet of the Commonwealth.

Pending final determination of any dispute hereunder, the chosen Vendor(s) shall proceed diligently with the performance of the Award and in accordance with any directive(s) from the Finance and Administration Cabinet.

Nothing in a prospective award shall be construed as a Final Decision from any administrative official, representative, or board.

This section does not preclude consideration of legal questions arising from a determination by the Finance and Administrative Cabinet arising from a dispute as described above, or any determination thereof.

E. Forums and Venue This Award shall be construed according to the laws of the Commonwealth. Any legal proceedings against the Commonwealth regarding any sponsorship/exhibit space awarded pursuant to this solicitation shall be brought in the Franklin Circuit Court, Franklin County, Kentucky pursuant to KRS 45A.245.

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F. Employment Practices The Vendor shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (except as provided by law), marital status, political affiliations, or handicap. The Vendor must take affirmative action to ensure that employees, as well as applicants for employment, are treated without discrimination because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, (except as provided by law), marital status, political affiliation, or handicap. Such action shall include, but is not limited to, the following: employment, promotion, demotion or transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. The Sponsor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices setting forth the provision of this clause.

The Vendor shall, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the Sponsor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, (except as provided by law), marital status, political affiliation, or handicap, except where it relates to a bona fide occupational qualification.

The Vendor shall comply with regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor of the United States in Title 20, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 741, pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order 11758 and the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Vendor shall comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and any amendments thereto, and the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 504 of Title V of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act.

G. Certificate of Authority Prior to award of the Sponsorship/Exhibit Level, the successful bidder(s) chosen by EEC as sponsors/exhibitors of the 2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & the Environment shall furnish supporting documentation from the Kentucky Secretary of State authorizing the Vendor(s) to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a domestic or foreign corporation or other recognized business entity. The Commonwealth reserves the right to verify any bidder provided information prior to awarding the contract.

Furthermore, a failure to maintain any and all authorization to conduct business and operations in the Vendor’s name in Kentucky during the life of the contract may be deemed a breach by the Vendor and treated accordingly by the Commonwealth.

H. Access to Records The Vendor agrees that the contracting agency, the Finance and Administration Cabinet, the Auditor of Public Accounts, and the Legislative Research Commission, or their duly authorized representatives, shall have access to any books, documents, papers, records, or other evidence, which are directly pertinent to this contract for the purpose of financial audit or program review. Records and other prequalification information confidentially disclosed as part of the bid process shall not be deemed as directly pertinent to the contract and shall be exempt from disclosure as provided in KRS 61.878(1)(c). The Vendor also recognizes that any books, documents, papers, records, or other evidence, received during a financial audit or program review shall be subject to the Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 to 61.884.

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Section V. Technical Response Format

A. Responsiveness In order to be considered for selection, Proposals submitted by bidders shall be completely responsive to this document. All conditions printed herein are hereby made a part of the conditions under which any Proposal is submitted and shall be incorporated into any Award of this project. Further, the contents of a Proposal shall be incorporated by reference into any Award resulting from the Proposal.

B. Technical Response The Technical Response is requested to be brief and concise and should include the following:

1. Signed solicitation cover page

2. Completed Technical Proposal Form (Attachment A) which contains responses for the following:

a. Contact information

b. Any deviations from stated requirements

c. Bidder background, including date established, a brief history of the bidder, and a statement regarding the bidder’s business type, if applicable

d. Partner Response, which shall include:

i. the desired sponsorship level or exhibit level from Section II;

ii.preference of naming opportunity within the selected sponsorship level

(if applicable) iii.a statement regarding the reason the bidder has an interest in participation in the 2026 Governor’s Conference on Energy & Environment;

iv.a statement regarding the bidder’s position on the importance of KYE3 (energy, the environment, and economic development) in the Commonwealth; and, v.a statement regarding the bidder’s perspective on the evolution of energy and/or the environment in Kentucky over the last 50 years, highlighting one specific example of improvement.

3. Notarized Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors (Attachment B)

One (1) copy of the Technical Response shall be submitted electronically via MOVEit.

See Attachment C for instructions.

Section VI. Technical Response Evaluation Criteria

The Energy & Environment Cabinet shall evaluate all Technical Responses in accordance with KRS 45A.695. Each response shall be evaluated as follows:

Responsiveness to Solicitation: 20 points Conciseness/clarity Solicitation Cover Page Sponsor information

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Cabinet https://eec.ky.gov/Energy/Documents/KYE3_Final_10.18.2021.pdf

Vendor and Background: 20 points Date established Brief historical information Nature of business – compatibility with mission of the Cabinet

Partner Response: 60 points Desired sponsorship level Interest in energy and environment Importance of energy, the environment, and economic development Improvement example of energy/environment in Ky over last 50 years

Total Points 100 points

Proposals with a combined technical score of less than 50% (50 out of 100) of the maximum total points possible will not be considered for a sponsor level or exhibit level.

The Technical Response shall be evaluated and scored by an EEC evaluation committee. The total maximum score on the Technical Response is 100 points.

The selected Vendors shall provide payment within forty-five (45) days of notification to the Vendor of the award. The 45-day timeframe shall begin on the date indicated on EEC’s notification of award letter. EEC does not guarantee any benefit or consideration associated with Vendor’s chosen sponsorship package or exhibit level, if full payment is not received within 45 days.

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