San Francisco County Transportation Issues Public Relations RFP
Notice is hereby given that the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (Transportation Authority) is requesting proposals from qualified respondents (proposers) to provide strategic communications, media and community relations professional services for the ConnectSF Program (Project).
Background:
The Transportation Authority was created in 1989 by the voters of the City and County of San Francisco (City) to impose a voter-approved transaction and use tax (i.e., sales tax) of one-half of one percent to fund essential traffic and transportation projects as set forth in the San Francisco County Transportation Expenditure Plan (Prop B Expenditure Plan) for a period not to exceed twenty years. Beginning in April of 1990, the State of California Board of Equalization started collecting the sales tax revenues for the Transportation Authority. In November 2003, San Francisco voters approved a new 30-year Expenditure Plan (Prop K Expenditure Plan) that superseded Prop B, and continued the one-half of one percent sales tax.
The Transportation Authority Board consists of the eleven members of the Board of Supervisors (BOS) of the City, who act as Transportation Authority Commissioners; nonetheless, pursuant to California Public Utilities Code Section 131000 et seq., the Transportation Authority operates as a special purpose governmental entity, independent of the City.
The Transportation Authority is designated under State law as the Congestion Management Agency for San Francisco County. In this capacity, the Transportation Authority has a wide range of responsibilities which include preparing the long-range County-wide Transportation Plan, prioritizing state and federal transportation funds designated for San Francisco, developing and operating a computerized travel demand forecasting model, and implementing the state-mandated Congestion Management Program. The Transportation Authority is also the designated San Francisco Program Manager for the Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program, a state-mandated program that collects an annual vehicle registration surcharge and allocates the funds to transportation projects that improve air quality.
On November 2, 2010, San Francisco voters approved Proposition AA, establishing a new $10 vehicle registration fee on motor vehicles registered in the City and designated the Transportation Authority as administrator of the fee. Revenues are used for local road repairs, pedestrian safety improvements, and transit reliability improvements throughout the City in accordance with the voter-approved Expenditure Plan.
On April 1, 2014, the BOS adopted a resolution designating the Transportation Authority as the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency (TIMMA) to implement elements of the Treasure Island Transportation Implementation Plan (TITIP) in support of the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island S:\RFPs\FY1718 RFPs\1718-16 RFP ConnectSF\1. RFP\RFP 1718-16 ConnectSF.docx Page 3 of 15 Development Project. The TITIP calls for, and TIMMA will be responsible for implementing, the Treasure Island Mobility Management Program: a comprehensive and integrated program to manage travel demand on Treasure Island as the development project occurs, including an integrated congestion pricing program with vehicle tolling, parking pricing, and transit pass components Assembly Bill 141 (Ammiano), signed in 2014, established TIMMA as a separate entity, providing a firewall between TIMMA and the Transportation Authority’s other functions.
The Transportation Authority is collaborating with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the San Francisco Planning Department to facilitate the ConnectSF program. ConnectSF has defined a 50-year transportation vision of San Francisco’s future that will guide plans for the City and its transportation system toward one collective goal. ConnectSF is a multi-agency collaborative process to build an effective, equitable, and sustainable transportation system for San Francisco’s future. Agencies involved in this long-range transportation planning program include the Transportation Authority, Planning Department, SFMTA, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Phase 1 of ConnectSF has defined a 50-year vision of San Francisco’s future that represents San Francisco’s goals and aspirations as a city within the larger Bay Area. The vision will be used as a framework for future studies related to transportation and land use planning in San Francisco and constitutes ConnectSF’s first phase of work.
Scope of Work:
The Transportation Authority seeks consultant communications services to support the Project. The Transportation Authority has budgeted $150,000 for this contract. Please note this is a ceiling and not a target. It is anticipated that a contract will be awarded for a three-year term. Award of contract is contingent upon execution of a funding agreement between the Transportation Authority, Planning Department, and the SFMTA.
The Transportation Authority does not have office space available for this contract and, with the exception of progress and coordination meetings, all work shall take place at the consultant offices. Proposers should be prepared to mobilize within 48 hours following contract negotiations and contract award by the Transportation Authority Board.
ConnectSF seeks assistance with developing a strong, integrated public outreach plan for its Transportation Network Development, the Transit Corridors Study and the Streets and Freeways Study (also known as ConnectSF Phase 2). The Transit Corridors Study and the Streets and Freeway Study are two stand-alone studies that will be prepared in parallel to identify the long-term projects and policies needed on the City’s transit system, streets, and freeways to achieve the ConnectSF vision. Given the studies’ broad reach and long-range horizon, an effective communications and engagement plan is needed to inform stakeholders and the general public about these efforts and solicit feedback on their development and content.
In seeking assistance with the ConnectSF program’s communications, outreach and engagement efforts, the Transportation Authority seeks to advance the following goals and objectives:
- Raise awareness about ConnectSF to the general public.
- Provide consistent and easy-to-understand public communication regarding ConnectSF and Phase 2 efforts.
- Create messaging, collateral, and branding that is informative, relevant, and engaging to the general public.
- Maintain a common voice and look and feel for ConnectSF materials.
- Strengthen quality assurance/quality control, while maintaining the flexibility for rapid responses.
- Engage with, and solicit input from, policymakers, the public, and stakeholder groups about Phase 2 activities, and in particular develop methods to obtain meaningful input from hard-to-reach population segments.
Due Date:
June 5th
