Public Relations RFP Issued By Alabama Department of Corrections

The purpose of this procurement is to establish a contract for public relations and marketing services to be provided in conjunction with, and under the direction of, the ADOC Public Information Office (“PIO”).

Background:

The Alabama Department of Corrections (“ADOC”) announces this Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to all eligible and interested parties for the opportunity to submit a proposal, in accordance with the requirements herein. The ADOC is soliciting proposals to acquire a third-party contractor to provide and deliver public information and public relations services and communications assistance and consultation; for public involvement and community relations on selected projects, on safety, and other thematic campaigns; marketing plans; and on statewide/regional campaigns and issues. You are invited to submit a response in accordance with the requirements specified in this RFP.

Scope of Work:

Selected Vendor must be available to the ADOC on an as needed basis to perform the marketing and communications functions, in conjunction and under the direction, of the ADOC’s PIO. In responding to this Section of the RFP, Selected Vendor must describe its methodology for providing the services as further described in this Section III.

3.1 Public Information Campaign

The Selected Vendor must provide, develop, and implement, in close coordination with ADOC personnel, public information, and community relations campaigns using earned news media, paid media, print, outdoor, digital/online, and other communication strategies for the following projects:

a) Investigation by the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”);

b) Recruitment efforts;

c) Prison Building efforts;

d) Communications Strategy;

e) As deemed appropriate by the ADOC, pending litigation; and,

f) Other special projects, programs, and initiatives identified as relevant and essential to ADOC’s mission.

3.2 News Media and Community Relations The Selected Vendor must:

a) Advise and assist in the development of earned news media services through strategic planning, key message development, and support for specific projects or overall ADOC activities including, but not limited to:

1) Advise in the development of communications strategy and talking points on projects or issues; and, 2) As needed, develop news releases for ADOC approval and distribution; and,

3) As needed, assist and advise on a daily media inquiries.

b) Provide communications and media training to ADOC personnel when needed; c) Develop a media response protocol; 15

d) Advise on crisis communication including, but not limited to:

1) Help developing, maintaining, and exercising proper crisis communications plans as may be needed; 2) If necessary, working with the ADOC during an actual crisis situation, to include issues analysis and development of key messages and communication strategies relating to internal and external messaging;

3) Providing expert advice and support when working with the legislature or reviewing legislation when needed;

4) Advising on engagement with stakeholders to maintain credibility, transparency, and strengthen relationships; and,

5) Conduct post-crisis analysis to assess the ADOC’s performance during and after a crisis.

e) Help plan, support, and/or conduct:

1) News conferences or informal briefings;

2) Awareness tracking;

3) Editorial tours; and,

4) Community advisory meetings.

f) Provide support, planning, and on-site assistance for special events including, but not limited to:

1) Event planning, coordination, and management support;

2) Coordinate local logistics to include invitations, guest lists, and site selection;

3) Speech writing and other messaging, as requested;

4) Production of event-related collateral materials; and,

5) News media relations to include, as needed, spokesperson services.

g) Plan, manage, and assist with community outreach efforts for selected projects. This includes, at a minimum:

1) Support services for the public involvement and project development processes; and 16

2) Assisting with start-up and maintaining community outreach efforts, to include community outreach groups.

h) Assist with Social Media Efforts. This includes, but is not limited to:

1) Developing weekly and monthly content calendar for posting;

2) Monitoring and auditing social media accounts;

3) Developing social media response protocol;

4) Providing social media content development and posting;

5) Providing social media content management and planning;

6) Developing a social media strategy;

7) Hosting a monthly conference call discussing trends, analytics, and future post ideas; and

8) As needed, run social media reports on specific topics.

3.3 Recruitment and Branding Selected Vendor must assist in recruitment efforts through the following methods:

a) Maintain brand consistency through all publications and website development;

b) Develop graphics for recruitment material items including, but not limited to:

1) Advertisement refresh,

2) Video development,

3) Social graphic development,

4) Pamphlets,

5) Posters,

6) Flyers,

7) Post Cards,

8) Promotional Items, 17

9) Job fair equipment, and 10) Vehicle Wraps.

c) Develop, conduct, and evaluate Annual ADOC staff surveys;

d) Establish target audience guide by region based on departmental needs; e) Maintain email marketing/landing page including, but not limited to:

1) Developing email marketing strategy;

2) Updating on-site information as needed;

3) Assisting with technical support of landing page; and 4) Monitor opportunities for optimization.

f) Create, monitor, and evaluate all ADOC advertising. This includes, but is not limited to:

1) Providing research-based strategies for advertising in targeted locations;

2) Developing creative material;

3) Placement of TV, radio, digital, print, mail, and outdoor advertising. The ADOC will reimburse Selected Vendor for the actual cost of media, advertising, and recruitment material;

4) Providing weekly monitoring reports on all advertising;

5) Monitoring and maintaining ADOC landing page submissions and provide weakly monitoring;

6) Providing guidance and research-driven support for all advertising purchases based on targeted audience; and, 7) As needed, attend commercial production shoots.

3.4 Other Services Selected Vendor must have the ability to provide the following services. In responding to this Section, Vendor must provide examples of previous work or description of the services rendered to previous clients as indicated below.

a) Provide an example of the following:

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1) Photography;

2) Videography;

3) TV/radio production;

4) Graphic design including, but not limited to, info graphics;

5) Web site development;

6) Mass/direct mailing campaigns;

7) Targeted e-mail campaigns; and,

8) Internal and external publications.

b) Provide a brief, detailed description of prior services and supporting documentation by way of example demonstrating Vendor’s ability to provide the following services:

1) Public opinion research to assist with the development (and assessment) of communication strategies and messages through polling, focus groups, and other means;

2) Monitor and manage the use of social media to support projects and initiatives. Documentation may include, but not be limited to, monitoring reports and calendars;

4) Assist in any litigation and pre-litigation negotiations, including acting as an expert witness, as needed; and,

5) Related consulting, creative, communications and/or public relations services in support of projects, programs, or initiatives.

3.5 Reporting Vendor must be capable of maintaining a detailed log indicating hours worked for services under this RFP. This report must be made available to the ADOC on a monthly basis.

Due Date:

4:00 p.m., Central Standard Time, on December 5, 2019

Address:

State of Alabama

Alabama Department of Corrections

Legal Division

Attn: Katherine Jessip

301 South Ripley Street

Montgomery, Alabama 36104

Relevant agencies include Finn Partners and Ruder Finn.