Post an RFP or RFQ. Hear from vendors who know museums.
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Latest RFPs
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Listings with a “Source” line were found on a museum’s own site or another public page. Each one links to the original posting, where you respond. They are not exclusive to Museum Vendors.
What is an RFP?
An RFP, or request for proposal, is a written request in which a museum asks vendors to propose how they would do a project and what it would cost. An RFQ, or request for quotation, is simpler: the scope is already set, and the museum asks only for a price. On Museum Vendors, museums post their RFPs and RFQs, and vendors respond through the platform.
How it worksHow it works for museums
Posting is free.
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Describe your project
Add the scope, budget range, deadline, and how vendors should respond. Choose one of the five categories and a type, RFP or RFQ.
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We review it, then publish
A person reads every RFP before it goes live. RFPs are reviewed within 2 business days, and we let you know when yours is published.
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Read the responses
Vendors respond through Museum Vendors. Contact details stay behind sign-in.
How it works for vendors
Browsing and responding are free.
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Find open RFPs
Filter by category, region, budget, and deadline. Each row shows the museum, deadline, and budget.
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Check the details
Each RFP states the scope, requirements, evaluation criteria, and what to submit.
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Respond before the deadline
Sign in and send your response through the RFP. Save RFPs to come back to them.
Stories from museum staff
Museum teams are small, and the project list is never short. Here is what posting on Museum Vendors looks like from the inside.
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Our director left in March, and suddenly I was the interim director with an exhibit install to bid and no vendor contacts at all. I listed the project on Museum Vendors instead of spending days finding company after company. I heard back from vendors who already knew how museums work.
Dana R.Interim Director, mid-size history museum -
Our collections move was too small for the big firms and too specialized for a general search. Writing the scope up once meant I could stop sending the same email to ten companies. The replies came back in one place, so comparing them was easy.
Marcus T.Registrar, small art museum -
I had a grant deadline, a gallery to refresh, and a budget I was nervous about sharing. Putting a budget range on the listing let vendors tell me quickly whether they were a fit. That saved us from calls that were never going anywhere.
Priya N.Education Manager, regional science center
Browse by category
Find open RFPs and RFQs in each category.
Built for every kind of museum
Whatever you collect and whoever you serve, posting a project works the same way.
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Art museums
Paintings, sculpture and works on paper.
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History museums
Local, regional and national stories.
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Children’s museums
Hands-on learning for young visitors.
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Science and natural history
Specimens, discovery and the natural world.
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Historic houses and sites
Preserved homes, landmarks and living history.
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University museums
Teaching collections on campus.
Frequently asked questions
Museum Vendors is a project board for the museum field. Museums post requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests for quotation (RFQs), and vendors find them in one place.
Select “Post an RFP” and fill in the form. Your listing is subject to the posting policy linked in the footer.
Each listing links to the museum’s own instructions for responding. Follow those instructions and deadlines.
Posting an RFP or RFQ is free, and so is browsing and responding. Vendor plans (Free, Plus, and Featured) are proposed, and nothing can be bought yet.
Ready to share a project?
Post an RFP or RFQ, or look through what is already listed.