Senate Art Committee refines draft RFP for Elizabeth Freeman and Annabeth Adams busts

The Senate Art Committee met to review a draft request for proposals to commission two portrait busts — of Elizabeth Freeman and Annabeth Adams — for display in the Massachusetts Senate chamber and to agree on outstanding evaluation and procurement questions.

Committee members focused first on budget parameters and procurement rules. The draft lists an $80,000 estimated cost per bust and the committee earlier set a target range of $75,000 to $99,000 per bust. Committee staff noted that projects above $100,000 would trigger a different procurement process under the Senate’s rules (the $100,000 threshold is the line that would change the contracting process). Billy Rinaldi of the Senate Business Office warned that “there’ll be a lot of unknowns in projects. So you wanna make sure you’re not hitting that cap right away,” and staff said the RFP language will reserve the Senate’s right to consider proposals above the target if needed.

Members discussed what the budget should cover. Linda Hartigan of the Peabody Essex Museum urged clarity about which costs the Senate will pay and which the artist must cover, saying the committee should specify whether pedestals, packing and shipping are included because “shipping and packing for things…