State of Colorado Issues Public Relations RFP
CDHS is seeking a contractor to assist CDHS, and our partners, in the design, production, implementation and evaluation the Child Abuse and Neglect Public Awareness Campaign.
The primary goals of the campaign are to:
1. Market the statewide child abuse and neglect hotline;
2. Educate mandatory reporters and the general public in all sixty-four (64) counties, as well as two (2) sovereign Indian tribes, on how to identify and report suspected child abuse and neglect;
3. Educate the public about protective factors and evidence-based approaches to prevent child abuse and neglect and child deaths; and
4. Raise awareness about the need for foster and/or adoptive parents and to increase interest in helping a young person and/or family impacted by the child welfare system.
Background:
Collaborating with our partners, the Colorado Department of Human Services’ (CDHS) mission is to design and deliver high quality human and health services that improve the safety, independence, and well-being of the people of Colorado. CDHS is comprised of eight offices that strive to achieve this mission and serve the people of Colorado.
The Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) oversees and coordinates services for Colorado’s most vulnerable children, youth and families. The Office is organized into three divisional focus areas; (1) Division of Youth Services, (2) Domestic Violence Program and the (3) Division of Child Welfare. Each division is uniquely organized and holds defined goals to best collaborate with our community partners to achieve the CDHS shared vision that the people of Colorado are safe, healthy, and prepared to achieve their greatest aspirations.
In 2015, the Colorado Department of Human Services, in partnership with more than one hundred and fifty community partners throughout the state and the Governor’s Office, launched a multi-year Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Public Awareness Campaign to engage all Coloradans in the prevention of child abuse and promote the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437).
To build an evidence-based public awareness campaign, OCYF conducted public opinion research in 2013 which serves as a baseline measurement for the effectiveness of the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Public Awareness Campaign. According to research, Coloradans were well aware child abuse and neglect is a problem, believing that one in four children experience abuse or neglect. More than half of Coloradans said they had personally encountered a child that they suspected was a victim of abuse or neglect and they said that they were very likely to report a litany of typical abuse and neglect situations.
However, perceptions were very different from reality. Prior to the launch of the campaign the general public – friends, neighbors, community members – were not reporting concerns. It was estimated that 75% of reports of child abuse and neglect in Colorado came from mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, 15% came from family members, and only 10% came from the general public.
The primary goal of the campaign is to encourage all Coloradans to play a role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect by reporting all concerns to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline and getting involved to help Colorado’s kids. This comprehensive effort includes shared messaging, grassroots outreach, media relations, billboards, television commercials, social media, and toolkit materials to help campaign partners raise awareness. Every year, the campaign reaches over one million impressions, encouraging Coloradans to get involved and play a role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
When a child has experienced abuse or neglect, out-of-home placements may be necessary to protect the children, but most children and teens who receive help through child welfare services are not removed from their homes. In fact, in 2018, of the 20,814 Colorado children and their families involved in an open child welfare case:
• 68 percent of children and youth received services in their own homes
• 32 percent of children and youth were placed in an out-of-home placement (kinship care, foster care, group home or residential treatment facility)
On an average day in Colorado, 14 children and teens are placed in foster care.
Colorado has a shortage of foster parents. Today, there are 2,231 children and teens living with a foster family in Colorado. With just over 2,000 certified foster homes, social services agencies are always in need of families who are willing to care for children with special needs, sibling groups, older youth and young people who speak a different language.
Recognizing a need for foster and adoptive parents in communities across Colorado, the public awareness campaign expanded to include messages to raise awareness about this need.
Scope of Work:
The purpose of this request for proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from which CDHS will select a contractor to provide professional services for the design, production, implementation and evaluation of the Child Abuse Prevention and Child Welfare Public Awareness Campaign.
The successful bidder must demonstrate expertise in managing public awareness campaigns to reach a widespread and diverse audience such as the one described herein. Experience creating and managing multifaceted government-sponsored awareness campaigns is preferred.
The successful bidder will provide professional services to develop a strategic plan and implement multi-media campaigns, in English and Spanish, targeted at identified communities and the Colorado general public. The State requires the successful bidder to design multi-media campaigns that reach Metro and rural communities, communities across the socio-economic spectrum, underserved communities, and communities of color and all sexual orientations, gender identities and expression.
The selected contractor will work with OCYF staff members responsible for overseeing the campaign to develop a final strategy. OCYF will appoint an individual to be a liaison to the successful Offeror. This individual will attend entrance/exit conferences and assist the Offeror in understanding Department requirements and reporting guidelines.
Services shall include, but are not limited to:
Strategic Planning: Working with State staff, the successful bidder shall create an innovative and thorough communications plan to identify key audiences, strategies, tactics and timeline for the campaign. State staff shall have the opportunity to request modification to any communications plan and shall provide final approval of any communications plan.
Message Development: The successful bidder shall develop adverstising and marketing messages based on existing State shared messaging, messaging research and documentation.
Graphic Design: The successful bidder shall develop and implement a creative identity and/or brand identity and manage the production of campaign materials. Changes to existing State creative or brand identity shall require State approval.
Paid Media: The successful bidder shall develop a strategy and oversee the purchase and placement of paid media (advertising) in market areas throughout the State, to include the use of existing technology and media as well as emerging technologies and media when appropriate and as approved by the State.
Community Outreach: The successful bidder shall develop and implement a strategy to reach other partner agencies and interested stakeholders, to include the development and distribution of campaign materials to statewide partners, assisting partners in customizing materials and year-round utilization, and registering for festivals as requested by the State with the goal of increasing visibility for State programs and campaigns.
Awareness Month Mini-Campaigns: The successful bidder shall develop awareness month mini- campaigns inclusive of all marketing elements and programmatic goals, as requested by the State, to include, but not be limited to, Foster Care Month in May, Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, National Adoption Month in November, Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month in October, and outreach and awareness around Pride Month in June. The successful bidder shall assist community partners with creative digital, earned media, and other materials as identified by the State.
Intra-agency Awareness Campaigns: The successful bidder shall develop public awareness mini- campaigns, as identified by the State, for other Divisions and Offices within the Department of Human Services that intersect with the public awareness goals of OCYF.
Culturally Inclusive Marketing: The successful bidder shall develop and implement a complementary and culturally sensitive strategy to reach the Latino community in Colorado, including Spanish-language print and electronic materials, public service announcement(s) and paid advertising, as well as other races, ethnicities, and LGBTQ communities in Colorado. The approved strategy shall reach across the socio-economic spectrum for all communities and identities and be designed to proactively engage the identified community.
Public Relations: The successful bidder shall develop and implement a strategy to reach Colorado news media, including but not limited to news releases, pitching, media events, placement and follow-up, message training for State and county spokespersons as well as community partners.
Marketing Materials: The successful bidder shall write, design and produce printed and electronic materials (i.e. newsletters, brochures, flyers, posters, billboards, gas toppers, television and radio public service announcements and advertisements, etc.).
Public Service Announcements: The successful bidder shall develop and produce short videos and radio spots and manage distribution to local media outlets and community partners.
Video Production: The successful bidder shall have the capacity to travel across Colorado and develop and produce television commercials, longer format online videos, and live online broadcasts.
Social Media: The successful bidder shall work with the State to develop a creative strategy for outreach through existing social media platforms/technology and, as approved by the State, emerging social media platforms/technology to reach target populations through social media. The successful bidder shall provide strategic direction and platform management guidance as requested by the State.
Special Events: The successful bidder shall plan and implement media events, news conferences and/or meetings or briefings with the public or special interest groups for campaigns and as requested by the State.
Website: The successful bidder shall work with existing State properties, including but not limited to websites, and shall provide guidance and support to any State efforts to change, modernize, or improve upon its online presence in furtherance of any campaign. The State website is currently developed through Drupal.
Reporting: The successful bidder shall provide reports that include information on measureable objectives (e.g.; number of paid and earned media placements, number of impressions, social media analytics, public opinion survey results, focus groups), as well as how the evaluation process will demonstrate effectiveness and inform adjustments to proposed strategies. The successful bidder will provide an annual report, meeting reports and/or minutes, reports regarding any and all mini-campaigns, and a progress report to assist the State in preparation of reports for Joint Budget Committee (“JBC”) meetings and/or hearings.
Evaluation: The successful bidder shall develop an evaluation process to measure the effectiveness of above strategies to create public awareness statewide to be provided to State personnel on a monthly basis and as requested by CDHS. The successful bidder shall rely on the developed evaluation process in preparation of any reports.
Due Date:
March 26th, 2019.
Address:
Colorado Department of Human Services
Attn: Mandy Zila
North/Central Procurement Office
1575 Sherman Street, 6th Floor
Denver, CO 80203
Agencies with relevant experience includes Alison Brod PR and Hunter PR.
