North Street Water Tank - Gateway Messaging and Public Art/Design Project

The Town of Woodstock, Virginia is requesting qualifications from graphic designers and muralists to create a signature exterior design for the North Street Water Tank, a 2,000,000-gallon Composite Hydropillar structure visible from Interstate 81, with Stage 1 qualifications due July 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST.

This is a two-stage RFQ with no geographic restriction on applicants or prohibition on collaborative teams. Stage 1 requires submission of qualifications including a completed application form, cover letter, portfolio of five to eight work samples, project narrative (500 words or fewer), and resume or professional biography (15 pages total maximum). Shortlisted applicants will be notified by July 22, 2026 and will then submit design concepts and cost proposals by August 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST.

The design scope is a gateway messaging and public art installation on a curved surface approximately 100 feet in circumference and 30 feet in height (3,000 square feet) intended to attract highway travelers to downtown Woodstock. The Town anticipates award by October 6, 2026. Preliminary design is due November 1, 2026, with final design delivery in early 2027. The contract includes a milestone with 15 percent of the net contract value tied to the November 1 preliminary design brief deliverable.

The Town will provide a design stipend of $500 to all shortlisted applicants who submit complete Stage 2 responses, regardless of selection outcome, with payment within thirty days of the deadline. The selected designer or muralist will receive a fixed design fee based on their Stage 2 cost proposal, subject to negotiation prior to contract execution.

Evaluation of Stage 1 qualifications will be scored on portfolio and experience (0–50 points), project approach and understanding of the gateway messaging challenge (0–30 points), and references (0–20 points) for a total of 100 points. Upon contract execution and final payment, the Town receives full intellectual property rights to the design with unlimited reproduction and display rights in perpetuity; the artist retains portfolio display rights and receives public credit. Contact Katie Mercer, Business Development Manager, at kmercer@woodstockva.gov or (540) 459-3625.