KET DMX Lighting Programmer 2025

Kentucky Educational Television (KET), a Commonwealth of Kentucky agency located in Fayette County, is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for DMX lighting control system programming services for its Network Center in Lexington, Kentucky. The scope of work encompasses comprehensive programming of lighting schemes and presets for television studio sets, including collaboration with a separately hired Lighting Designer, complete programming of ETC EOS show files, creation of custom Magic Sheets with quick-access layouts, DMX distribution management with channel assignment documentation, and staff training on lighting configuration and best practices. Bidders must possess a mandatory minimum of 10 years of expertise with DMX programming and demonstrated experience with broadcast television lighting, contemporary LED fixtures, ETC network administration, DMX gateways, opto-isolators, RDM, sACN, Art-Net devices, and complex nationally televised broadcast productions through PBS. The contract period runs from April 15, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with an option to renew for up to two additional years through June 30, 2028; Studio A programming is estimated to begin in November 2025, with Studio B work forecasted for July 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically through Kentucky's Vendor Self Service System by April 3, 2025, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time, with written questions due by March 17, 2025. Evaluation criteria include technical merit scored on 1,800 points based on submission of a custom ETC EOS Magic Sheet example (500 points), a DMX map from a previous project (500 points), photographs of three completed projects (300 points), and three professional industry references (500 points); cost proposals are valued at 400 points with the lowest price receiving maximum points and remaining proposals scored proportionally; and oral presentations or demonstrations for the top two proposals may be required and are worth up to 200 additional points, for a total possible 2,400 points.

Kentucky resident bidder reciprocal preferences and qualified bidder preferences apply as governed by KRS 45A.490, 45A.492, and 45A.494. All vendors must be registered with the Commonwealth eProcurement System and submit proposals in three separate documents: Technical Proposal, Cost Proposal, and any Proprietary Information. No pricing information is permitted in the technical proposal, and proposals must remain valid for a minimum of six months following the due date. The Commonwealth reserves the right to conduct clarifications, request Best and Final Offers, negotiate fair and reasonable compensation based on submitted pricing, reject any or all proposals, and has established a formal protest procedure with the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet for aggrieved vendors. The contract is subject to approval by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and filing with the Legislative Research Commission's Government Contract Review Committee before becoming effective, and no billable work shall commence until a valid executed contract exists. The RFP does not specify a budget range or contract value, with pricing to be determined through the competitive proposal evaluation process.