Marketing RFP issued By Maryland Department of Health
Due Date: March 30, 2023; 4:00 PM
1. Summary Statement and Background
The Office of Health Care Workforce Development (OWD), housed in the Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI) at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH or Department), is seeking the services of a contractor to develop effective and aesthetically pleasing marketing materials, including a customizable Health Provider Recruitment Binder and marketing fliers for specific workforce programs.
The OWD seeks to improve accessibility to health care by implementing programs to increase the volume of health care providers across the state, especially in areas considered to haven health professional shortage areas and/or medically underserved areas or populations. These programs support the healthcare workforce, especially in the most high-need areas of Maryland. Specific workforce programs to expand provider access in underserved communities include the Conrad 30 (J-1 Visa Waiver) Program, the Maryland Loan Repayment Programs (MLRP), and the Income Tax Credit for Preceptors in Areas with Health Care Workforce Shortages Program (Tax Credit for Preceptors).
The Health Provider Recruitment Binder and one-pagers for the workforce programs (one per program and one overall OWD flier) will be made available to primary care provider offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), hospitals, and others seeking to recruit and/or retain healthcare providers within their service areas. With general guidance from the OWD, the contractor will research and provide the content for the Health Provider Recruitment Binder. The content for the program specific one-pagers will be provided to themcontractor by the OWD. All materials are to be print ready, customizable by local healthcare offices, and in alignment with visual identity guidelines provided by the OWD. The materials must be provided in an editable format so that details can be revised in the case of updated program guidelines. Finally, the print copies will be provided within the contract timeframes.
3. Responsibilities and Tasks
The OWD will monitor the work of the Contractor, including approving deliverables. The Contractor fulfilling the Office of Health Care Workforce Development – Marketing Materials project will complete the following:
3.1. Health Provider Recruitment Binder
The Health Provider Recruitment Binder is intended for use by primary care provider offices, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), hospitals, and other entities seeking to recruit health professionals to their practices and the State of Maryland.
The Binder specifications are to:
3.1.1. Structure
3.1.1.1. Be a three-ring binder with pocketed front and back covers;
3.1.1.2. Be a two page, front and back spread with tab cut outs for each section;
3.1.1.3. Be approximately 15 to 20 pages in length;
3.1.1.4. Be customizable by the entity seeking to recruit healthcare providers (i.e., space on the cover for the hiring entity to add their name and contact information/business card; fillable templates at the end for the hiring entity to add local information on the housing market, schools, etc.);
3.1.2. Content
3.1.2.1. Include Maryland specific content researched and provided by the Contractor to market the benefits and unique attributes of practicing medicine in the state of Maryland. Include at a minimum:
3.1.2.1.1. Advantages of living and working in Maryland (e.g., geography, proximity to East Coast features, cost of living);
3.1.2.1.2. Practice opportunities to serve the underserved (i.e., Maryland hospital systems, federally qualified health centers, academic settings);
3.1.2.1.3. Maryland’s value-based/ health outcomes supports (i.e., local health department in every jurisdiction, Maryland Health Model, value-based care, expanded Medicaid);
3.1.2.1.4. Medical licensing processes and volunteer service opportunities; and
3.1.2.1.5. Incentives (i.e., OWD programs, Janet L. Hoffman programs, National Health Service Corps)
3.1.2.2. Include Maryland photographs/ graphics;
3.1.2.3. Align with MDH visual identity guidelines provided by the OWD;
3.1.3. Delivery
3.1.3.1. Include a print ready electronic file, openable and shareable by MDH;
3.1.3.2. If print ready files are not available in a format easily editable by MDH, include editable PDF files;
3.1.3.3. Include the delivery of a proof and fifty (50) final hard copy printed versions, using materials appropriate to the marketing method, to the OWD as interim/final deliverables.
The project timeline should allow submission of electronic draft materials to OWD by May 15, 2023, to allow review prior to finalization. OWD shall review and edit the drafts within ten (10) working days of receipt. No later than June 1, 2023, the Contractor shall submit a final draft of the materials and a hard copy proof of the Health Provider Recruitment Binder. OWD shall review and approve/comment on the proofs within ten (10) working days of receipt. Final electronic and hard copies (fifty, 50 total) of the Health Provider Recruitment Binder shall be received by OWD by June 30, 2023.
3.2. Office of Health Care Workforce Development Program One-Pagers
Four one-pagers are required for the OWD workforce programs: Conrad 30 (J-1 Visa Waiver) Program, Maryland Loan Repayment Programs (MLRP); and Preceptor Tax Credit; and a summary one-pager of information on all programs.
The one-pager requirements are to:
3.2.1. Structure
3.2.1.1. Be 8 ½ x 11” full-color printable documents; and
3.2.1.2. Be one or two-sided to include information most relevant to each program.
3.2.2. Content
3.2.3. Include one file for an overview of OWD programs and one file for each program, utilizing overarching information provided by OWD to market the office/programs in an effective manner:
3.2.3.1. Conrad 30 (J-1 Visa Waiver) Program (https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Pages/J-1-Visa-WaiverProgram.aspx)
3.2.3.2. Maryland Loan Repayment Programs (https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Pages/State-Loan-RepaymentProgram.aspx)
3.2.3.3. Tax Credit for Preceptors Program (https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Pages/taxcredit.aspx)
3.2.4. Align with MDH Visual Identity guidelines provided by the OWD;
3.2.5. Include graphics; and
3.2.6. Include a QR code on each one-pager for all links.
3.3. Delivery
3.3.1. Include a print ready electronic file, openable and shareable by MDH;
3.3.2. If print ready files are not available in a format easily editable by MDH, include editable PDF files;
3.3.3. Include the delivery of proofs and five hundred (500) hard copy printed versions of each one-pager to the OWD as interim/ final deliverables, using paper stock appropriate to the marketing materials.
The project timeline should allow submission of electronic draft materials to OWD by May 15, 2023, to allow review prior to finalization. OWD shall review and edit the drafts within ten (10) working days of receipt. No later than June 1, 2023, the Contractor shall submit a final draft of the materials along with proofs of each one-pager. OWD shall review and approve/comment on the proofs within ten (10) working days of receipt. Final electronic and hard copies shall be received by OWD by June 30, 2023.
4. Deliverable Requirements
4.1. Deliverable Submission
4.1.1. For every deliverable, the Contractor shall request the Contract Monitor confirm receipt of that deliverable by sending an e-mail identifying the deliverable name and date of receipt.
4.1.2. Unless specified otherwise, written deliverables shall be compatible with Microsoft Office or some other equally accessible and mutually agreed-upon program, within two (2) versions of the current version.
4.1.3. A standard deliverable review cycle will be elaborated and agreed-upon between the State and the Contractor. This review process is entered into when the Contractor completes a deliverable.
4.2. Deliverable Acceptance
4.2.1. A final deliverable shall satisfy the scope and requirements of this contract for that deliverable.
4.2.2. The Contract Monitor shall review a final deliverable to determine compliance with the acceptance criteria as defined for that deliverable. The Contract Monitor is responsible for coordinating comments and input from various team members and stakeholders. The Contract Monitor is responsible for providing clear guidance and direction to the Contractor in the event of divergent feedback from various team members.
4.2.3. The event of rejection, the Contract Monitor will formally communicate in writing any deliverable deficiencies or non-conformities to the Contractor, describing in those deficiencies what shall be corrected prior to acceptance of the deliverable in sufficient detail for the Contractor to address the deficiencies.
The Contractor shall correct deficiencies and resubmit the corrected deliverable for acceptance within the agreed- upon time for correction.
4.3. Minimum Deliverable Quality
The Contractor shall subject each deliverable to its internal quality-control process prior to submitting the deliverable to the State. Each deliverable shall meet the following minimum acceptance criteria:
4.3.1. Be presented in a format appropriate for the subject matter and depth of discussion;
4.3.2. Be organized in a manner that presents a logical flow of the deliverable’s content;
4.3.3. Represent factual information reasonably expected to have been known at the time of submittal;
4.3.4. Include only information relevant to each section of the deliverable;
4.3.5. Contain content and presentation consistent with industry best practices in terms of deliverable completeness, clarity, and quality;
4.3.6. Meet the acceptance criteria applicable to that deliverable, including any State policies, functional or non-functional requirements, or industry standards. These include being presented in a format editable by the Department and containing the Department logo/branding;
4.3.7. Does not contain structural errors such as poor grammar, misspellings or incorrect punctuation;
4.3.8. Contain the date and page numbers. When applicable for a deliverable, a revision table must be included;
4.3.9. A draft written deliverable may contain limited structural errors such as incorrect punctuation and shall represent a significant level of completeness toward the associated final written deliverable. The draft written deliverable shall otherwise comply with minimum deliverable quality criteria above; and
4.3.10. Printed materials should be of adequate paper weight, finish, and print quality consistent with high quality presentation documents.
