State of Maine Seeks Communications Agency

The State of Maine is seeking proposals for communications services that can provide videography and other marketing services for Child Nutrition to expand on our current series of culinary videos that will be available to local schools focusing on Maine products.

Background:

CN provides innovative training opportunities to school nutrition professionals that will enhance their skills and confidence in the field. Providing increased opportunities for remote training and digital training (such as videos) is needed to meet the needs of local schools and to give the DOE a professional image. A series of instructional culinary videos were created in school year 2020 to provide school nutrition professionals with knowledge and skills in the kitchen.  The outcome of this RFP will continue this work with a professional company who will provide high quality products to help DOE build on the current set of instructional culinary videos. Federal funds from a grant will be used for this purpose.   

B.General Provisions

1. 1. From the time this RFP is issued until award notification is made, all contact with the State regarding this RFP must be made through the aforementioned RFP Coordinator.  No other person/ State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding this RFP.  Violation of this provision may lead to disqualification from the bidding process, at the State’s discretion.
2. 2. Issuance of this RFP does not commit the Department to issue an award or to pay expenses incurred by a Bidder in the preparation of a response to this RFP.  This includes attendance at personal interviews or other meetings and software or system demonstrations, where applicable.
3. 3. All proposals should adhere to the instructions and format requirements outlined in this RFP and all written supplements and amendments (such as the Summary of Questions and Answers), issued by the Department.  Proposals are to follow the format and respond to all questions and instructions specified below in the “Proposal Submission Requirements” section of this RFP.
4. 4. Bidders shall take careful note that in evaluating a proposal submitted in response to this RFP, the Department will consider materials provided in the proposal, information obtained through interviews/presentations (if any), and internal Departmental information of previous contract history with the Bidder (if any).  The Department also reserves the right to consider other reliable references and publicly available information in evaluating a Bidder’s experience and capabilities.
5. 5. The proposal shall be signed by a person authorized to legally bind the Bidder and shall contain a statement that the proposal and the pricing contained therein will remain valid and binding for a period of 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening.
6. 6. The RFP and the selected Bidder’s proposal, including all appendices or attachments, shall be the basis for the final contract, as determined by the Department.
7. 7. Following announcement of an award decision, all submissions in response to this RFP will be considered public records available for public inspection pursuant to the State of Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) (1 M.R.S. §§ 401 et seq.).

State of Maine Freedom of Access Act 

1. 8. The Department, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to recognize and waive minor informalities and irregularities found in proposals received in response to this RFP.
2. 9. All applicable laws, whether or not herein contained, shall be included by this reference.  It shall be the Bidder’s responsibility to determine the applicability and requirements of any such laws and to abide by them.

C.    Eligibility to Submit Bids

All interested parties are invited to submit bids in response to this Request for Proposals. 

D.    Contract Term

The Department is seeking a cost-efficient proposal(s) to provide services, as defined in this RFP, for the anticipated contract period defined in the table below.  Please note that the dates below are estimated and may be adjusted, as necessary, in order to comply with all procedural requirements associated with this RFP and the contracting process.  The actual contract start date will be established by a completed and approved contract.

Scope of Work:

The successful bidder will be responsible for: 

1. Video Creation and Content: 

• • Work with CN to create ten (10) videos (at minimum) on the following proposed topics:
  • o Educational videos on Maine dairy
  • o Culinary video series utilizing Maine dairy and dairy products 
  • o Educational videos on Maine proteins (including but not limited to seafood, meats/poultry, and plant-based proteins)
  • o Culinary video series utilizing proteins (including but not limited to seafood, meats/poultry and plant-based proteins) 
  • o Educational videos on Maine’s specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, etc.) 
  • o Culinary videos on Maine’s specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, etc.)
  • o Culinary videos on various topics in the Child Nutrition culinary classroom, such as the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program. 

2. Video Format: 

• • Length of the videos will vary depending on topic. Culinary videos will be a maximum of 5 minutes long and educational videos a maximum of 10 minutes long.   
• • Final video files will be in the same format as existing videos on the Child Nutrition website: https://www.maine.gov/doe/farmtoschool/culinary
• o Intro and outro for each video 
• o Videos must be uploaded to DOE YouTube channel 

3. Assistance and Support: 

• • Assistance with talking points and interview question support and development 
• o Management of the culinary videos must take place on site in the Child Nutrition culinary classroom in Augusta and other locations as needed. 
• o Management of the educational videos must take place on site in various locations, such as dairy farms, harbors and local schools.
  • ♣ Management will involve having someone on site to direct the videos, including assisting the talent with talking points and other filming needs. 
  • • Technical support and assistance in promoting finished videos on various platforms.
• o Technical support must be available during normal business hours.
• • Assistance with the marketing strategy of the videos and target audience, including where final videos will be posted and messaging to reach intended audience. 
• • Promotion through the successful bidder’s media relations network throughout the state (TV, newspapers, etc.). CN will work with the Bidders existing media network for how best to promote the videos to a wider audience. 

4. General: 

• • Must communicate with CN on the status of the projects and progress in meeting the established timelines. An agreed upon timeline will be determined upon selection of the successful Bidder. 
• • During the first year of the contract, the videos will focus on Maine dairy and proteins along with other topics as time and capacity allows. 
• • Must perform the services as specified in the contract 

The videos will be posted for public use on the Child Nutrition website and be made available to all schools and interested persons in the state. All videos will become property of DOE. 

Due Date:

May 19, 2020 

Address:

Proposals@maine.gov

Agencies worth considering for this assignment include Magrino PR and M Booth.