The Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, doing business as The Great Rivers Greenway District (“GRG”) is seeking the services of qualified professionals to assist in the development of marketing strategies and execution of related tasks.
BACKGROUND
Great Rivers Greenway is a regional public agency serving the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Great Rivers Greenway connects the St. Louis region with greenways, making it a vibrant place to live, work, and play.
Great Rivers Greenway is operated by a 25 member staff governed by a 12 member board that is appointed by the Executives of St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Staff members work within three groups to Build, Promote and Sustain the greenways.
Great Rivers Greenway is requesting proposals from interested and qualified firm(s), organization(s), individual(s) and non-profit(s) to provide services to assist staff in supporting any and all marketing needs for the agency overall.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
This RFQ is meant to procure help with any or all of the following types of work, as it is needed:
- Development and execution of general and event-specific marketing strategies and promotion that may include:
- Design of flyers, brochures, reports and folders as needed.
- Development of electronic media as needed.
- Development of social media content as needed.
- Development and management of paid media (traditional, digital, social, etc) as needed.
- Strategy and implementation of SEO campaigns.
- Meet periodically to strategize for future marketing needs.
- Market research including qualitative and quantitative measurement of brand awareness, sentiment, etc.
- All deliverables will be printer and web ready as needed.
- Will provide working files as requested.
Consultant will coordinate with staff to scope and track projects as needed, tracked against an overall contract for the 2019 calendar year, with the option to renew for up to two more calendar years.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING QUALIFICATIONS
Provide one (1) electronic copy. Submittals should contain the following information:
- A one-page letter of interest that includes a synopsis of the respondent’s qualifications, primary specialties of the respondent, the primary contact and the principal representing the contractual authority of the respondent.
- Profile(s) of respondent(s) including number of employees, location, and relevant experience working on similar projects within the last five (5) years. Include the respondent’s experience with local governments, special districts or other public agencies in the development of similar projects.
- Project descriptions for three (3) recent projects with a similar scale and scope performed by the respondent within the last five (5) years. Include the following:
- Name of the client (include contact information)
- Description of projects
- Key personnel involved and year the project was completed
- Disclose any material agreements, relationships, or employment your firm or team members have with Great Rivers Greenway that may create a conflict of interest or the appearance thereof.
- Include (as an appendix) copies of your firm’s most recent Equal Opportunity form (EEO-1) and Affirmative Action policies, if applicable.
- Outline proposed fees for the project as described and an outline of preferred payment timing.
- An hourly rate(s) for any additional follow up interaction.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Any contract awarded as a result of this RFQ will be awarded without discrimination on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, or national origin. Great Rivers Greenway values diversity, equity and inclusion – you can read about their mission and business cases here.
Prospective consultants shall assure Great Rivers Greenway that they will comply with 2010 ADA Standards prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as all applicable regulations and guidelines issued pursuant to the ADA (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).
MINORITY AND WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE POLICIES
It is the policy of Great Rivers Greenway that minority and women-owned businesses shall have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts utilizing taxpayer funds.
MBE/WBE firms included in the respondent’s submittal, either as prime consultants or sub-contractors, must be certified by one or more of the following agencies on or before the date of the submission of qualifications:
- Missouri Division of Purchasing and Materials Management
- City of St. Louis: Disadvantage Business Enterprise Program
- St. Louis Minority Business Council
SELECTION PROCESS
A review committee will evaluate all responses to this RFQ. From this review, Great Rivers Greenway may select a consultant(s) solely on the basis of submittals, or may additionally identify a short list of individual or team candidates for possible interviews. The committee may contact any or all respondents to clarify submitted information.
Upon selection of a firm, organization, non-profit or combination thereof, Great Rivers Greenway will negotiate a scope of services and other terms and conditions of an agreement with the selected respondent(s). If such negotiations are not successful, Great Rivers Greenway reserves the right to begin negotiations with other respondents. Respondents whose qualifications are not accepted will be notified in writing as soon as practical.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The committee will select the consultant team(s) or individuals that most closely satisfy the criteria listed below.
- Successful completion of project(s) of similar scope within the last five (5) years.
- Demonstrated experience and technical competence of the consultants or individuals relative to the task requirements outlined.
- Capacity of the consultant’s identified team members to provide the full range of skills needed for this project.
- Overall approach to the work and evidence of the consultant’s ability to generate creative solutions for the proposed deliverables identified.
- Any other relevant information offered or discovered during the evaluation process.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Great Rivers Greenway reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to:
- Reject any or all submittals when, in its opinion, it is determined to be in the public interest to do so
- Waive minor informalities of a submittal
- Cancel, revise, or extend this solicitation
- Request additional information which is deemed necessary
- Extract, combine, and delete elements of individual submittals of qualifications
- Negotiate jointly or separately with individual firms, organizations and non-profits with respect to any or all elements of this request.
This Request for Qualifications does not obligate Great Rivers Greenway to pay any costs incurred by any respondent in the submission or in making necessary studies or design for the preparation thereof, or for procuring or contracting for the services to be furnished under this request for qualifications. Great Rivers Greenway will give preference to Missouri firms, organizations and non-profits when other considerations are equal.
SCHEDULE
RFP Released Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Questions Submitted Monday, October 22, 2018
Questions Answered Tuesday, October 23, 2018
RFP Submittals Due Friday, October 26, 2018
Interviews Week of November 5, 2018
Firm(s) Selected Week of November 12, 2018
QUESTIONS
Questions concerning this request for proposals should be made to the Communications Manager, Seth Treptow, streptow@grgstl.org.
SUBMITTAL DUE DATE: 4:00pm CDT on Friday, October 26, 2018
SUBMITTAL LOCATION: streptow@grgstl.org (PDF)
Any qualifications received after this deadline will be deleted unopened. All responses and any accompanying material will become the property of Great Rivers Greenway. By submitting a response to this request, firms, organizations, individuals and non-profits accept all the terms and conditions of the Request for Qualifications or “RFQ”.
Questions or information related to this request should be directed to: Seth Treptow, streptow@grgstl.org 314-932-4910
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
If an Agency cross over multiple RFQs, would you like to see one proposal (e.g. using one case study that shows off multiple capes?) or individual submissions for each category?
If an agency crosses over multiple RFQs, we are fine with a single response but would prefer the proposal to be clearly delinated between sections. We will likely have different people evaluating each RFQ so it would make it much easier (and more apples to apples) if those evaluations can be made without having to also understand and assess the additional services provided.
We’re happy to provide our hourly rates but we don’t have enough information to propose a budget.
We really don’t need a budget. We are only looking to learn about your qualifications and capabilities, what you bring to the table, and your ability to meet the scope of the RFQ. We want to know your rates, but this will not be the most critical thing we look at. Please just provide your general rate card.
The RFQ specifies the types of work required, but does not define the cadence and quantity of projects, or annual budget.
That is correct, and is intentional. We are looking for a summary of qualifications and capabilities. We are not looking for specific proposals as we are looking to forge a potentially multi-year relationship with whatever firm we choose that can evolve as needs and opportunities arise. We do not want to make our decisions based upon a single project concept and would prefer to know what you bring to the table as a whole and how you could meet our needs, not the exact specifics of how you would do a particular task.
What marketing communications needs aren’t currently being met and why?
As with any organization, there are always things that could be done more effectively. Our greatest drawback is capacity, and we are looking to work with vendors who can help fill that void.
What is your primary objective in increasing awareness of your organization? Secondary?
We want people to have a better understand of what Great Rivers Greenway is, the work we do, and the benefits that work provides to the region. We then want people to increase their level of engagement with the organization. That engagement may come in a variety of forms, including increased greenway use, donating to the foundation, voicing public support for projects, or volunteering at events.
Are you currently working with one or more agencies to provide marketing services?
We have been working with a marketing firm for several years, however that contract is up for re-procurement. We are required to open service opportunities to any and all qualified firms every few years.
If our final submission is too large to email, is it ok to email a Drop Box link so you can download our PDF?
Yes, that is quite acceptable as long as the email with the link to your files is received by 4PM Central Time on October 26, 2018.
If known, what is your established budget for these efforts?
Our budget for 2019 is still being developed and will not be approved by our Board of Directors until December.
Do you have an established media strategy that you could provide? Or would developing a new/refreshed strategy be part of the scope?
We are currently in the process of developing a multi-year strategy and expect to have it completed by the end of 2018. We will not be looking to start from scratch, but would certainly work with our chosen vendor(s) to refine the strategy going forward.
Will the selected agency be buying all electronic media? If so, are costs carried by the agency or GRG?
GRG will assume the cost of media purchasing though is open to working with the selected firm(s) to coordinate purchases if this is a strength of said firm(s).
Which items are included in the electronic media needed within the scope of this project?
We cannot answer that at this time as it will very much be as-needed and could vary considerably from project to project over the terms of a contract period.
What is your existing budget for paid social and other digital media for the coming year?
Our budget for 2019 is still being developed and will not be approved by our Board of Directors until December.
How much of your social media content will be written/driven by the selected agency?
This will depend somewhat on the strengths of the chosen firm, but likely no more than half.
Will selected agency be responsible for managing comment moderation and responses on social media channels or is that handled internally?
This will generally be handled in-house, but for select events or programs we may ask our chosen firm(s) to handle these tasks.
Are social media images provided by GRG or are they considered part of the scope of the photography project?
Most social images can be provided by GRG, but is open to having our chosen firm(s) provide this service on an as-needed basis.
For the implementation of SEO strategies, will agency have direct access to a WordPress login or will we need to work with internal resources to make changes?
We would be willing to provide access to GRG’s WordPress site for any SEO modifications.
What is your standard approval process for all written and designed materials? Which members of your team approve materials and do materials need to go through any legal or regulatory approvals?
Materials are circulated through our staff and depending on the project may require multiple levels of approval. Typical reviewers include our Communications Manager, Communications Coordinator and our Vice President of Communications and Outreach. In some case that approval may also extend to our CEO and Board of Directors. In rare cases this approval may include review by our legal counsel.
Will the company/organization provide or have access to at least one of the following resources for measurement ROI purposes? ComScore, Nielsen Scarborough, Media Audit Audience Research?
We do not have access to any of those tools in-house.
Does the scope include media planning and buying?
At this time, no. But if that is a strength of the chosen vendor(s) it is something that could be added as part of the actual contract scope.
Does the scope include results analysis and reporting?
It may. Again, if that is a strength of the chosen vendor it is something that could be added to the scope during the contract process.
How are you currently measuring awareness and sentiment?
We periodically conduct survey research and focus groups to the general public, but are open to other methods.