[Public Proposal] Regarding consignment of services for the Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program

[Public Proposal] Regarding consignment of services for the Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program
-1- International Dispatch No. 87 July 22, Reiwa 8 (2026) The following is hereby announced for the implementation of procedures by public proposal method.
Mayor of Kumamoto City, Kazufumi Onishi 1. Business Overview (1) Service Consignment Name Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program Service Consignment (2) Purpose and Overview To promote cultural exchange at the citizen level and enhance the city's presence by implementing an artist exchange program with the sister city of Aix-en-Provence, France, thereby contributing to the realization of "A High-Quality Living City Chosen by the World" as stated in the 2nd Phase International Strategy.
*Please refer to the Basic Specifications for details. Unless otherwise specified in the Basic Specifications, the contents described in these Basic Specifications are mandatory regardless of the proposed content.
(3) Performance Location Within Kumamoto Prefecture (mainly within Kumamoto City) (4) Performance Period From the contract date to February 28, Reiwa 9 (2027) (5) Maximum Proposal Amount ¥2,431,000 (including consumption tax and local consumption tax) *Proposals exceeding this maximum amount will be considered invalid regardless of the proposed content.
2. Department in Charge: 1-1 Tetori Honcho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Postal Code 860-8601 Kumamoto City Policy Bureau, General Policy Department, International Affairs Division Tel: 096-328-2070 (Direct) Email: kokusai@city.kumamoto.lg.jp 3. Eligibility Criteria All of the following conditions must be met.
(1) Must have submitted the Kumamoto City Business Consignment Contract Etc. Competitive Bidding Etc. Participation Qualification Application Form and be registered in the list of qualified participants pursuant to Article 5 of the "Guidelines on Qualifications Etc. for Participants in Competitive Bidding Etc. for Kumamoto City Business Consignment Contracts Etc." (Public Notice No. 731 of 2008).
(2) Must not fall under any of the items in Article 167-4, Paragraph 1 of the Local Autonomy Act Enforcement Order.
(3) If an application for commencement of rehabilitation proceedings under Article 17 of the Company Rehabilitation Act (Law No. 154 of 2002) or an application for commencement of rehabilitation proceedings under Article 21 of the Civil Rehabilitation Act (Law No. 225 of 1999) has been filed, a decision to approve the rehabilitation plan or the reconstruction plan must have been made, respectively.
-2- (4) Must not fall under the provisions of Article 3, Item 1 of the "Kumamoto City Ordinance on Exclusion of Boryokudan Etc. from Contracts Etc. Concluded with Kumamoto City" (Public Notice No. 105 of 2006).
(5) Must not be within the period of suspension of bidding based on the "Kumamoto City Ordinance on Measures Such As Suspension of Bidding for Contracts Etc. for Purchase of Goods and Consignment of Services" (Public Notice No. 199 of 2009; hereinafter referred to as the "Suspension of Bidding Ordinance").
(6) Must not be delinquent in consumption tax, local consumption tax, or city taxes.
(7) Must be engaged in the business related to the contract for which this proposal is being solicited.
(8) Must not be a party deemed unsuitable for contract by the Mayor due to violations or unfaithful conduct in contracts with the City within the past three years.
(9) Must comply with the "Kumamoto City Public Contract Ordinance" (Ordinance No. 54 of Reiwa 7 (2025)) by submitting a pledge as stipulated in Article 8.
(10) Must have a head office or business office, etc. within Kumamoto City.
(11) If a business cooperative (as defined in Article 3 of the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives Act (Law No. 181 of 1949); hereinafter the same) submits an expression of interest in this proposal, its members cannot submit an expression of interest as individual entities. If participating as a business cooperative, the member responsible for the business must also meet all the requirements of (5).
4. Application Procedures Etc. (1) Period and Method for Obtaining Expression of Interest Forms, Basic Specifications, Etc. From Wednesday, July 22, Reiwa 8 (2026) to Wednesday, August 5, Reiwa 8 (2026), they will be posted on the Kumamoto City website, and will also be distributed at the department in charge (2) upon request (distribution at the department in charge excludes city holidays as defined in Article 1 of the "Ordinance on Special Provisions for City Holidays and Deadlines" (Ordinance No. 32 of 1989); hereinafter referred to as "holidays").
Distribution by mail or electronic transmission (fax, email, etc.) is not provided. Distribution at the department in charge is from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Downloads are available on the Kumamoto City website during its operating hours. Basic specifications etc. will be available for viewing at the department in charge (2) until Wednesday, August 5, Reiwa 8 (2026).
(2) Application Procedures Etc. Those wishing to participate in this proposal must submit an Expression of Interest Form and other necessary documents (hereinafter referred to as "Expression of Interest Forms Etc.") and obtain confirmation from the Mayor regarding their eligibility. Submission methods are as follows:
A. Documents to Submit and Submission Method Submit by hand, mail, or email. If submitting by mail, use a method that provides proof of delivery, such as registered mail (general or express); methods without proof of delivery will not be accepted. If submitting by email, be sure to confirm receipt by phone. (a) Expression of Interest Form (Form No. 1) (b) Eligibility Qualification Review Sheet (Form No. 2) -3- (c) Company Profile Form (Form No. 3) B. Submission Deadline Wednesday, August 5, Reiwa 8 (2026), by 5:00 PM JST. If submitting by mail, it must arrive by Wednesday, August 5, Reiwa 8 (2026). Lost or delayed mail due to unforeseen accidents will not be considered. If submitting by email, confirm receipt by the deadline. C. Number of Copies: 1 copy. D. Submission Address (a) For hand delivery or email: Department in Charge (2) (b) For mail: To the Mayor of Kumamoto City (Kumamoto City Policy Bureau, General Policy Department, International Affairs Division), 1-1 Tetori Honcho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Postal Code 860-8601. Also, clearly write the "Service Consignment Name" and "Expression of Interest Form Enclosed" on the surface of the envelope. E. Notes (a) Fill in the forms as of the date of submission of the Expression of Interest Forms Etc. (b) If participating in this proposal as a business cooperative, also fill in the section for "Name of Member Responsible for Business" in the Eligibility Qualification Review Sheet (Form No. 2). If it is difficult to identify the member responsible for the business, multiple candidate members may be listed. In such cases, if even one member does not meet the requirements stipulated in (5), the participant will be deemed ineligible. (3) Eligibility confirmation will be made as of the deadline for submission of Expression of Interest Forms Etc., and the results (including reasons for disqualification) will be notified in writing. 5. Explanation of Reasons for Disqualification (1) Persons who receive notification of disqualification may request an explanation of the reasons for disqualification from the Mayor in writing (free format) within 7 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the notification date. (2) If an explanation is requested, the Mayor shall respond in writing within 5 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the last day of the period for requesting an explanation. 6. Information Session: No information sessions will be held. 7. Questions Regarding Basic Specifications Etc. (1) If there are any questions regarding the Basic Specifications Etc., submit a written inquiry (free format) by hand or email. However, if submitting by email, be sure to confirm receipt by phone. A. Submission Method Submit in writing (free format) by hand or email. However, if submitting by email, be sure to confirm receipt by phone. B. Submission Period From Wednesday, July 22, Reiwa 8 (2026) to Wednesday, August 7, Reiwa 8 (2026) (excluding holidays), from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. C. Submission Address: Department in Charge (2) (2) Answers to the inquiries in (1) will be made available for viewing as follows. They will also be posted on the Kumamoto City website. A. Viewing Period Starting by Wednesday, August 5, Reiwa 8 (2026), and ending on Monday, August 24, Reiwa 8 (2026). B. Viewing Location: Department in Charge (2) 8. Measures in Case of Single Bidder If there is only one bidder, a new public notice will be issued and the deadline for submitting Expression of Interest Forms Etc. will be extended. In this case, the participation qualifications or performance period may be changed as necessary. 9. Submission of Proposal Etc. Those who have been confirmed as eligible to participate according to the notification in 4(3) shall submit their proposal Etc. according to the following method. (1) Documents to Submit and Submission Method Submit by hand or mail. If submitting by mail, use a method that provides proof of delivery, such as registered mail (general or express); methods without proof of delivery will not be accepted. A. Proposal Etc. Submit in accordance with the "Technical Proposal Etc. Preparation Guidelines." B. Submission Deadline Monday, August 24, Reiwa 8 (2026), by 5:00 PM JST. If submitting by mail, it must arrive by Monday, August 24, Reiwa 8 (2026). Lost or delayed mail due to unforeseen accidents will not be considered. C. Number of Copies: Submit in accordance with the "Technical Proposal Etc. Preparation Guidelines." D. Submission Address (a) For hand delivery: Department in Charge (2) (b) For mail: To the Mayor of Kumamoto City (Kumamoto City Policy Bureau, General Policy Department, International Affairs Division), 1-1 Tetori Honcho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Postal Code 860-8601. Also, clearly write the "Service Consignment Name" and "Proposal Form Enclosed" on the surface of the envelope. -5- 10. Proposal Etc. Hearing (1) Date and Time: Monday, August 31, Reiwa 8 (2026) (scheduled) (2) Location: 1st Conference Room, 4th Floor, Kumamoto International Exchange Hall, 4-18 Hanabatacho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City. Time and attendees will be instructed separately. (3) Method: Face-to-face Q&A format (4) The hearing regarding the proposal Etc. will be conducted based on the evaluation items indicated in the evaluation criteria. (5) Only the submitted proposal Etc. may be used during the hearing; additional materials will not be accepted. (6) Failure to attend the hearing without a valid reason will render the proposal invalid. However, if the Mayor deems the absence unavoidable due to reasons such as severe weather or an accident involving the scheduled attendee, and if the hearing can be conducted without disrupting the proposal procedure, a hearing will be rescheduled for a new date and time designated by the Mayor. If it is deemed impossible to conduct the hearing etc. without disrupting the proposal procedure, the hearing items for this proposal participant will be scored as 0 points. 11. Evaluation Method Etc. (1) The evaluation shall be conducted by the "Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program Service Consignment Evaluation Committee" based on the "Establishment Ordinance for the Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program Service Consignment Evaluation Committee." (2) The evaluation criteria shall be based on the "Reiwa 8 (2026) Artist-in-Residence Exchange Program Service Consignment Evaluation Committee Evaluation Criteria." (3) Evaluation Method The evaluation will be based on the proposal Etc. and the hearing. The highest-scoring bidder will be selected as the contract candidate, and the second-highest scorer as the alternate contract candidate. If there are multiple bidders with the highest score, the one with the lower bid price will be selected as the contract candidate; if the bid prices are also the same, the decision will be made by consensus of the evaluation committee members. (4) Notification of Evaluation Results The evaluation results will be notified in writing. 12. Public Announcement of Proposal Evaluation Results Upon selection of the contract candidate, the following information will be publicly announced at the department in charge and on the Kumamoto City website. (1) Name of proposer (however, if there were two proposers, only the name of the contract candidate will be displayed) -6- (2) Evaluation score of the proposer (only the name of the contract candidate will be displayed) 13. Explanation of Reasons for Not Being Selected as Contract Candidate (1) Bidders not selected as contract candidates may request an explanation of the reasons for not being selected from the Mayor in writing (free format) within 5 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the public announcement of the contract candidate. (2) If an explanation is requested, the Mayor shall respond in writing within 7 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the last day of the period for requesting an explanation. 14. Consultation on Detailed Specifications (1) The detailed specifications for this service consignment will be determined by the City through consultation with the contract candidate based on the proposed content described in their proposal. In this case, changes to the proposed content described in the proposal by the contract candidate are generally not permitted. However, changes that are not disadvantageous to the City and do not affect the fairness, transparency, and competitiveness of the proposal process, as recognized by the City, are exceptions. (2) If an agreement cannot be reached with the contract candidate, the alternate contract candidate will be consulted regarding the detailed specifications as the new contract candidate. The handling of the alternate contract candidate's proposal content in this case shall be the same as in 14(1). (3) If an agreement is reached with the contract candidate, the contract candidate shall submit an estimate based on the agreed specifications and conclude a contract with the City within the limits of the planned price. 15. Contract Method This project can be concluded through electronic contracting. If electronic contracting is performed, the email address used for requesting confirmation of contract conclusion shall be the email address registered when applying for the list of qualified participants as listed in 4(1). Other matters shall be in accordance with the "Kumamoto City Electronic Contract Implementation Guidelines" (effective October 1, Reiwa 7 (2025)). 16. Other Notes (1) The language and currency used in the procedures shall be Japanese and Japanese currency, respectively. (2) Contract Deposit: In accordance with Article 22 of the "Kumamoto City Contract Management Regulations," the contract candidate shall deposit a contract deposit of 10/100 or more of the contract amount (or the contract amount in the case of a unit price contract)...