Purpose:
This Request for Proposal (RFP) has been prepared in order to retain the services of a communications consultant to provide service and support to the City of Laguna Niguel, its staff and leadership with all elements of communication and publicity related services to better inform, educate and engage the community. The individual or firm responding to this RFP should expect to perform ongoing services and special projects as needed by the City and recognize the need for the media and communication strategy to be reflective of the diverse community and inclusive spirit of Laguna Niguel.
Background:
Laguna Niguel (Population 66,000) is a beautiful, safe, vibrant and dynamic community to live, work and play. Nestled in the coastal foothills of south Orange County, the City is home to 34 parks and 80 miles of scenic hiking, biking and equestrian trails. The City of Laguna Niguel was incorporated on December 1, 1989, and is a General Law City with a City Council/City Manager form of government. The City outsources several services by contract including street and landscape maintenance, water services, solid waste collection, street-sweeping, police services, fire services, and building services. Residents of this remarkable community care about each other, schools are important, and there is a sense of real community.
Scope of Work:
The City has a need for communication and publicity related services generally described in this section and desires a seasoned communications professional to support City staff in providing effective, timely communication with the public. The Scope of Work described below is not intended to be a complete list of all the work which the City may require.
- Communicate with City staff and leadership to assist in developing and implementing communication strategies and plans.
- Initiate ideas on when and how to inform the public and assist in carrying out the tasks as directed by City staff.
- Create news releases, speaking and/or key message points, speeches, and other written materials for staff and leadership in advance of public appearance and media coverage events, as directed by the City.
- Be available for staff on an on‐call basis for any communications/publicity that may arise.
- Assist with developing and creating content for the City’s community engagement program.
- Assist City staff in organizing workshops and community meetings around critical issues important to the Laguna Niguel community.
- Assist in creating content for the bi-weekly City e-newsletter, monthly Mayor’s Column, monthly Chamber newsletter articles, and various other newsletters who request articles from the City, as directed by the City.
- Assist in the development of educational materials, news stories, and other outreach documents on current issues as well as long-term matters, to ensure the quality and consistency of information provided to the public.
- Establish and maintain positive and strong connections with print and television news providers.
- Make recommendations to the City for more timely, transparent and effective communication with residents, businesses, and guests of the City.
- As needed, provide staff with social media training and strategies for improving all forms of communication available to the City which includes the City’s e-newsletter, website, Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, Instagram and other forms of communication as recommended by the consultant.
- Assist the City’s Webmaster and coordinate with staff in creating, monitoring, updating and maintaining the City’s website content for consistency, style and overall professional appearance.
- Coordinate with staff to plan special events including, but not limited to, ceremonial ground breakings and ribbon cutting events.
- May be asked to attend City Council or community meetings on sensitive topics to stay informed on issues.
Due Date:
June 25th