REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FULL SERVICE MARKETING AGENCY. NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FULL SERVICE MARKETING AGENCY NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM TERMS OF REFERENCE June 16 th 2010

2 Table of Contents PURPOSE... 2 BACKGROUND... 2 MARKETING AGENCY SCOPE OF WORK... 6 BUDGET... 8 CONTRACT... 9 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CONTENT REQUIREMENTS... 9 SHORT LIST INTERVIEW CONFLICT OF INTEREST GUIDELINES GENERAL INFORMATION HOW TO RESPOND COMMUNICATIONS DURING THE RFP PERIOD SCHEDULE OF EVENTS EVALUATION OF RESPONSES PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA... 17

3 TERMS of REFERENCE PURPOSE The wishes to secure the services of an accredited, full service marketing agency to provide advertising, promotional, internet marketing and website services for. 2.0 BACKGROUND a), Department of Tourism, Culture & Recreation is the provincial marketing organization for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and undertakes marketing programs to grow the tourism industry. The mandate is to promote Newfoundland and Labrador as a tourism destination and to increase the number of visitors from regional, national and international travel markets. takes a growth-strategy approach to marketing Newfoundland and Labrador as a tourism destination. Online and offline marketing and advertising are fully integrated to maximize the total value of all marketing efforts. Advertising reaches and persuades visitors to come to Newfoundland and Labrador, Internet strategies and web initiatives close the sale. b) Industry The tourism industry contributes about $850 million (2008) to the provincial economy and supports more than 12,700 direct jobs. Associated spending is projected to be $375M by the end of the 2009 year (up 1.5% over last year). The tourism sector performed very well in 2009, despite worldwide recession. Year-end data shows that overall non-resident visitation was up about 1% (0.7%) in 2009 over the same period in Non-resident visitation has grown by 14% from 2003 to 2009 and nonresident expenditure has grown by 23% since A Summary of Tourism Statistics is available online at The tourism industry is guided by Uncommon Potential - A Tourism Vision for Newfoundland and Labrador and the Tourism Marketing plan. A summary of these documents, and other relevant tourism research and documentation, is available online at

4 TERMS of REFERENCE 3 c) Tourism Target Markets concentrates its resources against the target audiences and markets which offer the best opportunity and the potential for the highest return on investment. Primary geographic target markets include Canada: Ontario (Toronto and Ottawa), Western (Alberta) Quebec (Montreal), the Maritimes (Halifax) and residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. Secondary markets include New York (Tri State Area) and development markets include the United Kingdom, Germany and the Pacific region of the USA. Other market segments include travel trade and activity-based markets include Meetings, Convention and Incentive Travel Market, Hunting and Fishing Market and Hiking Market. d) NewfoundlandLabrador.com The primary objective of NewfoundlandLabrador.com is to assist with trip planning to Newfoundland and Labrador, connecting the visitor to the information of their choice in a timely and relevant manner. The specific objectives of the website are: Assist travellers with trip planning needs Act as a complete tourism service portal for business to-consumer and business-tobusiness marketing. Extend market reach/reach global markets. Build/strengthen customer relationships. Reinforce the brand positioning and personality. Content Management Systems (CMS) There are two CMS systems used to populate NewfoundlandLabrador.com 1. Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS) The Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS) is a custom built tourism database that features comprehensive information of all tourism businesses and operations in Newfoundland and Labrador. The data is used to create the tourism operator listing on NewfoundlandLabrador.com. The website extracts data from an existing Oracle database. The database is accessible in real time to the web server hosting the Tourism Website (in read-only mode).

5 TERMS of REFERENCE 4 The database and a business listing web update application is managed by staff and maintained by the IT Agency. The Marketing Agency will be required to work with the IT Agency and the Government s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) in executing specific website services that interface TDMS with the tourism website. 2. Custom built CMS for NewfoundlandLabrador.com static information The custom built content management system is a system that allows administrators at the marketing agency to add and remove content to each of the individual sections of the website. Specifically, the CMS can be used to update menus, images, scenic touring routes, great finds, sample travel itineraries, photo galleries, multimedia files and downloads, travel resources, SEO elements (page titles, keywords and descriptions) and general website lure content that comprise the remainder of NewfoundlandLabrador.com. The Marketing Agency will be responsible for the maintenance of this CMS. This content is displayed within such pages as Things to Do, Places to Go, Sights and Sounds and parts of the Plan a Trip sections of NewfoundlandLabrador.com. NewfoundlandLabrador.com Working Group NewfoundlandLabrador.com is managed by a working group consisting of members from, the Marketing Agency and representatives from Government s Office of the Chief Information Office (OCIO) and an Information Technology (IT) company. The Marketing Agency will be required to work with both the IT Agency responsible for the Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS), and the OCIO, in developing, implementing and maintaining the Internet Marketing Strategy and Website services for. Office of Chief Information Officer The OCIO is responsible for hardware and software maintenance, data security, backup, alternate power and redundant connections for NewfoundlandLabrador.com and the Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS). The OCIO also works with the IT Company to carry out those responsibilities.

6 TERMS of REFERENCE 5 For this project,, in partnership with the OCIO, will provide timely input, feedback and decision making on the enhancements or maintenance items relevant to Tourism Destination Management System (TDMS). For this project, all suggested functionality changes must be addressed with the working committee and is subjected to the OCIO s Change Management Processes for approval. IT Company The OCIO contracts an IT company on behalf of to maintain and support TDMS and the TDMS web services in relation to NewfoundlandLabrador.com. The IT Company also provides assistance to the internet marketing agency, as needed, to understand the current technical & functional aspects of TDMS. The IT Company also provides input to resolve any technical issues arising from the TDMS integration with the Tourism website. The IT Company is also responsible for the maintenance of the TDMS hardware including the website servers. Website Hosting The hosting of the website is provided by the OCIO. Data security, backup, alternate power and redundant connections will be managed through the hosting arrangements. The maintenance of the hardware is the responsibility of the IT Company. A VPN solution using two-factor authentication is used for remote connectivity. We will share more specific information with the chosen firm. Website Application Support, Enhancements and Content Management The Marketing Agency is responsible for the support of the applications that drive the website. Changes to the application can result from new functionality being added or a fix that is required for an identified problem (bug). Application Support is required for content management of NewfoundlandLabrador.com. Content management can happen daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally and is dependent on requirements defined by Newfoundland Labrador Tourism.

7 TERMS of REFERENCE 6 All non-content management changes and enhancements require coordination among the project s working group. The committee must ensure that all impacts are identified, responsibilities are assigned for development, and changes are extensively tested and implemented. The working group must also ensure that changes and enhancements adhere to the OCIO s Change Management Process. 3.0 MARKETING AGENCY SCOPE OF WORK The scope of this project is the development, implementation and maintenance of an integrated marketing strategy for Newfoundland Labrador Tourism. The following services are required under this contract. These services will be provided incorporating both traditional marketing and advertising fully integrated with internet/interactive solutions: 1. Strategic Market Planning o Market and Strategic Counsel. o Development of fully integrated marketing plans, objectives and strategies. o Target market analysis and determination. o Analysis of consumer insight. o Analysis of new market potential and opportunities. o Competitive analysis. 2. Account Management o Planning and execution of multi-media provincial, national and international advertising campaigns. o Budget Control procedures. o Project, status and planning meetings. o Evaluation and reporting. o Development of creative and project briefs, work-back schedules and project budget reports. 3. Research o Market research, consumer habits and practice studies. o Consumer insight research, concept testing. o Creative pre and post testing. o Advertising tracking studies. 4. Creative Development and Services

8 TERMS of REFERENCE 7 o Brand positioning o TV, Print, Travel Guide, Hunt and Fish Guides, brochures, direct mail, radio, website, e-marketing, online advertising, social media marketing as well as other emerging new media. o Consumer image and brand positioning. o Co-operative and co-branded partner marketing. o A/V development, presentations. o Copy writing. o Printing. o Collateral Materials (example: special purpose brochures, signage, banners, merchandise, and displays/exhibits). o Video/CD Productions. 5. Media Services o Research, strategy, and media planning. o Media Buying of TV, print, broadcast radio, outdoor, online (domestic/international). o Checking affidavits, tear sheets. o Post-buy analysis. o Regular updates on media trends. o Buying media within cooperative program on behalf of partners. o Partner program budget reconciliations. o Financial accreditation/qualifications to place larger volumes of advertising on credit. o Integrated tracking, analysis and reporting of marketing results across all media. 6. Production & Traffic o Production management including all creative to appropriate media with scheduling instructions. o Obtain copy approvals. o Estimating and docket control. o Purchasing, supervising photo, art and mechanicals. o Casting, negotiation of talent contracts. o Talent payment/residuals and contracts. o Production management of creative content for TV, print, film, video, still photography, audio, music, website and e-marketing content. o Quality control for content, accuracy and production. o Film/photo inventory

9 TERMS of REFERENCE 8 7. Internet Marketing & Website Services o Collaboration with the NewfoundlandLabrador.com working group on the development and input to ensure consistent messaging/creative is delivered through all internet marketing tools o Internet Marketing and Social Media Strategies o Content Creation and management for the website and social media o Design, maintenance and enhancements of website and related applications o Website technical programming, coding and production o E-marketing (such as marketing, pay-per-click, online advertising, rich media and other online media production, mobile, social media, online communities, search engine marketing and optimization. o Website analytics, social media and online advertising results and reporting o Online partnership programs. o Proactive suggestions and use of new technologies/innovations to improve the user experience and to help achieve marketing objectives. 8. Reporting and Analytics o Web analytics report. o Statistical Reporting. o Advertising response reporting 9. Financial o Timely budget control reports of all projects. o Preparation of project estimates. o Verifying third party invoices. o Managing media payments and other suppliers. o Managing invoicing. o Sales, billing and collection of fees for partnership programs. Ability to accept credit cards and cheques as payments is a requirement (e.g. travel guide advertising, enews advertising and package marketing program) 4.0 BUDGET

10 TERMS of REFERENCE 9 The total value of the contract for these marketing services will be determined annually based on the Department s marketing plans and subject to budgetary appropriations. The expenditure for marketing services in 2009/2010 was approximately $10.0 million. 5.0 CONTRACT The proposed term of the contract for Advertising Agency Services is for a period of three (3) years with an extension of one (1) year and then another one (1) year to be granted at the discretion of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. Successful completion of an agency review and performance assessment is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the discretionary two one (1) year extensions. That is, any such extension is to be solely at the discretion of,. The selected proponent will be required to enter into negotiations to develop a written contract embodying terms satisfactory to the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and based on these Terms of Reference. ABased upon these Term of Reference,@ however, does not mean the Department is bound by these Terms of Reference, and the selection of the proponent for negotiation does not mean that the Department has accepted any part of the selected proponent=s response to these Terms of Reference. No legal relationship will exist between the selected proponent and the Department until the noted written contract has been duly executed by the parties, and then that legal relationship will be subject to the terms of that duly executed written contract. 6.0 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CONTENT REQUIREMENTS Respondents are requested to base their proposal on the following components, while taking into consideration the items outlined in Section 3 - Marketing Agency Scope of Work. a) Marketing Agency Profile o A brief introduction to your Agency, outlining relevant information pertaining to its history, agency philosophy and growth trends. This should include previous experience in the tourism industry.

11 TERMS of REFERENCE 10 o In the case of Consortium Proposals, the full legal name of the Prime Agency and each Consortium member must be provided. A description of the management, ownership, financial and legal relationships between Consortium members must be provided as well as a description of the Consortium management approach. For the duration of the Contract, this approach should provide clear lines of communication and ensure effective delivery of Services. Provide evidence that Consortium members are qualified to perform the tasks they have been proposed to perform. o Proponents will identify their geographic office location. If the Agency has no head office or branch location within the St. John=s area, is there a willingness to set up an office in order to service this account? If so, describe who would staff this location and how the costs would be absorbed by the agency. If no, describe how the agency would manage the tourism account from a distance and how would the costs be absorbed by the agency. o The Agency contact for all questions and clarifications arising from the Proposal. The contact information should include the person s title, address including , telephone and facsimile number. b) Marketing Agency Accreditation(s) o The Agency must submit an outline of the details of current accreditations and memberships, as well as provide copies of the appropriate documentation. c) Marketing Agency Operations o Proposals shall contain details of incorporation of the Agency including data pertinent to its officers, directors and shareholders. o Proof of financial strength must be provided in order to ensure the Agency=s continued solvency and operation. This should be in the form of a letter of reference from a financial institution stating financial strength and credit rating. o Proponents shall provide an estimate of agency billings for this year and for the previous year. Include a breakdown of billings to various media. Include newspapers, consumer magazines, television, radio, outdoor, business and financial press, sales/promotion/collateral materials and Internet and social media.

12 TERMS of REFERENCE 11 o Proponents shall indicate what impact the size and volume of work generated by this account will have on your other clients and describe the process you use to accommodate the demand (work flow) of staff resources relative to work available. d) Agency Clientele o Proposals shall contain a current client list specifying international, national, regional and local accounts. Included should be an outline of the scope of services provided to each client with emphasis on the broad range of services required for a full-scale campaign. o As marketing and advertising placements may appear internationally, proponents are requested to indicate the resources and/or contacts they can utilize in target markets. These resources should relate to direct marketing, advertising, marketing research, media placement and online. o Proposals shall list the clients gained, lost and those who have resigned over the past 24 months. For clients lost and resigned, give length of time with the account and reason for loss or resignation. For clients gained, indicate why your agency was chosen. Please comment on those accounts which you feel you have made a significant contribution to the client=s success and how did you measure this success. Describe the procedures your agency follows to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of work specifically with regard to the development of advertising strategies and creative product. e) Agency Resources and Expertise o Proposals shall specify the names and qualifications of the personnel who will be assigned to the account and the role each will assume in the account administration. The account team, media personnel, creative, production personnel, online personnel and other key personnel should be identified along with the employment terms which identify their relationship with the Agency. Please address employee qualifications and relevant tourism experience, advertising and creative experience, internet marketing experience and web services experience.

13 TERMS of REFERENCE 12 o Proposals shall identify the strengths and capabilities of your account management, creative and media sections in the following areas: a. creative design b. account management including project management, administration and budgeting c. strategic market planning d. media (research, planning and buying (off line and on line)) e. broadcast production f. Internet marketing and website development and services o The Marketing Agency s IT personnel must have the following competencies and proficiencies: a. Professional working experience in the IT industry (a minimum of 5 years); b. System analysis, design and implementation experience (a minimum of 3 years); c. Actual working experience using iterative prototyping to define system requirements and develop systems (a minimum of 3 years); d. Experience in the design, construction, implementation and maintenance of websites of similar magnitude (a minimum of 3 years); e. On-the-job experience working in a project team environment (a minimum 3 years); f. Development experience in ASP.net (a minimum of 2 years) g. Development experience with ADO.net (a minimum of 2 years); h. End-user documentation preparation experience (a minimum of 2 years); i. End-user training experience (a minimum of 2 years); j. Working experience using a recognized development/planning methodology (a minimum of 3 years); k. Experience in Oracle 9i (a minimum of 3 years); l. Experience in Project Management (a minimum of 3 years); m. Experience in Network/Web Security and Management (a minimum of 2 years); n. Experience in support and maintenance of the web based system (a minimum of two years); o. Experience in disaster recovery (a minimum of 2 years); p. Team Member Education (university degree or recognized college diploma in Business, Administration, Computer Science or related discipline or a

14 TERMS of REFERENCE 13 professional designation in IT or an equivalent combination of training and experience is required) q. Mapping/GIS skills experience including using Javascript, REST based services, Javascript Object Notation (JSON) and an online mapping frameworks, such as Google maps r. Experience in developing Rich Media f) Tourism Marketing Expertise o Proposals shall demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of tourism destination marketing. Proposals should specify those current and past accounts which were tourism destination related and outline the services provided to each client. o Describe your approach to the development of a successful marketing program in the tourism sector. Please summarize any other agency information that is relevant. List any value added benefits you have successfully negotiated on behalf of your clients. g) In-Market Experience o Provide the percentage breakdown of billings by media for Newfoundland and Labrador/Atlantic Canada/Ontario/the US and other. h) Marketing Strategy o The proposal shall include the Marketing Agency=s proposed strategic approach for. Proponents must demonstrate their capability and creativity to plan and execute the tourism marketing program for Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. Specifically your proposal must address the following: Strategic marketing approach Marketing plan and objectives Proposed advertising plan Proposed internet marketing and social media plan Proposed website services/content and maintenance plan Creative strategy Creative concepts and samples of creative execution Media strategies both offline and online

15 TERMS of REFERENCE 14 I) Account Administration o Proponents are requested to outline their procedures related to the administration of the account. This should include a project management plan, billing schedule and rate structure, budget tracking and expenditure reporting, preparation of status and conference reports, scheduling of regular meetings to discuss the account progress and any other relevant data. J) Agency Remuneration o Proponents are asked to detail all fees, expenses and incidental charges for which they expect to be reimbursed including professional service and personnel costs by hourly rates. Identify the percentage commission charged on creative, production, media and any associated disbursements. Identify your creative and production and technical costs for scanning, text entry, imaging, computer graphics or other mechanical requirements. Do you bill miscellaneous costs (couriers, meals, travel, taxis, etc.) at net or with a percentage commission? Please supply an estimate of monthly personnel costs for account management based on the proposed account team selected. o Outline your procedures related to the administration of this account. This should include production and media estimating, a billing schedule, preparation of status and contact reports, the scheduling of regular meetings to discuss account progress, program evaluations, monthly budget reports and other relevant data. K) References o The proponent must supply at minimum two (2) client references, ideally in the tourism sector, that could be contacted about their working relationship with your agency. (Please note: The Department reserves the right to use prior knowledge and experience as a client reference in the evaluation of a proponent=s proposal.) L) Samples of Work o Tourism destination marketing related work. Please outline the campaign objectives, creative plan, media plan, budget and analysis of campaign effectiveness. Identify the Creative and Media Team members responsible for this

16 TERMS of REFERENCE 15 work. o Most innovative work in the past year. Please outline the campaign objectives, creative plan, media plan, budget and analysis of campaign effectiveness. Identify the Team members responsible for this work. 7.0 SHORT LIST INTERVIEW The Department may choose to hold an interview session with short listed agencies. This one hour interview is an opportunity for the Evaluation committee to gain further insight into the written proposal submission and to pose questions. The session shall not be considered a pitch or an opportunity to present additional information not already outlined and included in the proposal submission. 8.0 CONFLICT OF INTEREST GUIDELINES The Marketing Agency is required to exercise the highest standards in avoiding conflict of interest situations with respect to preparing their Proposals and providing services under the resulting contract. If there are any circumstances which could be considered a conflict of interest, such as a personal or business relationship with another tourism marketing organization, they are to be identified in the Proposal. Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism shall review any submissions under this provision and may reject any Proposals where, in the opinion of, the Marketing Agency could be in a conflict of interest or could be perceived to be in a conflict of interest position if the Marketing Agency were to become a contracting party pursuant to the RFP. The Marketing Agency must agree: o not to represent nor advise any person or organization engaged in advocacy activities against the Government, including Crown Corporations or other agencies. o not to represent or counsel a client whose commercial and business activities are in conflict with the activities of the Government or any of our agencies, or any other representation or counselling that would in any way impair its ability to perform its duties and responsibilities as the Government=s Agency.

17 TERMS of REFERENCE 16 o not to accept a brief nor engage in any activities that either impair, or may reasonably be perceived as being likely to impair or diminish, its ability to perform its responsibilities as Agency. 9.0 GENERAL INFORMATION All proposals submissions will be considered strictly confidential. Copies of proposals will not be returned. One copy will be kept on file with Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism,, the remainder will be destroyed. Proponents are solely responsible for their own expenses in preparing the proposal and subsequent negotiations with the province. The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation shall reserve the right to accept, or reject, any or all proposals and reserves the right to cancel the proposal call for Marketing Agency Services HOW TO RESPOND Each respondent shall completely address all components outlined in Section 6 - Proposal Submission Content Requirements. In preparing responses please supply all the information requested, respond to the items in the order presented, and reference the item to which you are responding. Respondents must provide one original plus six (6) copies of the proposal response. Facsimile or electronic proposals are not acceptable and will not be considered. Proposals must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. Monday, July 19, 2010 to: Government Purchasing Agency 30 Strawberry Marsh Road St. John=s, NL A1B 4R4 Attention: Tourism Marketing Agency Services All submissions must be clearly marked Tourism Marketing Agency Services. Late proposals will not be accepted and will be returned unopened to the proponent COMMUNICATIONS DURING THE RFP PERIOD

18 TERMS of REFERENCE 17 Any communications and questions during the RFP period should be addressed, on or before 4:00 p.m. Monday, July 19, 2010 in writing to: Government Purchasing Agency 30 Strawberry Marsh Road St. John=s, NL A1B 4R4 Attention: Joan Mouland Phone: (709) Fax: (709) To ensure consistency and quality of information provided to respondents, the Government Purchasing Agency contact above shall respond to written inquiries, in the form of an addendum to all proponents. All addenda that have been issued in relation to this Request for Proposals will be available on the Government Purchasing Agency website at Respondents can either access the website at their own discretion for the addendum, or may use the registration process available on the site to receive notifications of the addendum. Respondents are cautioned that it is their responsibility to ensure they receive all information and addenda pertaining to this Request for Proposals. Those respondents not registered to receive amendments are solely responsible for ensuring that they are aware of and have complied with all amendments by RFP closing time. The Department shall not be responsible for respondents who fail to inform themselves regarding the scope and nature of the work. Verbal responses to any inquiry are not binding on any party. Questions submitted after the Last Date for written Questions as indicated in Section 12 - Schedule of Events shall not be answered SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Event Date Request For Proposals issued Friday, June 18, 2010 Last date for written Questions 4:00 p.m. Thursday, July 8, 2010 Request For Proposal Closing 4:00 p.m. Monday, July 19, 2010 Notification to Respondents TBD 13.0 EVALUATION OF RESPONSES

19 TERMS of REFERENCE 18 Mandatory Requirements The following are mandatory requirements to submit a proposal for this RFP. Proposals not meeting these requirements will not be considered for further evaluation. o Must demonstrate an ability to serve as the prime service provider for the services (managing any needed sub-contract arrangements seamlessly without any additional involvement or effort by ). o Must identify sufficient qualified named resources to cover all tourism marketing requirements. o Must provide published resource rates for all key personnel. o The Marketing Agency s IT team must have the competencies and proficiencies as outlined in Section 6.0 (e) Point 3: The Proposals meeting the mandatory requirements set out above will then be evaluated on the basis of the completeness and suitability of the response for in using specific proposal evaluation criteria set out below. The evaluation score will be made based on the information contained in the body of the Proposal. An overall score of less than 80% will be considered unacceptable. 14. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA EVALUATION CRITERIA WEIGHTING Agency Background, Profile and Operations: 10 Firm background, history, philosophy Accreditation(s) Experience and ability to service account of this size Geography/Office location Client list, services provided and track record of success Experience with national and international accounts Agency Resources and Expertise: 15 i. Account Management ii. Strategic planning capability iii. Internet Marketing expertise iv. Web services expertise v. Creative and production services vi. Media expertise and services

20 TERMS of REFERENCE 19 vii. Financial management and account administration Marketing Strategy i. Strategic marketing plan and objectives ii. Demonstrated knowledge of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism s brand, and objectives iii. Proposed Advertising strategy and media plan iv. Proposed Internet strategies and social media viii. Web services: website development, content creation and management ix. Website: technical aspects Marketing and Advertising Creative Strategy 20 i. Creative strategy ii. Creative concepts and execution iii. Examples of creativity in generating innovative ideas iv. Samples of Work Agency Remuneration 25 i. Outline of fees, expenses, hourly rates TOTAL SCORE