RFP-274-PRCR-RACCSP2026-ArtsCommunityCreativeSpaces-Addendum.01.pdf

Request for Proposal #: 274-PRCR-RACCSP2026

Title: Raleigh’s Arts Community Creative Spaces Plan

Proposal Due Date & Time: September 25, 2026 by 5pm EST

Addendum No. 1 Issue Date: September 4, 2026 Issuing Department: Parks, Recreation & Cultural

Resources Direct All Inquiries to: Bekah Torcasso Park Planner bekah.torcasso@raleighnc.gov

This Addendum, containing the following additions, clarifications, and/or changes, is issued prior to receipt of submittal packages and does hereby become part of the original RFP documents and supersedes the original RFP documents in case of conflict.

Receipt of this addendum must be acknowledged by signing in the area indicated below. Please make the follow additions, clarifications, and/or changes to the RFP as listed below and sign and return this addendum with your submittal package.

Sign below and return this addendum with your proposal.

Proposer Name & Company: _____________________________ Date: __________

Signature: ____________________________ Title: __________________________ mailto:bekah.torcasso@raleighnc.gov

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Table of Contents Forthcoming Addendum Note

RFP Additions

RFP Section 1.1: Purpose

Appendices I-III

Pre-Proposal Meeting Recording

Responses to RFP Questions

I. Project Overview

II. Scope of Services & Period of Performance Questions

Forthcoming Addendum Note Please note this addendum addresses questions received about this RFP through Thursday, August 27. An additional and final addendum will be posted Friday, September

11. It will address all questions submitted after August 27 and prior to the written question submission deadline of Friday, September 4 at 5:00pm EST.

RFP Additions RFP Section 1.1: Purpose Text in the following paragraph from the RFP’s “Purpose” section on page 3 (Section 1.1) was revised. The new text is highlighted in yellow and underlined below.

“The City is seeking proposals that demonstrate expertise in strategic planning, research and data analysis, thoughtful and inclusive constituent and key stakeholder engagement, municipal planning processes, the arts and art making, arts and cultural facility assessment, and project management to effectively carry out this project as described in Sections 1.2 and 1.3: Background – About Raleigh and Project Context and Section 2:

Scope of Services.”

Appendices I-III The required forms listed in Appendices I-III can be downloaded as individual PDF files from this online folder.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/wrnyfsqxmdikbdloigscx/ALU4rGNHNmKeRmGkFYl5pqA?rlkey=hnul84veperehn6xwz7j6x65z&st=0jkmyivw&dl=0

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Pre-Proposal Meeting Recording The pre-proposal meeting for this RFP was held on Friday, August 28 at 1:00pm EST. The meeting was recorded and is available for viewing via this YouTube link.

Responses to RFP Questions Responses to questions received about this RFP through Thursday, August 27 are provided below.

I. Project Overview

1. I've found references online to an RFP that the City offered in 2024 that looks to be very similar to this opportunity: 274-PRCR-ArtsCulturalInfrastructurePlan.

Did this other project move forward? What was the result? If it didn't move forward, what interrupted it?

Raleigh Arts made a first attempt at starting this project in the second half of 2024.

The Arts, Culture & Community Infrastructure Strategic Plan RFP was posted, and we made it partway through the proposal evaluation process.

However, we wound up putting that project and RFP process on hold. Starting in late October 2024, a significant number of Raleigh arts organizations went into crisis and/or faced unexpected and potentially disruptive organizational transitions. Our priority shifted to developing a new technical assistance and funding program to help those arts groups successfully navigate the issues they faced. The resulting “Organizations in Transition” peer cohort program was successful and is now winding down, which frees us up to return to tackling the original critical issue – the arts community’s struggle to obtain and maintain adequate, affordable, and accessible creative spaces.

Over the past two years we have also continued to learn more about this issue, and funding for this project has switched from federal funding to local Raleigh dollars.

Both of those changes led us to restructure the project in ways we think will better address arts community space needs. Hence the new project name and revised

RFP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1L5Yl8t538

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II. Scope of Services & Period of Performance Questions

1. 'Creative Space' is defined very broadly (any structure supporting artmaking, sharing, learning, convening). Is there any prioritization expected among these types, or is the plan meant to treat all equally?

For this project the priority is to serve active artmakers and learners and address the spaces they need. It is not focused on passive art viewers and audiences. Currently, we value spaces to support artmaking, sharing, learning and convening equally.

However, through this planning process we may find that artists and arts groups need one type of space more than another, and/or some space needs are easier to address than others. Such findings could lead to prioritization of specific types of creative spaces.

2. Is there an anticipated project timeline for all parts of the scope of services and/or completion date for this project?

We expect to start this project in the first half of 2027, but there is no hard completion date. Project duration will be determined by the selected firm’s project design and timeline. Interested firms should include timelines in their proposals and may include preferred start and completion dates if they wish.

3. Is the consultant expected to perform physical or structural facility condition assessments (FCAs) of specific properties, or is this intended to be a high-level market and regulatory analysis focusing on zoning, development ordinances, and displacement trends?

Physical or structural facility condition assessments (FCAs) are not part of this project’s scope of work. While an understanding of City zoning and development ordinances will be useful to this project, research questions developed for this project will determine analysis topics. Regarding displacement trends, the City has already done multiple disparity studies, so data and analysis on that topic already exists.

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4. Will the City provide contact directories or existing feedback from the 40+ Raleigh Arts Partner Program organizations?

Yes, we will provide contact lists and/or existing feedback for all Raleigh Arts Partner organizations as needed for this project.

5. The RFP notes that a steering committee will partner on this project. How many members are expected to sit on this committee, and what is the City’s preferred frequency or target number of workshops and review touchpoints for this group during the Part 3 Strategic Planning phase?

The steering committee is likely to have 10-15 members. The design of the constituent and key stakeholder engagement plan will determine both how this group participates in the project and how frequently they convene.

6. To design an equitable and inclusive constituent engagement plan, will the City provide support such as booking physical venues within City-owned community and arts centers, managing public invitations, or providing live Spanish interpretation services? Or must the consultant fully budget for these logistical elements under the $250,000 budget cap?

The selected firm will not need to budget for meeting venues, translation services, and ADA accommodations. We will handle organizing and paying for those meeting logistics, as well as sending out participant invitations, obtaining A/V equipment (projectors, screens, and audio), and providing meeting snacks.

7. The RFP and sample contract place a strong emphasis on a "universal design approach" and meeting WCAG AA accessibility guidelines for web content and digital tools. Is the consultant expected to build, host, and maintain separate digital platforms or public-facing engagement tools, or will all final deliverables be integrated directly into the City’s existing web infrastructure (raleighnc.gov)?

The selected firm is not expected to build, host, and maintain separate digital platforms or public-facing engagement tools. We do expect the firm to have knowledge of and experience with universal design, including communications best practices.

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8. How should this plan relate to the 2016 Raleigh Arts Plan and the Public Art Strategic Plan: build directly on their frameworks, or develop independently?

Raleigh's Arts Community Creative Spaces Plan should be developed independently but in alignment with the Raleigh Arts Plan’s overall vision and goals.

The Raleigh Arts Plan provides additional background information and context beyond Raleigh’s vision for arts and culture, and it speaks to how residents value and engage in the arts. The Raleigh Arts Plan’s cultural asset inventory process and community engagement work did result in findings related to creative spaces, some of which became Arts Plan strategies, and all of which helped instigate the current long-range planning project.

While the Public Art Strategic Plan further affirms the values articulated in the Raleigh Arts Plan, it is not central to the current project. However, it too provides additional context to help proposers understand arts ecosystems here in Raleigh.