COMMUNITY FUTURES BRITISH COLUMBIA PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Community Futures British Columbia

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1 COMMUNITY FUTURES BRITISH COLUMBIA PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CLOSING TIME: March 17, 2014 at 4:00 pm (PST) CLOSING LOCATION: Community Futures British Columbia # Stave Lake Street Mission, BC V2V 0C5 CONTACT PERSON: SUBMISSIONS: Catherine Simmons Community Futures British Columbia # Stave Lake Street Mission, BC V2V 0C5 T: (604) (223) It is preferred that submissions be formatted as MS Word documents or PDF format and that they be forwarded by to: RECEIPT CONFIRMATION FORM: Proponents interested in responding to this RFP should fill out and return the Receipt Confirmation Form attached as Appendix A. All subsequent information regarding this RFP, including changes made to this RFP and notices regarding Proponent information meetings, may be directed to only those Proponents who return the form.

2 Table of Contents OVERVIEW... 3 PROJECT GOALS... 3 TERMINOLOGY... 3 BACKGROUND... 3 Existing Marketing Initiatives... 4 Making a Difference to Small Business... 4 DELIVERABLES... 5 PHASE 1 Research and Analysis... 5 PHASE 2 Strategy Development... 5 PHASE 3 Implementation... 6 CONTENT... 6 EVALUATION AND NEGOTIATION... 7 Mandatory and Desirable Criteria:... 7 TIMEFRAME... 9 BUDGET... 9 GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS... 9 Appendix A: Receipt Confirmation Form Community Futures British Columbia Page 2

3 OVERVIEW Community Futures BC is seeking a firm or individual with a strong track record in public relations to work with the Marketing Committee to develop a public relations and marketing strategy for the Community Futures program in British Columbia. The purpose of the RFP is to identify a communications agency to assist in developing a public relations strategy that would be inclusive of existing marketing tools and the current brand. PROJECT GOALS The expectation of the public relations and marketing campaign is to assist Community Futures in BC to attain the following goals; increase loan activity and improve brand awareness throughout the province and at local levels. TERMINOLOGY The following terms will apply to this and to any subsequent Contract. Submission of a proposal in response to the Request for Proposal indicates acceptance of all the terms that follow. a) Organization means the Community Futures Development Association of B.C. (d.b.a Community Futures British Columbia; b) Contract means the written agreement resulting from the Request for Proposals executed by Community Futures British Columbia and the successful Proponent; c) Contractor means the successful proponent selected from this Request for Proposals; d) Must, mandatory, or required means a requirement that must be met in order for a proposal to receive considerations; e) Proponent means an individual or a company that submits, or intends to submit, a proposal in response to this ; f) Should or desirable means a requirement having a significant degree of importance to the objectives of the. g) Service Agreement means the written agreement resulting from this RFP executed by CFBC and the Successful Proponent. BACKGROUND The Community Futures Program is a community based economic renewal initiative, established by the Federal Government in The main objectives are to help rural Canadians start or expand a business and to help sustain and improve communities and their local economies. Across Canada there are 269 offices each led by a local board of directors who volunteer their time, knowledge and passion to guide a team of professional staff in providing a wide array of business and community economic Community Futures British Columbia Page 3

4 development services. These services include Business Development Training and Counselling, Small Business Financing and Community Economic Development. Since 1985, the Community Futures Program has helped 114,306 Canadian entrepreneurs and invested over $3.9 billion directly into the rural economy. Community Futures British Columbia is the provincial association for the 34 Community Futures offices in British Columbia. Community Futures British Columbia provides service and support to the 34 Community Futures organizations located throughout rural British Columbia and represents Community Futures offices in BC at Community Futures Pan West and Community Futures Network of Canada. The 34 Community Futures offices in BC are independent non profit, federally funded organizations that support the rural community s economic development by providing new or existing businesses the tools and resources they need to succeed. Across BC Community Futures offices deliver a variety of different programs to help rural Canadians start or expand a business and to help sustain and improve communities and their local economies. Apart from the core services of Small Business Financing, Business Development Training and Counselling, and Community Economic Development, some offices provide other programs such as the Self Employment program, and Economic Gardening. A challenge Community Futures has faced in BC in regards to communications and marketing the organization, is that although each office has the same mandate that mandate is fulfilled in differing ways. Existing Marketing Initiatives Common Brand Program Community Futures Leaf brand creates a unified profile for all independent offices and increases awareness at the community and regional levels. Biz Shift Multi media 2010 Success Stories YouTube play list of Success Stories Community Futures Northern BC Magazine 2013 Edition Making a Difference to Small Business Western Economic Diversification recently completed and distributed the Community Futures Program Performance Report Round One ( ) This was the first test of a new method to assess the Community Futures loan client success by comparing several indicators of business success. For the period of , the study found that: In terms of employment, Community Futures Program assisted firms on average grew at a compounded annual rate of 13.7% per year compared to 8.2% for nonassisted firms. In terms of sales, Community Futures Program assisted firms grew at a compounded annual rate of 25.8% compared to 20.1% for non assisted firms. Community Futures British Columbia Page 4

5 The study also found that 97.5% of Community Futures program assisted firms are small businesses with less than 20 employees. The data demonstrates that the Community Futures program lending activity is making a difference, as the assisted firms perform better than the comparable group. Lending Activity Fiscal 2012/2013 Canada wide, the Community Futures program disbursed 4,306 loans, in excess of $208 million and leveraged an additional $310 million, creating and maintaining 17,712 jobs. In British Columbia, the Community Futures program disbursed 652 loans, totaling $32 million and leveraged an additional $60 million, while creating and maintaining 2,839 jobs. DELIVERABLES PHASE 1 Research and Analysis Community Futures Marketing Committee s expectation is that the contractor will perform research to obtain the information required to understand current awareness levels and perceptions of Community Futures. This should include consulting with the public, community stakeholders, Community Futures volunteers and staff. The contractor will prepare a report on the research findings by April 30, PHASE 2 Strategy Development The new public relations campaign will be a comprehensive program that will include strategies and tools for implementation at the provincial level as well as strategies and tools to be implemented at regional and local levels. The public relations campaign will include: I. recommendations for how to help Community Futures target audiences (if applicable) understand how Community Futures offices fulfils their mission; II. recommendations for how to help Community Futures target audiences (if applicable) understand that Community Futures is more than just a lender of last resort; III. a case for why the strategy recommendations reflect how Community Futures would like to be perceived and why they are consistent with Community Futures mission, vision, values and guiding principles; IV. specific strategies with executable possibilities such as, Strategically placed stories e.g. client success stories Positioning statement Elevator pitch Social media strategies Business publications Community Futures British Columbia Page 5

6 Collateral recommendations of what marketing tools would be effective in reaching marketing goals For the marketing strategy component, the contractor will make recommendations on revitalizing the existing Community Futures Brand and have it be relevant in the new Public Relations Campaign. The recommended marketing strategy will provide Community Futures British Columbia and the 34 Community Futures offices in BC with specifics on who and where the offices should market to, what marketing mediums should be used, and the timing of marketing activities. the measureable targets and will include marketing objectives for acquiring new loan clients. PHASE 3 Implementation The contractor will: implement the developed public relation and supporting marketing strategy at the provincial level. provide a toolkit and guide for the 34 local offices to assist with understanding the campaign, expected impacts, activities and timelines. provide recommendations for individual offices for effective implementation at a regional and local level to leverage the provincial campaign in Community Futures regions. It is anticipated that the campaign may be planned for up to three years to become fully effective. Important to note: This RFP does not include the expenses related to the individual offices implementing the tools in their region. This is an expense from their operating budget depending on their needs. The contractor would need to negotiate with individual corporations. CONTENT Proposals should include a detailed response to the following: Demonstrated understanding of the services being sought under the RFP; Summary of skills/experience as they relate to the proposal. Access to a portfolio would be beneficial (e.g. link); Methodology for conducting and completing duties and deliverables accompanied with an approximate timeline; description of any subcontractors that would be employed, and the services that they would provide. Their fees must be included in the proposal. Fees and expenses; and Community Futures British Columbia Page 6

7 Overview of additional services provided by agency/consultant with a specific focus on the areas of communications and social media strategies Demonstration of fit; description of what makes the agency different and better than its competitors. Experience working with clients in government and nonprofit sector, the work and what makes the agency a good fit for this project. The end deliverable must include a digital version of the report in a format acceptable to the Community Futures British Columbia, and two finished hardcopy reports. EVALUATION AND NEGOTIATION The evaluation of Proposals will be undertaken by an evaluation committee formed by the Marketing Committee. The evaluation committee may consult with others including Community Futures British Columbia staff members, individual Community Futures offices, third party consultants and references, as the evaluation committee may in its discretion decide is required. Mandatory and Desirable Criteria: The proposals will be evaluated and rated based on both the Mandatory and Desirable criteria set out in this Request for Proposal Document. The following information will form the selection criteria that will be used to determine which Proponent will be selected as the Contractor for this project. Proposals will be reviewed on a preliminary basis to determine whether they comply with the following mandatory criteria. Proposals that fail to meet the following mandatory criteria will be excluded from further consideration during the evaluation process. Mandatory Criteria Received by the closing date and the closing location Proposal must be in English Proposals meeting all of the mandatory criteria will be evaluated against the following desirable criteria to determine the Proposal(s) that is (are) most advantageous to the Community Futures Network in BC. Desirable Criteria Team Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: education, professional qualifications, professional development; assigned consultants. Include a description of your business/organization, partners/staff, history/experience, and the main contact person who will be the signatory to a Contract for this project. Community Futures British Columbia Page 7

8 Creativity and Familiarity: Provide a brief description of Community Futures that clearly shows you are familiar with the Community Futures mandate, its relevance to rural communities and role in small business development. Innovation in Approach or Methodology: include the proposed method to accomplish the tasks identified in the. Provide a brief description of your approach to develop the vision for content, style, structure, motif etc. of the final products, based on the requirements provided in this including explanation of any deletions or additions you would make. Demonstrate creativity in the approach to engage the public. Previous Relevant Experience: indicate the number of projects of similar professional services and type or the number of projects of similar scale. Examples and samples of creative public engagement processes and other reports of a similar nature that have been prepared by the team. References: Provide three references from previous clients including specific contacts and phone numbers. Project Quote: broken down into project phases with associated timelines. *Price is 15% of the overall evaluation weighted score. Evaluation of proposals: At the sole discretion of the Marketing Committee, a short list of the highest proponents will be developed. Proponents on the short list may be invited to make a presentation to the Marketing Committee. After the presentation(s), the Marketing Committee will re evaluate the short listed proposals using the criteria set out in this, including reference checks. The final selection will be based on the Marketing Committee determination of the best scoring. Proposal Format and Checklist: The following format and sequence should be followed in order to provide consistency in Proponent response and ensure each proposal receives full and fair consideration. All pages should be consecutively numbered. a) Title Page, showing Proponent s name, company, address and contact information. b) One page letter of introduction signed by an authorized signatory. c) Table of Contents including page numbers. d) A short (one or two page) summary of the key features of the proposal. e) The body of the proposal, including layout, use of tools and information, suggestions, recommendations, the budget and services. f) Any additional information such as references and components listed under the mandatory and desirable criteria not included in the body of the document. CFBC Marketing Committee may, at its discretion: a) select one preferred Proponent and CFBC will enter into negotiations with that Proponent to finalize a Service Contract; or Community Futures British Columbia Page 8

9 b) decline to select a Proponent. By submitting a Proposal, each Proponent agrees that if the Marketing Committee selects the Proponent as a preferred Proponent, the Proponent will enter into negotiations with CFBC to finalize a Service Contract. If, at any time, Community Futures British Columbia reasonably forms the opinion that a mutually acceptable Service Contract will not be finalized within thirty days of notification of selection of a preferred Proponent, Community Futures British Columbia may, at its sole discretion at any time thereafter, terminate negotiations with that Proponent and either negotiate a Service Contract with another Proponent; or choose to terminate the RFP process and if Community Futures British Columbia elects, proceed with the project in some other manner. TIMEFRAME Each year the Community Futures offices of BC gather for an Annual Conference. In 2014, it is October 5 8 th. As all offices will be attending with staff and volunteers we want to unveil the campaign at that time. As such, CFBC anticipates awarding the contract for services no later than April 4, 2014 with a project completion date of September 30, Date: Feb 24, 2014 March 17, 2014 April 4, 2014 April May June 2014 October 2014 Activity: RFP Announcement RFP Closing Date Contract Award Phase One Complete Strategy Development Launch BUDGET The maximum budget for the project is $65,000, including expenses and GST. Please provide a budget for each phase with relevant specifics. Please indicate any travel expenses separately. GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Marketing Committee will oversee the general management of the contract as well as the day to day management. Community Futures British Columbia Page 9

10 Administrative support and invoice processing will be handled by the Community Futures British Columbia Staff. No Obligation to Proceed This RFP is not a tender or an agreement to purchase goods or services. The Marketing Committee is not bound to select a preferred Proponent or to enter into a Service Contract with the Proponent who submits the lowest priced Proposal or with any Proponent, and the Marketing Committee reserves the complete right to at any time reject all Proposals and to terminate this RFP process. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions Submission of a Proposal indicates acceptance of all the terms and conditions set out in this RFP, including those included in any addenda issued by the Marketing Committee. By submitting a Proposal, the Proponent represents that it has carefully read and examined the RFP in its entirety and has conducted such other investigations as were prudent and reasonable in preparing its Proposal. The Proponent agrees to be bound by the statements and representations made in its Proposal. Addenda The Marketing Committee reserves the right to modify the terms of this RFP at any time in its sole discretion. If the Marketing Committee determines that an amendment is required to this RFP, the Contact Person will issue a written addendum that will form part of this RFP. No amendment of any kind to the RFP is effective unless it is contained in a formal written addendum issued by Contact Person. Late Proposals It is the sole responsibility of the Proponent to ensure its Proposal is received at the Closing Location before the Closing Time. Proposals submitted in hard copy will be marked with their receipt time at the Closing Location. Proposals received after the Closing Time will not be accepted. In the event of a dispute, the receipt time as recorded at a Closing Location (or in the case of a Proposal submitted by , as stamped/tagged by Community Futures British Columbia s system) shall prevail. Changes to Proposals An amendment to a Proposal will be considered only if the amendment is received in writing at the Closing Location before the Closing Time. Amendments must be signed by an authorized signatory of the Proponent. Completeness of Proposal By submitting a Proposal, the Proponent represents that, if this RFP is for Proposals to design, create or provide a system or manage a program, all components required to run the system or manage the program have been identified in the Proponent s Community Futures British Columbia Page 10

11 Proposal or will be provided by the Successful Proponent as part of the proposed cost or fee and at no further charge to Community Futures British Columbia. Conflict of Interest The Marketing Committee will not be obligated to evaluate any Proposal from a Proponent whose current or past interests may, in the Marketing Committee s opinion, give rise to a conflict of interest in connection with the project described in this RFP. This includes, but is not limited to, involvement by a Proponent in the preparation of this RFP. If a Proponent is in doubt as to whether there might be a conflict of interest, the Proponent should consult with the Contact Person prior to submitting a Proposal. Proponents Expenses Proponents are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing, and submitting Proposals, and for any meetings, negotiations or discussions with the Marketing Committee or its representatives and consultants, relating to or arising from this RFP. No Claims By submitting a Proposal, each Proponent: a. agrees that Community Futures British Columbia and its Board members, employees, representatives, agents, consultants and advisors will not under any circumstances be liable for any claims, whether for costs, expenses, losses (including loss of anticipated profits), damages or liabilities which are or may be incurred or suffered by any Proponent arising from or in any way connected to this RFP, including if Community Futures British Columbia accepts a materially non compliant proposal or otherwise breaches any express or implied term of the RFP; and b. waives any and all claims against Community Futures British Columbia or any of its Board members, employees, advisors, representatives, consultants or advisors. Currency and Taxes Prices quoted in Proposals should be quoted in Canadian dollars and inclusive of taxes and expenses. Joint Proposals and Sub Contracting a. Two or more entities may work together to submit one Proposal. Entities submitting a joint Proposal should describe in their Proposal the proposed allocation of responsibilities between the entities. b. Proponents may propose to use sub contractors. Proposals proposing to use one or more subcontractors should identify the name and proposed role of the proposed subcontractor(s). Community Futures British Columbia Page 11

12 c. Sub contracting to or joint venturing with any firm or individual whose current or past interests may, in the Marketing Committee s opinion, give rise to a conflict of interest in connection with the project or program described in this RFP will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, any firm or individual involved in the preparation of this RFP. If a Proponent is in doubt as to whether a proposed sub contractor gives rise to a conflict of interest, the Proponent should consult with the Contact Person prior to submitting a Proposal. Liability for Errors While the Marketing Committee has attempted to ensure information in this RFP is accurate, the information contained in this RFP is supplied solely as a guideline for Proponents. The information is not guaranteed or warranted to be accurate by the Marketing Committee, nor is it necessarily comprehensive or exhaustive. Nothing in this RFP is intended to relieve Proponents from forming their own opinions and conclusions with respect to the matters addressed in this RFP and the Marketing Committee accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information contained in this RFP. Ownership of Proposal and Confidentiality All Proposals submitted to Community Futures British Columbia become the property of Community Futures British Columbia. All proposals will be received and held in confidence by Community Futures British Columbia, subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and this RFP. If the Marketing Committee selects a preferred Proponent and Community Futures British Columbia enters into a Service Contract, Community Futures British Columbia may publicize a notice of Service Contract award, including a brief description of the agreement and the name of the successful Proponent. Use of Request for Proposal Any portion of this document, or any information supplied by Community Futures British Columbia in relation to this RFP may not be used or disclosed for any purpose, other than for the submission of Proposal. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, by submitting a Proposal, the Proponent agrees to hold in confidence all information supplied by Community Futures British Columbia in relation to this RFP. No Lobbying Proponents will not attempt to communicate directly or indirectly with: any employee or representative of Community Futures British Columbia, including any member of the evaluation committee or any Board members of Community Futures British Columbia; members of the public; or Community Futures British Columbia Page 12

13 members of the media, about the project described in this RFP or otherwise in respect of the RFP, other than as expressly directed or permitted by Community Futures British Columbia. Community Futures British Columbia may reject a Proposal from any Proponent that fails to comply with this provision. Community Futures British Columbia Page 13

14 Appendix A: Receipt Confirmation Form RFP Title: For any further distributed information about this RFP, please return this form as soon as possible to: Contact Person: Catherine Simmons Community Futures British Columbia # Stave Lake Street Mission, BC V2V 0C5 T: (604) (223) All subsequent information regarding this RFP, including changes made to this RFP may be directed to only those Proponents who return the form. Company Name: Contact Person: Title: Street Address: City: Province: Postal Code: Phone Number: ( ) Address: Community Futures British Columbia Page 14