Port of Seattle Issues RFP For Employer Brand and Communications Services

Purpose:

The Port of Seattle (Port) invites written proposals from qualified firms interested in providing Employer Brand and Communications Services.

Background:

The Port of Seattle plans to refine and specify its employer brand in order to enhance its reputation among current and future employees. Additionally, the Port plans to update its communication strategy to incorporate the brand. The Port has a brand established by default rather than intention. As a result, the brand exists across many documents and materials, but has not been well-defined or intentionally communicated. Rather than create a new brand, the Port is seeking a qualified firm to help bring together elements of the existing brand to affirm or update them as appropriate.

The Port’s goals for the employer brand are:

1. To make the unique aspects of Port employment evident through various communication methods.
2. To ensure current employees see their experiences reflected in branding and communication materials.
3. To support attraction of new employees by giving them insights into the Port as an employer through externally available communications.

Scope of Work:

Task 1 – Phase I: Brand Definition:

1. Review existing Port communication materials to extract elements of the employer brand.
2. Facilitate a discussion with the Port’s project team of identified brand elements. Include recommend options, together with advantages and disadvantages of each, for strengthening the Port’s employer brand.
3. Recommend alternatives for a specified employer brand and facilitate discussion among the project team to arrive at a recommended, and a potential back up, employer brand for the Port’s project manager to review with the steering committee.

Task 1 Deliverable’s:

1. Deliver a draft report, at least 10 business days in advance of the project team meeting, describing the Port’s current employer brand elements, strengths, weaknesses, and   opportunities for improvement.
2. Deliver a draft report on the Port’s updated brand incorporating decisions from project team meetings and including suggested implementation steps.
3. Develop a final report, based on final decisions by the Port that clearly defines the Port’s brand and recommended implementation steps.

Task 2 – Phase II: Communication Strategy:

1. Review existing Port communication materials to extract elements of the current communications strategy.
2. Recommend a communications strategy to improve employees’ understanding of the breadth, competitiveness, and perceived value of their “Total Rewards Package”, including but   not limited to, pay, benefits, employee development, recognition, the “Port Experience”, and other relevant aspects of the Port culture (described in Attachment 5, Supplement Information).
3. Develop and present alternatives for utilization of different communication methods and templates to be used for different types of communications (email, direct mail, webpages, FAQs documents, etc.) that will align with the employer brand.
4. Develop and recommend alternatives for job postings that incorporate the Port’s employer brand.
5. Develop and recommend alternatives for incorporating the Port’s employer brand into applicable social media.
6. Recommend a structure for the Port’s employer-related content in a method that permits employees to easily find the information they need on the Port’s internal and public websites.
7. Recommend what employer-related content should reside on the Port’s internal site and external website.
8. Recommend an external communications strategy that positively reflects the Port’s employer brand and supports attraction of well-qualified candidates who would fit with the organization’s culture.

Task 2 Deliverable’s:

1. Deliver a draft report, at least 10 business days in advance of the project team meeting, describing the Port’s current communication strategy as well as its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement that include recommended guidelines for using different communications methods and a recommended sequence of communications updates to incorporate the employer brand.
2. Deliver an updated draft report incorporating feedback from the project team meeting for the Port’s use in further discussions about implementing the Port brand.
3. Develop a final report based on final decisions by the Port that clearly defines guidelines for utilizing different communication methods and provides templates for each method as well as a recommended sequence for updating Port communications.

Task 3 – Phase III: Implementation:

1. Assist the Port in implementing updated communications to support the employer brand including a recommended project plan and timeline for updating internal and external communications.
2. In partnership with Port staff, update agreed upon internal employer-related content.
3. In partnership with Port staff, updated agreed upon external employer-related content.

Task 3 Deliverable’s:

1. Updated internal communications that incorporate the recommended updates from earlier phases of the project.
2. Updated external communications that incorporate the recommended updates from earlier phases of the project.
3. Updated job posting templates that reflect the Port’s employer brand.
4. Updated social media templates that reflect the Port’s employer brand.

Due Date:

June 19th

Address:

Port of Seattle

Central Procurement Office

2711 Alaskan Way

Seattle, WA 9812

Firms to consider for this assignment include Finn Partners and Ruder Finn.