VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT AND GENERAL SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) # VDH-23-525-0321 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES

Close Date: August 10, 2023

PURPOSE

The Virginia Department of Health, an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit sealed proposals for the purchase of consultant services related to VDH’s marketing and communications needs across a variety of public health issues. It is the intent of VDH to award to multiple qualified firms.

II. BACKGROUND

VDH’s communications and marketing activities protect the health and promote the well-being of all people in Virginia by valuing service, equity and making data informed decisions with the goal to become the healthiest state in the nation by being a trustworthy source of public health information.

General activities will include the development and execution of VDH’s external communication strategies; marketing for Immunizations, Drinking Water, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Medical Services, Family Health Services, Community Nutrition, Radiological Health, infectious disease prevention, and outreach services and programs at the Local Health District level, including but not limited to Healthy Back to School, Flu Clinics; Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention, conducting public outreach; the production of informative public events, materials and resources; vaccination; and development and implementation of social media campaigns and promotions, including, but not limited to, video production and other campaign collateral.

III. STATEMENT OF NEED

The following functions to be provided relate to communication programs, projects, and initiatives. The contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, etc. Services will be provided for VDH’s offices in Virginia and may cover any market in Virginia. Travel, which requires prior, written approval, may be required for specific projects.

Marketing Initiatives

Manage and expand marketing activities for programs VDH operates, in collaboration with VDH staff, including subject matter experts. Activities may include the following:

• Campaign development
• Marketing and media planning
• Public relations, outreach, and marketing support
• Creation and production of marketing collateral
• Development of partnerships, sponsorships, and co-branding/cross-branding opportunities
• Recommend and provide support services, including creative development, for email and web-based marketing for both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Development and implementation of educational strategies for both English-speaking and Spanish speaking audiences
• Ongoing evaluation and analysis on effectiveness of marketing activities

Communication Initiatives

Implement communication strategies to increase the public’s awareness of the agency and its projects.

Activities may include the following:

• Identify and profile stakeholders and target audiences, including both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Advertising, including on social media and digital networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram
• Creative Development and Branding
• Community and Public Relations Programs
• Public and Stakeholder Involvement/Outreach Programs
• Sales Promotion and Special Event Activities
• Target Market/Community Outreach Programs
• Website Content Design and Development
• Research, Planning, and Development Activities
• Provide VDH with the ability to produce promotional items, to include VDH logo items for internal and external audiences.
• Provide access to general graphic design and multimedia services to develop videos, posters, signs, and other display materials.

Public Relations

• Placement and promotion of strategic Satellite Media Tours, including providing access to a full range of media training to support each tour and statewide metrics to measure success.
• Assist the agency with any crisis communications
• Writing and strategically placing of Op-Eds in targeted newspapers for specific audiences across the state

Please provide samples of your work in these areas in your proposal.