Final_RFP_665_2600000314_1_SO_FORM.PDF

Document ID: RFP 665 2600000314 Page: 1

Commonwealth of Kentucky

SOLICITATION

Modification: No Version #:

TITLE: KHP SPONSORSHIP -Volunteer Program

Date Issued:

02/23/2026 Record Date:

02/13/2026

Solicitation Closes Date:

03/02/2026 Time:

15:00

Solicitation No:

RFP 665 2600000314

Online Bidding Prohibited: No For Information Call:

Jill Blevins 859-259-4210

Bid Receiving Location:

Kentucky Horse Park, Purchasing Office Jill Blevins 4089 Ironworks Parkway

Lexington KY 40511

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 665 2600000314 Page: 2

Line Items

Commodity Group: Default

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

1 KHP SPONSORSHIP -Volunteer Program

Comm Code Comm Description Manufacturer Model # Manuf Part #

96377 Sponsorships (All Types)

Extended Description The sponsorship for the Volunteer Program items can be provided as cash or in-kind products.

Desired Cash or In-Kind:

Bronze Sponsor- $100-$499 Silver Sponsor- $500-$999 Gold Sponsor- $1,000+

Shipping Information Kentucky Horse Park

4089 Ironworks Parkway

Lexington KY 40511

Billing Information Kentucky Horse Park

4089 Ironworks Parkway

Lexington KY 40511

Document ID: RFP 665 2600000314 Page: 3

Submission Checklist

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

Item

Sponsorship Opportunity Volunteer Program Sponsorship

Kentucky Horse Park

1. Purpose of this Document

A. This sponsorship opportunity is being issued by the Kentucky Horse Park, an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is issued in accordance with KRS 45A.097.

The purpose of this document is to solicit responses from one or more individuals or companies interested in reaching a diverse audience, including highly affluent equestrians, as a Volunteer Program Sponsor with the Kentucky Horse Park. With over 200 events per year and over 1.7 million visitors from around the world, this sponsorship will generate thousands of impressions for the interested party.

2. Background

A. Situated in the heart of the Bluegrass on over 1,200 pristine acres, the Kentucky Horse Park is widely known as one of the state’s leading tourist attractions, a state-of-the-art event venue, one of the nation’s premier equine competition facilities, and the state’s largest resort-style campground. Major events such as the Kentucky Three#Day Event, Junior League Horse Show, United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals, and The National Horse Show, all are held annually at the Kentucky Horse Park. However, you will also reach a much more expansive audience with non#equestrian events like: Truck & Tractor Pulls, Weddings, Rodeos, 5K’s, Youth Soccer Leagues, Dog Shows and Music Festivals, just to name a few. At the Kentucky Horse Park, you will reach local and international visitors and equestrians all year long.

B. About the Volunteer Program Sponsorship:

The KHP Volunteer Program was created to support Park staff and help in all areas—hands-on with horses, International Museum of the Horse, special events and shows, shuttle driving, tour guides and much more. While the program has no minimum of hours required, all volunteers must attend an orientation and hands-on training, with volunteer shifts based upon the volunteer’s interest and availability. Volunteers must be 18 to join, or 16 for the Minor Program, with parents required for orientation.

Up to 25 sponsorships are available. The sponsorship for the Volunteer Program items can be provided as cash or in-kind products.

Desired Cash or In-Kind:

Bronze Sponsor- $100-$499 Silver Sponsor- $500-$999 Gold Sponsor- $1,000+

3. Submission Dates A. In order to be considered for a sponsorship opportunity, Respondents must submit a response to this advertisement via the Vendor Self Service website by March 2, 2026.

4. Inquiries

A. Contacts with agents of the Commonwealth for information concerning response procedures shall be limited to the representative listed below. All communications, oral, written (regular, express, electronic mail, or fax), concerning this document shall be addressed to:

Karla DiNardo Re: Volunteer Program Sponsorship Opportunity

Document Phase Document Description Page 4

2600000314 Final KHP SPONSORSHIP -Volunteer Program Total Pages: 11

4089 Iron Works Parkway Lexington, KY 40511 karla.dinardo@ky.gov

B. Any verbal representations made or assumed to be made during any oral discussions are not binding on the Kentucky Horse Park or the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

5. Verification/Clarification of Information

A. The Kentucky Horse Park may request verification/clarification documentation from the Respondent of any information provided in its response.

6. Cost of Preparing Response

A. Costs for developing the response are solely the responsibility of the Respondent. The Kentucky Horse Park shall provide no reimbursements for such costs.

7. Termination

A. This agreement shall terminate at the expiration of the Term unless terminated earlier as follows:

1. By the Kentucky Horse Park upon a default by the Respondent in performance of any material provisions of this Agreement, unless Respondent remedies or has taken reasonable steps to remedy within thirty (30) days following receipt of written notice to Respondent from the Kentucky Horse Park of such default;

2. By the Kentucky Horse Park upon the making of Respondent of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the appointment of a trustee, receiver or similar officer of any court for the Respondent or for a substantial part of its property, whether with or without Respondent’s consent, or the institution of bankruptcy, composition, reorganization, insolvency or liquidation proceedings by or against the Respondent, if such proceedings shall not be dismissed with sixty (60) days from the date of the institution thereof;

3. By the Kentucky Horse Park at its convenience and sole discretion, with or without cause, upon thirty (30) days’ notice to the Respondent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, termination of this Agreement by the Kentucky Horse Park pursuant to this provision shall in all manner comply with the provisions of 200 KAR 5:312.

B. Respondent has the right to terminate this Agreement due to default by the Kentucky Horse Park to perform any material provision of this Agreement, unless the Kentucky Horse Park cures or has taken reasonable steps to cure with thirty (30) days following receipt of written notice to the Kentucky Horse Park from Respondent of such default.

C. If this Agreement is terminated by either Party under Clause 7(A), herein, Respondent shall have no further obligation to make any payments under the sponsorship agreement.

D. Pursuant to KRS 45A.105 the Kentucky Horse Park reserves the right to cancel or reject responses that are deemed not to be in the best interest of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

8. Scope, Benefits, and Evaluation Criteria

A. The Respondent shall clearly outline in its response to the Kentucky Horse Park if the Sponsorship Fee shall be paid in cash, or in-kind product. If the Respondent elects to pay with cash plus in-kind product, the products offered must satisfy a particular need of the Kentucky Horse Park as defined in KRS 45A.097 (4) (a). The Kentucky Horse Park shall be solely responsible for determining if the proposed in-kind products satisfy this requirement.

B. The following benefits that will be made to the successful Respondent(s):

Document Phase Document Description Page 5 mailto:karla.dinardo@ky.gov

# Sponsor identification in Volunteer Program references made by the Kentucky Horse Park.

# Recognition of sponsor on KHP website/Volunteer Program Page with a live link to the sponsor’s website. (Bronze level- name only)

# KHP will allow sponsor to provide brochures or other promotional materials to be distributed to volunteer

# KHP will promote sponsors jointly on one (1) social media post on official social media channels, Facebook and Instagram.

# Respondent will be able to state in its promotional materials (printed or electronic) that sponsor is a “Volunteer Program Sponsor of the Kentucky Horse Park.”

Respondent understands it cannot claim to be an “official sponsor” pursuant to KRS 45A.097, which prohibits such verbiage or an endorsement by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

# KHP will provide Respondent up to two (2) passes to the Kentucky Horse Park, upon request.

# Other promotional opportunities consistent with the class of benefits as defined above, as mutually agreed upon.

C. Evaluation Criteria

Any and all proposals will be considered. However, the Respondent will address, at a minimum, the selection criteria hereinafter listed:

# Financial Proposal: The successful Respondent will be responsible for outlining the specific method in which they will fulfill the Sponsorship Fee requirements.

# Term: Respondent shall be recognized as a Volunteer Program Sponsor for a period of one (1) year. Two (2) additional one (1) year periods are available for renewal.

# Financial Stability: Respondent shall submit with its proposal sufficient evidence of its financial stability to fulfill the sponsorship request as specified.

D. Please provide any additional information that the Respondent feels should be considered when evaluating their proposal. The Respondent may present any creative value-added approaches that might be appropriate. The Respondent may also provide supporting documentation that would be pertinent to this RFP.

9. Statement of General Nature of Proposed Sponsorship

A. The Kentucky Horse Park is an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As such, we must comply with applicable state laws, regulations, and procedures as they relate to donations, sponsorships, procurement, and other acquisitions.

B. Product sponsors of the Kentucky Horse Park receive incredible exposure and name recognition to local, national and international visitors, particularly to an affluent equestrian audience. As an event sponsor, your organization can join other current and former sponsors including many distinguished companies.

10. General Conditions

A. Respondent’s Responsibilities during the Award Term

1. If cash, then Respondent shall outline its financial proposal including, but not limited to, payment plan and escalation factors in sufficient detail so that a thorough analysis of the proposal may be performed. If in-kind, then Respondent will provide a detailed list of items to be provided for review by the Kentucky Horse Park.

2. KRS 45A.485 requires that contractors, including sponsorship 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, Document Phase Document Description Page 6 occupational safety and health laws, unemployment insurance laws, and workers compensation laws, respectively.

3. To comply with the provisions of KRS 45A.485, the successful bidders 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, which issue the final determination.

4. KRS 45A.485 also provides that, for the duration of any contract, successful bidders 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.

5. Successful bidders will be required to disclose whether they have a current contract with the Commonwealth or any agency of Commonwealth government.

6. No successful bidder may claim to be an “official sponsor” due to KRS 45A.097.

which prohibits such verbiage or an endorsement by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

B. The Kentucky Horse Park’s Responsibilities during the Award Term

1. The Kentucky Horse Park’s responsibilities are listed in Section 8 above.

C. Disputes

1. 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 pursuant to

KRS 45A.235.

2. Pending final determination of any dispute hereunder, the Respondent will proceed diligently with the performance of the Award in accordance with the Finance and Administration Cabinet. This section does not preclude consideration of legal questions in connection with the decision provided for above, provided that nothing in the Award shall be construed as making final the decision of any administrative official, representative or board on a question of law.

D. Choice of Law and Forums

1. This Award shall be construed according to the laws of the Commonwealth of

Kentucky. Any legal proceedings against the Commonwealth regarding any resultant Award shall be brought in Commonwealth of Kentucky administrative or judicial forums. Venue will be in Franklin County, Commonwealth of Kentucky.

E. Employment Practices

1. The Respondent 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, and shall comply with local ordinances or other applicable laws The Respondent 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. Respondent agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to

Document Phase Document Description Page 7 employees and applicants for employment, notices setting forth the provision of this clause.

2. The Respondent shall, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the Respondent, 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, and shall comply with local ordinances or other applicable laws.

3. The Respondent shall comply with all applicable state, federal, and local laws.

F. Certificate of Authority

1. The Respondent or Respondents deemed most acceptable for award shall furnish a copy of the official documentation, such as certificate of authority and/or appropriate filing of certificate of assumed name, which authorizes the Respondent to conduct business in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a domestic or foreign corporation or other recognized business entity, prior to contract award. The Commonwealth of Kentucky reserves the right to verify any information provided prior to contract award.

2. Furthermore, failure to maintain any and all required proper authorization to conduct operations in Kentucky under the specified business name of the Respondent during the life of any contract awarded may be deemed a breach of contract by the Respondent and treated accordingly by the Commonwealth.

G. Access to Records

1. The state agency certifies that it is in compliance with the provisions of KRS 45A.695, "Access to contractor's books, documents, papers, records, or other evidence directly pertinent to the contract." The Contractor, as defined in KRS 45A.030 (8) and (10), 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 agreement for the purpose of financial audit or program review. The Contractor 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. Records and other prequalification information confidentially disclosed as part of the bid process shall not be deemed as directly pertinent to the agreement and shall be exempt from disclosure as provided in KRS 61.878(1) (c).

H. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Vendor agrees to adhere to CIO-126 Artificial Intelligence Policy.pdf, which includes but is not limited to, the required written disclosure, in advance, of every use of generative AI and/or integrations with generative AI system. Vendor agrees to disclose all parts of contracted work that is expected to be or will be performed with the assistance of AI. Further, Vendor understands and agrees to take appropriate measures to ensure Generative AI shall not be used for any activities that are illegal or in violation of state policy, COT policy, or agency policy per CIO-126. Vendors may not use Commonwealth confidential or internal data in generative AI queries or for building or training proprietary generative AI programs unless explicitly approved in writing by the agency head with consultation from the COT Chief

Document Phase Document Description Page 8 https://technology.ky.gov/policies-and-procedures/PoliciesProcedures/CIO-126%20Artificial%20Intelligence%20Policy.pdf

Information Officer. Vendor agrees to provide reasonable written notice of any issue of noncompliance with these requirements.

11. Technical Response Format

A. Responsiveness

1. In order to be considered for selection, responses submitted shall be completely responsive to this document. All conditions printed herein are hereby made a part of the conditions under which the response is submitted and shall be incorporated into any award on this project. Further, the contents of a response shall become part of any award resulting from that response.

2. Respondent must include their dollar amount, and a list of experience/previous sponsorship activities when responding to this opportunity for sponsorship.

3. The Kentucky Horse Park reserves the right to reject any Respondents whose branding, image, or mission is in conflict with the agency’s goals or mission, or that exceeds its requirements. Selected Respondents are expected to provide support and meet their obligations through the duration of the fiscal year.

B. Technical Response

1. The process for selecting the most suitable Volunteer Program Sponsors is designed to attract competitive bids from corporations supportive of increasing the Kentucky Horse Park’s profile regionally, nationally, and internationally.

2. Proposals by respondents will be evaluated on the basis of criteria deemed most appropriate for a successful partnership. These criteria include, but are not limited to:

a. Financial Structure of Proposal

b. Term of proposal

c. Financial stability of Respondent

3. The technical response is requested to be brief and concise and should include, at a minimum, the following:

a. Signed solicitation cover page

b. Title page with contact information

c. Table of contents, if applicable

d. Notice of any deviations from stated requirements

e. Respondent background including date established and a brief history

f. Notarized Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors, and Contractors (Attachment A)

g. Sponsorship Response

C. Technical Response Evaluation

1. The Kentucky Horse Park shall evaluate all technical responses in accordance with KRS 45A.097. All responses to this sponsorship opportunity will be evaluated in accordance with KRS 45A.097. Responses will be accepted with a score of 80 or above, based upon the following evaluation criteria:

Responsiveness to Solicitation 20 Points Conciseness/Clarity Title page/Table of Contents Transmittal Letter Respondent Information

Respondent and Background 20 Points Date Established

Document Phase Document Description Page 9

Brief Historical Information Nature of Business – Compatibility with

Mission of Kentucky Horse Park

Sponsorship Response 60 Points Items or money being offered to

Total Points 100 Points

2. Respondents must remit the Technical Response via Vendor Self Service website by

March 2, 2026.

3. The Technical Response shall be evaluated and scored by the Kentucky Horse Park Commission’s evaluation committee. Total maximum score on the Technical Response is 100 points.

Document Phase Document Description Page 10

Attachment A

Rev. 9-16-22

Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors and Contractors

(KRS 45A.110 & 45A.115)

Affidavit Effective for One (1) Year from Date of Execution

Instructions: Pursuant to KRS 45A.110 and 45A.115, a bidder, offeror, or contractor (“Contractor”) is required to submit a Required Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors, and Contractors to be awarded a contract, or for the renewal of a contract. An authorized representative of the contracting party must complete the attestation below, have the attestation notarized, and return the completed affidavit to the Commonwealth.

Attestation

As a duly authorized representative for the Contractor, I swear and affirm under penalty of perjury, that that the Contractor has not knowingly violated campaign finance laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and that the award of a contract will not violate any provision of the campaign finance laws of the Commonwealth. For purposes of this attestation, "Knowingly" means that the bidder or offeror is aware or should have been aware of the existence of a violation. The bidder or offer understands that the Commonwealth retains the right to request an updated affidavit at any time.

Signature Printed Name

Title Date

Bidder or Offeror Name: Address:

Commonwealth of Kentucky Vendor Code (If known):

Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of , . State of: Notary: County of:

My Commission Expires:

Document Phase Document Description Page 11

2600000314 Final KHP SPONSORSHIP -Volunteer Program Total Pages: 11 https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=22348 https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=22349