Public Arts Master Plan RFP

The City of Prairie Village, Kansas is seeking proposals from qualified consultants with specific experience in public art master planning for the purpose of developing the first Public Arts Master Plan for the City of Prairie Village.

The selected consultant will work in conjunction with City staff and Prairie Village’s Arts Council to gather and utilize broad public involvement in the creation of the Prairie Village Public Arts Master Plan.

Proposals should include information demonstrating experience in public arts planning and community outreach, as well as the information requested in this RFP. The goals of the Public Arts Master Plan are to assist the City and the Arts Council in establishing an approach to public art, to develop guidance for the City's Public Art Program, to identify key locations for public art placement throughout Prairie Village, and to set priorities for public art within the City. The Public Arts Master Plan should identify a unified community vision, establish a plan for potential selections and placement of public art throughout the community, and strive to educate the public about the role public art plays in the community. The Public Arts Master Plan will provide direction to the City and the Arts Council on the planning and processes necessary to develop, administer and maintain a Public Art Program.

The City of Prairie Village was originally the vision of the late J.C. Nichols. After the successful development of the Country Club Plaza area in Kansas City, Missouri, Mr. Nichols turned his company’s direction and development toward his native Johnson County just a few miles from the Plaza. He had visions of transforming the rolling hills into a well-planned community of beautiful homes and neighborhood shopping centers. Construction in Prairie Village started in 1941 and by 1949, Mr. Nichols’ dream became reality when the City was named the best planned community in America by the National Association of Home Builders. The City was most likely named for the Prairie School, which was within the limits of the development, and began as a one-room, one teacher school.

Prairie Village was officially recognized as a City by the State of Kansas in 1951. By 1957 it had become a first class city. It is one of 20 cities in Johnson County and is the sixth largest in population. Prairie Village is completely surrounded by other cities, sharing its eastern border, State Line Road, with Kansas City, Missouri. The City has a residential population of approximately 22,900 within its 6.7 square mile City limits.

In 2024 Prairie Village was named by Niche.com as the second best suburb to raise a family in in Kansas. Nationally, Prairie Village has consistently ranked in the top 2% of best suburbs to live and buy a house in and was ranked in the top 3% of best places to raise a family.

Please review the City’s Comprehensive Plan for more information about the City’s future planning efforts and priorities. The Arts Council recently completed a strategic planning process which is attached as Appendix A. Additional information about Arts Council initiatives can be found at www.artspv.org . The City Council established a Public Arts Fund which has been collecting funds since 2023 but has not expended funds yet.

The City is seeking to develop its first public art master plan to help guide the work of the Arts Council. The Arts Council is a group of volunteer residents who work to select and place public art throughout the community, connect with local and regional artists to have installations at the R G Endres Gallery and Meadowbrook Clubhouse, and promote the work of local and emerging artists. The Committee is also responsible for overseeing public art maintenance and scheduling cleaning and repairs of artwork.

The final Public Arts Master Plan shall include, but is not limited to, the following key elements:

• Establish a vision, values, and goals for the Public Arts Master Plan;
• Provide recommendations for site placement of permanent and temporary public art. This includes reviewing and becoming familiar with existing policies, local codes and planned future developments;
• Identify clear goals and action strategies that include both short-term and long- term priorities, estimated budget and costs, and clear implementation dates;
• Outreach to and engagement of the Prairie Village community, including a diverse range of stakeholders;
• Provide a thorough inventory and assessment of the City's cultural assets and opportunities;
• Recommended public art guidelines, policies, and processes;
• Recommended policies and programs related to the implementation of the mission, vision, and goals for the Public Arts Master Plan, including temporary and permanent physical art grants, cultural art grants, and other programs;
• Establish standards for maintenance, upkeep, replacement and conditions for deaccession/disposal;
• Identification of potential funding models for public art;
• Audit of private giving capacity in community; and
• Aid in the development of a sponsorship program.

Final deliverables and schedule may be negotiated with the successful firm; however, it is anticipated that the final delivery of all work products will be completed by December 31, 2026, or an agreed-upon date if this is not realistic. The final product will be presented to City Council and the Arts Council.

The City looks to the Consultant Team to present a high-quality scope of work and cost- effective fee proposal. The amount budgeted for this project cannot exceed $40,000.

Each proposal shall include the following in order:

1. Firm Description: Provide a brief description of the firm including firm size and areas of specialization, location of corporate headquarters, and location of office proposed to handle this project.
2. Project Team: Provide names, resumes, and office locations of key staff assigned to this project. Each team member's education and qualifications shall be listed. Clearly identify the project manager. Resumes are not included in the overall page count and should be included in the Appendix.
3. Project Understanding: Provide a statement summarizing how the consultant and/or project team is particularly qualified for this project.
4. Scope of Services: Describe the consultant's approach and technical plan for accomplishing the work listed herein.
5. Project Schedule: The consultant shall provide a schedule, itemized by task, for completing the scope of work.
6. Project Budget: The consultant shall provide a proposed budget itemized by task and total project cost stated as a firm fixed fee. Labor and direct costs should be identified by task. Hourly rates for project staff shall also be provided.
7. Comparable Projects: Provide a description of at least three (3) related projects and the roles of each key staff member in each project.
8. References: Three (3) references, including current contact name and phone number for similar projects.

All proposals should be submitted electronically to Nickie Lee, Deputy City Administrator, nlee@pvkansas.com, by 4 p.m. on January 16, 2026.

No exceptions to this deadline will be permitted unless Prairie Village extends the deadline, whereupon it will notify recipients of the RFP.

Any firm that wishes to correct, amend, or supplement their proposal must do so prior to the filing deadline and must do so by withdrawing its proposal in its entirety and submitting a complete, corrected proposal package. Modification in any other manner will not be accepted.

All costs for developing proposals are entirely the responsibility of the firm and shall not be chargeable to the City.

Requests for Proposals / Qualifications will be reviewed by a committee of designated Arts Council Members and City staff, followed by interviews of the selected semi-finalists.

• November 24, 2025 - City issues RFP
• January 16, 2026; 4 p.m. - Due date for proposals to be submitted
• January 20, 2026 - Review of proposals will begin
• January 26, 2026 - Notification of Finalists
• February 2 – 6, 2026 - Finalist Interviews
• February 16, 2026 - Proposed agreement goes to City Council for approval
• February 17, 2026 - Work begins

Only proposals received on time and that meet the minimum qualifications will be evaluated by a Selection Committee. The Selection Committee will determine the most qualified and responsive respondent(s) for the RFP to include the possibility of an interview process. The evaluation criteria will also include:

• A strong understanding of Prairie Village’s needs
• Professional staff
• Firm organizational background and resources
• Breadth of consulting services able to be provided
• Fees

Final acceptance of a proposal will be determined on best match for the City based on the above criteria and will not solely be based on lowest fees.

The Selection Committee will notify all respondents of the decision as soon as possible and no later than February 15, 2026.

The City reserves the right to cancel this RFP at any time and reject any and all proposals submitted in response to this RFP. The City also reserves the right to request clarification on any submission, modify or alter the Scope of Services and solicit new submissions, and waive immaterial irregularities in any submission. Selection by the City staff does not constitute a contract. The firm(s) selected will be expected to enter into a written contract with the City, and it is only upon the mutual execution of the written contract document that a contract will be formed. Prior to execution of a written contract, the selected firm(s) will be required to provide proof of adequate and customary insurance.

A downloadable pdf of this RFP with appendix is available here:

Request for Proposals/Qualifications for Public Arts Master Plan

with PV Arts Council Strategic Plan Executive Summary

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