Ticketing Company-SD State Fair

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, State Fair Park Division is issuing a Request for Proposal to procure comprehensive electronic ticketing company services for the South Dakota State Fair and non-fair time events. The procurement requires an experienced vendor to provide online and box office ticket sales for grandstand events, gate admission, camping and trailer parking, and horse stall reservations; statistical reporting on sales and demographics; barcode and credential printing systems; ticket scanning technology; eight gate admission houses with sales equipment and scanners; seven point-of-sale kiosks; and onsite technical support during the fair with customer support capabilities. The vendor must demonstrate specialized expertise in fair operations, available resources, strong past performance records, effective project management capabilities, and the ability to manage operational constraints. The RFP evaluation criteria prioritize technical competence and methodology, available resources, cost, past performance quality, project management approach, and ability to handle the fair's operational requirements. Proposals must be submitted in original form plus two identical copies and one electronic copy on a USB drive in Microsoft Word or PDF format by 5:00 PM Central Time on May 4, 2026. Interested parties may submit inquiries for clarification by April 13, 2026, with responses to be posted by April 20, 2026. The contract award is anticipated by May 25, 2026, with a five-year term beginning June 1, 2026, and ending September 30, 2031, covering the annual State Fair operation from late August through early September for the years 2027 through 2031.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting the types of organizations that can respond. Standard South Dakota state contract requirements apply, including commercial general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000, workers' compensation insurance, and professional liability insurance where applicable. All cost proposals must be comprehensive, encompassing all expenses related to service provision including travel, equipment, and technical support, with no separate reimbursement for expenses. Contractors with five or more employees on contracts exceeding $100,000 must certify compliance with Executive Order 2020-01 regarding Israel boycott restrictions and SDCL Chapter 5-18A regarding foreign entity ownership restrictions. The RFP does not identify an incumbent vendor, current contractor, or existing technology infrastructure requiring integration. No specific budget range or award value is listed in the RFP documentation, indicating that pricing will be evaluated competitively among qualified proposers. The State reserves the right to negotiate terms with the highest-ranked proposer and, if negotiations fail, to proceed with subsequent ranked proposers.