California State Controller’s Office (SCO) Invitation for Bid – Online and Printed Advertisement Services
EUPD91324
California State Controller’s Office (SCO)
300 Capitol Mall, Ste 1850
Sacramento, CA 95814
SCObids@sco.ca.gov
ISSUE DATE: 11/08/2024
DUE DATE: 12/05/2024 2:00 PST
CONTACT: Bidders may submit questions for clarification of the content of this IFB to SCOBids@sco.ca.gov.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Bidders must submit their bids in Portable Document Format (PDF) to SCOBids@sco.ca.gov by December 5, 2024, by 2:00 p.m. PT, Bid Requirements and Information, Item 1. Key Action Dates. All bids must be submitted in at least two separate emails. Subject line must include the IFB number, Title, and be marked Bid or Cost.
1) Email #1 (Bid) must include the Bidder’s submission in PDF format with the subject line identifying the submission as BID—Company Name. Bids must be formatted for 8 1/2” x 11” paper with all pages consecutively numbered, each required element clearly identified, and in the sequence presented in this IFB.
2) Email #2 (Attachment 16, Cost Worksheet) must include the Bidder’s cost in PDF format with the subject line identifying the submission as COST—DO NOT OPEN. The Cost email shall remain unopened and separate from the sealed bid email until the public cost opening
- Purpose and Description of Services
The State Controller’s Office (SCO) is seeking a contractor to provide Online and Printed Advertisement Services. In accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure section 1531, the California State Controller’s Office (SCO) is required to publish an annual notice to owners of unclaimed property in newspapers, on internet web sites, or by other means. SCO implemented an annual advertising campaign, online and/or in printed advertisement form, to fulfill the Controller’s duty to inform property owners about the possible existence of unclaimed property, raise awareness about California’s Unclaimed Property Program, and increase the number of people searching for unclaimed property safeguarded by SCO. The Contractor shall advertise the SCO annual publication of “Notice to Owners of Unclaimed Property” (Notice) as described herein.
SCOPE OF WORK
- Description of Services
The Contractor shall provide online and printed advertisement services. In accordance with California Code of Civil Procedure section 1531, the California State Controller’s Office (SCO) is required to publish an annual notice to owners of unclaimed property in newspapers, on internet web sites, or by other means. SCO implemented an annual advertising campaign, online and/or in printed advertisement form, to fulfill the Controller’s duty to inform property owners about the possible existence of unclaimed property, raise awareness about California’s Unclaimed Property Program, and increase the number of people searching for unclaimed property safeguarded by SCO. The Contractor shall advertise the SCO annual publication of “Notice to Owners of Unclaimed Property” (Notice) as described herein.
- Agreement Term
The term of this agreement will be for three years, with the options to add funds and/or change the frequency of services as deemed necessary by SCO. The rates in Exhibit B, Attachment 1, Cost Worksheet will not change as a result of any amendment to this agreement. SCO may terminate the agreement at any time by giving the Contractor 30 days’ written notice of its intention to do so.
Contractors are cautioned that no work will begin until the agreement has been fully executed. If work is performed prior to agreement approval, and the agreement for any reason is not approved, all previous work performed by the Contractor is considered donated to SCO and no payment shall be made for that work.
- Agreement Amount
The Contractor and SCO Representatives are responsible for monitoring the agreement cost to ensure it does not exceed the maximum amount of the agreement without an executed amendment.
D. Contractor Responsibilities
1. Provide formatting services for Notices.
The Contractor shall:
a. Provide online advertisement (“impression”) formatting services and recommend to SCO the most effective format for online advertising. Online Notices will automatically format to the end-user’s viewing pane (for example, approximately 468×60 or 728×90 for computer or 320×50 for mobile) and must not be pop-up ads.
b. Provide print publication typesetting and formatting services and recommend to SCO the most effective format for print advertising. Print Notices will be three columns wide and approximately four-and-a-half inches high, or the equivalent of a quarter page.
2. Publish online and print Notices.
The Contractor shall:
a. Publish the viewable impression of the Notice in the designated online publication in the format approved by SCO.
b. Publish online impressions of the Notice above the fold on the home page of online newspaper publications.
c. Publish the Notice in the designated print publication in the format approved by SCO.
d. Publish Print Notices in the general viewing area of the publication and not in the classified section.
3. Obtain approval from SCO prior to publication.
The Contractor shall:
a. Complete the publication spreadsheet provided by SCO to recommend:
1) Newspaper publications to publish the Notice (that meet publication criteria described herein).
2) Specific run dates for each publication (that meet SCO date specifications described herein); and
3) Cost estimates for each publication. b. Return completed publication spreadsheet to the SCO – UPD Outreach and Compliance Unit representative identified in Section F.1. no later than six weeks prior to first print publication or online run.
4. Publish in newspaper publications meeting SCO requirements.
The Contractor shall:
a. Publish online impressions of the Notice and Print Notices in newspaper publications that meet the newspaper of “general circulation” criteria as provided in California Government Code section 6008 (Exhibit A, Attachment 1).
1) Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in ethnic/minority newspaper publications, as approved by SCO. Ethnic/minority newspaper publications are those published with a particular ethnic or minority group or community in mind, i.e., Spanish, Chinese, Korean, etc. SCO will provide translated notices.
i. Recommend a minimum of 20 ethnic/minority online and/or print circulation publications that fit the requirements listed in Items (ii) and (iii) below to be approved by SCO on the publication schedule. The publication schedule shall include the proposed online and/or print publications and the proposed publishing dates. The Contractor shall provide the proposed publication schedule to the SCO – UPD Outreach and Compliance Unit representative identified in Section F.1. for review and approval.
ii. Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or printed notices in ethnic/minority newspaper publications with a minimum weekly print circulation of 25,000.
iii. Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in ethnic/minority newspaper publications whose paper circulation reaches ethnic groups comprised of least five percent of the California’s population.
2) Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in non-ethnic/non-minority newspaper publications, as approved by SCO. Non-ethnic/non-minority newspaper publications are those that are published without a particular ethnic or minority group or community in mind.
i. Recommend a minimum of 20 non-ethnic/non-minority online and/or print newspaper Page 3 of 4 State Controller’s Office IFB Number EUPD91324 Exhibit A publications that will provide balanced circulation coverage outlined in Items (ii) through (iv) below to be approved by SCO on the final publication schedule.
ii. Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in non-ethnic/nonminority newspaper publications with a minimum paper circulation of 30,000.
iii. Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in non-ethnic/nonminority newspaper publications in a minimum of 10 of the 12 counties listed in Exhibit A, Attachment 2.
iv. Publish online impressions of the Notice and/or Printed Notices in a minimum of 10 non- ethnic/non-minority newspaper publications in counties not listed in Exhibit A, Attachment 2, with balanced coverage across the state.
5. Publish on required publication dates and for required runtimes.
The Contractor shall:
a. Publish viewable online impressions of the Notice between March 1 and May 31, until all requested impressions are fulfilled, using the actual dates, publications, and number of impressions approved by SCO each year.
b. Publish a Printed Notice for a single day and/or multiple day runs between March 1 and May 31, using the actual dates and publications approved by SCO each year.
6. Provide timely proof of publication and invoices.
The Contractor shall:
a. Within 30 calendar days of completion of the run of advertisements, provide proof of publication of online impressions consisting of a screen shot of each online notice published for each newspaper website. Screen shots must include the name of the newspaper, the hyperlink, and the date the Notice was published.
b. Within 30 calendar days of completion of the run of advertisements, provide proof of publication of print notices consisting of a tear sheet or e-tear sheet of each print notice published for each newspaper. Tear sheets must include the name of the newspaper and the date the Notice was published.
c. Provide an invoice for services within 30 calendar days of the end of all completed runs, including a total cost for all notices. Screen shots and tear sheets defined in D. Contractor Responsibilities 6.a. and 6.b. must be provided before the invoice will be paid.
7. Provide analysis of online runs.
The Contractor shall:
- Provide written reports and documentation that determine the effectiveness of each run of the online notice. The per-run report shall include the number of impressions, number of clicks, and the click-through rate. The report shall be provided within 30 calendar days of the completion of the run of advertisements. SCO reserves the option to request to meet and discuss the report with the Contractor.
E. SCO Responsibilities
SCO shall:
1. Provide the Contractor with an Unclaimed Property Division (UPD) program contact who will monitor the Agreement and the services provided, and a UPD backup contact who will provide coverage during the primary contact’s absence.
2. Provide the Contractor with the publication spreadsheet with designated publication dates and formats (online and/or print).
3. Approve the final publication schedule (in writing) of newspaper publications and publication dates and formats (online and/or print) two weeks before the first publication date.
4. Provide Notices in portable document format (PDF), joint photographic experts group (JPEG) format, or other electronic format required for print and online publishing, including translations for ethnic/minority papers (see Exhibit A, Attachment 3) by the publisher’s required deadline.
5. Be available during SCO core working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT) excluding holidays. A list of state-observed holidays may be found at: www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/pages/state-holidays.aspx.
