Delaware River Port Authority Seeks PR Firm

The DRPA, on behalf of PARTSWG, is seeking a qualified Advertising/Marketing Consultant to provide services for the advancement of Phase VII of the Public Security Awareness Campaign. Through the implementation of this Campaign, PARTSWG seeks to improve transit security awareness, reporting of suspicious activities and behavior, and provide for enhanced communication with its safety and security community partners.

Background:

The DRPA is a bi-state corporate instrumentality of the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The DRPA, on behalf of the PARTSWG, is seeking a qualified Advertising/Marketing Consultant to advance Phase VII of the Public Security Awareness Campaign. The DRPA is a regular recipient of funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (“FEMA”).

The DRPA owns and operates four major toll bridge crossings of the Delaware River; the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge, the Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Betsy Ross Bridge. Each bridge facility includes office buildings, maintenance shops, garages, and other buildings and structures. In addition, the DRPA owns real property in the vicinity of the bridges.

The Authority’s wholly-owned transit subsidiary, the Port Authority Transit Corporation (“PATCO”), operates a rapid transit line providing public transport service between Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. PATCO’s transit system includes an administrative and maintenance facility at Lindenwold and thirteen (13) stations along the approximately 14.2-mile route. The DRPA owns the nine (9) stations in New Jersey and leases its four (4) Philadelphia stations from the City of Philadelphia.

PARTSWG is comprised of four rail/transit systems identified by the DHS as a Tier 1 system for transit and includes Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (“SEPTA”), the Delaware River Port Authority/Port Authority Transit Corporation (“DRPA/PATCO”), New Jersey Transit (“NJT”), and the Delaware Transit Corporation (“DART”). These systems, located within the Philadelphia Urban Area Security Initiative (“UASI”), are used by commuters, residents, and tourists on a daily basis.

The DRPA is a regular recipient of funding from the DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (“FEMA”).

The Transit Security Grant Program (“TSGP”), a grant program under the DHS, provides grant funding to owners and operators of transit systems to protect critical transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism, major disasters, and other emergencies.

The transit industry emerged as a leader in leveraging the value and power of the public’s “eyes and ears” to promote system security awareness in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2002, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) launched the first transit security awareness and public engagement campaign under the tagline “If You See Something, Say Something™.” Soon, public awareness campaigns began being established at transit agencies across the nation. These campaigns were designed to encourage transit employees and their riders to report suspicious activities and behavior.

As public transit ridership continues to grow, transit organizations must provide more security-related resources to all stakeholders – passengers, employees, vendors, contractors, and the general public – and in more creative and effective ways so that the message connects with those involved and is associated with the everyday use of the transit system. Public awareness efforts are a form of social marketing focused on motivating transit passengers, employees, vendors, contractors, and the general public to voluntarily modify their behavior to help prevent terrorism and other criminal acts. The goal is to prepare passengers, employees, vendors, contractors, and the general public to act when they see something suspicious.

In Phases I-VI of the Public Safety Awareness (“PSA”) Campaign, consultants were hired to create an effective PARTSWG marketing and communications program that would penetrate the minds of public transit passengers through education and motivation, not intimidation or exaggeration. The goal was to provide passengers and the general public with the information they need to identify suspicious activity, ascertain a threat, and to report that information to Public Safety or Homeland Security Professionals. The consultants hired for Phases I-VI created a PSA Campaign message that was delivered to the public using television, radio, social media, and internet commercials in addition to print media, newsstands, bus shelters, posters, and billboards.

Scope of Work:

Phase VII of the Campaign seeks to build on the message recognition of some of the initiatives developed in Phases I-VI and afford more targeted messaging using photos and videos for reporting suspicious activities, particularly when international and national terrorist attacks occur.

This phase of the Campaign will include the continuation of the one-call Regional Mass Transit Security #1776 Tips Line, the GO1776 Messaging System, and the website. Phase VII will begin to integrate AMTRAK and their stations, in the PARTSWG Area, into the Campaign. Emphasis will also be given to the development of an ELERTS App for transit security to utilize in reporting suspicious activities.

An effective PARTSWG marketing and communications program should connect with public transit passengers, employees, contractors, vendors, and the general public through education and motivation; not fear or exaggeration. Phase VII of the Public Security Awareness Campaign will be aimed at passengers, employees, vendors, and contractors giving information on what, how and when to report suspicious activities and/or packages to public safety or homeland security professionals.

The marketing and communications program (“the Program”) will include the following deliverables: evaluation and continuation, as deemed relevant, of all Campaign components, including television commercials, radio commercials, internet, and print advertising. The Campaign’s website, tip line, and the messaging system must all be operated, marketed, and monitored. Production of supporting collateral communications, including educational training materials directed at passengers, employees, contractors, vendors, transit riders, and other constituencies will be created, used, and distributed, as needed. The Program shall also include creative media strategies that include information collection and information sharing, along with public security awareness.

The Consultant should have the ability to work with, contract with, and process scientific polling, and to interpret findings that in turn, drive changes to the Program. The Consultant should have the ability to alter the creative pieces already established or be able to develop new creative pieces to meet the needs of the population, as determined by scientific surveys.

1. Tasks. Consultant shall describe, in narrative form, its technical plan for accomplishing the Work, using the task descriptions set forth below. Emphasis should be placed on the fact that the regional mass transit community’s safety and security is a shared responsibility.
2. Implementation. The Consultant will collaborate with designated DRPA personnel throughout the transition period. The Consultant must make an orderly transition without any interruption of services to PARTSWG. The consultant must include with its technical submittal a detailed implementation plan for accomplishing all the Work proposed in this RFP.
3. Media Planning. Consultant shall provide media plans and strategies that support marketing solutions for PARTSWG to reach its target audiences and the goals of the proposed Campaign. Proposed media plans and strategies shall evaluate all available media and provide recommendations for media mix in terms of cost, reach, program development index and fit.      The selected Consultant shall provide an estimate for all campaign components. The total cost for the campaign must include all costs (i.e. overhead, travel, wage, fringe, fee, supplies, and direct expenses).

The Consultant shall describe in their Technical response how they will:

1. Service a media buying contract.
2. Educate passengers, employees, contractors, vendors and the general riding public on what, when and how to report suspicious activity.
3. Integrate evolving technology platforms and tools for educating passengers, employees, contractors, vendors and the general riding public to share the responsibility for the safety and security of the mass transit system
4. Provide analyses, evaluations, and recommendations based on professional experience and a strategic framework.
5. Provide media buying strategies that reach minority, multi-lingual and special needs populations within our Regional Transit Agencies area.
6. Prepare a project budget.
7. Provide recommendations on the potential added value on media purchases.
8. Media Purchase. Consultant shall purchase traditional, digital, lifestyle and any emerging media services that support marketing solutions for PARSTWG to reach its target audiences and the goals of the Campaign. The purchased marketing solutions must be cross-cultural and with attention given to providing value-added resources whenever available.
9. Media Placement. Consultant shall provide media placement services. No media activities shall be conducted, made public or disseminated without the approval of the DRPA, on behalf of PARTSWG. The DRPA, on behalf of PARTSWG, reserves the right to make all determinations regarding actual placement of all media. The DRPA, on behalf of PARTSWG, shall direct the        Consultant as to the placement of all media purchased on its behalf.
10. Media Monitoring. Consultant shall monitor and maintain the effectiveness of a media buy in order to ensure that it is meeting the goals of the Campaign and shall recommend changes in real time or change tactics mid-way through the media buy, if necessary. Consultant shall describe in its Technical Response the criteria and strategies that would be used to monitor and determine the effectiveness of a media buy.
11. Media Evaluation. Consultant shall provide specific and detailed media purchase and post-buy analysis, as well as detailed media placement reports, within 30 days from the end of each media run, or when requested by DRPA.
12. Creative Production. Consultant shall provide creative production services. No creative content shall be created, made public or disseminated without the approval of the DRPA. The    DRPA, on behalf of PARTSWG, reserves the right to make all determinations regarding the actual use of all creative content.
13. Scientific Survey. The consultant will coordinate the performance of a scientific survey and summary report.
14. Additional Reports and Documentation. In addition to the recommended Media Buy Report and Campaign Summary Report and the other required deliverables, the Consultant shall, at a minimum, provide the following:

(a) Monthly Campaign Summary Reports

(b) Semi-Annual Program Review

(c) End of the Campaign Report

Due Date:

November 30th

Address:

Delaware River Port Authority

Attention: Karen Cyphers

Public Security Awareness Campaign

One Port Center

2 Riverside Drive

Camden, NJ 08103

NJ PR firms include MWWPR and Coyne PR.