Final_RFP_235_2600000368_2_SO_FORM.PDF

Document ID: RFP 235 2600000368 Page: 1

Commonwealth of Kentucky

SOLICITATION MODIFICATION

Modification: Yes Version #: 2

TITLE: KSFB Event Merchandising

Date Issued:

04/01/2026 Record Date:

04/01/2026

Solicitation Closes Date:

04/10/2026 Time:

15:00

Solicitation No:

RFP 235 2600000368

Reason for Modification

To answer Vendor Questions and add Logo attachments

Online Bidding Prohibited: No

For Information Call:

Tim Wiard 502-367-5245

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 235 2600000368 Page: 2

Line Items

Commodity Group: Default

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

1 Branded Items for resale 1.00000 EACH

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

03778 Souvenirs: Promotional, Advertising, etc.

Extended Description See Terms for Scope of Work

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

2 Branded items for resale 1.00000 EACH

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

20074 Silk Screened Shirts, Jackets, Hats, etc.

Extended Description See Terms for Scope of Work

Shipping Information Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center Shipping and Receiving 937 Phillips Lane

Louisville KY 40209

Billing Information Kentucky Exposition Center Accounts Payable PO Box 37130

Louisville KY 40233

Document ID: RFP 235 2600000368 Page: 3

Submission Checklist

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

Item Bid Information-Completed Proposed Technical Solution. Submit electronically by Closing Date & Time.

Attachment C-Proposed Cost Solution. Submit electronically by Closing Date & Time.

Attachment E-Event experience

ELECTRONIC BID SUBMISSION

Bid responses shall be received by electronic submission in the eProcurement system.

An electronic bid shall be authorized by the proper agent of the firm by the act of submitting it electronically through the eProcurement system.

Bid information MUST be completed online. Response must contain all required information for the Solicitation. A separate Bid Sheet is attached and must be included with the response. Bidders MUST enter $.01 in the Unit Price field as the electronic bid. This is the ONLY pricing that is to be entered electronically. All actual pricing must be on the Bid Sheet.

All bidders MUST be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System via the Vendor Self Service System at https://vss.ky.gov/vssprod-ext/Advantage4 Allow 24 – 48 hours to complete Vendor Registration. Vendors must be logged in to their Vendor Self Service (VSS) account in order to submit a response. Registrations completed the day of bid closing must be completed by the Vendor in the VSS portal. The Customer Resource Center is not able to complete registrations and activate accounts on the same day. Closing dates will not be extended for Vendors not registered by the date/time of the bid closing. Vendor Self Registration Guides are provided at: https://finance.ky.gov/eProcurement/Pages/default.aspx

All bidders are cautioned to begin their electronic submission in sufficient time to complete before the closing date and time. Delays due to technical difficulties or document upload impediments shall not be justification for acceptance of a late bid or proposal. Vendor attention to this advisory is encouraged. If you need assistance, please contact the Customer Resource Center (CRC) by email at Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov or phone 502-564-9641 or toll-free 877-973-HELP (4357).

Online bid responses must be in an “Accepted” status and shall be assigned a date and time stamp from the eProcurement system at the time of final acceptance and formal submission by the vendor.

The system will not allow submission of an online response after the published date and time for closing.

An offer may be modified or withdrawn by electronic or written notice ONLY if received prior to the bid closing date and time. An electronic offer may be modified by applying the appropriate electronic signature and following the procedure in the vendor self service website.

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2600000368 Final KSFB Event Merchandising Total Pages: 16 https://vss.ky.gov/vssprod-ext/Advantage4

ATTACHMENT A

Kentucky Venues

Kentucky State Fair Board Request for Proposal (RFP)

For Official Event Merchandise Design & Production Services

RFP 235 2600000368

Release Date: 03/20/2026

CLOSING DATE AND TIME 04/10/2026, at 3:00pm EST

Issued by The Kentucky State Fair Board (KSFB)

Buyer Name Tim Wiard

Kentucky State Fair Board Kentucky Exposition Center

937 Phillips Ln Purchasing Department

LOUISVILLE KY 40209

502-367-5245 tim.wiard@kyvenues.com

Addendum No. 1

Bidder shall conform to the following changes as same shall become binding upon the contract to be issued in response to this addendum.

The purpose of this addendum is to Answer Vendors questions and to attach Event Logos.

Attachments are loaded into the header

There are no other changes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 10 – Introduction and Overview Section 20 – Procurement Requirements

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Section 30 – Scope of Work Section 40 – Proposal Submission Section 50 – Proposal Evaluation Section 60 – Negotiations Section 70 – Attachments

Section 10 – Introduction and Overview

10.1 Introduction and Overview

Purpose

Kentucky Venues (“KV”), the operating brand of the KSFB, an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to provide professional merchandise design, sourcing, and production services for official event merchandise associated with its produced events. This RFP is issued in accordance with applicable KSFB requirements.

Key Events and Venues under this RFP include:

February: National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) 300,000+ annual attendance over four days including the Championship Tractor Pull (CTP) 75,000 ticket holders.

August: Kentucky State Fair (KSF) 600,000+ annual attendance over 11 days including the World’s Championship Horse Show (WCHS) attendance included with KSF.

November: North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) 200,000+ annual attendance over 15 days including the North American Championship Rodeo (NARC).

Kentucky Venues (KV) and facility branded items 300+ employees managing two facilities, Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) and Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC).

Kentucky Venues intends to operate on-site retail sales in-house and seeks to establish an approved list of qualified vendors for merchandise design and production services. KV anticipates awarding contracts to multiple vendors to secure the best combination of product quality, creative capability, and value across its event portfolio. Vendors may also propose optional e-commerce fulfillment services as described in this document.

10.2 Issuing Office

The Kentucky Venues/Kentucky State Fair Board (KSFB) – Kentucky Exposition Center is the only office authorized to change, modify, amend, alter or clarify the specifications, terms and conditions. Contracts, based on this RFP, may or may not be awarded.

10.3 Access to Solicitation, RFP and Addenda

The KSFB wants each prospective vendor to have full and complete information on which to base a proposal response. Only information presented or referred to in this RFP and any additional written information that is supplied by the KSFB Buyer shall be used by vendors in preparing the response.

The solicitation, addenda, and attachments shall be posted to the Kentucky Vendor Self Service site at: https://vss.ky.gov/vssprod-ext/Advantage4 .

If you are not registered on this site, It will be necessary to register to access the solicitation and submit a bid online. It is recommended that a vendor register at least 7 days before submitting a bid.

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In the event of any conflict or variation between the solicitation or modification as issued by the KSFB and the vendor’s response, the version as issued shall prevail.

10.4 RFP Terminology

For the purpose of this RFP, the following terms may be used interchangeably:

o Proposer, Offeror, Contractor, Provider, or Vendor o Buyer, Purchaser, or Contract Officer o RFP, Solicitation, or Procurement o Bid, Proposal, or Offer o Agency, Kentucky State Fair Board, Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky Venues and KSFB o Requirements that include the words “Shall”, “Will”, “Must” indicate a mandatory requirement

10.5 Restrictions on Communications

The KSFB Buyer named on the Cover Sheet of this RFP shall be the sole point of contact throughout the procurement process. All communications, oral and written (regular, express, or electronic mail, or fax), concerning this procurement shall be addressed to the Buyer.

For violation of this provision, the KSFB shall reserve the right to disqualify the vendors’ proposal response.

10.6 Written Questions for this RFP

Vendors are encouraged to submit written questions on Attachment B Vendors Question Form to the Buyer via email at tim.wiard@kyvenues.com. KSFB shall respond to salient question by issuing an addendum to the solicitation. It will be posted to the Kentucky Vendor Self Service site.

10.7 Notification of Award of Contract

The procurement process will provide for the evaluation of proposals and selection of the successful proposal.

To view the award of contract(s) and the contractor(s) receiving the award(s) for this solicitation, access the Kentucky Vendor Self Service site at https://vss.ky.gov/vssprod-ext/ Advantage4 .

Vendors can search for the solicitation title or number in the keyword search field, or can filter their search for only awarded solicitations by clicking on Advanced Search and changing the status to “Awarded”. The award(s) information can be accessed by clicking on the details button of the solicitation and clicking the “Notice of Award” tab. It is the vendor’s responsibility to review this information in a timely fashion. No other notification of the results of the contract award will be provided.

10.8 Estimated Schedule of RFP Activities

The following table presents the anticipated schedule for major activities associated with the RFP distribution, proposal submission, proposal evaluation process, and contract award.

The KSFB reserves the right at its sole discretion to change the Schedule of Activities, including the associated dates and times.

Anticipated Schedule of Activities

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2600000368 Final KSFB Event Merchandising Total Pages: 16 mailto:tim.wiard@kyvenues.com

Release of RFP March 20, 2026

Vendors’ Written Questions due by 3:00 pm EST March 27, 2026

Anticipated Response to Vendor’s Questions April 3 ,2026

Proposals due by 3:00 PM EST April 10, 2026

Section 20 – Procurement Requirements

20.1 Procurement Requirements

The Ky State Fair Board’s (KSFB) acceptance of the contractor’s offer in response to the solicitation, indicated by the issuance of a contract award shall create a valid contract between the Parties consisting of the following:

1. Any written Agreement between the Parties;

2. Any Addenda to the Solicitation;

3. The Solicitation and all attachments

4. Any Best and Final Offer;

5. Any clarifications concerning the Contractor’s proposal in response to the

Solicitation;

6. The Contractor’s proposal in response to the Solicitation.

20.2 Final Agreement

The contract represents the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. Prior negotiations, representations, or agreements, either written or oral, between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof shall be of no effect upon this contract.

20.3 Contract Provisions

If any provision of this contract (including items incorporated by reference) is declared or found to be illegal, unenforceable, or void, then both the KSFB and the contractor shall be relieved of all obligations arising under such provision. If the remainder of this contract is capable of performance, it shall not be affected by such declaration or finding and shall be fully performed.

20.4 Type of Contract

The contract proposed in response to this solicitation shall be based on a firm fixed unit price for the elements listed in this solicitation. This solicitation is specifically not intended to solicit proposals for contracts based on cost-plus, open-ended rate schedule, nor any non-fixed price arrangement. The KSFB may be awarding multiple contracts for this solicitation, if it is in the best interest of the KSFB.

20.5 Addition or Deletion of Items or Services

The KSFB reserves the right to add new and similar items, by issuing a contract modification, to this contract with the consent of the vendor. Until such time as the vendor receives a modification, the vendor shall not accept delivery orders from any agency referencing such items or services.

20.6 Changes and Modifications to the Contract

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No modification or change of any provision in the contract shall be made, or construed to have been made, unless such modification is mutually agreed to in writing by the contractor and the Kentucky State Fair Board, and incorporated as a written amendment to the contract.

20.7 Payments

Payments are predicated upon successful completion and acceptance of the work described, services, supplies, or commodities, and delivery of the required documentation. Invoices for payment shall be submitted to the agency contact person or his representative. The KSFB has 30 working days after receipt of a correct invoice, to pay or may add a 1% penalty. All invoices, for services provided for the KSFB, are to be emailed to: Invoices@kyvenues.com

20.8 Termination of Contract

Any contractor who is determined in writing by the purchasing officer to be in breach of any of the terms and conditions of a contract with the Kentucky State Fair Board, shall be declared in default and the contract may be terminated.

The KSFB may terminate a contract because of the contractor's failure to perform its contractual duties.

If a contractor is determined to be in default, the KSFB shall notify the contractor of the determination in writing and may include a specified date by which the contractor shall cure the identified deficiencies. The KSFB may proceed with termination if the contractor fails to cure the deficiencies within the specified time.

The KSFB may terminate a contract for convenience if the purchasing officer has determined that termination will be in the Board’s best interests. The Board shall provide the contractor thirty (30) calendar days written notice of termination of the contract, unless the KSFB, makes a written determination that a shorter notice of termination for convenience is in the best interest of the Kentucky State Fair Board.

Termination notice. The purchasing officer shall terminate the contract by written notice to the contractor.

20.9 Assignment

The contract shall not be assigned in whole or in part without prior written consent of the KSFB Buyer.

Section 30 – Background and Scope of Work

30.1 Background – Existing Merchandise Operations

Kentucky Venues has successfully operated its own merchandise retail program for its produced events, including:

On-site retail stores at each event, staffed and managed by Kentucky Venues personnel.

Facility-owned point-of-sale (POS) systems and inventory management technology.

An established online merchandise store powered by Shopify, with in-house order fulfillment and shipping.

This RFP seeks to enhance and expand KV’s merchandise offerings through partnerships with professional design and production vendors. Kentucky Venues is not seeking to outsource its retail operations; rather, KV is seeking high-quality wholesale merchandise suppliers to complement its proven in-house sales infrastructure. As a part of additional offerings, responses to this RFP can include information on retail capabilities if applicable for future consideration. Historical sales data from KV’s existing merchandise program is

Document Phase Document Description Page 9 mailto:Invoices@kyvenues.com provided in Exhibit A to assist respondents in understanding program scale and product category performance.

Kentucky Venues launched its in-house merchandise program in July 2025. Inventory investment grew quickly from the Kentucky State Fair (KSF) to the National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) as KV refined its product assortment, expanded its on-site store footprint, and identified the categories and designs that resonate with its audiences. Despite operating with limited point-of-sale infrastructure the program generated over $330,000 in net event-window sales in its first eight months. This program shows a significant growth opportunity and anticipates materially increased order volumes across all events with the support of qualified vendor partners.

30.2 Scope of Work Technical Requirements

The purpose of this RFP is to:

Establish a high-quality, official merchandise program for the above-listed events.

Maintain Kentucky Venues control over branding, pricing, inventory, and customer data.

Secure competitive wholesale pricing and reliable production capacity.

Potentially secure optional e-commerce production and fulfillment services.

Establish a flexible, multi-vendor roster that allows Kentucky Venues to select the best product and service for each event, product category, or project.

30.3 Required Services – Design & Production

A. The selected vendor(s) shall provide:

Original merchandise design concepts specific to each event.

Artwork development and production-ready files.

Product sourcing and manufacturing.

Physical samples, Digital proofs, and example mockups for approval.

Packaging (as applicable).

Delivery of finished goods to designated Kentucky Venues warehouse or event location.

Quality product pictures to support online sales.

B. Product categories may include, but are not limited to:

Apparel (adult and youth).

Headwear.

Outerwear.

Premium/lifestyle merchandise.

Collectibles and commemorative items.

Agriculture and livestock-themed goods.

Each event must maintain a distinct brand identity consistent with Kentucky Venues brand standards.

30.4 Retail Structure

A. On-Site Sales

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All on-site merchandise sales shall be operated by Kentucky Venues staff.

B. Kentucky Venues shall retain:

Full pricing authority.

POS system control.

Inventory control.

All customer data.

Sales reporting oversight

30.5 Optional Services – E-Commerce Fulfillment

A. Vendors may propose optional services including:

Online store setup and hosting, performance analytics, order fulfillment, and shipping.

Returns processing.

Customer service support.

Trend Forecasting.

B. Kentucky Venues reserves the right to:

Operate its own online store.

Award online fulfillment separately.

Decline all online service proposals.

Reporting Requirements A. If providing e-commerce services, vendors must provide:

Real-Time Sales Reporting Access.

SKU-level sales data Inventory Tracking Settlement reconciliation reports Monthly summary reports

B. If providing production only, vendors must provide:

Production Tracking reports Order confirmation and delivery schedules

If awarded, all customer data shall remain the sole property of Kentucky Venues.

30.6 Inventory Model

Kentucky Venues will purchase merchandise at agreed-upon wholesale pricing unless otherwise negotiated.

A. Vendors must specify:

Minimum order quantities (MOQs) On Attachment C Cost Proposal Form Production lead times. On Attachment C Cost Proposal Form Drop-ship capabilities (if applicable). On Attachment C Cost Proposal Form Inventory storage requirements (if proposing fulfillment).

Reorder capabilities and timelines.

30.7 Design and Brand Control

The selected vendor(s) shall:

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Submit annual design collections for each event and offer reasonable timelines on design edits.

Provide digital mockups and physical samples when reasonable and upon request at no cost to Kentucky Venues. (they will not be returned to vendor) Comply with all Kentucky Venues brand standards and review.

Obtain written approval prior to production.

Kentucky Venues shall retain final approval authority on all designs and products. All custom artwork, designs, and production-ready files created under this contract shall become the sole property of Kentucky Venues. Vendors must clearly identify in their proposal any pre-existing intellectual property incorporated into designs and the associated licensing terms. Vendors shall not use Kentucky Venues’ event branding, logos, or custom designs for any purpose outside this agreement without prior written consent.

30.8 Experience and Qualifications

Respondents must submit Attachment E (Experience and Qualifications) with their proposal. This form must be completed and contain the following information:

Company background and years in operation Experience servicing large-scale events (200,000+ attendance preferred) Production capacity and annual output Detailed examples of comparable event merchandise programs (state fairs, livestock shows, trade shows, or festivals preferred), including scope, product mix, and results achieved

30.9 Contract Term and Renewal

The anticipated contract terms shall be:

Initial term of two (2) years with two (2), two (2) year renewal options upon the mutual agreement of the Parties. Such mutual agreements shall take the form of a contract modification.

PRICE ADJUSTMENTS: Unless otherwise specified, the prices established by the contract(s) resulting from this solicitation shall remain firm for the contract period subject to the following:

A: Price Increases: A price increase shall not occur during the first twelve (12) months of the contract. A vendor may request a price increase after twelve (12) months of the contract, which may be granted or denied by Kentucky Venues. Any such price increase shall be based on industry-wide price changes. The contract holder must request in writing a price increase at least thirty (30) days prior to the effective date and shall provide firm proof that the price increase(s) is justified.

Kentucky Venues may request additional information or justification. If the price increase is denied, the contract holder may withdraw from the contract without prejudice upon written notice and approval by the Buyer listed for this contract.

Provided, however, that the vendor must continue service, at the contract prices, until a new contract can be established (usually within sixty (60) days).

B: Price Decreases: The contract price shall be reduced to reflect any industry-wide price decreases. The contract holder is required to furnish the Kentucky Venues with notice of any price decreases as soon as such decreases are available.

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C: Extended Contract Periods: If the contract provides for an optional renewal period, a price adjustment may be granted at the time the contract is renewed, subject to price increase justification as required in Paragraph A “Price Increases” as stated above.

Kentucky Venues reserves the right to award multiple contracts in the best interest of the Kentucky State Fair Board.

This RFP does not grant exclusive merchandise rights to any vendor. Award of a contract does not guarantee a specific volume of orders. Kentucky Venues reserves the right to assign work based on event needs, product category, creative fit, pricing, or any combination thereof.

Either party may terminate the agreement for convenience with sixty (60) days’ written notice.

Section 40 – Proposal Submission

40.10 Submission of RFP Response

Each qualified offeror shall submit only one (1) proposal. Alternate proposals shall not be allowed.

Proposal information MUST be completed online (See Attachment F How to Respond to an Online Bid through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service site). Response must contain all required information for the Solicitation. All bidders MUST be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System via the Vendor Self Service System at: https:// vss.ky.gov .

Allow 24 – 48 hours to complete Vendor Registration. Vendors must be logged in to their Vendor Self Service (VSS) account in order to submit a response. Registrations completed the day of bid closing must be completed by the Vendor in the VSS portal. The Customer Resource Center is not able to complete registrations and activate accounts on the same day. Closing dates will not be extended for Vendors not registered by the date/time of the bid closing.

All bidders are cautioned to begin their electronic submission in sufficient time to complete before the closing date and time. Delays due to technical difficulties or document upload impediments shall not be justification for acceptance of a late bid or proposal. Vendor attention to this advisory is encouraged. Instructions “How to Submit an Online Response for a Business Opportunity” are posted to Kentucky’s Vendor Self Service, https://vss.ky.gov If you need assistance, please contact the Customer Resource Center (CRC) by email at Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov or phone 502-564-9641 or toll-free

877-973-HELP (4357).

Proposals shall be submitted in two (2) parts: The Technical Proposal, the Cost Proposal. Each part shall consist of one document attachment. Do not submit multiple document attachments as Technical, Cost. All files shall be labeled accordingly.

Attachments may not exceed 65,000 KB.

Proposals submitted online must be in an “Accepted” status and shall be assigned a date and time stamp from the eProcurement system at the time of final acceptance and formal

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2600000368 Final KSFB Event Merchandising Total Pages: 16 https://vss.ky.gov https://vss.ky.gov https://vss.ky.gov mailto:Finance.CRCGroup@ky.gov submission by the vendor. The system will not allow submission of an online proposal after the published date and time for closing.

A proposal may be modified or withdrawn by electronic or written notice ONLY if received prior to the bid closing date and time. An electronic offer may be modified by applying the appropriate electronic signature and following the procedure in the state’s eProcurement signature.

Failure to specifically acknowledge addenda will not excuse the vendor from adhering to all changes to the requirements of the solicitation set forth therein nor provide justification for any pricing changes.

All submitted technical and cost proposals shall remain valid for a minimum of six (6) months after the proposal due date.

All proposals must be received no later than close time and date.

Pricing shall only be provided in the Cost Proposal. DO NOT SUBMIT ANY

PRICING INFORMATION IN THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL.

All submitted Technical and Cost Proposals shall remain valid for a minimum of six (6) months after the proposal due date.

40.11 Technical Proposal Content

A. Transmittal Letter

The transmittal letter should be on the vendor’s letterhead, notarized and signed by an agent authorized to bind the vendor. The transmittal letter should include the following:

i. A statement that deviations are included, if applicable. Proposed deviations must be outlined in the transmittal letter.

Any deviation from the provisions of the solicitation must be specifically identified by the vendor in its proposal, which if successful, shall become part of the contract.

Such deviations shall not conflict with the basic nature of this solicitation. The Kentucky State Fair Board reserves the right to reject any and/or all deviations in whole or in part.

ii. The name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address of the contact person for this RFP. The address shall be one in which the major overnight delivery services will deliver.

iii. The name, address, telephone number, fax number and email address of the contact person as a point of contact for day-to-day operations.

iv. Company background and years in operations.

v. Financial stability statement. Proposers should include financial statement for the last two years.

DO NOT INCLUDE ANY COST IN THE TECHNICAL

RESPONSE. COST SHOULD BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY

40.12 Cost Proposal Content

The vendor should provide its costs for the proposed solution as instructed on the Cost Proposal Form. (see Attachment C)

A separate Bid Sheet is attached and must be included with the response. Bidders MUST enter $.01 in the Unit Price field as the electronic bid. This is the ONLY pricing that is to be entered electronically. All actual pricing must be on the Bid Sheet.

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The KSFB is Tax Exempt. Do not include Federal Excise Tax, Kentucky Sales or Use Tax in proposed costs.

A proposal shall not be considered for award if the price in the proposal was not arrived at independently without collusion, consultation, communication, or agreement as to any matter relating to such prices with any other offeror or with any competitor.

40.4 Registration with the Secretary of State by a Foreign Entity

Pursuant to KRS 45A.480(1)(b), an agency, department, office, or political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Kentucky shall not award a state contract to a person that is a foreign entity is required by KRS 14A.9-010 to obtain a certificate of authority to transact business in the Commonwealth (“certificate”) from the Secretary of State, therefore, foreign entities must submit a copy of their certificate with their solicitation response or it will be considered non-responsive.

Section 50 – Proposal Evaluation

50.1 Proposal Evaluation

The KSFB shall conduct a comprehensive, fair and impartial evaluation of all proposals.

The KSFB may reject any proposal that is incomplete or in which there are significant inconsistencies or inaccuracies. The KSFB reserves the right to reject all proposals.

The KSFB has established a Proposal Evaluation Committee to review, evaluate and verify information submitted by offeror.

Kentucky Venues reserves the right to request interviews, product samples, or additional information prior to award. Each vendor is responsible for submitting all relevant factual and correct information with their offer to enable the evaluators to afford each vendor the maximum score based on the available data submitted by the vendor.

Technical Proposal Evaluation

Criteria Maximum Points Possible

Design and Production (Section 30.3- 30.4) 300 E-Commerce Fulfillment (Section 30.5) 150 Inventory Model (Section 30.6) 150 Design and Brand Control (Section 30.7) 200 Experience with Comparable Events (Section 30.8) 200 Maximum Points Possible 1000

Cost Proposal Evaluation Criteria Maximum Points Possible

Wholesale Pricing & Margin Potential 500 Maximum Points Possible 500

The vendor should provide its costs for the proposed solution on the cost proposal form (see Attachment C).

The Kentucky State Fair Board is Tax Exempt. Do Not include federal excise tax, Kentucky Sales or Use Tax in proposed costs.

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Costs for developing the proposals are solely the responsibility of the offerors. The KSFB shall not provide any reimbursements for such costs.

The offeror is prohibited from making multiple proposals.

Total Proposal Evaluation

Criteria Maximum Points Possible Technical Proposal 1000

Cost Proposal 500

MAXIMUM POINTS POSSIBLE 1500

Section 60 – Negotiations

60.1 Negotiations

The KSFB reserves the right to negotiate a contract(s) with the top-ranked vendors. It is KSFB’s intent to award a contract(s) to vendor(s) with whom successful negotiations are completed.

Terms and conditions that may be negotiated at the sole discretion of the KSFB Include but are not limited to issues related to the Technical and/or Cost Proposals.

Section 70 – Attachments

70.1 Attachments

Attachments indicated below may be downloaded by accessing the Attachment link found on the solicitation details view page where this RFP was downloaded. Once the Attachment link is accessed, select the file name you wish to download, and select the “Download Attachment” hyperlink.

ATTACHMENT A – Terms and Conditions ATTACHMENT B – Vendors’ Question Form Attachment B ATTACHMENT C – Cost Proposal Form Attachment C ATTACHMENT D – Mandatory Checklist Attachment D ATTACHMENT E – Experience Form ATTACHMENT F– How To Respond To Online Bid

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