RFP 2024-09 Public Relations Services

#	Type	Status	Date	Due Date	Time Remaining
2024-09	PROCUREMENT	Active		12/18/2023 5:00 PM

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to enter into a contractual agreement with a qualified agency for Public Relations Services. The Children’s Trust is currently looking for an agency to collectively work with the Communications Department to create, manage and implement comprehensive earned media and public relations plans that adhere to The Children’s Trust’s communications strategies and operating processes.

Solicitation Release Date: November 3, 2023

Bidders' Conference: November 9, 2023, 3 p.m. ET

Bidders' Conference Location: Zoom (Click HERE to Register)

Deadline for Submission of Questions on RFP: December 13, 2023, 5 p.m. ET

Proposal Due Date/Time: December 18, 2023, 5 p.m. ET

Proposal Review Period: January 8 – February 11, 2024

Debriefing Meeting: January 24, 2024, 4 - 5 p.m. - Download Details

Award Recommendations to Committee: March 7, 2024

Award Recommendations to Board of Directors: March 18, 2024

My Applications

Click on row below to modify existing application.

Timeline

	RELEASE	11/3/2023
	BIDCONF	11/9/2023 3:00 PM
	QADEADLINE	12/13/2023 5:00 PM
	APPDEADLINE	12/18/2023 5:00 PM
	REVIEWSTART	1/8/2024 - 2/11/2024
	DEBRIEFIGSTART	1/24/2024 4:00 PM - 1/24/2024 5:00 PM
	COMMITTEE	3/7/2024
	RECOMMENDATION	3/7/2024 5:00 PM
	BOARD	3/18/2024 5:00 PM

Resources

RFP 2024-09 Public Relations
11/2/2023
RFP 2024-09 Public Relations Services Debriefing Meeting new
1/5/2024
Media Kit & Logos
11/1/2023
About The Children’s Trust
11/1/2023
2023 Strategic Framework
11/1/2023
20 Years Nurturing Greatness - Anniversary Video
11/1/2023
FY 21-22 Annual Report
11/1/2023
FY 21-22 Annual Report Highlights
11/1/2023
How We Fund
11/1/2023
2021 Brand Awareness Study
11/1/2023
2023 Comms Application Training
11/9/2023
RFP 2024-09 Public Relations Bidder's Conference
11/14/2023
The Children's Trust Social Media Accounts
11/1/2023

Q & A

Fiscal

What is the FY 2024-2025 PR budget?: Public Relations Services has a budget of $48,000 in FY 23-24. The budget for FY 2024-2025 has not been determined yet.

What was last year’s PR fee and OOP budget and what is next year’s PR fee and OOP budget?: Public Relations Services had a budget of $48,000 in FY 22-23 and it remains the same for FY 23-24.

General

How are media inquiries to The Children’s Trust currently received and vetted?: Media inquiries may be received to The Trust by phone, email, social media (posts and/or direct message), or referred by a partner or funded agency. All inquiries require internal vetting and authorization, depending on their nature, scope, and deadline.

How many times a year does the organization typically conduct media events for which it requires external, on-the-ground support?: The number of events requiring "external, on-the-ground support" vary, depending on event size and needs. Trust staff handles many components of these events, so agency involvement and length of time of that involvement will vary. In the past year, The Trust held less than 10 media events, though this number is also variable for future years.

How many participants do you anticipate will participate in media training?: Some members of the leadership team, including the CEO, will receive the media training, and other staff as selected. Consider a maximum of 10 people.

Can you provide insights into how you would like the selected vendor to partner with Communications Department team members, particularly in regards to local media relations and local event management? We’re hoping to better understand what will continue to be managed internally versus through a partner.: The selected vendor is expected to have and continue to build strong relationships with media outlets in order to secure positive coverage about The Trust, its initiatives, and its funded programs. These relationships will be key as well when coordinating and securing attendance at news conferences. The scope of work expected to be handled by the selected applicant is detailed in the RFP document under "Scope of Work."

How many members of The Children’s Trust Executive team does the organization hope to promote as local/regional thought leaders?: The Executive team consists of seven staff members. However, public relations efforts may also involve senior staff, bringing the total to 10 to 14.

How many members of The Children’s Trust Executive team does the organization hope to promote as national thought leaders?: The Executive team consists of seven staff members. However, public relations efforts may also involve senior staff, bringing the total to 10 to 14.

Approximately how many Trust-Funded partners does the organization hope to promote locally?: There is no exact number of programs we promote locally at a given time, especially since The Children's Trust funds hundreds of programs in Miami-Dade. We adapt our communication efforts according to the initiatives or efforts we are promoting at a given time.

Has The Children’s Trust used an agency partner in the past? If yes, is that agency able to participate in the RFP process?: The question is not clear about what is referred to as an "agency partner". The Children's Trust has worked with public relations agencies in the past. This does not preclude a previous agency from applying to this RFP.

Has The Children’s Trust tracked growth and engagement of its social media channels and those of its CEO and are those reports available?: The Children's Trust regularly monitors both growth and engagement of its institutional and CEO social media accounts. Although some of these figures are published in monthly media reports as attachments to board meetings (available for download at www.thechildrenstrust.org/board-and-committee-meetings), a combined report has not been compiled recently.

Is there a preference for a local/Miami-based firm?: No. The selected vendor may be based outside of Miami-Dade County. However, as stated on page 2 of the RFP: "Applicants should be qualified to conduct business in the State of Florida under the laws of Florida per Chapter 607, F.S., and must be qualified to conduct business on or before the contract beginning date. Eligible applicants must remain qualified to conduct business in the State of Florida for the duration of their contract. The selected vendor must be available to conduct business mainly during office hours in the US East Coast time zone, and beyond those hours as needed for time-sensitive matters."

Are you required to accept the lowest-cost bid?: No. As stated in page 3 of the RFP, the contract "...will be awarded through written notice to the qualified and responsive agency(s) whose proposal is determined to be most advantageous to The Children’s Trust, taking into consideration expertise, strategy, price, and other criteria."

Is there an incumbent agency who you expect to bid on this work?: This question falls outside of the scope of work for this RFP.

Is this RFP being sought because Children’s Trust feels there are current quality / results-related issues with the PR program, or is the RFP contractually required based on number of years of service already provided by the incumbent agency? If there are quality / results concerns, what are they?: The decision to release this RFP is not based on current or past vendors' performance. It is in accordance with the Trust's procurement policy, available at www.TheChildrensTrust.org/Procurement

Can we submit responses to questions in one overall presentation document (searchable PDF under 2 GB) or are we expected to respond to each answer in less than 400 words individually and any documents submitted must separately support each question vs a holistic response?: Yes, you have the flexibility to submit responses in various ways. You may choose to respond within the 400-word space provided for each section or opt for a larger document that addresses all sections. Additionally, it's acceptable to submit one document per section, ensuring that the document clearly supports the corresponding section. If you decide to provide a comprehensive document, it is recommended to include a note in the 400-word space designated for each section, indicating that the detailed responses for that specific section are available in the attached document. This way, you can choose the approach that best suits your preferences and ensures clarity in submitting your application.

Can you submit one proposal for all of the open communications/marketing RFPs or do you have to submit them individually?: Applicants must apply separately to each RFP they are proposing to provide services for.

As opposed to WeTransfer - can we provide a link to the actual document or a link to a Google folder?: No. Large files must be sent only via WeTransfer links to ensure that all documents received cannot be modified after they have been submitted or after the RFP deadline.

Services

What is the target audience priority for the PR RFP? We see that there’s an ask for lower income Spanish speaking families in Miami Dade (growth opportunity) but we also notice interest in overall GM families in Dade, as well as national coverage. Please clarify if Hispanic, General Market, national or local are the focus?: Public relations efforts proposed should be targeted at the general market at the local, regional and national levels. However, that is inclusive of Spanish language media, where in Miami the majority of the population is Hispanic, and the response to the RFP should reflect that.

Accessibility Statement

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