Artists Government Bids & RFPs

The deadline for submitting RFQ applications is April 16, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time. The city will not accept late applications.

Finalists are eligible for a $2,000 honorarium for design, presentation, and site visit costs, paid in two installments. Artists selected for design development can receive up to 10% of their total proposed budget, not exceeding $20,000, to cover design finalization and engineering plans. This advance payment will be deducted from the total project budget if the proposal proceeds to fabrication.

The artist will be required to guarantee, maintain, and remedy, at their own cost, any defects or faults in workmanship or materials that appear within a period of ten (10) years from the date of final acceptance of the artwork by the city.

Phase I RFQ selection criteria include artistic merit (40%), quality of completed projects (20%), experience (15%), alignment with the master plan (15%), community engagement/mentorship (5%), and local vendor preference (5%). Phase II criteria focus on artistic merit of the design (30%), content impact (20%), site specificity (20%), feasibility (10%), budget (10%), and community engagement/mentorship (5%), and local vendor preference (5%).

Applicants must be professional artists, artist teams, architects, or landscape architects who have not previously been selected for a City of Madison percent for art project. They should have experience completing major outdoor public artwork and integrating art into public sites. Art consultants are not eligible unless applying on behalf of an identified artist or team.

A mandatory in-person tour, orientation, and site visit is scheduled for Monday, June 15, 2026.

Applicants must submit 10 work samples representing previously completed projects that are relevant to the call. Images must be in JPG format, with specific resolution, DPI, compression, and file size limitations.

The deadline for questions is Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time. Answers will be posted as an addendum by Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

The estimated budget for individual artworks ranges from $100,000 to $750,000. The total estimated value for the project is not explicitly stated but is informed by the potential range for individual works.

The deadline for receipt of proposals is Monday, April 20, 2026, no later than 2:00 p. m. HST. The project work period begins May 1, 2026, and ends April 30, 2027.

The bid notice states that the contractor will be required to submit an invoice along with any related deliverables in order to receive payment. The contractor is to propose a payment schedule in the budget proposal, and each payment must have associated deliverables tied to it.

The bid notice states that written proposals will be reviewed, evaluated, and scored by an evaluation committee based on the criteria of project work proposal (40 points), demonstrated past performance, qualifications, professional references (40 points), and budget (20 points).

The bid notice requires proposals to include qualifications and professional references, and states that proposals may be automatically rejected for lack of demonstrated experience or expertise.

The bid notice requires applicants to create and upload relevant work samples.

The bid notice states that all bells must be in place by December 31, 2026, and remain on display. The exterior bell placement timing will vary depending upon weather conditions. The bid notice also mentions that a bell unveiling ceremony will take place for each bell placed, and this date will be agreed upon by America250PA, the sponsor, and the artist, and will determine the date to return the finished bell.

The bid notice states that each artist whose design is selected for the exhibition will be paid a $1,250 honorarium, with $625 upon bell delivery and $625 after a final review of the bell design ensuring it matches the approved bell design. The copyright assignment also mentions that America250PA shall pay the artist a $1,250 honorarium within 30 days of the completion of their bell, if the finished bell is approved for exhibition.

The bid notice states that America250PA will review applications as soon as they are submitted to ensure compliance with guidelines. Final approval will be decided by America250PA's arts and culture subcommittee. Designs will be evaluated to ensure they conform to guidelines, and America250PA may reject any design that, in its sole discretion, does not adhere to these guidelines.

The bid notice states that Bells Across PA is open to all Pennsylvania artists, preferably from Lackawanna County, and groups from the acclaimed to the amateur. Painters, sculptors, craftsmen, multimedia artists, and other wildly creative people are all encouraged to apply. Each commissioned bell will receive one honorarium regardless of group size.

The bid notice states that any changes made to the approved bell design will require completion of a new application and will delay delivery of the bell until the new design is approved. The copyright assignment also mentions that artist acknowledges and agrees that due to the nature of the public display of the finished bell, America250PA shall not be liable for any distortion, mutilation, modification, or destruction of the finished bell by accident, act of god or person. The artist waives their rights under the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) in the event of such distortion, mutilation, modification, or destruction. If the finished bell is vandalized, damaged, or otherwise modified and the artist is unable or unwilling to promptly repair such alteration, America250PA shall have the right to make, or have made, such repairs, even if the repairs would constitute a distortion, mutilation, or modification under VARA. The artist waives their rights under VARA in the event and to the extent America250PA deems such repair necessary.

The bid notice states that each artist whose design is selected for the exhibition will be provided with a 3 foot by 3 foot, blank, ready-to-paint fiberglass bell and will be paid a $1,250 honorarium.