Inflatable Services

The University of Texas at Austin is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified vendors to provide inflatable services, including carnival and fair equipment such as bounce houses and interactive games (NIGP Commodity Code 03725). Prospective vendors must submit complete proposals through the University's Euna Procurement portal by April 20, 2026 at 2:30 PM CDT, with an Intent to Bid submission due at 1:30 PM CDT the same day to access the proposal submission system. The question and clarification period runs from March 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM CDT through March 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM CDT. Required proposal documentation includes a cover letter, qualifications and reputation statement, quality of proposed services description, ability to meet university needs statement, staffing resources and business relationship information, project pricing and delivery schedule, execution of offer, and acknowledgment of addenda. Vendors must also provide company legal name and principal place of business address, state of incorporation, years in business, employee count, annual revenue volume, parent corporation information, financial statements, financial rating documentation, and a minimum of three customer references with similar work within the past five years. Text responses are limited to 2,000 characters per submission, with a maximum file upload size of 1,000 MB. The University reserves the right to select a contractor based on initial proposals, conduct oral presentations with selected respondents, request best and final offers, or reject all proposals and re-solicit or abandon the process.

The RFP documents do not explicitly identify specific set-aside designations, disadvantaged enterprise restrictions, or incumbent vendor information. However, the University of Texas at Austin may extend contract opportunities to other Texas institutions of higher education within The University of Texas System through group purchasing procurement methods authorized under the Texas Education Code, potentially creating expanded purchase volumes. The compensation structure is flexible and may include payments tied to successful completion of deliverables, hourly rates with maximum hour caps, or flat project fees, subject to a specified fee cap that cannot be exceeded without prior written University approval. Reimbursable expenses include travel-related costs such as meals, lodging, and coach class airfare, subject to the University of Texas at Austin Handbook of Business Procedures and a separate expense cap. Contract performance is contingent upon appropriated funds availability, with the University able to terminate the resulting agreement at the end of any fiscal year (August 31) if funding is not appropriated for continuation, or immediately with thirty days' notice if funds are withdrawn. The specific award value or total contract budget range is not detailed in the available RFP documentation.