Engagement Team Leader/ Contact Person: Christina Martinez, Director of
Contracts and Accounting: Christina.H.Martinez2@mass.gov
Purchasing Department: Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA)
Address: 1 Ashburton Pl, Ste 517, Boston, MA 02108
Telephone #: 617-222-7586
EADLINE FOR RESPONSES AND RESPONSE INFORMATION
Deadline Date: June 28, 2024
Deadline Time: 5:00 PM EST
Purpose of Engagement
EOEA is seeking responses to this Request for Quotes under PRF70: Advertising, Marketing & Event Planning Services for the marketing and promotion of Massachusetts’ free, online home care aide training, referred to as PHCAST (Personal and Home Care Aide State Training).
PHCAST was developed in 2011 as a 60 hour in-person course to teach the fundamentals of being a home care aide. An online version was first made available in 2021. The purpose of this engagement is to specifically promote the online training. The online training is available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, with courses in Russian coming online in Spring of 2024.
The training has two main components:
1) Homemaker course – this training is 40 hours and teaches learners how to assist a consumer with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, including shopping, menu planning, laundry, and the performance of general household tasks, such as cleaning, when the client is unable to manage the care themselves.
2) Personal Care Homemaker Course – this training can only be taken by learners who completed the homemaker course. The Personal Care Homemaker course is an additional 20 hours and teaches learners how to provide hands-on assistance, including assistance in bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, other activities of daily living.
Additionally, PHCAST offers a Refresher Course for professionals who have prior experience as a Personal Care Homemaker and would like to refresh or build their skills and knowledge, as well as an Informal Caregivers Course for those interested in learning skills to be an unpaid caregiver who supports a family or friend as their personal care homemaker.
EOEA previously ran two paid ad campaigns to promote PHCAST in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. These campaigns resulted in significant enrollment boosts in PHCAST. EOEA is now requesting quotes from vendors currently on the PRF-70 Statewide Contract for the promotion of PHCAST Online, specifically the Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian courses.
Through this promotion project, the Vendor will also promote the home care professional in general as a worthwhile career path.
The two dimensions of this procurement are as follows:
Promotional Ad Campaign – The Vendor will develop materials in Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Russian with culturally appropriate/meaningful phrasing and imaging that promotes PHCAST and the home care aide profession. Materials should be customized depending on language to effectively reach the target audience (E.g., for some communities paper flyers are more effective, for others public transit advertising is more impactful). The Vendor will utilize both traditional (print, broadcast) as well as digital media advertisements to reach target audience and optimize the ad buy.
Enrollment Events / Community Engagement – The Vendor will organize and implement PHCAST enrollment events. These tabling events can be held at health fairs, farmers markets, senior center events, libraries, recreational parks, culturally signification locations, and other public spaces that are frequented by the target population.
3. Whether Single or Multiple Contractors Are Required for Engagement(s)
Single Contractor* Multiple Contractors
* The vendor must have the ability to subcontract and identify partners as needed if they cannot provide services themselves to augment expertise and communicate relevant topics and with target audiences. Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate a wide range of partnerships with target communities.
4. Background Information
A. About the Executive Office of Elder Affairs
EOEA was established in 1971 and serves as the Massachusetts State Unit on Aging under the Older Americans Act. EOEA strives to ensure that all older people have opportunities to live and thrive in the communities of their choice. EOEA funds and oversees programs and services to support the 1.7 million older people in the Commonwealth. Some of the services provided include Home Care, Adult Protective Services, Information and Referral, Nutrition Program, caregiver support, health and wellness services, supportive services in housing, insurance counseling, as well as dementia and behavioral health services.
5. Business Specifications:
The total budget for the project is $500,000, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 – Home and Community-Based Services and must be spent by Dec. 31, 2024.
Scope of Work
The Vendor will work with EOEA’s Director of Communications and Home Care team, as well as agency leadership, to promote PHCAST to Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian-speaking communities. Throughout the contract, the Vendor will meet with EOEA and relevant stakeholders, including EOEA’s contracted home care agencies, as needed on the creative concept development, marketing campaign implementation, and other key items. EOEA must approve all marketing and promotional materials before distribution.
The project is budgeted for a total of $500,000 with work to be completed by December 31, 2024.
A. Phase 1 – Paid Ad Campaign
a. Campaign Concepts
i. Using existing designs from previous PHCAST marketing campaigns, the Vendor will develop a new creative campaign concept with a similar look and feel within the allocated budget.
The marketing concept should focus on increasing PHCAST enrollment and awareness of the training and home care aide profession.
ii. The Vendor’s marketing strategy will focus on reaching potential learners in Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian-speaking communities.
iii. The Vendor will propose a minimum of three campaign concepts for EOEA agency Leadership and Communications Unit to review. Campaign proposals should include messaging that will vary based on target audience.
b. Content Creation
Develop marketing materials in Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian. The materials should include but not be limited to fliers, brochures, posters, commercials, and digital advertisements.
c. Media Buy Strategy and Ad Placement
i. The Vendor will develop a media buy plan that outlines timeline and budget for the ad-campaign.
ii. The media buy will focus on reaching in Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian-speaking communities. The Vendor will provide an audience segmentation strategy.
iii. The media buy should be in the above-mentioned languages and include print, digital, and traditional ad placements, including but not be limited to billboards, MBTA stations, bus stops, as well as ads placed in high-trafficked community settings such as grocery stores, libraries, community center, childcare centers, health care centers, vocational-technical schools, YMCAs, and municipal buildings.
iv. Once a media buy plan is approved by EOEA, the Vendor will implement the plan.
d. Enrollment Events
i. In conjunction with the media buy, the vendor will organize and implement community engagement enrollment events. The goal of these events is to provide information on PHCAST, the home care aide profession/potential career path, and gain enrollees in the course.
i. The engagement plan should include but is not limited to tabling events, canvassing, business walks, and literature drops.
ii. Engagement events must be held in Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Russian. Event staffers must be fluent in the course language being promoted (native speakers preferred). If the vendor does not have staff who speak the target language, the vendor must have the ability to subcontract as needed to execute enrollment events in the target language and communities.
iii. The Vendor must have contacts/relationships with community leaders in Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Russian communities. Preference will be given to applicants who can demonstrate a wide range of partnerships with target communities.
iv. The Vendor must have a proven record of multipronged, community-focused outreach approach, with an ability to switch strategies if need arises.
v. The Vendor should consider engaging academic partners such as vocational-technical schools, adult education programs, and community colleges to host “Get to Know PHCAST” events.
vi. General enrollment events may include the following:
i. An outreach team member (to be contracted and trained by vendor) who is available to explain home care profession and the value of PHCAST;
ii. PHCAST graduates discussing their work;
iii. Older adult consumers discussing the importance of home care aides in their lives;
iv. EOEA-contracted agencies discussing home care aide job
opportunities;
v. Onsite enrollment opportunity and assistance;
vi. Community leaders on-site to promote PHCAST (e.g., elected officials, faith leaders, health leaders, business owners, community activists);
vii. Events banners, signs, and tablecloths;
viii. Uniforms, such as t-shirts, for community ambassadors and EOEA-approved PHCAST promotional products to be distributed at events.
vii. The Vendor will support event participation through advanced planning and on-site participation, including coordinating day-of event coverage. The Vendor will draft an event calendar and engage the EOEA team to approve before finalizing event locations, dates, etc.
e. Reporting
i. The Vendor will develop a weekly report with metrics approved by EOEA in addition to presentations (both via email and in meetings, either in person or via an online platform) on metrics and data analytics (e.g., engagements, click-thru rate, website engagement, and hits). These presentations will initially be weekly or as needed as the marketing component of the project is developed and launched, and then will shift to an as needed basis as determined by EOEA. The
Vendor will also provide a defined process to adjust and amend placement strategies based on weekly analysis; and
ii. Draft a final summary report of recommendations and next steps for ongoing media outreach.
iii. The Vendor will report on engagement events by providing turnout statistics and present a final report. As events are planned, EOEA will establish baseline goals for event turnout and engagement; this baseline will be used when Vendor presents turnout statistics.
f. Summary of Deliverables
i. Develop a marketing and advertising plan.
i. Develop marketing materials that should include, but not be limited to, fliers, brochures, posters, postcards, commercials, and digital advertisements.
ii. Develop and present a weekly report on metrics and data analytics (e.g., engagements, click-thru rate, website engagement, and hits).
iii. Deliver a final summary report of recommendations and next steps for ongoing media outreach.
ii. Develop and implement a community engagement event plan that targets communities that speak Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Russian.