Presolicitation
Freedom 250 Reception and Fireworks Event
Department of State
AI summaryThe U.S. Consulate General Sapporo (State Department) wants one contractor to run a Freedom 250 reception for 150 invited guests and a 20-minute fireworks display in Sapporo, Japan, on February 5, 2027 (request for quotations 19JA7027Q0002). It is firm-fixed-price (one set price, whatever the work ends up costing), with no set-aside; the lowest price among technically acceptable quotes wins. The response due date is November 20, 2026, 12:00 noon Japan Standard Time, by email. More in the summary
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AI summary Beta
The U.S. Consulate General Sapporo (State Department) wants one contractor to run a Freedom 250 reception for 150 invited guests and a 20-minute fireworks display in Sapporo, Japan, on February 5, 2027 (request for quotations 19JA7027Q0002). It is firm-fixed-price (one set price, whatever the work ends up costing), with no set-aside; the lowest price among technically acceptable quotes wins. The response due date is November 20, 2026, 12:00 noon Japan Standard Time, by email.
Who can bid (5)
- Authorization to operate and do business in Japan, all licenses and permits needed for the work, and compliance with Japanese laws, decrees and labor standards
- Licensed pyrotechnicians and fireworks experience that complies with Japanese fireworks rules
- Experience managing professional receptions and public or VIP events of comparable scale
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- U.S. contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before quoting; overseas contractors are only recommended to register before award
- Comprehensive liability insurance covering the event and the fireworks, including subcontractors, naming the U.S. Government as an additional insured where the contract requires it
How to submit: Email to Toshiya Ikeda at IkedaTX@state.gov; each email under 15MB (split larger quotes into several emails). What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (11)
From the version posted Oct 21, 2026.
- Serious: Must be authorized to do business in Japan, with local licenses and permits. The contractor warrants Japanese business authorization, licenses and permits and compliance with Japanese laws and labor standards; a U.S. firm without a Japan presence needs a local partner or subcontractor.
- Serious: Professional fireworks under Japanese law. Quotes need licensed pyrotechnicians and proven experience with Japanese fireworks rules; a quote that does not show this can be rated technically unacceptable.
- Worth checking: Notice type and posted RFQ do not match. SAM.gov lists a Presolicitation, but the updated notice says the RFQ with quote instructions is uploaded; follow the RFQ's due date and confirm with the contracting office.
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- Worth checking: Budget ceiling is not shown. The Government has a budget ceiling for the base price but does not state it; a quote above it may be rejected.
- Worth checking: Paid only after the event. The contractor pays venue, catering, fireworks and subcontractor costs up front, since payment comes after the event and post-event deliverables.
- Worth checking: Event cannot be moved for weather. A February outdoor fireworks show in Sapporo needs a contingency and cancellation plan, and the date holds unless the Government says otherwise.
- Worth checking: Four-volume quote must be complete. Quotes need the SF 1449, price, representations and certifications, and a detailed technical volume; incomplete quotes are not accepted and late ones are rejected. SAM.gov also shows the due time as 10:00 PM Eastern on Nov 20.
- Worth checking: Insurance with the U.S. Government as additional insured. Event and fireworks liability insurance is required, and the quote must name the proposed insurer.
- Minor: Payment currency depends on the firm. Corporations incorporated in a U.S. state may quote and be paid in U.S. dollars; any other firm must quote and be paid in Japanese Yen. Japanese consumption tax is left out of prices.
- Minor: Photo delivery timing differs. Section 14 says photo files are due the night of the event, while the deliverables list says event photography is due within five business days after the event.
- Minor: Draft plans due ten days after award. Within ten calendar days of award the contractor must send a draft floor plan, fireworks viewing plan, timeline, setup schedule, staffing plan, preliminary menu and logistics plan.
Read from the notice and 2 attachments. Show which files.
- Cover Letter and RFQ - 19JA7027Q0002 - F250 Reception and Fireworks.pdf (read)
- Post Proposed Pre-Soliciation Notice - 2027 Sappporo Snow Sculpture.docx (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Run a two-hour reception (6:00 PM to 8:00 PM) for 150 invited guests on two floors of Nouvelle Pousse at Okurayama: floor plans, Freedom 250 decorations, furniture, cloak space, stage, sound equipment and a bilingual (English and Japanese) master of ceremonies
- Provide catering from Nouvelle Pousse with an American-themed menu, bars and alcohol service, staff, and drink stations and food on the first floor
- Design and fire a professional 20-minute fireworks display (8:00 PM to 8:20 PM) at the Okurayama Ski Jump area, using licensed pyrotechnicians, with winter-weather, safety and cleanup plans
- Set up outdoor viewing for 150 guests, including a VIP area for about 15 guests (inside the 150), with weather protection, heaters, lighting and barriers
- Get all permits and approvals and coordinate with Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture, police, fire authorities and the Snow Festival committee, including neighborhood notifications
- Run round-trip shuttle buses for 50-70 invited guests from Maruyama Koen Subway Station, plus VIP arrivals, parking plans and passes
- Provide event photographers (photo files the same night), videography with a first draft within two days and a final within four days, with English and Japanese captions in SRT files
- Staff the Embassy mascot photo area, run a 360-degree photo/video booth, join up to five pre-site visits, and price five optional services (band, ski jumper, ice sculpture, guest experiences) separately
- Contract type
- Firm-fixed-price (one single price for the base requirement, plus five separately priced optional services)
- Period of performance
- Event on February 5, 2027; planning documents due within ten calendar days of award; final invoice and photography within five business days after the event; final video within four days after the event
- Place of performance
- Sapporo, Japan: Nouvelle Pousse at Okurayama (reception) and the Okurayama Ski Jump area (fireworks)
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- How they'll choose
- Lowest priced, technically acceptable (LPTA): the lowest base-requirement price among quotes that pass the technical review and the responsibility check
- Offers due
- November 20, 2026, 12:00 noon Japan Standard Time
- How to submit
- Email to Toshiya Ikeda at IkedaTX@state.gov; each email under 15MB (split larger quotes into several emails)
What they'll judge offers on
- Price: fair, reasonable and within the Government's budget; the lowest base price wins, and optional services are left out of the comparison
- Technical acceptability (pass or fail): (a) relevant experience with receptions and fireworks under Japanese rules, (b) event management and coordination, (c) fireworks planning and regulatory compliance, (d) personnel qualifications and resources, (e) subcontractor and vendor management, (f) quality assurance, safety and operational oversight, (g) cancellation policy
What to include when you submit
- Volume 1: Standard Form 1449 (SF 1449), the commercial order form: complete blocks 17, 30a, 30b and 30c
- Volume 2, Price: one firm-fixed Grand Total for the whole base requirement, stating the currency, plus a separate itemized cost breakdown (venue, catering, staffing, equipment, transportation, permits, fireworks, insurance, technical services, photography, videography, setup, breakdown, subcontractor charges, fees)
- Price each of the five optional services separately, with an itemized breakdown where the statement of work asks for one; do not add them to the base price
- Volume 3, Representations and Certifications: complete the applicable parts of Section 5 (pages 37 through 56 of the RFQ)
- Volume 4, Technical: a list of clients over the past five years with contract dates, places of performance, values, contact names, phone and email; if no comparable work was done in Japan, give international experience
- Volume 4 must include your plan to get all licenses and permits required by local law, or copies if you already hold them
- Volume 4 must include a work plan and project schedule with an organization chart, and your event coordination approach with Nouvelle Pousse, Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture, the Snow Festival Committee, police and fire authorities
- Volume 4 must include first- and second-floor layouts, a staffing plan for the mascot photo area and 360-degree booth, and a fireworks viewing and shuttle plan for 150 guests
- Volume 4 must include the fireworks plan (design, permits, safety, winter contingencies, cleanup), logistics and transportation plan, technical and event support plan, and quality assurance and safety approach
- Volume 4 must name major subcontractors and vendors (fireworks, transportation, audiovisual, entertainment, photography and videography) and describe your relevant experience and personnel qualifications
- Volume 4 must include a written cancellation policy: cancellation deadlines, fees, treatment of deposits and non-refundable costs, and the cost to the U.S. Government in each cancellation scenario
- Volume 4 must include insurance documentation: a statement that you will obtain the required insurance, with the proposed insurer's name (certificates of insurance are optional)
- Write the quote in English and explain any deviations, exceptions or assumptions in the matching volume
- After sending, contact Toshiya Ikeda by phone or email to confirm the quote arrived
Not in the notice text
- The amount of the Government's budget ceiling is not stated; the statement of work says it is identified in the resulting contract.
- The Consulate's price-per-person ceiling for catering is not given, and the final guest count comes two days before the event.
- The documents do not say whether a Japan-based office or legal entity is required beyond the warranty of authorization to do business in Japan.
- Part of the RFQ (about 30,000 characters, including the foreign-currency evaluation provision 52.225-17 and the first part of the representations and certifications) was left out here; check the full RFQ on SAM.gov.
- No question deadline or site visit for quoters is given in the documents read.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside: any business, large or small, can bid unless the notice says otherwise.
- How to submit, from the AI summary: Email to Toshiya Ikeda at IkedaTX@state.gov; each email under 15MB (split larger quotes into several emails). Check it in the notice before you send anything.
- Service contracts usually set minimum pay rates (the Service Contract Act). Price the labor with the SCA price calculator.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 21, 2026
- Notice type
- Presolicitation
- Office
- American Consulate Sappo
- Product/service code
- R708 · Support – Management: Public Relations
- Business type
- Administrative & staffing support (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 561920)
- Versions
2 versions have been posted, newest first.
- Oct 21, 2026 · Amendment 0001 (this version)Due Nov 20, 2026
- Oct 1, 2026 · PresolicitationDue Nov 20, 2026
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
Terms on this notice: Solicitation
Full notice text from SAM.gov
[Updated on 10/21/2026] Cover Letter and RFQ19JA7027Q0002 (F250 Reception and Fireworks) has been uploaded. This is a firm-fixed-price contract for the Contractor to provide comprehensive event management, venue, hospitality, entertainment, fireworks, permitting, transportation, parking, photography/videography, technical, safety, and on-site coordination services for a Freedom 250 commemorative event on February 5, 2027. The event will consist of a two-hour reception at Nouvelle Pousse at Okurayama followed immediately by a 20-minute professional fireworks display beginning at 8:00 p.m. The contractor shall coordinate all elements necessary to deliver a safe, professional, and well-integrated event, including coordination with Nouvelle Pousse, Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture, local police and other relevant authorities. The event occurs during the Sapporo Snow Festival period; therefore, the contractor shall account for any additional permitting, traffic, access, crowd-management, venue, environmental, or operational requirements associated with the festival. All responsible sources may submit a quotation, which will be considered. The Government may award the contract based on the initial offers without discussion. The resultant contract will be a firm-fixed-price contract. All U.S. Contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database https://www.sam.gov prior to submitting a quotation, in accordance with FAR provision 52.204-7. Therefore, prospective quoters must complete registration before submitting their quotations. Overseas Contractors are recommended to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) database https://www.sam.gov prior to contract award. This opportunity is subject to 52.229-12 - Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements (FEB 2021) Electronic Submission/Responses: This opportunity allows for electronic responses. Please submit your quotation prior to the specified response date and time. Please ensure that your submission does not exceed 15MB. If your submission exceeds this limit, you may need to send multiple emails.
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