|
Guidelines for Bids to Host the USBCHA National Cattledog Finals I. Introduction
The National Cattledog Finals will be held annually at a site selected by the USBCHA . An organization or group of individuals wishing to host the Finals may submit a bid to the USBCHA for consideration. This specification is intended to help your committee organize a bid to host the Finals. We thank you for your interest and look forward to working with you. The planning for and the actual running of the Finals are monumental tasks. The host site is the heart and core of a Finals. The host provides the physical location, and a wide range of support. The association is flexible on many issues, of most importance is the field and healthy consistent cattle. The USBCHA establishes a Trial Committee to oversee all aspects of competition and running the finals in a given year. A.Objectives There are several objectives of this specification: · To explain the bidding process · To standardize the content of submitted proposals · To identify the major requirements needed to run the Finals · To define the responsibilities of the local host committee and USBCHA trial committees This document is not intended to be a comprehensive guide for the planning and running of the finals. Some information of this sort is included here, but only because it needs to be considered at the proposal stage. A.Definitions USBCHA or HA = United States Border Collie Handlers Association Finals = the USBCHA national finals competition Host = the group or organization making the bid to host the finals Site = the proposed location of the Finals I. Site Selection Process A.Selection Procedure The USBCHA Board of Directors makes the selection of the site for the Finals. The Board will consider all the available bids for a given year and choose the one which they feel best meets the requirements for hosting the Finals and the needs of the Association. Depending on the availability and suitability of bids, the USBCHA will make a site selection approximately 15 months in advance of the actual event which is usually held in the months of April or May. A. Submission of Proposal Proposals should be submitted by January 1 of the year preceding the year the proposal is targeting. For example, proposals for the 2002 finals should be submitted by January 1, 2001. Proposals submitted latter than this date may still be accepted if the site selection has not yet been made. The proposal should be sent to the USBCHA Secretary. The proposal submission requirements are discussed in the next section. A. Amendments to the Proposal Proposals can be amended at any time before a site selection has been made. Amendments should be sent to the USBCHA Secretary. A.Acceptance of Proposal When the USBCHA makes its site selection for a given year, the accepted bid as well as all the other bids under consideration for that year will be notified by mail of the decision. I. Bid Submission Requirements The bid submission requirements are intended to insure all the information needed to judge the suitability of the proposed site for the Finals are included in the proposal. Furthermore, having a common set of information will allow equal comparisons to be made between multiple proposals. A. Proposal Summary Page The summary page provides the basic proposal information: the proposed site, available dates, bidder identification and a list of submissions. The form is included in the Appendix. Include this page with the proposal. Also, include an updated version of the summary page along with any amendments to the proposal or other submissions. A. Checklist The checklist is meant to guide the process of assembling a proposal and also to facilitate the review and comparison of proposals. When completing the checklist include any comments that are relevant to each item. Indicate if any attachments with further details have been provided. If an item is not yet known, indicate the date when this information will be provided. A. Submission Information This section gives some details on the type of information that should be included with the proposal. In the case of proposals for a site that has been used before, say in the past 5 years, the proposal can be somewhat abbreviated. The site and locale submissions should focus mainly on areas which will be different than that of the previous event. The information regarding cattle and finances should still be fairly complete. Site information Consent from site owner: Include a letter from the site owner stating their consent to making the proposal and acknowledgment that a contract for use of the site will be required on acceptance of the proposal. Site layout: Include a sketch showing proposed arrangement for trial. Show trial field, parking and camping areas, roads, cattle areas, spectator areas, and other facilities. Trial field description: Include a sketch showing dimensions, slopes and terrain features. Show the proposed layout of course and location of holding pens. Provide photos of the field. Cattle holding areas: Show ability to manage the 180+ head of cattle on the site for the duration of the trial. Facilities: Note availability of buildings, power, water, roads, equipment, etc. Identify possible sources for cattle Provider and number available. (We will be running 60 Open dogs at three head per run, plan a few extra head for cattle that are unfit to run. Nursery dogs can use rerun cattle.) Breed and make-up (age, weight, steers, heifers) Management pactices (how are cattle handled on daily basis, are cattle dog broke) Transportation to and from site(Plan to bring cattle in early enough for them to settle in. Usually a day ahead.) Projected costs Financial Plan Budget estimate Funding plan Locale Information Proximity to a major airport Availability and distance to motels, restaurants and shopping Anticipated support from community Verify event is permissible under local zoning laws Identify local permit requirements A. Other Information The Bidder should include any additional information that they feel is important or relevant to the proposal. The following list gives a few areas were additional information might be submitted. · Special advantages of the proposed location · Risks associated with having the Finals at this location · Indicate if any of the basic requirements (given in the next section) cannot be met. · Average weather conditions at proposed site during months of April and May · Provide directions to the site I. Basic Requirements In order to have the finals at a given location there are certain minimum requirements that the site must possess. This section gives those requirements. In many cases these should be considered guidelines as the particular circumstances of a given location will often determine exactly how things are done. The list of requirements is not intended to cover all aspects of planning and running the finals. Rather it is intended to cover only those aspects that should be considered at the proposal stage. A. Site Layout Roads: The main access road from the highway to the parking areas should be paved or impervious to wet conditions. The road should be passable to RVs and large trucks. Facilities: There is no specific need for any buildings at the site. Even so, the availability of public bathrooms, meeting rooms, a room for the secretary, a place for the eye clinic would be of use. At least one tractor and wagon will be needed for general use, setup work, moving hay, moving stuck vehicles, etc. Also one or two portable water tanks should be available. Parking Areas: The size of the parking area will depend on the anticipated spectator turnout. A minimum 2-4 acres should be set aside. An overflow area should also be set up. Camping Areas: The location should be somewhat separated from where spectators will be located but within easy walking distance to the trial field. A. Trial Field The trial field should be a minimum of 20 acres. Land that has been regularly hayed or pastured is preferred. The field should be mostly visible from the position where the handlers post, judges and spectators will be located. There should not be hazards such as steep ravines, thickets, barb wire or the like within the competition area. There must be areas where supply and exhaust pens can be set up to allow efficiently moving cattle on and off the field. The entire field should be fenced with an especially sturdy fence between the field and the spectator area. Two holding pens will be needed, one for let out cattle and one for the exhaust. The let out pen will need suitable handling equipment for sorting the cattle, visual shielding from the field, and provisions for water for the cattle. It is advisable to have a series of small sorting pens in the let out pen so that cattle will be sorted and waiting two to three runs ahead. The exhaust pen should be located and arranged to facilitate efficiently taking the cattle off the field after a run. The exhaust pen will also need visual shielding and water. Provide an overnight area where cattle can have access to feed and water and room to lie down in the dry. An area for cattle that are not fit to run should be established . A. Cattle The trial committee will approve the cattle. The cattle need to be uniform and healthy. The cattle will need to be exposed to competent herding dogs. We would like the Finals to show dogs handle cattle in a firm quiet manner. The dogs need to be able to go right to work and not have to spend time dog-breaking wild cattle. At the same time, we are not looking for overly gentle dairy bottle calves. The host is responsible for identifying a source for the cattle and for making on site provisions to hold, sort and move them. Generally, the host is responsible for the costs associated with the rental, transportation and feeding of the cattle. A. Locale The trial site should be within a reasonable distance of a major airport, motels, restaurants and shopping. As a guideline, the site should be within 200 miles of an airport and within 30 miles of motels, restaurants and shopping. Prior to submitting a proposal, the bidder should contact the local government and verify that holding the finals at the proposed site is permissible under local zoning laws. It should also be determined what permits if any will be required. The bidder should also obtain a letter from the owner of the site stating their concurrence in offering the site. Obviously, FORMAL AGREEMENTS FOR USE OF THE SITE AND LOCAL PERMITS WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED UNTIL AFTER A PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTED. A. Trial Operations The Cattledog Finals will consist of two days of qualifying with 60 Open runs per day and one day of Finals and Nursery with 20 Open runs and(25) Futurity Runs. Staffing to manage admissions, parking, etc.: the specific personnel needs for running the trial will depend on the location and will vary through the duration of the trial. The following list gives the main areas where help will be needed. Parking/Admissions Number will vary over the trial General site work Gophers, repair work, trash collection Exhausting cattle Two 2-person crews to rotate (experienced handlers and dogs only) Cattle care Feeding, watering, care for sick animals Holding pen Persons with experience working cattle Clerk for judges Clerk needs to understand judging system before trial starts Timers Two timers to work each go round Secretarial Assistants General clerical support Concessions and Vendors: It can not be overstated, that having a variety of quality reasonably priced food is an important part of the event so their selection should be done carefully. At least two food concessions should be present. At least one should be open for breakfast. The number and make-up of other vendors is up to the host. Bathrooms:: spectator area (several), Judge/handler (1), camping area (2+), set out pen (1). Daily servicing the porto-johns should be arranged. Site security: There may be no need for a dedicated security force. The local authorities should be contacted concerning the event. They may offer to be present as a precaution or to control traffic. An ambulance service should also be notified of the event. An onsite EMS unit may also be needed. Site cleanup, trash collection: Trash cans distributed about the site are needed as well as periodic emptying. Three or four large trash bins will also be required: One or two near the camping area, one near the concessions and one for trash collected about the site. Services for campers( OPTIONAL): Arranging for water delivery and sewage pumping for the campers is recommended. While not absolutely necessary this is a great convenience for the campers. It will also help to minimize traffic in and out of the site. Often the porto-john vendor will empty camper waste tanks for a fee. A. Other Requirements The items listed below represent additional materials or services that will be needed at the Finals PA system and announcer: A quality PA system is needed. The speaker setup should prevent undue distraction to the judges and action on the trial field. The announcer can be a dedicated individual or an array of volunteers usually drawn from the handlers present. Site communication: Approximately twelve 2-way radios will be needed. host team (4), trial committee (4), secretary (1), holding pen (2), spare (1). Golf carts (OPTIONAL): Approximately 4 needed. Course materials: Pen, gates, post, etc. Building or trailer for secretary near trial site: A 20 foot trailer or equivalent space near the trial field will be used as an office for the secretary and assistants. It should have power and phone if possible Motel rooms for judges, secretary, spotters and other trial VIPs: Plan on three rooms for judges and one for the secretary for the duration of the trial. Additional rooms may be needed for the sheep spotters and other key trial personnel. Transportation for Judges and VIPs: Will need one vehicle capable of holding up to 6 people Location to post trial results: About a 4 foot high by 16 foot wide space is required, sheltered if possible and located near the secretaries office. Tents or shelter for vendors, concessions, handlers, judges, pen crew: Most vendors will need shelter. A sheltered eating area is also desirable. A handlers tent/or area is needed. A tent for the judge is also required. The pen crew / spotters should also be given some protection from the weather. Provide a program: Content to include: running order, dog pedigrees, eye test information, judge profiles, trial description.. Location for eye clinic: If an eye testing will be done, an on site indoor area with no windows is needed (must be able to control the lighting) A. Financial Arrangements
Putting on the finals requires careful financial planning as a significant amount of money involved. The USBCHA can only cover a portion of the expenses. Customarily, the USBCHA will cover the cost of airfare and other expenses of the judges and for the prizes and trophies. The USBCHA may also pay for the cattle and the spotters. The remaining income for the trial comes primarily from fund-raising, advertising, admission fees, and sales of programs and other items to spectators. The USBCHA can provide budgets from past finals to guide prospective hosts on what to expect. Many of the specific costs will vary depending on the trial location so a careful review of all the numbers is warranted. While the income generated during the trial has the potential to offset most of the expenses, many expenses will be incurred prior to the start of the trial. As such, the host will usually need to begin fund-raising activities long before the finals happens. Benefit trials have been successfully used to generate early income for the Finals. Donations from sponsors can also be an important source of funding for the trial. Advertising the Finals as a non-profit event may attract more sponsorship. The search for sponsors should begin over a year in advance of the event. I. Division Of Responsibilities
The job of preparing for and Finals and also managing the event is a joint effort between the Host and the USBCHA/ABCA trial committee. There must be both an extreme level of cooperation between these two parties and a clear understanding of their individual responsibilities The USBCHA recognizes the significant effort and expense which the Host will have committed in putting on the Finals and will support the Host in whatever ways possible so long as the fairness and quality of the competition is maintained. As such the trial committee will have control over only those matters directly affecting the Competition and the Host will manage everything else. This delineation of responsibilities is listed below. A. USBCHA Trial Committee responsibilities · Regulation of the competition · Cattle management during the event · Cattle spotting crews · Filming of the event . (Note: The USBCHA needs to be able to limit the number and location of all commercial advertising done on or in view of the trial course) B. Local Host Committee responsibilities Locating field and cattle · On site organization and preparations · Non-competition related trial operations · Local event advertising · Vendors and concessions · Promotional activities · News coverage
I. Appendix · Proposal Summary Page · Submissions Checklist · Typical budget (not yet included) · Time Table (net yet included)
General Information Name of Site Location Proposed Year(s) Dates Available Bidder Information (Proposed Host Committee) 1.Name Responsibility Primary Phone Email Address 2.Name Responsibility Alternate Phone Email Address 3.Name Responsibility Phone Email Address 4.Name Responsibility Phone Email Address 5.Name Responsibility Phone Email Address Record of Submissions Date Description Init. Original proposal submission
Include any comments that are relevant to each item. Indicate if any attachments giving further details have been provided. If an item is not yet known, indicate the date when this information will be provided. ü Item Comments Site Information Site owner consent Site layout Trial field description Cattle management Facilities Identify Possible Sources for Cattle Provider and number available Breed and make-up Transportation Projected costs Financial Plan Budget estimate Funding plan Locale Information Proximity to a major airport Motels, restaurants, shopping Community support Zoning, permit requirements
|