NORTH CAROLINA CHESS ASSOCIATION

2011 Bidding Process for Corporation Events

Introduction

The North Carolina Chess Association (NCCA) has the responsibility to conduct chess tournaments and matches within the State of North Carolina so as to promote the game and its literary and educational benefits.  To these ends, the Bylaws of NCCA specify four tournaments that are to be conducted on an annual basis under the direction of the NCCA Board of Directors.  Those tournaments are:

A Championship Tournament (currently the North Carolina Open)

An Invitational Tournament (currently the North Carolina Closed)

A Scholastic Championship

An All Girls Open

Other tournaments not specifically required in the Bylaws may be sponsored by NCCA at the direction of the Board of Directors.  Currently the NCCA has one additional tournament under its aegis that is open for bid:

A North Carolina Class Championship

The NCCA Board of Directors reserves the right to organize and operate any tournament for which it is directly responsible.  In the interests of involving the North Carolina chess community in the process of managing and operating significant tournaments, the NCCA is herein providing guidelines for outside bids on its annual tournaments.  Bids to host and operate a tournament will be considered by the Board of Directors and awarded or rejected at its sole discretion.  If no bid is deemed responsive to the bid guidelines, it will be incumbent upon the NCCA to organize and operate the tournament itself.  Bid winners will be required to make periodic progress reports to the NCCA Board of Directors and must seek approval for any operating change that is at variance with the original bid.

Bidding deadlines

2011 Scholastic Championship (February) – Previously awarded for Raleigh
2011 All Girls Open (March or April) – January 15, 2011

2011 North Carolina Invitational (March or April) – January 15, 2011
         To be managed by the NCCA Board in conjunction with Craig Jones.

2011 North Carolina Class (May) – January 15, 2011
2011 North Carolina Open (Labor Day weekend) – April 15, 2011
        To be managed by the NCCA Board.

Required Components of a Bid

All bids must be compete upon submission.  The bidding person or organization will be held accountable for the successful execution of each component of the bid as promised by the bidder.  Changes to any part of a bid after the tournament has been awarded must be approved by the NCCA  Board of Directors.  The Board reserves the right to revoke the award of a tournament should circumstances change so that the original bid components are no longer accurate. There are specific components of a bid that must be addressed.  If any component is not applicable because of the nature of the event, that should be indicated.

A bid submission document must address the following components:

•	A complete description of the event
•	A draft site contract
•	A draft contract with a hotel or motel
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•	A proposed budget
•	Proposed side events
•	Publicity arrangements and plans
•	Names of the Chief and Assistant Tournament Directors
•	An event plan
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•	   A complete description of the event 
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•		The proposed date(s) for the event
•		Options for a two- or three-day schedule where applicable
•		The number of rounds to be played
•		The proposed sections
•		The proposed playing schedule (round start times)
•		Minimum guarantee time between rounds for players
•		Policy on granting of byes and re-entries
•		Proposed entry fees and deadlines for entry
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•	   A draft site contract
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•	The bid must provide assurances that a reasonable playing area will be available for the tournament and that it has been secured for the proposed dates.  An adequate skittles area should also be available to the players before and after each round.  A draft contract for the playing site accompanied by a letter from site management approving the draft contract provisions will meet this requirement.  If the playing site is somewhere other than a hotel or motel, then a separate draft contract for overnight arrangements for players must be provided as specified below.  If the tournament is to be held in a hotel or motel, the provisions of the following section may be included in the draft site contract.
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•	   A draft hotel contract
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•	The draft hotel or motel contract must specify any discounted stay rates for chess players attending the tournament.  The draft should also specify the number rooms available at the discounted rate and the latest date at which reservations can be made at the discounted rate.  Full-price rates should also be noted for those players who do not secure the discounted rate.  The draft contract should also specify any amenities provided to registered chess players, such as free parking, free or discounted meals on site; extended reduced rates before and after the tournament dates for chess players; and any negotiated late check-out arrangements.
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•	   A proposed budget
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•	The NCCA is responsible for the financial integrity of all tournaments held under its sponsorship.  It has a duty to ensure that tournament operators,  players, and the NCCA are treated fairly with respect to costs and financial return.  A proposed budget must be submitted that outlines income, expenses, and profit expected from the tournament.
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•		Items that  in the proposed budget are:
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•	Income
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•	Income from entry fees
•	Room rebates from hotel site
•	Income from side events
•	Income from vendors on site
•	Income from sponsorships
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•	Expenses
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•	Site fees
•	Tournament Director fees
•	Advertising costs
•	North Carolina Grand Prix fees
•	Rating fees
•	Trophies and non-cash prizes
•	Prize fund
•	Percentage of any profit or flat rate guarantee to NCCA

A proposed budget must be reasonable in its estimate of income and expenses.  Entry fees and the prize fund should be set at levels that will ensure a successful tournament and a healthy number of attendees.  Bidders may consult the results of previous iterations of a particular tournament to determine a reasonable estimate of attendees.  The NCCA considers the North Carolina Open and the North Carolina Class Championship to be serious events as defined by the USCF rulebook (i.e., events not designed as either club events or tournament solely for the purpose of providing experience).  The tournament organizer should review the USCF Official Rules of Chess (Section 33) on prize funds in proposing a payout schedule for these tournaments.  The North Carolina Closed is a special event by invitation only and a prize fund subsidy will be provided by the NCCA.  The NCCA realizes that organizers expect a return (profit) for their investment in hosting these tournaments.  The NCCA does not propose to limit profit for an organizer, but expects to see a fair return to the players through the prize fund as well as a contribution to the NCCA which owns the event.  The bidder for the State Scholastic tournament must remit $9.00 per participant to the NCCA to cover travel funds for the North Carolina Denker and Polgar Tournament representatives and the $1,500.00 scholarship awarded to the winner of the K-12 Open section.
			
   Proposed side events

The excitement of large state tournaments is not just the opportunity to play for a title and also have a chance at a prize fund that is larger than the typical one-day or local chess tournament provides.  Side events are a way organizers can draw additional players to a tournament and increase the income side of their ledger.  These statewide events provide a pool of players that can support side events which might not be feasible for local and club events.   The NCCA is charged with developing chess players in North Carolina and side events such as Grand Master simultaneous exhibitions, lectures, and analysis promote this goal.  Side events can be a good way to enhance a bid for a tournament.  Blitz tournaments held prior to the main event or during a break period are fairly easy to run and can be profitable for the organizer.  A blitz tournament held prior to the main event may increase the number of hotel nights that are booked by players which will benefit the tournament bidder.

All bidders for the North Carolina Open must make provision for hosting the annual meeting of NCCA which entails making meeting space available for approximately two hours on a Sunday morning.
				
   Publicity arrangements and plans

At a minimum, the NCCA expects that an organizer will make arrangement for these tournaments to be listed in the TLA section of Chess Life.  The organizer may also propose additional methods of promoting the event such as mass mailings, website posting, etc.  The NCCA will list the event on its website in the tournament section as well as help promote it through special online notices, announcements at local tournaments, etc.  The goal of NCCA is to encourage as much participation as possible in its sponsored tournaments and all publicity efforts to that end are appreciated.

   Names of Chief and Assistant Tournament Directors

It is important that the bidder has a Chief Tournament Director with the required USCF credentials lined up to manage the tournament.  The Chief TD should not plan on playing in the event as his/her responsibilities will be too extensive to allow tournament play.
If the organizer does not have a qualified TD within his/her organization, it is possible to contract with an outside person to provide this function.  There are several qualified TDs within North Carolina who are willing to work with organizers for a fee.

Because these large tournaments often present a multitude of issues to be handled simultaneously and because sections are sometimes held in separate rooms, it is essential that the bid include provision for at least one if not more assistant TDs depending upon the situation.
 
   Event plan

Each of the events available for bid has a traditional format based on past experience, but that format is not necessarily a requirement for a successful bid.  An organizer may propose a change in fundamental aspects, such as number of rounds, time controls, round times, etc., if it can be demonstrated that this will be of benefit to the participants.

A timeline of the event should be included with the bid including important aspects, such as entry deadlines, onsite registration times, times and locations of side events, special events, opening and closing times for attractions (vendors), etc.

Bids Are Considered Contracts

This bidding process is being enacted by the NCCA Board of Directors to ensure that statewide tournaments under its sponsorship are high quality operations.  The conduct of these tournaments is a reflection upon the NCCA and it is incumbent upon the NCCA and the bidders to provide a positive experience that will promote chess in North Carolina.  A bid that is accepted by the Board of Directors is considered a contract between the organizer and the NCCA.  Any change to an accepted bid must first be approved by the NCCA Board of Directors.

Submission of Bids

Submission of bids for the 2010 tournaments should be made to:

		Dr. Walter M. High
		Vice-President, NCCA
		105 N. Crabtree Knoll
		Chapel Hill, NC 27514
		E-mail:  wmhigh@nc.rr.com

Approval Process

This document will reside on the NCCA website and will be updated annually.  The Board of Directors or an assigned subcommitee will determine the deadlines for submission of bids and how bids are to be submitted.  The NCCA reserves the right to extend deadlines in the absence of a responsive bid and also to accept late bids if necessary to ensure a quality event.  Should no bid be deemed responsive to the bid requirements or should no bid be submitted, it is incumbent upon the NCCA to host the event itself.

After the submission deadline, the Board of Directors or assigned subcommittee will review each submitted bid.  All bidders will be contacted and told the results of the bidding process.  The winning bidder will be asked to sign a agreement to host the event as proposed.