Invitation to Tender: Artist in Residence – Visual Artist & Playwright

Submission Deadline: 12 Noon – Friday 19th July 2019

Artsland, is a two-year arts initiative focusing on inclusion, cultural traditions and rural crafts and co-funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland National Lottery Funding and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

The Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Project is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

The project is being delivered in partnership by Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland (lead partner), Cleenish Community Association, Killesher Community Development Association and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council through the resources of the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark.

1.0 Background.

1.1 Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place (C2C) is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. The project is being delivered in partnership by Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland (lead partner), Cleenish Community Association, Killesher Community Development Association and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council through the resources of the Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund Great Place Scheme aims to put heritage and culture at the heart of the local visions of four places across Northern Ireland from Coalisland, Bangor, North Belfast and Fermanagh, and to make step changes in the contribution of heritage to those places and embed it in their plans for the future.

1.2 The C2C project is located in west County Fermanagh approximately 7 miles from Enniskillen (see Appendix 1). Its area extends from the top of Cuilcagh Mountain on the Fermanagh/Cavan border to the shores of Upper Lough Erne. The area includes the highly popular tourist attractions at Marble Arch caves UNESCO Global GeoPark, the National Trust at Florence Court, the Arney River and several small rural communities including Killesher, Arney and Bellanaleck.

1.3 The C2C project provides a unique opportunity to interpret and understand the areas built, natural, cultural and archaeological history and heritage. It will provide place-making opportunities and develop new heritage trails, cultural and heritage events, and provide access to key sites of interest.

1.4 In addition to the C2C project, one of the key partners Cleenish Community Association has received funding to commission an Artist in Residence (AiR) programme as part of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Artist in Residence programme. This activity is supported through Artsland, a two-year arts initiative focusing on inclusion, cultural traditions and rural crafts and co-funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

1.5 The delivery of this AiR project is included as part of a wider suite of projects being delivered by Cuilcagh to Cleenish (C2C) of which the Cleenish Community Association is a key partner.

2.0 Context

2.1 Building on the successful Battles, Bricks & Biscuits project in 2014 which won the British Archaeological Awards ‘Best Community Engagement Archaeology Project’ the Cleenish Community Association and C2C will deliver a sculpture commission using traditional Arney Slap Brick and the writing of a community drama celebrating the link to Brian Friel’s Making History respectively.

2.2 For the duration of the project there will be both a visual artist in residence and a playwright in residence who will each deliver an element of the project separately. The outputs will be the installation of a piece of art which will be located indoors within an accessible community space within the C2C boundary (taking into account load-bearing and health and safety considerations), and the writing of a community play. Both activities will involve the participation of, and draw inspiration from, the local community, the landscape and heritage of the Arney and wider C2C areas.

3.0 Scope of Services

3.1 Cleenish Community Association on behalf of the C2C project is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced Artist in Residence to design, construct and deliver of a high-quality public art work, and a play.

3.2 Cleenish Community Association require a lead artist or organisation with whom a contract will be established. However, Cleenish Community Association is open to proposals from individuals, partnerships or collective of artists.

3.3. The contract period will be from 1st August 2019 to 31st December 2019. See 3.8.

3.4. The appointed Artists in Residence (AiR) will be responsible for the design, construction and delivery of a high-quality public art work, and a play. Cleenish Community Association is open however, to proposals from the appointed artists in residence and have an open mind regarding the size of the public art work and the type and nature of the play that can be delivered as part of this project. It is expected that the public art work will be be located indoors within an accessible community space within the C2C boundary the size and positioning of which will be agreed following discussions with the community stakeholders as part of this brief. The quality of the work and engagement activities are the priority.

3.5 The wider Cuilcagh to Cleenish area provides a rich source of inspiration, and artists and writers are encouraged to draw upon its natural, built, archaeological, cultural and historical heritage, and both the public art and play should be sympathetic to the environment and cultural experience of the people of the area. Please note that in relation to the artist working in clay there are some two thousand traditional hand-made bricks available which were fired in a clamping kiln by members of the local community in 2015. (Battles, Bricks and Bridges). The artist may, or may not, wish to use these ready-made resources as part on an installation.

3.6 To inform the design and delivery of the public art piece(s) and the written play, the appointed Artist in Residence will be required to facilitate a series of community engagement activities. Artists in residence should draw on this engagement for inspiration and ideas from the people and place to shape the professional public art pieces and play writing. The Artist in Residence will work with the C2C Local Coordinator to develop promotional activities related to the recruitment of participants and the delivery of the programme to include the four local Shared Education Cluster primary schools within the C2C area.

3.7 The essential outputs will be:

The writing of one community play about the C2C area and its people. (The play will be produced and performed as part of a future separately funded process.)

One public art installation – it is anticipated the public art work will be displayed indoors within an accessible community space within the C2C boundary

The outcomes of this project will include, but not be limited to:

Initial community consultation with a minimum 120 people. Engagement with four primary schools: 100 children, 8 teaching staff and non-teaching staff. Engagement with local community groups. Increase awareness of the Artsland project and Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place. Increased engagement with community groups within the C2C area. Increased creative activity with community groups within the C2C area. Raised profile of public art within the C2C area. Improved understanding & appreciation of public art in rural areas.

3.8 The project should be delivered in line with the following indicative timeline

Project requirements Deadline

1. Tender selection & applicants informed of outcome. Mid July 2019

2. Project meeting and briefing with artist and playwright. 01/08/2019

3. Community engagement begins with local community 12/08/2019

4. Engagement with local schools begins in order to discuss project and arrange programme of engagement.

01/09/2019

5. Overall Management of each project to ensure it is completed on time and in budget. Engagement/ participation/delivery of play script and unveiling of public art.

31/12/2019

6. Funder’s Requirements fully met 31/12/2019

4.0 Budget

It is anticipated the maximum available budget for the combined activities is £15,000 (including VAT). Payment will be made to the lead artist by Cleenish Community Association.

The budget for the artist in residence developing public art is £6500 (including VAT).

The budget for the playwright is £8500 (including VAT).

The appointed supplier will be responsible for ensuring that the project is delivered on budget and programme.

The cost of all expenses associated with the undertaking of this project is to be included in the fixed price quotation submission.

4.1 Payment Schedule

Imbursement for the Programme will be made in 3 payments

Stage

Payment

Milestone %

1st Following appointment of both artists-in-residence and on commencement.

10%

2nd Following completion of active engagement with local communities & schools.

60%

3rd On completion of sculpture / installation & final community play script.

30%

5.0 Project Management

The C2C Local Coordinator will be the Project Manager, assisted by the Cuilcagh to Cleenish: Great Place Management Group. The appointed contractor will be required to prepare progress reports and attend meetings with the Cuilcagh to Cleenish Local Coordinator in order to ensure activities are undertaken within the time allowed, and participation is maximised.

6.0 Terms and Conditions

6.1. Appointment will be subject to the contractor being able to demonstrate a minimum cover of £5m public liability insurance and £5m employer’s liability insurance (if relevant). If you do not have the required levels in place currently, please confirm that you can obtain this level of cover and put it in place should you be successfully awarded the contract.

6.2 Cleenish Community Association is not obliged to accept any proposal or the proposal with the lowest bid, and no person making a quotation will be remunerated for any expense incurred in preparing a quotation.

6.3 The contractor will be required to formally report to the C2C Management Group via the C2C Local Coordinator

6.4 Cleenish Community Association reserves the right to cancel the contract if the delivery is not meeting agreed targets and quality standards.

7.0 Indicative Timescale

Action Dates

Invitation to Tender issued Thursday 27th June 2019

Deadline for clarification queries 12 noon Monday 8th July 2019

Closing date 12 noon Friday 19th July 2019

Assessment Monday 22nd July 2019

Appointment of Contract Tuesday 23rd July 2019

Commencement 1st August 2019. Following 5 working day standstill period.

Completion 31st December 2019

Note: The above dates are indicative and may be subject to change

8.0 Assessment Criteria

Cleenish Community Association does not bind itself to accept the tender submission with the lowest stated price and will not compensate any proposer for costs associated with the production of the tender submission.

The contract will be awarded to the most economically advantageous quotation based on the assessment criteria below.

Evaluation of tenders is carried out in two stages; each tender is evaluated on the pass/fail criteria provided below in Stage 1. The purpose of these criteria is to assess the capability of each contractor to carry out the required services. The pass/fail criteria concern the capabilities of the contractor, rather than the work to be carried out.

Those who do not meet the requirements below will not be considered for inclusion in the assessment under Stage 2.

8.1 Stage 1

Previous experience of undertaking evaluation projects of a similar size and scope. Please provide 4 detailed examples of previous projects. This must include 2 examples of plays and 2 examples of public art (in relation to the public art submission please include photos of previous work). All contracts must have been completed and successfully delivered within the past 3 years. Max 3 A4 pages for each example. Please complete templates within Appendix 2. Pass / Fail

8.2 Stage 2

Methodology Submissions must provide:

Vision for public arts and play

detailed account of how the requirements of this contract will be delivered, supplying detail on approach, methodology and management of project. The timeline for implementation and delivery should also be provided. Please provide comprehensive details on how you would propose to approach this project, outlining days required and timelines propose. Submissions are required to propose a methodology which they consider is the most efficient and cost-effective approach to achieve the objectives of this project.

50%

Resource Expertise and Skillset Applied

Tenderers are required to provide details on the resources proposed to fulfil all aspects of this contract. Responses must detail demonstrable evidence of appropriate qualifications, competence and expertise. This should include details of skills gained during similar projects of scale and how these can be applied to this project. Examples of previous work completed by each resource are required.

Tenderers must include a detailed project plan with resources and expertise mapped against it. Tenderers are asked to outline the number of days and breakdown of tasks for each of the proposed resources allocated to the preparation of this study.

Tenderers must provide detailed bio of all proposed personnel.

30%

Cost including VAT and all associated costs (e.g. travel) 20%

Total 100%

8.3. Definition of scoring

The following key to scoring will be used to evaluate the qualitative aspects of the Award Criteria i.e. Methodology (50%). The mark achieved by the bidder will be divided by the total mark achievable i.e. 5 for that question or sub-question. This will then be multiplied by the percentage score attributed to that question/sub question and calculated to two decimal places.

Score Indicators

5 ▪ Indicates an excellent response to the criteria with no weaknesses ▪ Detailed supporting evidence is provided with thorough analysis,

tailored specifically to the challenges of the brief. ▪ No areas of weakness

4 ▪ Indicates a good response to the criteria with few weaknesses▪ Supporting evidence and analysis have been provided to

demonstrate the competence required

3 ▪ Indicates a compliant response to the criteria, but lacks specific information or analysis on some aspects to award a higher mark

▪ Strengths outweigh weaknesses

2 ▪ Indicates that the response to the criteria is limited in detail with some reservations

▪ Understanding of the requirement and ability to deliver not fully demonstrated. Medium risk that the proposed approach will not be successful

▪ Weaknesses and/or risks outweigh strengths

1 ▪ Indicates evaluation panel have major reservations about response to the criteria and there is insufficient detail to award a higher mark.

▪ Weaknesses far outweigh the strengths

0 ▪ Indicates the response fails to provide sufficient detail to allow the panel to assess the response against the criteria

▪ An unacceptable response with serious deficiencies. High risk that the proposed approach will not be successful

▪ Very limited evidence provided against the criteria

8.4 Cost Score Formula The following formula will be used to calculate the scores for costing:

Lowest Overall Bid Cost ÷ Tendered Overall Bid Cost x 20%

In instances where the bidders achieve the same overall score and there is a tie break situation, the bidder with the highest % score in Methodology 50%) will be awarded the contract.

9.0 Clarifications

If you require clarifications on the above, please email barney@C2C.co.uk . The email should have the following in the subject title ‘Artist in Residence’. The deadline for queries is Monday 8th July 2019 (12 Noon). Clarifications responses will be provided as a batch by 5pm on Tuesday 9th July 2019. Clarification responses will be sent to those who have raised queries and also posted in Tenders section of Outdoor Recreation NI website.

10.0 Submission of tender

Tender submissions should be emailed in either MS Word or PDF format to:

Barney DevineC2C Local Coordinator barney@c2c.org.uk

The email should have ‘Artists in Residence - Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place.’ in the subject title. The submission must arrive no later than Friday 19th July 2019 (12 Noon). Submissions or additional information received after the deadline will not be considered.

Appendix 1: Cuilcagh to Cleenish: A Great Place Map

Appendix 2: Previous Experience Template

Please demonstrate previous experience of undertaking projects of a similar size and scope.

Please provide 4 detailed examples of previous projects. This must include 2 examples of plays and 2 examples of public art (in relation to the public art submission please include photos of previous work).

Max 3 A4 pages for each example (excluding public art photographs.

CONTRACT 1

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract

CONTRACT 2

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract

CONTRACT 3

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract

CONTRACT 4

Start Date - End Date

Client Name & address

Client contact person (reference):Phone no:

Email:

Nature and scope of the Contract

Note : If the Contract formed part of a wider project where others were involved please state your role within the overall project and how you interacted with the others involved.

Details of Services provided to the Client

Approx. Value £ of the Services provided under the Contract