Project Information

Bid Title

Graduation Stage Setup - RFI-SP-580-03-11-2026

Issuing Agency

Lander University

Location

South Carolina

Published Date

Feb 27, 2026

Closing Date

Mar 11, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

Graduation

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Graduation Stage Setup - RFI-SP-580-03-11-2026

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Request for Information RFI-SP-580-03-11-2026

Graduation Stage Setup

Introduction

The University: Lander University, founded in 1872 and relocated to Greenwood, SC in 1904, is a public,

co-educational institution with a strong liberal arts tradition and professional programs.

Location: Greenwood, South Carolina is a city of approximately 23,300 residents (county population

~69,800) in the Piedmont region, roughly 2–4 hours from both the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic

Coast.

Campus: The main campus spans ~123 acres with a mix of historic and modern facilities. Ten (10) residence

halls house about 1,800 students. Recent campus growth includes new academic buildings and improvements

to student amenities.

Students: Total enrollment is around 4,600 (Fall 2025), drawn from 40 states and 33 countries.

Approximately 39% of students are minorities; about 68% are female and 32% male. The student-to-faculty

ratio is 17:1.

Academics: Lander offers more than 100 areas of study, including robust graduate and online programs.

Notable strengths include Education, Business, Nursing, and STEM programs. Lander pioneered the state’s

only public university Montessori education program and has high professional school acceptance rates

(90%+ med school acceptance).

Community: Lander prides itself on a close-knit campus community and an engaging student life

environment, including NCAA Division II athletics (the Lander Bearcats), over 90 student organizations,

and numerous campus traditions. The campus bookstore, as the Bearcat Shop, plays an important role in

supporting Lander’s academic mission and fostering school spirit.

Commencement: Lander typically conducts two commencement ceremonies in December and two

in May, each with around 300 graduates in attendance. The current stage that we are using is

customizable up to 30ft x 60ft and stands approximately 4-5ft high with steps on one side and a

ramp on the other. We are evaluating updated stage solutions that improve aesthetics, accessibility,

durability, and setup efficiency.

General Scope

Lander University is seeking information from qualified vendors to provide a complete

graduation stage setup for upcoming commencement ceremonies. This RFI gathers details on

available products, design options, pricing structures, lead times, and vendor capabilities. This

includes, but is not limited to, stage floor, steps, ramps, & required scaffolding.

The contract may be solicited as either a Invitation For Bid (IFB) or Request For Proposal (RFP).

In an IFB contract, award will be made to the lowest responsive and responsible Offerors who

agree to those terms. In an RFP contract, evaluation factors will be specified in the solicitation

and the award will be made to the Offeror that is most advantageous to Lander who agrees to

those terms. The information gathered via this RFI will be critical to establishing the procurement

method and requirements should a solicitation result from this RFI.

DISCLAIMERS

This is an RFI issued solely for information and planning purposes. Lander University does not

intend to award a contract as a result of this RFI, nor does Lander guarantee that a public

solicitation will be issued as a result of this RFI.

Lander will acknowledge receipt of the information provided by respondents but is not under

obligation to provide evaluative feedback to them.

This RFI shall not limit any rights to respond if duly qualified. Without limiting the generality of

the foregoing, Lander expressly reserves the right, at their discretion:

• to seek subsequent information or initiate discussions with any firm, including firms who did

not respond to this RFI;

• to initiate direct negotiations for the procurement of any goods or services with any firm or

firms regardless of whether the firm or firms responded to this RFI;

• to contact a limited number of firms, which may be limited to those who responded to this RFI

or may include firms who did not respond to this RFI, for the purpose of competitive procurement

of any good or service;

• to elect to proceed by way of an open tender call where all potential firms, including those who

did not respond to this RFI, are eligible to compete for the award of a contract for the supply of

any good or service; or

• to elect not to procure the good or service subject to this RFI.

These expressly reserved rights are in addition to any and all other rights of Lander University.

Any pricing information provided by Respondents is for general information purposes and is not

intended to be binding on Respondents. Any legally binding pricing or purchasing commitments

will only be established where specified by the express terms of a subsequent tender call process

or were established through the execution of a written agreement.

Lander and their advisors make no representation, warranty or guarantee regarding the accuracy

of the information contained in the RFI or issued by addenda. Any quantities shown or data

contained in this RFI, or provided by way of addenda, are estimates only provided as general

background information.

Lander shall not be liable for any expenses, including the expenses associated with preparing

responses to this RFI. The parties shall bear their own costs associated with or incurred through

this RFI process, including any costs arising out of or incurred in:

(a) the preparation and issuance of this RFI;

(b) the preparation and making of a submission; or

(c) any other activities related to this RFI process.

The Respondent acknowledges that the information provided is complete and accurate to the best

of its knowledge.

The Respondent must ensure that the submitted material is approved for distribution to Lander

and any affiliates. A Respondent should identify any information in its submission, or any

accompanying documentation supplied in confidence, for which confidentiality is to be

maintained by Lander. The confidentiality of such information will be maintained by Lander,

except where an order by a law enforcement agency or a court requires Lander to do otherwise.

As mentioned under “Confidentiality”, the vendor is responsible for specifying company-specific

trade secrets in need of protection from potential FOIA requests, where public disclosure of said

trade secrets would harm the company.

Except where expressly set out to the contrary in this RFI or in the Respondent’s submission, the

submission and any accompanying documentation provided by a Respondent shall not be

returned.

CONFIDENTIALITY

If any of the information in the vendor response is considered confidential, proprietary, or a trade

secret, it must be clearly indicated on the appropriate page of the vendor response. Release of

such materials is governed by the South Carolina Freedom of Information Law, which in

pertinent part requires the requester to provide specific justification as to why disclosure of

particular information in the response would cause substantial injury to the competitive position

of the vendor. As stated under "Disclaimers" above, it is incumbent upon the vendor to specify

company-specific trade secrets in need of protection where public disclosure of said trade secrets

would harm the company.

Public Access to Procurement Information in South Carolina: -

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t11c035.php

SECTION 11-35-410. Public access to procurement information.

(A) Procurement information must be a public record to the extent required by Chapter 4, Title 30

(The Freedom of Information Act), except as otherwise provided by this code, and with the

exception that commercial or financial information obtained in response to a request for proposals

or any type of bid solicitation that is privileged and confidential need not be disclosed.

(B) Privileged and confidential information is information in specific detail not customarily

released to the general public, the release of which might cause harm to the competitive position

of the party supplying the information. Examples of this type of information include:

(1) customer lists;

(2) design recommendations and identification of prospective problem areas under an RFP;

(3) design concepts, including methods and procedures;

(4) biographical data on key employees of the bidder.

(C) The board shall promulgate regulations directing the public availability and disposition of

documents submitted in response or with regard to a solicitation or other request where no award

is made.

(D) For all documents submitted in response or with regard to any solicitation or other request,

the person submitting the documents shall comply with instructions provided in the solicitation

for marking information exempt from public disclosure. Information not marked as required by

the applicable instructions may be disclosed to the public.

(E) A governmental body, with the approval of the appropriate chief procurement officer, may

keep portions of a solicitation confidential and release the information to prospective offerors

only upon execution of a nondisclosure agreement, provided the information is otherwise

exempted from disclosure by law.

(F) If requested in writing before a final award by an actual bidder, offeror, contractor, or

subcontractor with regard to a specific intended award or award of a contract, the procurement

officer shall, within five days of the receipt of any such request, make documents directly

connected to the procurement activity and not otherwise exempt from disclosure available for

inspection at an office of the responsible procurement officer. Without otherwise limiting any

other exemptions granted by law, and except as provided herein, documents of and documents

incidental to proposed contractual arrangements, including those used for contract negotiations,

are not exempt from disclosure after the date notice of intent to award is posted, unless the notice

is subsequently canceled.

Scope of Information Requested

To maximize the value of a single consolidated order, we would like vendors to address the

following considerations within their proposal:

1. Stage Size, Layout, and Locational Flexibility

• Evaluate optimal stage dimensions and placement within the arena to deliver a fresh

visual presentation for events.

• Provide design options that allow flexible configurations depending on event type to

include:

o Available stage platform sizes and modular configurations

o Load capacity and structural certifications

o Materials and weather resistance

o Stairs, railings, and safety features

• Include recommendations for enhanced ADA accessibility, specifically enabling:

o Ramp access on both sides of the stage (current configuration only allows

access on one side).

o Slope, width, and safety features that comply with ADA standards.

2. Storage Optimization and Multi-Setup Capacity

• Installation & Logistics

o Setup and teardown requirements

o Crew size and estimated timing

o On-site support availability

o Transportation needs or restrictions

o Required access/space for equipment

• Assess how to maximize existing storage locations, including:

o The closet off the arena. (Attachment A)

o The closets off the PEES gym D128 (Attachment B) & D153 (Attachment C).

• Determine how much inventory can be stored to support:

o Full arena setup

o Full PEES gym setup

o Possible outdoor event setup

• Whenever feasible, design a solution that allows all three setups to be staged

concurrently, acknowledging that storage capacity may be the limiting factor.

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