Consulting Services - Sand and Sun Festival

RFQ# GRM/261079 Consulting Services - Sand and Sun Festival
Scope of Work
BACKGROUND
1. The City of Ocala requires the services of an experienced consultant to provide sand sculpting consultation and artist coordination services in support of the Growth Management Department, Cultural Arts Division, for the 2027 Sand & Sun Festival. The City is soliciting proposals from qualified consultants to assist with the selection, coordination, and management of professional sand sculptors and provide consultation related to the festival’s sand sculpting activities. The Sand & Sun Festival will take place at Downtown Ocala’s Citizens’ Circle in Ocala, Florida.
2. Bidders can respond to listing by submitting their proposal to bids@ocalafl.gov no later than 2:00 P.M. on November 12, 2025. NO EXCEPTIONS TO OPENING TIME WILL BE ALLOWED. Any questions relative to any item(s) or portion of this Invitation to Bid should be directed to David Williams, Senior Buyer, dwilliams@ocalafl.gov (352-629-8350).

PROJECT SUMMARY, DELIVERABLES AND HOURS 1. Project Summary: The City of Ocala requires the services of a professional sand consultant to oversee the following: • Assist with planning, marketing, advertising/promoting including social media, interviews and implementing Ocala’s live sand sculpting event. • Provide marketing assets, including sand sculptors’ biographies and photos of their work, for the event that the city can utilize in advertising. • Assist with sand consulting and testing sand quality for City sand acquisition. • Provide logistic assistance with sand boxes/containers for sculptures. • Coordinate, recruit, oversee, and manage six (6) sand sculptor competitors, including travel, lodging, and meals. If the City secures sponsorships for lodgings and meals, the proposal amount may be reduced and renegotiated. • Provide on-site sand preparation and logistics during the week leading to the event. • Manage and coordinate sculptors during the week leading up to the event and on the day of the competition. • Provide biodegradable wind protectant (Elmer’s glue) for the sculptures. • Create one welcome sand sculpture featuring the City and sponsor logos. • Oversee the competition and awards presentation, including coordinating and providing an instructional overview for judges. • Provide the sand sculpture competition judging rubric and scoring criteria. • Assist with any additional sand event or sculptor-related needs that may arise.
2. Deliverables • The consultant shall recruit professional sand sculptors at least two months prior to the event date and provide biographical information and marketing materials. • The Consultant shall be on site for the 2027 Sand & Sun Festival from Monday, May 10, 2027, through Saturday, May 15, 2027, to provide sand sculpting consultation and artist coordination services. • The Consultant shall coordinate with the City of Ocala Project Manager and participating sand sculptors regarding scheduling, setup, competition activities, workshops with the sculptors, and other sand sculpting programming associated with the festival. • The Consultant shall provide ongoing communication and updates to the City regarding artist coordination and festival preparations leading up to and throughout the event. • Deliverables and services shall be reviewed and accepted by the City of Ocala Project Manager before payment for such work.
3. Working Hours: The normal/standard working hours for this project are 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays. The Consultant shall provide 48-hour advance notice to City Project Manager for work outside normal shift hours. The city may decline the request.
Please review the attached Exhibit A- Scope of Work for full details of the solicitation.