City of New York Department of Transportation Issues Marketing RFP


NYCDOT is seeking a Contractor1 to provide the following services for Summer Streets (3 days) and Car Free Earth Day (1 day) events; together “the Programs” :

•               EVENT PRODUCTION – Plan and produce the Programs.

•               SPONSORSHIP – Raise sponsorship funds upwards of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for the Programs;

•               MARKETING – Create and implement marketing and branding campaigns for the Programs.

The Programs

The Programs included for event production, sponsorship and marketing are:

Summer Streets Overview

Summer Streets is an annual celebration of New York City’s most valuable public space, its streets. On three consecutive Saturdays in August, from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM, nearly seven miles of NYC’s streets are opened for people to play, run, walk and bike. The New York City Department of Transportation, in partnership with the City of New York, launched Summer Streets in August 2008 commencing this annual tradition. Summer Streets provides space for healthy recreation and encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation. In 2018, nearly 300,000 people took advantage of the open streets.

The Summer Streets event route extends from the Brooklyn Bridge (Duane Street and Centre Street) to Central Park (72nd Street and Park Avenue) along Park Avenue and connecting streets, with easy access from all points in New York City, allowing participants to plan a trip as long or short as they wish. All activities at Summer Streets are free of charge, and designed for people of all ages and ability levels to share the streets respectfully. Summer Streets is modeled on other events from around the world including Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia and the Paris Plage in France and has since inspired other such events around the world such as CicloRecreo Via and London’s Regent Street Summer Streets.

Summer Streets transforms NYC streets into active and attractive public spaces with the addition of public art, performances, workshops and demonstrations. Event programming encourages the use of sustainable forms of transportation including walking, cycling, bus and subway, while reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Opportunities for outdoor recreation promote active and healthy lifestyles, while engaging the public in a dialogue about current transportation issues. Family-friendly, unique and interactive programming showcases the rich and varied resources of NYC.

The DOT Art & Event Programming team and DOT Special Events coordinates the production of the Event Route and all programming in collaboration with the selected Contractor at five Rest Stops along the Event Route: Uptown Rest Stop at 51st Street and Park Avenue, Midtown Rest Stop at 25th Street and Park Avenue, Astor Place Rest Stop at Astor Place and Lafayette Street, Soho Rest Stop at Spring Street and Lafayette Street and Foley Square Rest Stop at Duane Street and Centre Street. Recent examples of successful public art, pop-up performances and classes/workshops at Summer Streets include: public art installations – Food Sessions by daily tous les jours at the Astor Place Rest Stop and PULSUS by Allen Sayegh at the Soho Rest Stop; pop-up performances – Fogo Azul Marching Band at the Foley Square Rest Stop and Trumpet City by Craig Shepherd along the Event Route; and classes/workshops – the Brooklyn Children’s Museum at the Uptown Rest Stop Cultural Hub and Pop Up Yoga at the Midtown Rest Stop.

In order to produce an event of this magnitude, DOT must collaborate with the Contractor to source a large quantity of event hardware and equipment such as tents, tables, chairs, signage stanchions, barricades, audio-visual sound systems, cabling and cable ramps, platform stages, and much more. In addition, DOT must collaborate with the Contractor to source a large paid staffing pool to both set-up and breakdown the activations and associated equipment across a seven mile route and at the five rest stops, as well as recruit a large volunteer pool of up to 1,000 individuals across the three event dates to assist along the route with traffic management, crowd control, activation support, and much more. Set- up typically begins around 3:00 AM day of event, with some set-ups for larger activations starting around midnight.

Breakdown typically takes between two and four hours dependent on the size and scale of the activation.

A detailed signage plan is developed each year to ensure event participants are directed along the event route in a safe manner. An emergency plan is also required of the Contractor to ensure event participants, staffing and volunteers are safe in the event of an emergency during event hours. Lastly, a garbage and recycling plan is required to be instituted by the Contractor to handle the increased amount of litter and recycling accumulated during the event hours, specifically at the five rest stops.

To promote the event, DOT secures both paid and out of home (OOH) media assets in coordination with the Contractor. Creative Services are required to develop advertisements in order to brand the event including but not limited to: event logo, illustrations, advertising copy, etc. In addition, a large amount of programmatic signage for all activations along the event route must be designed and printed by DOT in coordination with the Contractor.

To cover the programmatic and operational costs for this Event, DOT relies on the generous support of corporate sponsors each year in the amount upwards of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). The Contractor is responsible for soliciting and securing funding leading up to the event each year. Sponsorship recruitment entails development of a general sponsorship deck with a rate sheet, outreach to potential appropriate sponsors in the following categories: health and beauty, home and garden, green industry, finance, music and the arts, food and beverage, etc., and coordination of the sponsor activations leading up to and during the three events. Past sponsors have included: Citibank, Vita Coco, Clif, Nuun, Reebok, Nike, American Kennel Club, NY Presbyterian Hospital, Cigna, Banana Boat, LG, Applegate Farms, Chipotle, Whole Foods, Cabot Cheese and many more.

For more information on Summer Streets, visit: www.nyc.gov/summerstreets.

Car Free Earth Day Overview

Car Free Earth Day (CFED) is an annual car-free event held on the Saturday in advance or immediately following Earth Day, April 22nd. CFED opens thirty blocks or 1.5 miles of Broadway from Times Square (47th Street) to Union Square (17th Street) for people to explore on foot during event hours, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Programming is presented at five rest stops along Broadway: Times Square (42nd Street), Herald Square (34th Street), Garment (39th Street), Flatiron (23rd Street), and Union Square (17th Street). Environmental programming is offered by City agencies and nonprofit organizations along the route to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability and other relevant topics.

CFED transforms NYC streets in a similar manner to Summer Streets but focuses on reuse of the existing public plazas along the event route for programming, leaving the route itself free for people to walk or run. Cyclists are encouraged to remain in the existing bike lane during CFED as opposed to Summer Streets, in which individuals are invited to cycle along the route itself. Programming, including public art, pop-up performances and classes/workshops similar to Summer Streets, is coordinated along the event route in partnership with the local business improvement districts.

Past examples of public art, pop-up performances and classes/workshop along the CFED event route include: public art installation – Broadway Bouquet by Terrain Work at the Flatiron Rest Stop and Fleur du Mal by Isabelle Garbani at the Garment Rest Stop; pop-up-performances, Gibney Dance at the Flatiron Rest Stop and The Marching Cobras at the Times Square Rest Stop; and classes/workshops – Pop Fit Kids at the Flatiron Rest Stop and HYPOTHEkids at the Herald Square Rest Stop.

CFED requires the same level of support from the Contractor leading up to the event date in regards to event planning, sponsorship recruitment (with an expected minimum of $50,000) and marketing campaign development. The selected

Contractor is required to secure sponsorships, develop a marketing campaign, coordinate logistics for all programmatic elements and produce the event route and various activations day of event.

For more information on CFED, visit: www.nyc.gov/carfreenyc.

Background:       

DOT’s mission is to provide for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and to maintain and enhance the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of our primary customers, City residents. Our agency’s work is guided by the Strategic Plan 2016: Safe – Green – Smart – Equitable. We are customer-driven in all our activities. We seek opportunities to create partnerships in the provision of transportation services through appropriate relationships and alliances. To accomplish our mission, the Department works to achieve the following goals:

·      Provide safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of pedestrians,       goods, and vehicular traffic on the streets, highways, bridges, and waterways of the City’s transportation network;

·      Improve traffic mobility and reduce congestion throughout the City;

·      Rehabilitate and maintain the City’s infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels, streets,    sidewalks, and highways;

·      Encourage the use of mass transit and sustainable modes of transportation; and

·      Conduct traffic safety educational programs.

Over 5,000 employees of the New York City Department of Transportation oversee one of the most complex urban transportation networks in the world. DOT’s staff manage an annual operating budget of $900 million and a five-year $10.1 billion capital program, along with 6,000 miles of streets and highways, 12,000 miles of sidewalk, and 794 bridges and tunnels, including the iconic East River bridges. DOT’s staff also installs and maintains over one million street signs12,700 signalized intersections, over 315,000 street lights, and over 200 million linear feet of markings.

It should be noted that certain properties within the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) are managed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYCDPR) with permission from NYCDOT. Management of these properties by NYCDPR is temporary and is expressly not intended to create public parks or parkland.

DOT promotes the use of sustainable modes of transportation. DOT designs bicycle facilities, bus lanes, and public plazas. DOT operates the Staten Island Ferry, which serves over 22 million people annually and oversees ferry operations on City-owned piers. DOT educates students and adults Citywide about street safety. DOT’s staff issue parking permits to people with disabilities, not-for-profit agencies and governmental entities, and commercial vehicle permits for trucks; issue construction permits for work in City streets; and manage the City’s Adopt-a-Highway program.

Scope of Work

                The following services will be provided by the Contractor – on an agreed upon deliverable basis – including, but not limited to:

                1.            Event Production

                                On an annual basis, implement and/or manage the following services for the Programs:

a. Based on Activations with Sponsors and programming created by NYCDOT at agreed upon locations, the Contractor will be responsible for the creation of a comprehensive event production plan including, but not limited to: preparation of CAD drawings of the event rest stops, submittal of permit applications to all city agencies for relevant production elements, signage plan, staffing plan, volunteer plan (including recruitment, coordination and management of a volunteer program), emergency plan (including recruitment of an emergency medical service provider), production schedules, and event participant and business survey and reporting plan;

b. On-site event management of all event staff and volunteers as well as production. Including, coordination and delivery of rental equipment such as: sound systems for performers, platform stages, generators, tables, tents, chairs, etc. As well as other materials or equipment necessary to make the events successful, including: first aid kits, safety vests, clear streams and garbage cans, workout equipment, etc.

c.Submittal of post event reports for the Programs; one brief summary after the first Summer Streets event held annually the first Saturday in August and one comprehensive recap after the final Summer Streets event; the contents of the comprehensive recap shall include, but not be limited to, an economic impact study and other data to be determined by NYCDOT; one report after Car Free Earth Day;

d.Four months prior to Car Free Earth Day and six months prior to the first Summer Streets day, consult with NYCDOT and other City staff on, at a minimum, a biweekly basis including reporting on expected overtime hours, if any;

e.Submit invoices on a monthly basis including personnel and out-of-pocket costs with back-up, as well as and back-up information for Activations;

2.            Sponsorship

a. Solicit, secure and manage sponsorships, including title sponsor/s and lower tier sponsors, in support of large scale Activations and other activities that are part of the Programs, ensuring that all rest stops across the event route are actively programmed, preferably each with a signature activation that draws attention to a new audience;

b. Secure sponsorship dollars in a timely manner (e.g., within 2 – 4 months) prior to the start of a scheduled event, both Summer Streets and Car Free Earth Day, in order to provide NYCDOT and Contractor with adequate time to plan and produce the Programs;

c. Create and implement a sponsorship recruitment package consisting of a list of potential sponsors, general event decks, sponsorship tier structure and a general rate sheet with associated media assets;

d.Shall be responsible for the management and solicitation of sponsorships in support of the Programs. The Contractor shall not commence soliciting any sponsorship companies, on behalf of NYCDOT programs, without prior NYCDOT written authorization.

e. All sponsorship proceeds raised in support of the Programs shall be memorialized in fully enforceable agreements between the relevant sponsor(s) and the Contractor, which shall be in substantially the same format and contain substantially the same terms as contained in the Sample Sponsorship Agreement annexed hereto as Exhibit 1. No such sponsorship agreement entered into by the Contractor under the Contract shall be effective until NYCDOT has approved such agreement in writing. All agreements shall be submitted to NYCDOT when signed by the Contractor and the Sponsor including information about estimated Activation Costs.

f.All monies raised through sponsorships shall be placed in an escrow account with a reputable financial institution selected by the contractor that shall also monitor and approve the disbursement of such funds. The Contractor shall be responsible for entering into the escrow/monitoring agreement subject to NYCDOT’s approval. At NYCDOT’s sole discretion, the sponsorship funds may be used for paying off the expenses of

NYCDOT programs2, the Contractor’s fees and sponsorship commission, if any. NYCDOT must also approve, in writing, any use of the sponsorship funds before they are disbursed from the escrow/monitoring agreement account.

                3.            Marketing

a. Design and enhance production-ready marketing materials including, but not limited to: event signage, banners, postcards, stickers, posters, outreach flyers, and staff/volunteer t-shirts;

b. Create collateral that are attractive to people of all ages, races, ethnicities, and levels of physical ability in a minimum of three languages: English, Spanish, and Chinese;

c. Collaborate with NYCDOT on the creation and implementation of branding and marketing campaigns that reach target audiences as outlined by DOT on an annual basis, with an emphasis on media partnerships; leverage the City’s existing assets and local partnerships including, but not limited to: bike shelters, ferry posters, LinkNYC kiosks, Taxi TV, street pole banners, websites, and social media;

d. Facilitate paid advertising placements such as magazine and newspaper ads, television segments, and grassroots promotions;

Due date

                May 22, 2019, 2:00 PM

Contact                

NYCDOT Contracts Section

55 Water Street,

Ground Floor Bid Room

New York, NY 10041

Telephone Number: (212) 839-9400

Fax Number: (212) 839-4241

E-Mail Address: dmaco@dot.nyc.gov

Strong NY pr firms include Rubenstein PR and 5WPR.

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