KET DMX Lighting Programmer FY26

The Kentucky Authority for Educational Television (KET) issued a Request for Proposal on May 7, 2025, for a personal services contract to provide DMX lighting control system programming services for its Network Center in Lexington, Kentucky, located in Fayette County. The primary objective is to engage a qualified DMX lighting programmer to design and program lighting schemes and presets for television studio sets in Studio A and Studio B, with Studio A work commencing in November 2025 and Studio B work scheduled for July 2026. Key deliverables include collaboration with a separately hired Lighting Designer, programming of ETC EOS show files, creation of custom ETC EOS Magic Sheets for quick adjustments, management of DMX distribution and channel assignments, documentation, and staff training, with two return visits per studio planned for final adjustments. Bidders must possess a mandatory requirement of ten years of documented DMX programming expertise and must identify any blackout dates between July 1, 2025, and August 1, 2026. The RFP evaluation is based on technical proposal criteria (worth up to 1,800 points) including submission of a custom ETC EOS Magic Sheet example (500 points), a sample DMX map (500 points), at least three photographic examples of completed lighting projects (300 points), and at least three professional industry references (500 points), combined with cost proposal evaluation (up to 400 points) where the lowest-priced proposal receives maximum points, and potential oral presentations by the top two vendors (up to 200 points), for a total maximum of 2,400 points. Critical deadlines include written questions due by May 14, 2025, and proposals due electronically by May 28, 2025, at 4:30 PM EST. The contract term runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with a renewal option of up to one additional two-year period subject to approval by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee.

Kentucky resident bidders and qualified bidders as defined by state statute may receive preference scoring under the procurement evaluation process. All bidders must be registered in the Commonwealth eProcurement System via the Vendor Self Service System and must submit proposals in three separate electronic parts: Technical Proposal, Cost Proposal, and any Proprietary Information. The contract is subject to Kentucky procurement law, including compliance with tax and employment laws, non-discrimination requirements, conflict-of-interest provisions, and access to records for audit purposes. The RFP does not identify any incumbent vendors or current contractors, though the contract requires integration with existing ETC EOS lighting control technology infrastructure at the facility. No specific award value or budget range is listed in the procurement documents; however, the contract is structured as a personal services engagement with defined deliverables scheduled over a twelve-month initial term with possible extension. No contract becomes effective until approved by the Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet and filed with the Legislative Research Commission Government Contract Review Committee.