The City of Ypsilanti, through the Ypsilanti Art Commission, will organize and solicit a survey of the Ypsilanti community in 2023. The Community and Artists Survey will be open to city residents and local artists. The intent is to collect information from the community about the arts to inform the Commission in its role with the City, share this information with local, state and national arts organizations and provide some insight on the arts in Ypsilanti at this particular time.

A temporary outreach consultant is requested to assist with the implementation through outreach to increase participation and to organize the results.

The outreach consultant will staff and perform the outreach to increase the survey participation in the city. That effort would include:

• Promoting it on social media & online content;

• Targeted networking;

• Help distribute any printed materials;

• Present/conduct the survey at events

The City Manager would oversee the execution of the outreach. The Art Commission will advise on the content.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice will be a main theme of the survey. The city’s diverse population will be a primary focus of audience participation and will be a prime measure of the survey’s success. A main focus of the outreach will be targeting networks to request participation in the survey in an effort to increase the number of respondents that reflect the city’s diversity.

Outreach to artists, at arts related events and with art organizations, will also be a part of the outreach consultant’s responsibilities.

Upon the close of the survey, it will be necessary to examine and report on the content of the survey responses. The outreach consultant will be needed to complete this work. That effort would include:

• submit social media content about the results,

• compile a report,

• provide written analysis and suggest next steps to follow-up upon.

The Commission would oversee the data that results and its dissemination & would provide feedback on the content of the final report.

The survey start date will be decided when a candidate is selected.

The period of performance will be approximately eleven weeks. The outreach consultant is expected to work 0.5 FTE, on average, for the first eight weeks. The start date will be 1 week before the opening of the survey and the survey will be open for 6-7 weeks. At the end of the survey an additional 3 weeks, approximately, will be committed to reporting the content of the survey and compiling the results. The FTE upon the close of the survey is expected to be 0.375, on average.

The work performed by the outreach consultant will be compensated by lump sum payments. The consultant shall submit invoices to be paid by the City finance department. Compensation for hours worked is limited to $3,200 during the period of performance.

Up to $75 can be reimbursed for supplies necessary for the project.

Budget and expected performance of work hours outline:

The City of Ypsilanti will review and evaluate all complete proposals in response to this RFQ to identify and engage with qualified consultants. An initial response to this RFQ must include the following information:

• Letter of Interest : Provide a letter (up to 2 pages) describing interest in the Ypsilanti survey project.

• Experience / Portfolio : Provide a short description of past projects of a similar nature (up to 3 pages, including any graphics/images). Include a description of the projects, project period, the project’s organization/place-of-performance and references.

• Resume

City of Ypsilanti staff may seek additional information upon receipt of a proposal.

The RFQ and responses should not be considered a legally binding agreement. Upon selection of a consultant, the city of Ypsilanti will enter into an agreement.

Proposal Format

All submissions should be submitted via email in PDF format to ejekabson @cityofypsilanti.com , OR a hard copy or CD / USB drive sent to City of Ypsilanti, ATTN: Elize Jekabson , 1 S. Huron, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.

Schedule for Review and Selection

The schedule for receipt and evaluation of proposals is anticipated to be as follows:

• RFQ posted, questions period: May 22 - May 29, 2023

• FAQ posted to city website: May 30, 2023 (if any questions received)

• Deadline for proposals: June 4, 2023

• Evaluation period: June 5 – June 6, 2023

• Finalist notified: June 9, 2023
  The following are estimates: Dates will be finalized with the finalist.

• Survey start date: June 16-23

• Survey end date: July 28 - August 4
  Result compilation and reporting up to three weeks thereafter.
  
  

Contact / Questions

Questions may be directed to:

Elize Jekabson

Email: ejekabson@cityofypsilanti.com For security reasons, you must enable JavaScript to view this E-mail address.