KDFWR - Salato Wildlife Education Center Exhibit Design

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) Division of Administrative Services issued this Request for Proposals on December 5, 2022, for professional exhibit design services to create a permanent game hunting exhibition at the Salato Wildlife Education Center (SWEC) in Frankfort, Kentucky. The approximately 850 square foot exhibit will comprise 15 distinct display areas featuring interactive components, taxidermy displays, built environments such as a duck hunting blind, graphics, dioramas, audio-visual elements, push-button audio repeaters, light-up maps, and projected imagery designed to promote hunter recruitment and public engagement while educating visitors about hunting's benefits to wildlife conservation, habitat management, and public health. The selected vendor must provide comprehensive services including conceptual design, production, fabrication, delivery, installation, and all demolition and removal of existing exhibits, with the vendor assuming responsibility for graphic design, taxidermy sourcing or refurbishing, casework fabrication, flooring, lighting installation, and on-site installation during regular business hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Offerors must be professional full-service exhibit design firms with at least seven years of experience providing design services for projects of similar scope and size, with demonstrated lead designer experience on three comparable projects such as nature centers, zoos, or natural history museums; offerors must also provide a minimum of three current customer references and proof of professional affiliations such as the American Alliance of Museums or National Association for Museum Exhibition. The RFP evaluation will be based on a 100-point comprehensive scoring methodology: past experience with similar exhibits (30 points), general qualifications and design philosophy (20 points), timeline and completion schedule (20 points), cost proposal (20 points), and oral presentations (10 points), with contract award going to the highest-scoring responsive and responsible offeror rather than necessarily the lowest-cost bidder. Key dates include a mandatory pre-bid conference held on December 12, 2022, at 2:00 PM at SWEC; written questions due by December 14, 2022, with anticipated responses by December 21, 2022; proposals due electronically to FW.Solicitations@ky.gov by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on January 4, 2023; oral presentations scheduled for the week of January 23, 2023; anticipated contract award notification by January 30, 2023; and contract execution by February 15, 2023, with a mandatory project completion deadline of September 30, 2023, with no flexibility on this date.

No set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises are specified in this RFP, meaning the solicitation is open to all qualified vendors meeting the stated requirements; proposals must be submitted electronically and paper proposals will be deemed nonresponsive. The selected vendor must be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System and responsible for all design phases, logistics coordination, and on-site installation while ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and national and state regulations. The contractor must coordinate all electrical and technology integration with the facility's existing electrical systems at SWEC and will not require any additional construction, electrical, or other permits; failure to meet this requirement renders a bid nonresponsive. The initial contract term is one year with four optional one-year renewal periods, each subject to written approval from both the contractor and KDFWR, though no work is billable prior to contract execution by the KDFWR Commissioner. The exhibit budget is $300,000, representing an estimated average cost of $353 per square foot, which must cover all design, production, graphics, fabrication, delivery, and installation costs, and the contract award will be made to the highest-scoring responsive and responsible offeror based on the comprehensive evaluation criteria rather than cost alone.