SLCo 2026 Temporary Public Art Installation, EcclesTheater 10th Anniversary - RFP

Salt Lake County Arts & Culture Division, on behalf of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater, is conducting an open competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) for the creation and installation of a temporary public art installation commemorating the theater's 10th Anniversary. The procurement seeks proposals exclusively from qualified artists residing in the state of Utah to design, fabricate, transport, and install an original artwork in the Grand Lobby of the Eccles Theater at 131 South Main, Salt Lake City. The artwork must span 80-82 feet in length across the full Grand Lobby extent with a floor-to-ceiling height of 50 feet, and will be displayed from September 2026 through August 2027 for thousands of theater visitors. Key deliverables include working drawings due within 60 days of contract execution, structural design review materials due within 120 days, and completed installation by August 19, 2026. Required qualifications include demonstrated artistic vision, professional experience with installations of similar scale and complexity, and the ability to obtain necessary insurance coverage. Proposals must be submitted by 1:00 PM Mountain Time on March 10, 2026, through the Utah Public Procurement Place (U3P) or email, with a mandatory pre-proposal conference on February 24, 2026, at 4:00 PM MDT via WebEx. Evaluation criteria on a 100-point scale include: 40 percent adherence to project goals and artistic quality, 25 percent structural integrity and maintenance, 15 percent scale/material/form/content, and 10 percent each for experience/qualifications and budget reasonableness.

The RFP is open to Utah-resident artists with no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises mentioned in the procurement documents. However, Salt Lake County offers preference points through its preference system to artists who provide employee health care benefits, demonstrate active veteran recruitment and hiring programs, or maintain drug and alcohol testing, job training, and OSHA-compliant safety programs. Artists selected for hanging installations must employ a Utah-licensed, Utah-stamped professional engineer to prepare required structural drawings and must maintain minimum insurance coverage including $500,000 commercial general liability per occurrence, $1,000,000 professional liability, and statutory workers' compensation. All artwork must comply with fire and safety standards or be treated with approved flame retardant materials, and hanging installations are limited to a maximum load of 1,000 pounds total (500-750 pounds recommended per rigging point). Up to $60,000 has been allocated for artwork acquisition through this competitive process, with artist compensation structured as a fixed fee paid in four equal 25 percent installments: upon contract execution, upon approval of working drawings, upon substantial completion of the artwork, and upon final acceptance following transportation and installation. Upon installation completion, the County obtains full ownership and possession of the artwork while the artist retains copyright to the original design.