2026 Vacation Guide-Print Project

The South Dakota Department of Tourism is seeking a vendor to print and distribute 260,000 copies of the 2026 Vacation Guide, with a maximum variance of 1%. The project requires printing an 8 x 10.125 trim size guide consisting of a folded cover and 244 text pages, perfect bound using 100 lb. gloss text weight for the cover and 36# paper for body pages. Materials will be uploaded by the buyer's team and regional tourism associations between November 20-25, 2025, with final files due by December 4, 2025. The printing will include color-accurate proofs, and distribution is scheduled for January 9-30, 2026, with guides being delivered to multiple locations including travel shows in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Denver, as well as various tourism association and department warehouses. The project contact is Thad Friedeman from the South Dakota Department of Tourism, who can be reached at Thad.Friedeman@TravelSouthDakota.com or 605-773-5329. Delivery specifications include precise packaging requirements such as shrink-wrapping, banding, and pallet packaging with specific instructions for bundles of 15 books and skid packing with hard board corner bracing.

The procurement opportunity follows the South Dakota Office of Procurement Management's guidelines, which emphasize open competition and fair purchasing practices. While no specific set-aside designations are explicitly mentioned, the state's vendor manual typically provides preferences to resident businesses, minority-owned enterprises, and South Dakota-based vendors when pricing and quality are substantially equal. The vendor must comply with the state's non-discrimination policies and meet corporate registration requirements. Although no specific budget range is provided in the documents, the comprehensive printing and distribution project involves significant logistical complexity, with guide quantities ranging from 500 to 196,035 across various locations. Potential vendors should be prepared to demonstrate capability in large-scale printing, precise packaging, and multi-location distribution. The project will be awarded based on the vendor's ability to meet the detailed printing specifications, packaging requirements, and delivery schedule outlined in the procurement documents.