Application - Artist in the Community

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council invites project proposals from experienced artists to deliver the Artist in Community / Residence project in support of the 2026 St Patrick’s Day Festivals in Enniskillen and Omagh.

The project is supported through funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, with match funding provided by the Council. It will embed high-quality, community-engaged artistic practice within two major public festivals, reaching anticipated audiences of approximately 30,000 in Enniskillen and 12,000 in Omagh.

The Arts Council award is made under the Artist in Residence Programme. Applications are welcomed from artists based within the district and from those based elsewhere. Where the appointed artist is located outside the district, they will be required to be based within the district for a minimum of two days per week during the delivery period.

The appointed artist will work collaboratively with community groups, volunteer festival committees and Council officers to design and deliver inclusive, participatory creative activity that contributes directly to the public presentation of the St Patrick’s Day Festivals.

To help shape proposals and creative outputs, the festival themes for 2026 are:

Enniskillen: Shamrocks and Shared Stories
Omagh: Music and Mythology
Applicants are encouraged to respond to these themes through their proposed artistic approach and community engagement activity.

All creative activity and outputs must be completed and available for use as part of the St Patrick’s Day Festival events taking place on Tuesday 17 March 2026.

All artistic outputs produced through this project will remain the property of the festival committees and/or Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, as appropriate.

This is a single-stage application process. Applicants are required to submit a high-level proposal demonstrating artistic quality, collaborative ability and a clear, realistic approach to delivering activity and outputs within the project delivery period of February to March 2026.

Closing date for applications: 12 noon on Monday 09 February 2026

Full Name*

First NameLast Name

Trading As (if applicable)

Address*

Address

Address Line 2

TownCounty

Post Code

Email:*

example@example.com

Contact Number:*

Are you based within Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area?*

YesNo

Are you available to deliver this project between February and the end of March 2026, ensuring that all creative activity and outputs are completed and available for use at the St Patrick’s Day Festival events on Tuesday 17 March 2026? If no, the application will not be eligible.*

YesNo

Experience

Tell us about the experience you / organisation has in delivering similar projects.

Tick relevant experience:*

Community GroupsYoung PeopleOlder PeopleGroups or indivduals with additional support needs

Please describe 1 similar project you have delivered - this should have been within the last 5 years and be of a similar scale and scope to this project*

Please answer the following two questions to provide a high-level project proposal.

Your proposal should take into account the following:

A realistic expectation of supporting up to 6–8 groups across both locations
The 2026 festival themes:

Enniskillen: Shamrocks and Shared Stories
Omagh: Music and Mythology
High visual impact creative outputs are required to bring these themes to life as part of the St Patrick’s Day parades
Creative outputs must be ready before Tuesday 17 March 2026
A final evaluation report is required by 28 March 2026

Each question will be assessed equally, with both carrying the same weighting (40% each).

See the guidance section at the end of this form for further information on how applications will be assessed and scored.

Proposal Question 1. Please outline your proposed creative approach and how it will support St Patrick’s Day Festivals 2026. *

Proposal Question 2 Please provide a brief delivery outline, including number of groups, key activity dates, and how outputs will be ready for Tuesday 17 March 2026. *

Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Fermanagh & Omagh District Council funds the Artist in Residency Programme.

The total residency value of £20,000 is intended to cover:

Artist salary / fees
Travel costs associated with delivery
Accommodation costs, where required
Delivery Costs & Materials
All costs must be clearly outlined within the high-level proposal and remain within the total budget allocation. No other expenses wil be paid. All costs are exclusive of VAT.

Assessment criteria and weightings will be as follows:

Price 20%

The maximum mark will be awarded to the applicant submitting the lowest acceptable price. Other applicant will then be awarded a pro rata percentage using the following formula:

Available marks [20%] x Lowest acceptable price / Applicant's price

This score will be added to that obtained for Quality and the applicant with the highest overall score will be awarded the contract

Please provide a total price for project delivery. This price must be in pounds sterling (£), excluding VAT.*

You must provide a breakdown of this price.

Prices should be in pounds sterling (£), excluding VAT.

Artist Fees *

This is the artists' salary

Project Delivery Costs*

This is the cost to deliver the work with the community groups and inlcue all output expenses

Accomodation (if required)

Travel

Other

Please provide details of costs referenced as 'Other' or any additional information as required.

Please tick the checkboxes below as part of the Declarations for Suppliers.

For further information on the terms and conditions and the declaration, please visit:
https://www.fermanaghomagh.com/tenders/doing-business-with-the-council/

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Declarations - Please Tick*

Terms and Conditions I/We have read the Terms and ConditionsMandatory Exclusions I/We confirm that any convictions have been declared. Please complete box below referenced 'Details of any convictions are to be declared'.Fair Employment and Treatment (NorthernIreland) Act 1998 I am/we are notunqualified for the purposes of Article 64 to 66 of the Fair Employment andTreatment (Northern Ireland) Act 1998. I/we undertake forthwith to inform Fermanagh and Omagh District Councilshould any notice stating that I am/we are unqualified be served upon me/us bythe Equality CommissionCertificate relating to Bona FideSubmission I / We have read and now understand the requirements of the submissionsystem in relation to bona fide compliance as detailed in the above mentioned‘Certificate Relating To Bona Fide submission ’Equality Declaration I /We RecogniseFermanagh and Omagh District Council’s duty as stated above under Section 75 ofthe Northern Ireland Act 1998.We undertakenot to act in any way that would contravene the Council’s statutory obligationsand are committed to promoting good relations and equality of opportunity inall our activities (including in the recruitment, promotion and training of allour staff.The Bribery Act 2010 I/we acknowledgefull compliance with therequirements of the Bribery Act 2010 and have read and now understand the requirements in relation to carrying out business fairly, honestly and openly as detailed on the linked informationsheetFreedom of Information Act I/we have readand now understand the requirements in relation to freedom of information asdetailed on the linked information sheetSafeguarding Declaration I/Weacknowledge the importance of Safeguarding of children and adults at risk ofharm if I am/We are successful in this procurement process.Modern Slavery Act 2015 I/we have readand now understand the requirements in relation to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Mandatory Exclusions Details of any convictions are to be declared

If successful, you will be required to have the appropriate levels of insurance in place and to provide evidence of this insurance prior to the project start date.

Public Liability Insurance (£5 million)*

If in place, Insurer name, broker name, and expiry date.

Employer’s Liability Insurance (£10 million)*

If in place, Insurer name, broker name, and expiry date.

Safeguarding : You and/or your organisation should have an appropriate safeguarding policy in place. Where no such policy exists, you must comply with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Safeguarding Policy, which can be accessed via the link below. Notwithstanding this, responsibility for safeguarding remains at all times with the supplier.

Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Safeguarding Policy

Access NI : Applicants must already hold the appropriate Access NI check at the correct level for this work.

As the project involves engagement with children, young people and community groups, suitable Access NI clearance is a mandatory requirement. Responsibility for holding and maintaining the correct Access NI check rests with the supplier.

Type a question

Responsibility for Safeguarding. By ticking this box, I confirm the organisation understands and accepts full responsibility for safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk of harm that it comes into contact with during the delivery of services or activities.By ticking this box, I confirm that I understand and accept full responsibility for holding and maintaining the appropriate Access NI clearance at the correct level for this project.I confirm that the information provided in this application is accurate and complete

Signature*

Position in Organisation if application

All project proposalswill be assessed against a criterion as set out below.

CRITERIA

Assessment criteria and weightings will be as follows:

Price 20%

The maximum mark will be awarded to the applicant submitting the lowest acceptable price. Other applicants will then be awarded a pro rata percentage using the following formula:

Available marks [20%] x Lowest acceptable price / applicants price

Applicant’s price

This score will be added to that obtained for Quality, and the applicant with the highest overall score will be awarded the contract

Quality 80%

The Quality assessment will be determined in terms of the two proposal questions, each weighted at 40%.

The quality criteria responses will be evaluated against the following scoring indicators.

Those submitting a price must achieve a minimum of 3 against the scoring indicators for each quality criterion; any submission that achieves less than a score of 3 against the scoring indicators will be considered unsatisfactory & will be excluded from the assessment process.

Assessment Score Indicators

Excellent 5
The submission provided is of excellent relevance and is fully supported by a comprehensive Level of detail. No omissions and/or weaknesses identified
Good 4
The submission provided is of good relevance and is well supported by a good level of detail. Only minor omissions and/or weaknesses were identified
Satisfactory 3
The submission provided is of satisfactory relevance and is supported by an adequate level of detail. Some omissions / and or weaknesses identified.
Limited 2
The submission provided of limited relevance and partially detailed. Several material omissions / and or weaknesses have been identified.
Poor 1
The submission provided is of poor relevance and is inadequately detailed. Major omissions / and or weaknesses have been identified
Nil response/ Very Poor 0
No response or unacceptable information provided.

The score achieved out of 5 will then be multiplied by the weighting factor detailed beside each quality criterion. The Quality score will be added to that obtained for Price and the applicant with the highest overall score will be awarded the contract.

The applicant with the highest Price & Quality score will be awarded the contract. If more than one submission achieves the same Price & Quality score, each of the submissions will be assigned a number and the successful number will be randomly selected by the procurement department.

Project Proposal Artist in the Community St Patrick’s Day Festivals 2026

Introduction & Background

Section 1 Applicant Details

Section 2 Eligibility

Section 3 High Level Proposal

Section 4 Propsoal Price

Section 5 Declarations & Insuarance

Application Guidance Information