Saxophone Symposium

The Department of the Navy Naval Supply Systems Command seeks to procure rental of a concert hall venue to host the U.S. Navy Band's annual International Saxophone Symposium scheduled for January 8-10, 2026. The procurement requires a venue capable of accommodating 5,000+ attendees with multiple spaces featuring superior acoustical quality, including areas for simultaneous musical clinics and recitals, an exhibiting area for 25 trade vendors, and technical support for two concert performances with staging and theater lighting system operations. The selected venue must demonstrate capability to provide all necessary infrastructure and support services for the symposium's duration. The solicitation is issued as a firm-fixed-price commercial item acquisition under NAICS code 711310 (Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities) with a PSC category of X1AB (Lease/Rental of Conference Space and Facilities). The response deadline is 10:00 AM on December 22, 2025, providing potential offerors with three days to prepare their proposals.

This is an unrestricted acquisition with no set-aside designations applied. George Mason University's Center for the Arts, located at 4400 University Drive in Fairfax, Virginia, has been identified as the sole source contractor of record due to its unique capabilities and established history of supporting Navy Band events. The venue is considered singularly qualified because it can simultaneously accommodate the symposium's concerts, clinics, and classes while providing superior acoustical performance and existing relationships for coordinated marketing and outreach. The contract will be performed entirely in Fairfax, Virginia, with Kerry Longbottom designated as the primary point of contact for George Mason University. While a specific contract value is not disclosed in the solicitation documents, the procurement is subject to a $40,000,000 small business size standard under the applicable NAICS classification.