KSFB Event Merchandising

The Kentucky State Fair Board (KSFB), operating as Kentucky Venues, is conducting a Request for Proposal (RFP 235 2600000368) to procure comprehensive merchandise design, sourcing, production, and fulfillment services for official event merchandise across three major annual events: the National Farm Machinery Show (February, 300,000+ attendance), Kentucky State Fair (August, 600,000+ attendance), and North American International Livestock Exposition (November, 200,000+ attendance), plus facility-branded merchandise for Kentucky Venues' 300+ employees. Vendors must provide original merchandise design concepts, artwork development, product sourcing and manufacturing, physical samples, digital proofs, packaging, delivery of finished goods, and quality product photography supporting online sales across multiple product categories including apparel, headwear, outerwear, premium lifestyle merchandise, collectibles, and agriculture-themed goods featuring KSF, NFMS, and NAILE organization logos. The RFP encompasses approximately 180 line items including patches, caps, t-shirts, hoodies, polos, sweatshirts, jackets, magnets, sticker decals, koozies, beanies, pins, ornaments, and promotional merchandise with specifications including sizing, colors, material preferences, and decoration methods (embroidery, screen printing, and other techniques). Vendors must specify minimum order quantities, production lead times, drop-ship capabilities, inventory storage requirements, and reorder timelines, with optional e-commerce fulfillment services available including online store setup, order fulfillment, shipping, and returns processing. The RFP was released on March 20, 2026, with vendor questions due by March 27, 2026, addendum responses anticipated on April 3, 2026, and proposals due by April 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM EST; the anticipated contract term is two years with two optional two-year renewal periods subject to mutual agreement. Evaluation criteria comprise 1,000 points for technical criteria (design and production capability, e-commerce fulfillment options, inventory model, design and brand control, and comparable event experience) and 500 points for cost proposal based on wholesale pricing and margin potential, with mandatory submission requirements including completed bid information, technical proposal with vendor experience form, cost proposal with detailed pricing, and transmittal letter addressing mandatory content elements; proposals lacking any mandatory checklist items will be rejected regardless of qualifications or pricing.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has not identified set-aside designations or restrictions limiting organizational types that may respond to this procurement, nor has it identified incumbent vendors or current contractors in the provided documentation. Vendors must meet baseline qualifications demonstrating experience servicing events with attendance exceeding 200,000, adequate production capacity and annual output metrics, and documented comparable event merchandise programs conducted for state fairs, livestock shows, trade shows, or festivals; vendors must also submit financial statements for the previous two years to establish financial stability. The KSFB retains full control over branding, pricing, inventory management, point-of-sale systems, customer data, and sales reporting, with vendors transferring all custom artwork, designs, and production-ready files to KSFB as sole property; on-site retail operations will be conducted by KSFB staff. Pricing must remain firm for the first twelve months of the contract, with price increases thereafter requiring justification based on industry-wide changes and thirty days' notice, while price decreases must be passed through immediately. The KSFB is tax-exempt and requires vendors to exclude federal excise tax and Kentucky sales or use tax from proposed costs; KSFB reserves the right to award multiple contracts and does not grant exclusive merchandise rights to any vendor. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the solicitation documentation; the RFP structure operates on a firm fixed unit price arrangement based on the 180 itemized merchandise line items with individual unit pricing and extended prices to be proposed by vendors through the cost proposal form.