Audio Service and Rental

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, on behalf of Kentucky Venues, issued Request for Bid (RFB) 758-2100000549 for the establishment of a Master Agreement for audio service and rental equipment for use at the Kentucky State Fair. The procurement seeks vendors to provide complete sound system rentals and sound technician services for an estimated two to five systems per rental period of 11 days each. Required equipment includes 24-channel front-of-house mixers, 3-way speaker systems with minimum 2,000 watts output, 16x4 monitor mixers, floor wedges, drum monitors, and associated microphones, cables, stands, and accessories. Sound technicians must possess a minimum of four years' experience in stage show audio equipment operation, with resumes required at bid submission. The solicitation was issued on March 26, 2021, with written vendor questions due April 1, 2021, at 12:00 PM ET and bid responses due April 9, 2021, at 1:30 PM ET. Award will be made on a best-value basis utilizing a ranking approach allocating 90 points to price (with the lowest bidder receiving maximum points) and 10 points to experience (years exceeding the four-year minimum requirement, capped at 50 years for evaluation purposes). The initial contract period is one year beginning tentatively April 27, 2021, with four optional one-year renewal periods available.

Kentucky resident bidders may receive reciprocal preference against nonresident bidders from states providing preference to their own residents, and qualified bidder preferences of 15-20 percent apply to Kentucky Correctional Industries, Kentucky Industries for the Blind, and certain nonprofit organizations furthering specific purposes under Kentucky statute. All bidders must complete and submit the required Annual Affidavit certifying compliance with Kentucky campaign finance laws, tax registration requirements, and other statutory obligations, and must acknowledge understanding of all terms and conditions in Attachment A or face bid disqualification. Electronic bid submission through the Commonwealth eProcurement System (Kentucky Vendor Self Service portal at https://emars311.ky.gov/webapp/vssprdonline3111d/AltSelfService) is mandatory, with all pricing submitted on the attached Bid Price Sheet calculating daily rates for sound system rental (estimated 55 days) and hourly rates for technician services (estimated 1,500 hours). Prices must remain firm for 60 days after the bid due date, be quoted F.O.B. Destination Freight Prepaid and Allowed, and may not increase during the first 12 months of the contract; thereafter, increases may be requested with 30 days' notice and industry-wide justification. The solicitation documents do not specify an overall budget or award value range.