1. SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND
Ballet Des Moines is currently accepting proposals to design and coordinate
marketing materials for the 2015-16 season. In an effort to expose more people
to Ballet Des Moines’ productions, events and programs, we are looking for an
individual or small agency to create materials that will promote each of our
three ballets, as well as our two fundraising events and a company brochure.
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from
various candidate organizations, conduct a fair and extensive evaluation based
on criteria listed herein, and select the candidate who best represents the
direction Ballet Des Moines wishes to go.
Launched in 2012, Ballet Des Moines is central Iowa’s only resident, professional
ballet company. We employ professional ballet dancers, each on a six-month
contract, to dance in three productions annually, in addition to various outreach
and educational events.
Ballet Des Moines is located at 121 S. 11th St., Suite 100 in West Des Moines. We
are a non-profit organization.
2. PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
This Request for Proposal represents the requirements for an open and
competitive process. Proposals will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Tuesday,
August 4, 2015. Any proposals received after this date and time will be returned
to the sender. All proposals must be signed by an official agent or representative
of the company submitting the proposal.
A final decision will be made no later than Friday, August 14, 2015. The winning
individual or agency will be notified via e-mail.
3. PROJECT PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION
Ballet Des Moines’ 2015-16 season begins in September when the professionals
arrive back in Des Moines for the start of the season. The purpose of this project
is to create materials that promote our productions, events and company. A
schedule of events – including productions and fundraisers – is as follows:
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Ballet at the Barn (fundraiser) – Oct. 3, 2015
Ovation: A Triple Bill – Oct. 23-25, 2015 at Hoyt Sherman Place
The Nutcracker – Dec. 10-13, 2015 at Hoyt Sherman Place
Black + White Ball (fundraiser) – March 5, 2016 at Hoq
Peter Pan – March 26, 2016 at the Des Moines Civic Center
Project Description:
Ballet Des Moines is seeking someone to design advertising and marketing
materials for all three seasonal productions including: posters, postcards,
advertisements, web banners, and playbill covers. For the two fundraisers, we
require digital invites and web banners. Additionally, we will need someone to
create a year-end fundraising solicitation letter as well as an updated company
brochure.
All logos, photos and content for the abovementioned materials will be provided
by Ballet Des Moines and all items have been pre-approved for use by the
company’s artistic director. These items will be provided to the winning
designer once the designer has been chosen for the project.
Additionally, a deadlines and ad specs will be provided to the designer at the
start of the project.
4. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AND PROJECT TIMELINE
Request for Proposal Timeline:
All proposals in response to this RFP are due no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday,
August 5, 2015.
Evaluation of proposals will be conducted that week and the winning bidder will
be notified by Friday, August 14, 2015. If additional information or discussions
are needed with any bidders during this time, the bidder(s) will be notified.
All notifications to the winning and non-winning bidders will be made via e-mail.
Contract negotiation with the winning bidder will be scheduled shortly after
notification of their winning bid.
Project Timeline:
The creation of promotional materials for Ballet at the Barn must be completed
by Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. Materials for Ovation: A Triple Bill must be
completed by Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015. Deadlines for the remainder of the season
materials will be discussed at the initial meeting of the chosen designer and
Ballet Des Moines.
5. BUDGET
All proposals must include proposed costs to complete the tasks described in the
project scope. Costs should be presented for the project overall with an estimate
of how that breaks down per individual production/event/project.
6. BIDDER QUALIFICATIONS
Bidders should provide the following items as part of their proposal for
consideration:
 Description of experience in design of promotional materials for any
performing arts organizations
 List of how many full time, part time, and contractor staff in your
organization
 Three or more creative design samples
 Three references (including contact information) from past (or current)
clients
7.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION
Ballet Des Moines will evaluate all proposals based on the following
criteria. To ensure consideration for this Request for Proposal, your
proposal should be complete and include all of the following criteria:
 Overall proposal suitability: proposed solution(s) must meet the scope
and needs included herein and be presented in a clear and organized
manner
 Organizational Experience: Bidders will be evaluated on their experience
as it pertains to the scope of this project
 Previous work: Bidders will be evaluated on examples of their work
pertaining to design and the creativity of their designs
 Value and cost: Bidders will be evaluated on the cost of their solution(s)
based on the work to be performed in accordance with the scope of this
project
Each bidder must submit a digital copy of their proposal via e-mail or shared
Dropbox or Google Drive link by Tuesday, August 4, 2015. Please send all
proposals to jody@balletdesmoines.org.