Salina Arts & Humanities Seeks Proposals for 2025 Smoky Hill River Festival T-Shirt Printing

Joshua Barnhart -

Salina, Kansas – Salina Arts & Humanities, the department responsible for organizing the Smoky Hill River Festival, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the printing of t-shirts for the 2025 event. The annual festival, which is set to take place from June 12 to 15, 2025, draws over 60,000 attendees and is a key cultural event for the region.

The festival has a longstanding tradition of creating unique, high-quality t-shirt designs, which are an integral part of the event. This year, the RFP outlines requirements for approximately 1,000 t-shirts in various styles and sizes, including unisex, women’s cuts, and youth options. The selected vendor must deliver durable and comfortable shirts with vibrant printing, reflecting the design standards of the festival.

Request for Proposals for 2025 Smoky Hill River Festival T-shirt Printing

Introduction and Description:

Salina Arts & Humanities, a City of Salina, Kansas department, produces the River Festival annually. The overall cash budget is $540,000, with funding from the City of Salina, admissions and fees, and private contributions. Each year’s Festival is the outcome of 14 months of planning by seven paid staff, 22 committees, and more than 2000 volunteers.

The Smoky Hill River Festival is a 48-year-old arts-based event featuring various presentations, programs, and activities. It is a highly regarded regional celebration, with an annual attendance of over 60,000 from as many as 35 states. This year’s Festival will take place June 12-15, 2025.

This event draws national participation in the art show, with approximately 120 outstanding exhibiting visual artists. The festival also offers an eclectic mix of music and entertainment on three stages from gifted performers. Approximately 35 vendors provide a wide variety of food and beverages.

For over four decades, the festival has had a unique design for the festival t-shirt.

View previous festival shirt designs at our website: https://www.riverfestival.com/festival-archive/

Description of Services:

  • Provide quality printing service for Smoky Hill River Festival t-shirts, design attached.
    • The attached design is a low-resolution draft; a higher-resolution version will be provided.
    • The final design size should be as large as possible but fit on all sizes of shirts, including youth sizes.
  • T-shirts must be durable and comfortable for all-day wear.
  • Printing should be high quality to ensure vibrant and durable colors.
  • T-shirt color: To be determined by staff based on design and t-shirt availability.
    • Please include digital mockups on up to 3 color options for t-shirts that complement the current design – please do not use white.
  • Placement: Front print, full color.
    • Additional placements may be requested in the future, determined by the artist's design, such as single-color sleeves or back prints, depending on the design.
  • Material: Preference for cotton-poly blends.
  • Printing Technique: Specify if you specialize in a printing technique other than traditional silkscreen.
  • Design Service: Addition and placement of text incorporated in or around the design:
    • Smoky Hill River Festival
    • Salina, Kansas
    • June 12-15, 2025

Quantity and Sizes:

  • Quantity: Approximately 1,000 pieces.
  • Sizes: Adult up to 5XL, women’s cuts, V-necks, and tanks.
    • Average Breakdown of Sizes/Styles:
      • Unisex Tee: 1 (5XL), 9 (4XL), 30 (3XL), 67 (2XL), 137 (XL), 133 (LG), 78 (MED), 32 (SM), 0 (XS).
      • Woman’s Cut Tee: 0 (5XL-4XL), 23 (3XL), 40 (2XL), 68 (XL), 88 (LG), 65 (MED), 42 (SM), 0 (XS).
      • Unisex Tank: 0 (5XL-4XL), 17 (3XL), 28 (2XL), 36 (XL), 32 (LG), 22 (MED), 0 (SM-XS).
      • Youth Tee: 0 (5XL-3XL), 0 (2XL), 27 (XL-LG), 27 (MED), 27 (SM), 39 (XS).

Selection Process and Criteria:

Submissions will be reviewed and scored by a panel of City/Festival staff. The Provider/Proposals that best meet all requirements as specified in the RFP will be selected using the following weighted criteria:

  • Total cost of service/Price competitiveness: 40%.
  • Experience and reputation with similar projects/Quality of product: 30%.
  • Ability to deliver on time: 20%.
  • In-kind discount or cash support of the Smoky Hill River Festival: 10%.

Note: Applications for partial fulfillment will not be considered. Once submitted, proposals will be reviewed and scored by festival staff.

Submission Requirements:

Include the following information with your proposal:

  • Name of business.
  • Address.
  • Price competitiveness.
  • Printing quality and technique suitability.
  • Delivery timeline.
  • Experience and reputation of the business. Provide samples or images of previous similar work.
  • If available, folding service (include this as a separate cost to the printing).
  • If available, indication of in-kind donation as part of the total package.

Important Notes:

Salina Arts & Humanities and/or the City of Salina are not responsible for loss or damage to materials submitted. The Department/City reserves the right to adjust the project timelines or not select a proposal.

Timeline and Deadline:

  • RFP Distributed: November 12, 2024.
  • Submission Deadline: December 2, 2024.
  • Contract Granted: On or before January 10, 2025.

Submit Quotes To:

Smoky Hill River Festival
By email: sah@salina.org
By mail: P.O. Box 2181, Salina, KS 67402-2181
By hand delivery: 211 West Iron Avenue, 2nd Floor, Salina, KS 67401

Questions:

For additional information, contact:

Crystal Hammerschmidt
Visual Arts Coordinator
Salina Arts & Humanities
Phone: 785-309-5770
Email: crystal.hammerschmidt@salina.org

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Smoky Hill River Festival!