The City of Pittsburgh is soliciting qualifications of artists and artist teams to realize public artwork(s) as part of the design of the new Davis Avenue Bridge, anticipated in 2023. The community is looking for artwork(s) that celebrate the rebuilding of a bridge, originally constructed in 1898 and demolished in 2009. This project is made possible by the City of Pittsburgh’s Percent for Art Program. The budget is $30,000.
Department:
City Planning
The following represents the tentative schedule for this project. Any change in the scheduled dates for the Pre Proposal Conference (if applicable), Deadline for Submission of Written Questions, or Proposal Submission Deadline will be advertised in the form of an addendum to this RFP. The schedule for the evaluation process and other future dates may be adjusted without notice.
All proposals must be submitted electronically. No proposal shall be accepted in person, by U.S. Mail, by private courier service, via oral or email communication, telephone or fax transmission.
Respondents are required to provide one (1) electronic copy of their proposal in either MS Word or PDF by the submission deadline.
Late proposals will not be accepted or considered. Respondents should allow enough time to register company on the City's e-Procurement Portal, search the solicitation they wish to respond to and complete the submission process online before the deadline.
The City of Pittsburgh shall not be responsible for proposals delivered to a person or location other than that specified herein.
All submittals, whether selected or rejected, shall become the property of the City of Pittsburgh and will not be returned.
All costs associated with proposal preparation shall be borne by the applicant.
The Davis Avenue Bridge, previously demolished in 2009 due to deterioration of the structure and potential safety concerns of the original 1898 design, is to be rebuilt as a multi- use/pedestrian bridge to reconnect Brighton Heights to Riverview Park. The prior structure, which featured state of the art concepts and materials for its time and had been rehabbed in 1986, had finally exceeded its design life. The proposed bridge will seek to emulate its predecessor while embracing new technology to minimize construction costs and impacts the adjacent communities. For more information on the project, see Appendix A. For project design renderings, see Appendix B.
The selected applicant is expected to collaborate with the City of Pittsburgh to:
• Engage in a planning process including internal project design sessions, community planning meetings, and outside engagement as necessary for their strategic approach.
• Create a concept for the artwork that clearly demonstrates functionality and constructability.
• Outline methods of fabrication and installation for the artwork.
• Present a detailed proposal of the final design for approval by the project team and Art Commission.
• Manage the site prep, fabrication, and installation of the approved artwork by the project deadline.
• Draft the maintenance plan for the life of the artwork.
Artworks must be appropriate, accessible, and safe for all ages and ability levels. All artworks must comply with City safety and permitting regulations. The interventions should be created to last at least ten years. Projects that require ongoing maintenance (beyond routine cleaning and area upkeep) without a plan for this upkeep will not be given final approval.
The selected Applicant will be responsible for incorporating all relevant costs within the overall project budget, including but not limited to travel, administrative costs (such as shop or construction drawings), design development, fabrication, delivery, and installation of the artwork. The budget for the entire project is $30,000, and up to 20% ($6,000) may be allocated as an artist fee.
All applications must be submitted by a lead artist. The lead artist may apply individually or with an artist team. If the lead artist is working with an artist team, all artist team members must provide a statement of interest in the project.
Lead artists must have successfully completed at least one prior project of significant impact and scale, and who have proven experience working collaboratively on project execution. Selected artists will be expected to fabricate their own work or directly subcontract for the fabrication.
Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria:
• Aesthetic quality of previous work (30%)
• Experience working collaboratively (30%)
• Readiness to work in public space (30%)
• Quality and completeness of application materials (10%)
Please submit the following:
1. A narrative that is no more than 1500 words, including a statement of interest in the project and applicable experience.
2. Work samples. Up to 10 images or videos that display relative and representative experience with work similar to the scope of this project. For each work sample please provide the title of the project, location of the project, date when it was completed, the project budget, and list any collaborators if relevant.
3. An artist resume or CV.
4. The name, title, address, email address and phone numbers for three professional references.
Award will be based on previous work and experience. Proposals for specific artworks will not be reviewed at this time. The selected applicant will work closely with the City of Pittsburgh to develop the artwork.
PACD will hold two Artist Information Sessions, which interested applicants are invited to attend. These sessions will review the steps necessary to register and submit an application on the City's procurement platform, as well go over the scope and details of two public art projects: Davis Avenue Bridge and Arsenal Park. Artists will have the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A regarding the artist calls and the application process.
Artists should RSVP for one (or both) of the Information Sessions by clicking the white and blue "RSVP" button in the top left side of the screen when viewing the Solicitation.
Artist Information Session 1
Friday, January 14, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Artist Information Session 2
Wednesday, January 19, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
All submitted responses shall follow the formatting below, and all proposals will need to be provided electronically through the City's e-Procurement Portal. If hard copies of submissions are required, each numbered section shall be a removable tab. Document pages shall be 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches in size or folded to such a size.
A. Artist Narrative
Narrative that is no more than 1500 words, including a statement of interest in the project and applicable experience. All artist team members must sign the submitted narrative or provide a separate statement of interest.
B. Work Samples
Up to 10 images or videos that display relative and representative experience with work similar to the scope of this project. For each work sample please provide the title of the project, location of the project, date it was completed, the project budget, and list any collaborators if relevant.
C. Artist resume(s) or CV
D. References
Name, title, address, email address and phone numbers for three professional references
Failure to include all of the elements specified may be cause for rejection. Additional information may be provided, but should be succinct and relevant to the goals of this RFP. Excessive information will not be considered favorably.
Selection Procedure
Your Proposal will be evaluated by a Proposal Committee comprised of the Director or other supervisor of the Using Department, one or more members of the Director’s staff, at least one member of the Office of Management & Budget and any other department representatives as deemed necessary.
Submittals will be reviewed for responsiveness, and responsive submittals will further be screened by a selection committee in accordance with the criteria listed below. The applicant(s) submitting the highest rated proposal may be invited for interviews.
Do the Applicant’s visual samples show an impactful creative viewpoint and the achievement of their stated artistic intentions?
Has the Applicant successfully worked with others to achieve planned outcomes?
Do the Applicant’s previous work experiences indicate that the artist is poised to be successful at this public art opportunity?
Has the Applicant thoughtfully supplied all necessary materials?
After the City has received all Proposals and conducted its initial Evaluation, described above, the Proposal Committee may invite one or more Respondents to a follow-up interview to further discuss their Proposal(s).
The Proposal Committee may decide to accept the Proposal of one or more Respondents. It may decide to reject all proposals. Once a Proposal is accepted, the contract negotiation process will commence. This RFP and your response to it, in the form of your entire Proposal, will become part of the Contract. If a real or apparent conflict should arise between this RFP/Proposal and other language contained in the final Contract, the language of the final Contract shall control.
Successful Respondents will be required to enter into a Contract with the City of Pittsburgh, contingent upon the approval of City Council. This Contract will be directed and managed by the issuing department and the Office of Management & Budget.
Work cannot commence on the Scope of the RFP until a contract is fully executed. The City cannot process invoices nor approve payments until this Contract has been fully executed by the Respondent and all required City signatories, including the issuing department, the Law Department, and the City Controller.
City laws and policies mandate the incorporation of various custom terms and conditions into all City contracts. For this reason the City will not sign any standard contract proffered by the respondent.
An agreement shall not be binding or valid with the City unless and until it is fully executed by authorized representatives of the City and of the Proposer. Once the Contract is fully executed the City will notify Respondent in writing and give the order to proceed.
Respondent’s proposal shall remain firm and effective, subject to the City’s review and approval, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from the closing date for the receipt of proposals.
The City may enter into negotiations with one or more Respondents during the one hundred twenty (120) day period during which all proposals will stay effective. The purpose of such negotiations will be to address questions and identify issues as the parties move towards the execution of a final contract or contracts.
Unauthorized contact regarding this RFP with employees or officials of the City of Pittsburgh other than the RFP Coordinator named in the header section of this solicitation may result in disqualification from this procurement process.
Neither Respondent(s) nor any person acting on Respondent(s)’s behalf shall attempt to influence the outcome of the award by the offer, presentation or promise of gratuities, favors, or anything of value to any appointed or elected official or employee of the City of Pittsburgh, their families or staff members. All inquiries regarding the solicitation are to be directed to the designated RFP Coordinator. Outside of pertinent RFP questions directed to the City of Pittsburgh as specified above, any other attempts to contact any City of Pittsburgh personnel regarding this RFP, without prior approval by the RFP Coordinator will be considered grounds for dismissal and immediate disqualification from the RFP process. This includes, but is not limited to, all verbal, voice, text, e-mail, and social media (e.g. – LinkedIn) contact.
Please note the following:
Should discrepancies or omissions be found in this RFP or should there be a need to clarify this RFP, questions or comments regarding this RFP must be put in writing and received by the RFP Coordinator within the Question and Answer tab.
A proposer may withdraw its proposal at any time before the expiration of the time for submission of proposals as provided in this RFP by delivering a written request for withdrawal signed by, or on behalf of, the proposer.
Respondent, by submittal of a proposal, acknowledges that all proposals may be considered public information in accordance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Right to Know laws. Subject to award of this RFP, all or part of any submittal may be released to any person or firm who may request it. Therefore, proposers shall specify in their proposal response if any portion of their submittal should be treated as proprietary and not releasable as public information. Proposers should be aware that all such requests may be subject to legal review and challenge.
Any information considered proprietary should be indicated as such or not included in the response.
A proposal shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions of these RFP instructions and specifications. Any alteration, omission, addition, variance, or limitation of, from or to a proposal may be sufficient grounds for non-acceptance of the proposal, at the sole discretion of the City.
Factors such as, but not limited to, any of the following may be considered just cause to disqualify a proposal without further consideration:
The City of Pittsburgh Ethics Code and Chapter 198 of the City Code (Code of Conduct) was established to promote public confidence in the proper operation of our local government. These resources outline the requirements for disclosure of interests and restricted activities as related to public procurement processes. Proposers are responsible to determine the applicability of these requirements to their activities and to comply with its requirements.
This RFP does not commit the City to enter into a contract, nor does it obligate the City to pay for any costs incurred in preparation and submission of proposals or in anticipation of a contract.
The City reserves the right to:
Please upload your Response to Scope detailed in Proposal Format Requirements
Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.
Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.
Provide the name, title, & email address of the authorized signor for your company (for details on who is considered an authorized signor, please look at our terms & conditions section)