Palm Beach County’s Art in Public Places Program: Call to Florida Artists

Palm Beach Art in Public Places Program

CALL TO ARTISTS

Name:             Water Utilities Customer Service, Glades Office
Location:        2976 State Road 15, Belle Glade, FL 33430
 
Budget:          $38,225
 
Deadline:        August 12, 2013 Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EST)
 
Eligibility:       Residents of Florida. Open to all professional artists with experience in creating integrated artistic environments.

Project Description
Palm Beach County’s Art in Public Places Program is seeking artist(s) to create an integrated site specific artwork for the new Water Utilities Customer Service, Glades Office. Possible areas for art integration include windows, walls and ceilings (suspended works). Artwork will raise community awareness about the importance of water in our lives, water conservation practices and water’s critical functions in the local and national environment.

The new facility will provide Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay customers with improved and more efficient services. Staff at the new facility will set up accounts, arrange and make service calls, connect and terminate services, read the meters, send out bills, and collect payments. A conference room will support staff training and customer meetings.
Environmental stewardship and sustainability are the major themes of all Water Utility Department operations. Palm Beach County’s Water Utilities Department serves over 500,000 residents of unincorporated Palm Beach County and has a robust wastewater collection system and treatment facility.

Belle Glade / “The Glades” Background Information
The new facility will be located in the city of Belle Glade whose motto is “Her soil is her fortune,” referring to the region’s fertile soil, or “black gold” and “muck” as it’s called by the locals. This area of Palm Beach County is one of America’s major agriculture centers (sugar cane, sweet corn and beans among other products). Another important natural asset of this region is Lake Okeechobee, the second largest fresh water lake in the continental United States, which provides recreational opportunities to residents and tourists.

The Glades is a nickname given to the western region of Palm Beach County. Everything west of “20 Mile Bend” road is considered to be in The Glades. The cities Belle Glade, South Bay,                     Pahokee along with unincorporated lands make up the western region of Palm Beach County. The Glades region is often referred to as the gateway to the Everglades which runs from Palm Beach County to Miami.  The earliest records suggest that the Glades were originally inhabited by Calusa Indians.  Today, theGlades population is diverse with strong cultural and local pride which is celebrated in several annual festivals. High school football games are also a major community activity.

A defining time for many residents of The Glades is the hurricane of 1928, a storm more devastating than any other that left monumental destruction. The force of the wind pushed Lake Okeechobee to the northern portion of the Lake and when the winds changed, the Lake waters surged through the southern area, like tipping a saucer full of water. As many as 3,000 people died in the hurricane.This prompted the national government to build a levee which would control future floods.  A sculpture nearby the Lawrence E. Will Museum commemorates those who perished.

The Lakeside Medical Center provides a regional healthcare delivery system for Palm Beach County communities bordering Lake Okeechobee. Palm Beach State College is also located in Belle Glade which is includes the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center; an important part of the community for almost 30 years.

Artwork Budget
The total estimated public art budget for this project is $38,225. The budget includes ALL costs such as artist fees, travel, shipping, engineering, fabrication and installation. Each artist/ artist team that makes a live presentation of their proposal to the Final Selection Committee shall receive a flat fee of $500.

Artist Services
The selected artist(s) will receive a professional services contract to provide art design fabrication and installation services. The artist’s scope of work will be to create a refined, integrated artwork proposal. Specific work will include the following tasks:

• Management of fabrication, construction and installation of the artwork
• Engineering and permitting of artwork if necessary

Project Goals

• Artwork will raise community awareness about the importance of water in our lives, water conservation practices and water’s critical functions in the local and national environment.
• Artwork complements the interior design’s style, purpose and finishes.
• Artwork must be permanent, low maintenance and in compliance with ADA guidelines.

Estimated Schedule – The County reserves the right to alter these dates as necessary.

• July 12, 2013: Call to Artists Announced
  – Artist Application Deadline: August 12, 2013, 5:00 p.m. EST
• Week of August 12, 2013: Short List Artist Selection and Notification
• Week of August 19: Q& A Conference Call for Short List Artists with Project Team
  – prior to phone call, County will provide site plans to Artists
• Artist Proposal Deadline: September 16, 2013
• Finalist Interviews, Artist Selection: Week of September 16, 2013
• October 2013: County goes to contract w/ Artist

Selection Process
The selection process shall occur in two phases. In the first phase, artists will apply with their qualifications and the Short List Selection Panel will select up to three artists or artist teams. Finalists will attend a mandatory pre-proposal site inspection. A copy of the Contract for Professional Services will be made available to Finalists for inspection.

In the second phase, Finalists will develop a site specific design proposal to meet the Project’s goals. Each artist/ artist team that makes a live presentation of their proposal to the Final Selection Panel shall receive a flat fee of $500.

Upon execution of the professional services contract, a Notice to proceed shall be issued by the County.

Design proposals and their copyright will belong to the artists. Palm Beach County reserves the right to use images of the concept designs, written proposals and finished artwork for educational and promotional purposes.

Short List Application Materials
Artists must submit items 1-4 listed below by August 12, 2013, 5:00 p.m. EST (postmarks not acceptable). Deliver / Send submittal materials to: Elayna Toby Singer
Palm Beach County Art in Public Places, 2633 Vista Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL  33411
Attn: WUD, Belle Glade.  Please DO NOT STAPLE OR BIND materials. Excess material will not be presented to the Short List Committee.

Submit ten (10) hard copies of items 1-3:

1. Letter of Intent: Express your interest in this project, design approach and provide background information that would support your qualifications for this project. Please include the artist name, business name, mailing address, phone number, email, website (1 page maximum).
2. Resume: A current professional resume (not to exceed two pages per                   team member).
3. Annotated Image List: Should include the following information for each image: number, artist name(s), title of work/project, location of project, materials used, dimensions, budget, and name of commissioning agency.
4. Submit ONLY one (1) CD with images of Past Work :
   A total of ten (10) images of at least three (2) different completed artworks or projects. At least one project must feature the artist’s ability to create integrated artistic environments as defined in the “Project Description” section of this RFQ.

   Only submit images of projects that have been realized. Images of proposals, models or computer generated images will not be reviewed.

   Submit images on one (1) virus-free PC-compatible CD-ROM in .jpg file format. Each file should be labeled with artist’s surname and image number to correspond with the annotated image list (see #3). Image size 1920 pixels maximum on the longest side, 72 dpi with compression settings resulting in the best image quality under 2MB file size.

Applicants who do not submit all the required items may be eliminated from the review process. Palm Beach County will make every effort to protect submitted materials, but, the County shall not be held responsible for the loss or damage of any materials submitted. Excess material will not be presented to the Short List Committee. Materials will not be returned to the artist.

Criteria for Finalist Selection
The Final Selection Committee shall select a Finalist based on the following characteristics:

1. Artistic merit of the Artist’s Proposal. 45 points.
2. Ability of the Artist’s Proposal to meet project goals. 20 points.
3. Ability of the Artist to complete the project. 20 points.
4. Local preference:  In accordance with Palm Beach County local preference policies, a preference will be given to Finalist artists that have a permanent place of business within Palm Beach County prior to the announcement of this Call to Artists and that hold a valid Business Tax Receipt issued by the Palm Beach County Tax Collector that authorizes the artist to provide the services under this Call to Artists and which is issued prior to the announcement of this Call to Artists. The scores of all Finalist artists meeting this local residency requirement will be increased by 5 points.
5. SBE status of Artist:  In accordance with Palm Beach County policy, the scores of all Finalist artists who provide proof of Palm Beach County Small Business Enterprise (“SBE”) certification will be increased by 10 points. The SBE certificate must be submitted to receive points. An artist receiving SBE preference points shall not be eligible to receive the local preference points as set forth above. SBE status is only “weighted” in the Finalist round. For more information on the SBE certification process, visit the Office of Small Business Assistance website www.pbcgov.com/osba and look under “Programs.”

The County is not under any obligation to select Short List artists or a Finalist or to award a contract if, in the sole judgment of the County, the artist materials do not meet the eligibility or qualifications for the project.

Questions
Send questions to Elayna Toby Singer at esinger@pbcgov.com
Subject line: “Water Utilities, Artist Name”

All questions and answers will be posted on the County’s Public Art website: http://pbcgov.com/fdo/art/artists/

Questions regarding this Call to Artists must be directed to Elayna Toby Singer at the above email address.  If applicants rely on information provided by persons other than Ms. Singer, they do so at their own risk.  From the date of release of this Call to Artists until award of contract, no contact with Public Art Committee members or representatives of the Palm Beach County Library system related to this Call to Artists is permitted except as authorized by Ms. Singer and/or in conjunction with scheduled Call to Artists activities.  Any such unauthorized contact shall not be used as a basis for selection and may result in the disqualification of the artist’s proposal.

In addition, the Palm Beach County Lobbyist Registration Ordinance prohibits an artist or anyone representing an artist from communicating with any County Commissioner, County Commissioner’s staff, or any employee authorized to act on behalf of the Commission to award a particular contract regarding this Call to Artists, i.e., a “Cone of Silence.”

The “Cone of Silence” is in effect from the date/time of the deadline of the submission of the Short List Artist Application, and terminates at the time that the Board of County Commissioners, or a County Department authorized to act on their behalf, awards or approves a contract, rejects all bids, or otherwise takes action which ends the solicitation process. Artists may, however, contact any County Commissioner, County Commissioner’s staff, or any employee authorized to act on behalf of the Commission to award a particular contract, via written communication, i.e., facsimile, e-mail, or U.S. mail. Violations of the “Cone of Silence” are punishable by a fine of $250.00 per violation.

General Terms and Conditions

1. Upon submission, all proposals become public records and the property of Palm Beach County.
2. Due care and diligence has been exercised in preparation of this Call to Artists and all information contained herein is believed to be substantially correct; however, the responsibility for determining the full extent of the requested services rests solely with those making proposals.
3. Palm Beach County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals submitted in response to this Call to Artists, waive any or all informalities and/or irregularities, re-advertise with either an identical or revised scope, or cancel this Call to Artists in its entirety.
4. Palm Beach County reserves the right to contact any or all proposers after submittal in order to obtain supplemental information and/or clarification in either verbal or written form.
5. The Finalist will be expected to execute a Contract for Professional Services.  Prior to contract execution, the Finalist will be required to provide a written detailed plan, budget and timeline based on the proposal presented for approval by the Palm Beach County Art in Public Places Administrator.  The time frame and installation/construction requirements will be negotiated between the Finalist and the County’s Department of Facilities Development & Operations.  No other terms of the contract are negotiable and the County will not consider changes to the contract.  A copy of the contract is available for inspection upon request.
6. The Finalist must provide professional liability insurance in the minimum amount of $1,000,000.

Elayna Toby Singer
Palm Beach County Art in Public Places
2633 Vista Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33411
Ph (561) 233-0235, Fax (561) 233-0206
http://www.pbcgov.com/fdo/ART
esinger@pbcgov.org