Texas A&M University Issues RFP For Marketing & Communications

Texas A&M University Health Science Center subsequently referred to as TAMUHSC, is seeking Request for Proposals to agree to provide a Marketing and Communication Plan for the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH) inside the A&M Rural and Community Health Institute (ARCHI).

Background:

The Texas A&M Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research through campuses in Bryan-College Station, Dallas, Temple, Houston, Round Rock, Kingsville, Corpus Christi, and McAllen. Its five colleges are the College of Dentistry, College of Medicine, College of Nursing, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy and School of Public Health. Other units include the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, the Rural Community Health Institute and the Coastal Bend Health Education Center.

TAMUHSC is establishing the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH) inside the A&M Rural and Community Institute (ARCHI) at Texas A&M University College of Medicine.

The Center will concentrate its efforts on helping hospitals and communities recognize that their primary priority is to determine how to sustain critical health care services locally.

This may not include maintaining a hospital, but rather “right-sizing” care to match the resources, demographics, geography, and availability of providers in the community.

The Center will work with hospitals and their communities to determine feasible health care options that will be supported by the community, meet community needs, and most importantly offer local, quality care.

Health care providers and communities need to adjust to ensure the ability to retain access to health care in rural America.

ARCHI has fifteen years of experience working with rural hospitals to identify issues and develop unique solutions.

This experience, combined with our expertise and collaborative partners across the nation, firmly establish ARCHI as the right organization to help rural hospitals via the Center for Optimizing Rural Health.

ARCHI received a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that establishes them as national technical advisors ARCHI is working with the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation

The work being performed under this RFP will complement the work of the Center done in conjunction with a grant from HRSA.

Scope of Work:

Texas A&M University Health Science Center subsequently referred to as TAMUHSC, is seeking Request for Proposals for a Marketing and Communications Plan for the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH) inside the A&M Rural and Community Health Institute (ARCHI).

The RFP intends to hire a marketing firm that will accomplish the following:

                • Develop logo and tagline

                • Develop appropriate messages to target rural hospitals and communities

                • Establish social media presence

                • Create a website design

                • Determine the best methods to disseminate the message

To ensure success, the TAMUHSC wants to partner with a marketing firm that can assist us in crafting the Right message and broadcast that message to the appropriate audience.

The marketing and communication plan must be comprehensive and robust.

                Anticipated Timeline upon award of the project:

                Phase I May 2019-June 2019:

                • Develop strategy/marketing plan

                • Logo and tagline development – initial designs (testing)

                • Establish Center Identity

                • Begin message development – and message testing

                • Learning management system

                • Communication planning to disseminate messages

                Phase II July 2019 – August 2019:

                • Finalize initial message

                • Finalize logo and tagline

                • Website enhancement (strategy)

                • Set up social media channels

                • Develop and/or edit content for social media channels

                • Create a “sales kit” to be sent to prospective hospitals containing infographics, key facts, success stories, etc.

                • Begin implementing communication tactics – including “save the date” for the next cycle (outreach)

                • Kick-off for the next cycle

                • Deliver style guide for the Center that includes guidelines for applications of the logo

                September 2019 – October 2019:

                • Story development of first-year successes

                • Incorporate lessons learned from Year 1 cycle into Message

                • Continue message dissemination

                • Website enhancement – ongoing

                • Social media optimization -ongoing

                • Analysis of website/webinar/social media data to ensure we are reaching all markets and if not develop a plan to reach them

                November 2019 – December 2019:

                • Increase Center visibility to increase the number of hospital applicants

                Phase III January 2020 – December 2020

                • Establish Center as a known resource for rural hospitals

                • Story development of second-year successes

                • Continuous updating of “sales kit” to be sent to prospective hospitals that contain infographics, key facts, success stories, etc.

                                Ongoing:

                • Social media content, possible digital and print ads, speaking engagements, story development, dissemination of messages.

                • Website enhancement

                • Social media optimization

Due Date:

March 13^th, 2019.

Address:

Texas A&M University

Procurement Services

P. O. Box 30013

College Station, TX 77842-3013

W2O group and Zeno Group have relevant experience.