King County Procurement Issues Public Relations RFP

King County Metro is seeking proposals from teams with demonstrated strength in integrated public affairs programs that include, community relations and public involvement, strategic communications, and government relations to support the RapidRide program in implementing the next five RapidRide lines. The most successful teams will show an advanced ability to meaningfully engage a wide array of constituents, such as elected officials, customers and local communities, employees, jurisdictional and institutional partners, community/neighborhood associations, chambers/business groups, social/human service providers, unions and the media. The RapidRide Expansion Program is an integral part of Metro’s role as a driving force in developing and delivering market appropriate mobility solutions (outlined in Metro CONNECTS long range plan—Metro’s vision for delivering more service, more choices, and one easy-to-use system over the next 25 years).

Background:

Together, our six existing RapidRide lines provide about 67,000 rides every weekday – about 70 percent more than the bus routes that served the same areas before the RapidRide lines were launched. Peak-hour travel on RapidRide is up to 20 percent faster, saving about five minutes per trip. Each new planned RapidRide line represents a dramatic investment in fleet, capital, and fast—frequent bus service in the corridor it will serve. New lines are transformative for communities, and improve equitable access to services and opportunities. RapidRide Expansion project investments provide safe, comfortable and easy access to transit, and create service that is as fast, reliable and efficient as possible through speed and reliability treatments. Roadway and bus priority improvements keep buses on reliable and time, and connections to the regional transit system and areas where many people live, work, learn, or access health and human services are improved. The approach to engaging communities should reflect King County Metro’s commitment to equity and social justice, and should demonstrate our agency’s belief that diversity is an asset that enables better business, customer, and community outcomes.

Scope of Work:

The County is seeking a Contract with a public affairs/outreach consultant for the RapidRide Program beginning immediately and extending for the duration of the project approximately 9-10 years. An outline of key duties for the Contractor are outlined below, although other related tasks may arise.

Project Management:

This task includes all work related to the management, administration, and coordination of Contractor activities. It is expected that the contract team will designate a project manager for each work order and they will be manage the effort using industry best practices. The following activities may be requested as individual work orders require.

Preparation of a project management plan including:

1) Overall project schedules, budgets, and Work Breakdown Structures (WBS). This may also include general administration tasks related to project planning and development.

2) Identification of the project team for each task (including organization structure)

• Administration of work, and preparation of monthly status reports. Monthly reports shall briefly describe the previous month’s activities, by task, and the planned activities for the next month, identify issues and/or concerns that may affect the project scope, schedule and/or budget, and compare work accomplished to the planned schedule.
• Continuous monitoring of the work for adherence to scope, schedule, budget, and quality of all deliverables.
• Ensuring the availability of staff for adherence to the project schedule and quick response to issues.
• Coordination and supervision of all sub consultants to ensure proper integration of the work.
• Development of a quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) plan. Each Work Order will have an identified Consultant team member who will be responsible for completion of QA/QC milestones for the respective Work Order.
• Maintenance of project files.
• Assistance with the development of project risk registers identifying project risks and appropriate mitigations for activities which involve this scope of works area of focus. .
• Attendance at project meetings where as stipulated by the specified Work Order. Note, these meetings may be for Metro led projects or project led by other agencies where Metro has a public engagement or other interest related to this contract.
• Project material (schedules, reports, meeting notes, etc.) will be hosted on an online service such as SharePoint or other concurred digital platform and made available to all project team members. Access to this service will be limited to project team members and shall be compatible with Metro IT protocols. The Consultant is responsible for hosting, security and safeguarding electronic records through its IT service group.
• Develop templates for project documents, including technical memoranda, reports, and meeting notes.

Program Communications:

• Template development, coordination and content development for monthly internal Metro updates on the RapidRide program
• Participate in Community Outreach Team meetings; prepare agendas and notes as needed.
• Common key messages and terms w/ definitions (i.e. this would resolve issues with similar language such as: access to transit, getting to the bus, multi-modal improvements, creating transit connections)
• Work with staff to research issues raised by community members, draft responses and provide responses to community members in a timely manner.
• Represent RapidRide at public events and meetings.
• Consultation regarding appropriate message and materials to use in public engagement effort

Outreach Planning:

• Develop, revise, finalize, maintain public involvement plans
• Overall outreach calendar with proposed public meeting dates, locations
• Equity and social justice analysis based engagement approach minority/low-income/LEP engagement strategy
• Coordination with other planning, engineering and design staff and consultants.
• Proactively look for opportunities to engage with stakeholders and share project information and updates
• Prepare social media posts, emails and blurbs for insertion into community papers and newsletters to share project updates and milestones
• Post-engagement communications strategy to raise awareness of project and build excitement
• Meeting coordination and execution (locations, room rentals, logistics, meeting materials, printing, staffing)
• Attending SDOT project/communications team meetings

Government Relations:

• Assist with implementation of targeted government affairs strategies around emerging issues as needed, including drafting key message, identifying audiences, and convening and facilitating meetings
• Assist Government Affairs manager to connect the work of each line project team with the broader government relations strategy
• Assist with the development of individual RapidRide lines government relations strategies and track line by line issues

 Engagement:

• Respond to community and stakeholder requests for project information and materials
• Provide planning and implementation support for RapidRide events to include open houses, tours, and groundbreaking and other benchmark activities
• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, take notes and participate in existing ongoing and other as-needed community meetings with corridor merchants, residents, schools, neighborhood groups and other organizations to keep them informed of RapidRide activities
• Provide assistance with coordinating the RapidRide groundbreaking event(s)
• Execution and documentation of minority/low-income/LEP outreach effort
• Support Metro by representing us at SDOT hosted public meetings and open houses
• Supporting any stakeholder briefings/engagement with SDOT events
• Develop and host online engagement tools (such as surveys, online open houses, etc.)
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Maintain database for public, business, residents and stakeholder contact information, notifications, interactions, enquiries, issues and issue resolutions
• Analysis and summary of various public involvement activities including stakeholder feedback and public input on key areas of concern: parking impacts, route alignment, station locations, design, traffic impacts, lane configurations
• Track and coordinate any responses to emails directed to Metro for SDOT projects

Media Coordination:

• Suggested paid media and advertising plan including outlets, schedule, ad product specifications and messages

1) Inclusive of ethnic and mainstream media

2) Proposed cross promotion opportunities on Metro owned social/digital channels (coordinate with Metro Public Information Officers)

Collateral Development:

• Develop projects style guide
• Develop standard design criteria/style guide for creation of maps
• Develop template outreach materials for each phase of implementation including

1) Flyers/mailers

2) Project Fact Sheets

3) Survey Questions

4) Open House and Community Meeting Materials

• Outreach Summaries and Evaluations
• Infographics by project (i.e., graphics showing program expansion performance expectations, line goals in Seattle, performance of lines once they launch, etc.)
• Develop RapidRide Program Expansion Folio – Community Guide to RapidRide (Planning, Design and Construction)
• Provide graphic design support and assist with production of updated RapidRide fact sheets and PowerPoint presentations
• Assist design and development of public involvement materials including maps, infographics, videos, display boards, fact sheets
• Design of advertising campaign assets including print, web, TV, radio material and placing ad buys
• Helping to develop Metro/service related content for SDOT materials
• Reviewing materials and content to ensure it is consistent with the Metro/RapidRide brand

Date:

October 27th

Address:

King County Procurement & Payables Section

Chinook Building, 3rd Floor

401 Fifth Avenue

Seattle, WA 98104

Zeno Group and APCO Worldwide have relevant experience.