SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT (BART)REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)
FOR A Public Art Project at the
BART Police DEPARTMENT headquarters (BPDHQ)
Oakland, California
A pdf version of this call may be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
GEOGRAPHIC ELIGIBILITY: OPEN ONLY TO ARTISTS or ARTIST-LED TEAMS CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES AND WHO WILL BE RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE DURATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ART ELEMENTS OF THE 0PROJECT.
All applicants must be U.S. citizens or have legal working status in the United States at the date of application and for the duration of the project.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: June 9, 2024 11:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time
This is an online application process and the deadline will not be extended for incomplete applications.
Applications are available through Submittable (https://bart.submittable.com/submit), an online application system. There is no charge to artists for using Submittable. If you are a first time user of Submittable, please allow adequate time to learn the use of this system. We recommend that artists complete their applications at least 48 hours prior to the stated deadline.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- BACKGROUND & PROJECT SCOPE
- ART OPPORTUNITY and PROJECT BUDGET
- ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATIONS
- ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS
- BART’S RIGHT TO IMPLEMENT
- PROJECT ASSUMPTIONS
- PROJECT SCHEDULE
- APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
- CONTACT INFORMATION
- INTRODUCTION
Please read the entire RFQ to familiarize yourself with the opportunity. This RFQ will result in the selection of an artist/artist team for the BPDHQ project. Please refer to Section VII. BART’s Right to Implement for more information.
2. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
This RFQ is open only to artists or artist teams who meet the minimum eligibility requirements (see Section V.) and are residents of the United States at the time of application, and for the duration of the implementation of the art elements of the project. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or have legal working status in the United States at the date of application and for the duration of the project. (see Section IX. for current estimated timeframe). Applications will be accepted directly from artists or artist teams whose work is being submitted in response to this RFQ only. Applications submitted by third parties, such as galleries, art consultants or representatives, etc. will not be considered.
Bay Area artists, particularly those working or residing in the five counties served by BART, that meet the eligibility requirements set forth above and following are strongly encouraged to apply.
3. BACKGROUND & PROJECT SCOPE
A. BART Art Program
BART opened for service in 1972. Since then, the system has expanded to 50 stations in five counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara). In 2015, the BART Board adopted its first Art Policy (https://bit.ly/3a2MzIm), and in 2019 issued a master plan (https://bit.ly/3dbbXOc) to guide the development of the Art Program. BART implemented an Arts Policy to enhance the experience of riders, staff, and community in and around District properties. The art program aligns to specific goals related to the art and artists that are engaged through the program, and the communities that will be impacted through their work.
B. Project Description
The future BART Police Headquarters, located at 2000 Broadway in Oakland, California, is in a prominent location of Uptown Oakland, adjacent to some of the most historic buildings in downtown, and is directly adjacent to BART 19th St station. The project is the renovation of an existing building, built in 1982, to accommodate a 21st century police department. The building will be reconfigured and renovated through a progressive design build process. The selected artist/team will be a contractor to the design-build team, not BART.
The BART Police Department (BART PD) endeavors to be the leader in innovative policing by establishing BART as the safest transit system in the nation. BART PD strives to ensure a safe environment within the transit system by increasing safety and reducing crime through highly visible sworn and civilian police presence, proactive enforcement of the law, and by partnering with BART’s stakeholders and communities to promote public confidence. BART PD believes in five core values: Integrity, Service, Accountability, Professionalism and Diversity.
The BART Police Department has committed to progressive policing and community engagement models to better serve the BART District and its communities. BART PD uses sworn police officers and unarmed uniformed civilian personnel to provide a visible presence in the system to promote safety and security. Police officers, Crisis Intervention Specialists, Community Service Officers, Fare Inspection Officers, and Transit Ambassadors work as a team to increase the visibility of uniformed police personnel in the system, address crime, and help people by connecting those in need of social services.
C. Scope of Art Project
The BART Art Program is seeking an artist or artist team to create original, architecturally integrated artwork for the facility. A selection panel of community and neighborhood representatives, arts and culture professionals, BART and BART Police representatives and civic leaders will be assembled to select and recommend an artist or artist team for this project.
Several opportunities for art integration are under consideration, including street-level exterior hardening (e.g. artist designed metal panels), enhancement of the parking perimeter fencing, and creating elements on the building skin – including replacing existing architectural panels with ones that have been enhanced by an artist. This aspect of the art and design program is seen as an opportunity for a visual dialogue between the work and values of BART PD, the diverse community and area architecture. Additionally, opportunities may exist for the first-floor interior public spaces of the building that may more directly reflect the important work of the BART Police Department, and to create a space that is inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to all. There are minimal, if any, opportunities for stand-alone sculpture on the exterior or interior.
Maintenance & Durability: the project must consider the issues of long-term conservation and maintenance of public art, along with time and budget. These projects are in the public realm and may therefore be exposed to weather and physical stresses, as well as be subject to vandalism. Public art projects must be fabricated of highly durable, low-maintenance materials. The selected artist will be expected to consult with a professional conservator prior to the submission of a final proposal.
After the project artist is selected, BART will contract with the artist with an up to $4,500 stipend (from the total project design fee) to initiate review of the project opportunities; implement initial collaboration with BART police staff to better understand the mission, values and outcomes of their work; and begin community outreach for the project in advance of the scope of work to be provided under contract to the design-build contractor team. The selected artist will work with BART to identify and to implement an appropriate engagement strategy as part of the initial design work.
Following this initial work, the artist will be contracted by the design-build contractor for the duration of the project to develop the art design, materials, and vendors, and integrate the artwork into the design-build project delivery. The BART Art Program Manager will be directly involved in all aspects of the development of the artwork in support of the artist and design-build team.
4. PROJECT BUDGET
The maximum budget for the project will be $500,000 (inclusive of the $4,500 initial fee with BART described above) which will be allocated as an allowance in the design-build contractor agreement. Artist will have responsibility for developing artwork that is within budget in coordination with design-build contractor, identification of fabrication sub-contractors as needed, and specialty installers as necessary.
Budget will cover:
Costs related to the artist’s design and project management fees, overhead, material samples, presentation materials, artwork fabrication, art transportation, delivery and installation of artwork, subcontractors including engineers, contingency, potential conservation review as required by BART, subcontracted laborers, project documentation, insurance, all applicable taxes, and all other costs associated with the project. All installation will be contracted through the design-build contractor or their identified sub-contractor(s). Artist’s proposed budget will be reviewed and approved by BART. Artist design and project management fee is expected to be approximately 15% of the overall budget, or as determined in coordination with BART and the design-build contractor.
5. ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATIONS
Geographic Eligibility
This RFQ is open only to professional visual artists or artist teams who meet the minimum eligibility requirements below and are residents of the United States at the time of application, and for the duration of the project. All applicant artists must be U.S. citizens or have legal working status in the United States at the date of application and for the duration of the project.
Qualifications
The program actively seeks to work with artists of all backgrounds and to inclusively engage the talents of historically underrepresented peoples.
This project is open to artists who have demonstrated experience in the successful design and delivery of artwork integrated to architectural elements of a project. Selected artists must be available to work collaboratively with project teams consisting of BART staff and BART Police, project architects, engineers, and trade sub-contractors, and community representatives.
Applicants must demonstrate a history of professional activity as an artist and must demonstrate appropriate skills or experience in designing and managing an art project relative to the scale and complexity of the art project described above.
Artist Teams: Two or more persons may apply together as a team however, a person with demonstrated history of professional activity as an artist must lead a team. You may not submit to be a member of more than one team, and if you are applying with a team, you may not apply as an individual (and vice versa) – one person/one application.
Qualifications used to evaluate the applications in the Artist Selection Process (Part VI of this RFQ) are as follows:
Minimum Qualifications
- A minimum of five years of work as a practicing artist as evidenced by resume and professional recognition (awards, honors, exhibition record, etc.).
- Demonstrated successful experience collaborating with design professionals as part of a team to deliver a comprehensive approach to integrating art and design.
- Available to work collaboratively, both remotely and on-site in Oakland, California, with project teams consisting of BART staff, BART Police, project architects and engineers, and community representatives on the schedule stated below under “Project Schedule.”
- Experience engaging communities to define objectives and inform scope of designs.
- Experience delivering designs/artwork that successfully integrates to a project of similar scale to the BPDHQ project. At least one project must have a fabrication and installation budget of $100,000.
- Demonstrated ability to comply with project deadlines and budgets.
Desired Qualifications
- Past work that demonstrates the artist/team’s overall approach to making art and perceived ability to create artwork that would be relevant to the BPDHQ and the adjacent communities.
- Experience developing and implementing projects with first responders or government agency as clients.
- Successful completion of at least three permanent, site-specific projects similar in scope to the work being considered for BPDHQ.
- A minimum of 2 years of professional experience that illustrates the applicant’s ability to design and manage the project as required (i.e. past experience with public art projects, project management, public art administration, studio experience, related work skills or experience, etc). Desired skills may include budgeting, scheduling, communications with clients, and collaborating with third parties completing implementation, construction, or fabrication.
- Past public art projects utilizing a variety of materials and methods with minimal long-term maintenance needs.
- Aesthetic excellence in the design and execution of completed projects that shows a sensitivity to site integration (community, neighborhood, architecture, building function)
- Experience in identifying appropriate materials, fabricators, and suppliers for delivered projects.
Additionally, BART seeks to develop a collection by a breadth of artists. Artists who have artwork already represented in the BART collection may apply for this project, however their prior inclusion in the collection will be noted during the jury review.
6. ARTIST SELECTION PROCESS
A. Applications will be pre-screened by BART staff to ensure that applicants meet the Minimum Qualifications described in Section V of this RFQ, and that the applications are complete as described in Section X.
B. If more than 50 applications are received, a subset of the selection panel comprised of an arts professional, a project external community partner, and a BART PD representative, will review the applications and will create a short list of a maximum of 30 artists whose work will be reviewed by the full selection panel. The pre-screening panel will evaluate and short- list each applicant’s work based on whether they meet the Desired Qualifications described in Section V of this RFQ.
C. A selection panel of community and neighborhood representatives, arts and culture professionals, BART and BART Police representatives and civic leaders will be assembled to select and recommend an artist or artist team for this project based on the stated eligibility requirements and programmatic goals determined by the panel.
D. At the discretion of the Selection Panel, up to three finalists may be selected to be interviewed to determine the final artist/ team for the project. It will be the sole discretion of the panel to determine if the artist selection will include an interview of finalist candidates. If interviews are implemented for the project, artists to be interviewed will be given a minimum of two weeks’ notice prior to the interviews.
- All Finalists will present to the Selection Panel via the Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting platform (as determined by BART), therefore all applicants must have access to a computer with the capacity to run an online presentation with a reliable internet connection. If you are a selected Finalist and do not have access to a computer, we will determine if there is an available option for your proposal to be presented. This will be at the full discretion of BART, up to and including selection of an alternate finalist.
- The date and time of the interviews will be at the sole discretion of BART, and an interview is not guaranteed if a mutually accessible time is not available for all finalists and the selection panel.
7. BART’S RIGHT TO IMPLEMENT
BART reserves the right to implement the projects identified in this RFQ. The issuance of this RFQ is no guarantee that a project will be awarded. BART may also change the scope of the RFQ at any time prior to the submittal deadline. All changes to the RFQ will be posted to RFQ project description at www.bart.submittable.com, and all artists who have initiated or submitted applications at the time of the change will be informed of the change.
8. PROJECT ASSUMPTIONS
A. Selected artist will be required to waive their rights of integrity (also known as the artist’s moral rights) to commissioned artwork as pertains to its removal or repair as set forth in the California Art Preservation Act and the Visual Artists Rights Act. Due to the function and nature of the BPDHQ, BART will retain the right to remove or relocate the artwork as may be deemed necessary by BART in the future.
B. Selected artists or artist teams will retain copyright to their work and will grant BART certain rights to reproduction.
C. Compliance with Laws. In the performance of the project under Agreement with BART, all team members shall comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws.
D. All artwork material and fabrication will have a presumed 50-year life span unless otherwise approved by BART.
9. PROJECT SCHEDULE
The base project is currently at 10% design and is in the process of being bid for the Progressive Design-Build contractor. This project is on an aggressive schedule to relocate the department to the facility as soon as possible. Potential applicants should give serious consideration to the stated schedule and their ability to meet these proposed deadlines.
Note that the design-build team will be responsible for establishing the final design submittal schedule which the selected artist/team will be required to meet.
As a member of the design-build team, artist will be expected to stay on budget and to complete work in an approved time frame. The dates listed below are subject to change and the artist will need to adjust to schedule constraints imposed by the Design-Build Contractor.
June 28, 2024: Artist Selection Completed (estimate)
August 8, 2024: Design-Build Contractor Award
September 26, 2024: Design-Build Contractor Notice to Proceed
December 25, 2024: Programming
February 8, 2025: 30% design completion
April 9, 2025: 70% design completion
June 8, 2025: 100% design completion
June 29, 2026: Building substantial completion
10. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS & PROCESS
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Application Materials (described below) must be received as a complete application in Submittable no later than 11 P.M. (PDT) on June 9, 2024. DO NOT SUBMIT APPLICATIONS DIRECTLY TO BART, they will not be reviewed.
All materials will be submitted online, via the Submittable: https://bart.submittable.com/submit. There is no application fee to apply or to use the Submittable online application system. To view the application, go to www.bart.submittable.com, register a username and password, and search in “Discover” for public-art and find BART Police Headquarters Public Art RFQ under the June 9, 2024 deadline.
Make sure you have started your application with time to ask questions, particularly if you have not used Submittable previously. Late and incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Assistance in using the Submittable system is available 24/7 via the online help center, or by emailing [email protected] (business hours).
REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS
The application submission must include the information and materials described below, all of which are required to constitute a complete application. Specific proposals for artwork are not requested and will not be reviewed.
- Images of Past Work: Visual representations of past artwork that demonstrate your qualifications for this project. Submit up to 8 images (10 images for a team application) of completed projects. Images of designs for previously proposed projects that were not developed to completion may be submitted, however must be clearly marked as proposals, and cannot be more than 2 of the requested 8/10 images. Please avoid multiple views of a project within a single image. If the team has produced work together previously, please include representations of that work. If the team has not collaborated previously, appropriate images of work from all team members as appropriate should be included.
- Annotated image list: a list of the submitted images with descriptions that clearly explain both the projects and images. Include pertinent information regarding key collaborations with design team and/or stakeholders. Include dimensions, medium, location, commissioning agency and budgets (when information is allowed to be released). Please indicate your role in the project e.g., lead artists or co-artist, studio team member, fabricator, etc.
Artist Statement of Interest (500 word maximum): Please outline your interest in this opportunity in part by answering the following questions:
a. What is your experience in collaborating with design professionals and communities? Give one or more examples of your collaboration with both and the resulting outcome.
b.What specifically interests you about the BPDHQ project? What perspective, strengths and experience do you bring to a project? Specifically, you will be creating artwork that visually represents the BART PD. What qualities, values, or inspiration brings you to apply for this project?
- Resume (500-word maximum individual/500 additional words for teams): Submission shall include a current resume that outlines your professional accomplishments as an artist, particularly as relates to integrating art to infrastructure.
- List of 3 professional references. References will only be contacted for the artist proposed as a finalist for the project by the selection panel, or in the event of interviews (as described in Section VI, Step 4) the three finalists.
If applying as a team, indicate the name and contact information of the team’s representative. Please place this as the first name in the application.
BART reserves the right to reject any or all applications or proposals and to modify or terminate the application process or the selection process for any reason and without prior notice.
11. CONTACT INFORMATION
Questions about the RFQ or commissioning process must be sent to Jennifer Easton at: [email protected] not later than 5:00 p.m. PDT on May 31, 2024. Please use “BPDHQ RFQ Inquiry” in the subject heading of your email. Do not send questions regarding how to use the Submittable platform, we are not able to answer those.
Responses to all inquiries and any addenda will be posted via Submittable to artists who have initiated or submitted applications prior to the due date. Questions & answers will also be posted at www.bart.gov/art.
ALL REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION MUST BE VIA EMAIL AS INDICATED ABOVE. BART WILL NOT ACCEPT PHONE INQUIRIES.
