Seeking Proposals for Professional Association Management Services from Qualified Individuals and Firms

Transcription

1 Seeking Proposals for Professional Association Management Services from Qualified Individuals and Firms A. Requirements The Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Houston) is seeking proposals from individuals or firms interested in being considered to provide professional association management services. The following Request for Proposals (RFP) details the specific areas of expertise being sought to support Houston area meetings, events and administrative tasks. The purpose of this RFP is to solicit proposals to establish a contract with a vendor experienced in providing professional association management services. A selection committee will conduct an evaluation of the proposals and award a contract to the firm or individual whose proposal is determined to be most advantageous to PRSA Houston considering the evaluation factors set forth in this RFP. Term of Contract The initial contract resulting from the RFP will be effective upon approval by PRSA Houston for a period not to exceed three (3) years, with annual renewal contingent upon contractual requirements being satisfied based on a mid-year review and an end-of-year review by PRSA Houston officers. PRSA Houston will determine when it will be appropriate to issue a new RFP for administrative services. B. Schedule of Activities/Inquiries Schedule of Activities Deadline (all times Central) 1. RFP Notice Open for Submission August 12, Written Inquiry Deadline for Prospective Vendors August 21, 2013 at 5 p.m. (No Questions Accepted After This Date/Time) 3. Response to Written Inquiries (Anticipated) August 26, Proposal Submission Deadline September 12, 2013 at 5 p.m. 5. Search Committee Review and (if necessary) Short-list Selection October 1, 2013 Complete 6. Presentation by Short-listed Individuals/Firms to the PRSA October 7-18, 2013 Houston Search Committee 7. Approval of Search Committee Recommendation by PRSA November 6, 2013 Houston Board of Directors and Announcement of Selected Proposal C. Background Information With approximately 450 members, PRSA Houston is one of the nation's largest and most active chapters of the Public Relations Society of America. PRSA Houston was organized under section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code in 1950 and is exempt from federal income tax. PRSA Houston focuses on helping members become more valuable to their organizations and clients, and therefore become more successful professionally, by: Providing peer-based support; Encouraging professional growth through participation in educational programs and leadership roles; and Promoting the highest standards of professional competence and ethics. For more information about PRSA Houston, including benefits of membership, Chapter by-laws, the PRSA Code of Ethics, recent newsletters and descriptions of upcoming events, please visit prsahouston.org.

2 D. Scope of Contracted Work The following information is provided as information to prospective vendors as to the expectations of PRSA Houston for the awarded contractor s responsibilities, as they relate to providing professional association management services for PRSA Houston. The selected contractor will report directly to the Chapter s President and its Board of Directors. The scope of contracted work includes, but is not limited, to: Meeting and Event Support Manage PRSA Houston s monthly luncheons and other programs and events and serve in an advisory capacity to event chairs and chapter leadership Serve as primary point of contact with monthly luncheon and event venues by providing attendee count, special meal requirements, A/V needs by requested deadline Assist committee chairs with promoting monthly meetings, programs and events Manage pre-registration, which includes the collection of payments for table sales and on-site registration at all chapter luncheons and events Coordinate event exhibitor and sponsor agreements and required payment Prepare reservation lists and nametags for events Oversee mailing of invitations for Excalibur Awards and PR Day, and other events hosted by the chapter Oversee processing of auction items, check-out and payment process at the silent auction benefiting the Public Relations Foundation of Houston at the annual Excalibur Awards Assist committee chairs with facilitation of speaker travel Assist event participants with registration via web and phone Take photos at chapter events for chapter newsletter Provide reports at monthly Board meetings and/or as requested Membership Support Coordinate with Membership Chair on maintaining membership database including addition of new members, renewals, removal of dropped members and job/address/phone/ changes Provide a list of new and reinstated members to appear in the newsletter on a monthly basis members about to be dropped for non-payment Review member payment lists from National for changes Order name badges for new members/replacement badges Provide information to National as requested Financial Support Manage PRSA Houston s finances at the direction of the Treasurer and Board Assist Treasurer with financial reports by entering transactions into financial reporting software Assist President-Elect and Treasurer with annual budget preparation Assist the Public Relations Foundation of Houston with financial and other support as needed Assist committee chairs with identifying and soliciting meeting and event sponsors and ensuring that sponsor entitlements are fulfilled Process invoices for chapter after notifying Treasurer Invoice attendees, sponsors, companies, as necessary Process money received (checks, credit cards, cash) Reconcile bank and credit card statements Provide receipts and/or refunds for member activities, upon request Reimburse members, officers, board members and committee chairs as appropriate Prepare information for CPA to compile annual Form 990 2

3 Make bank arrangements for annual chapter account signatories Website Support Maintain chapter databases to ensure that lists are current and accurate Become familiar with content management system utilized by PRSA Houston Serve as webmaster and ensure that all content is accurate and posted in a timely fashion Maintain calendar of events and ensure that pricing details and registration deadlines are accurate Oversee postings and payments for PRSA Houston s online business directory Assist job bank customers with job postings; activate and deactivate job listings upon request Prepare and send out electronic correspondence ( s, newsletters, etc.) at the direction of (or in the absence of) the newsletter editor Assist with chapter elections, including preparing and testing the electronic ballot Coordinate event promotions and chapter news on all social media outlets Maintain permission levels on the website with annual leadership changes Administrative Support Record nature and number of incoming requests (telephone calls, s and inquiries from prsahouston.org) and respond to those that are administrative in nature; Forward non-administrative inquiries to appropriate officer, director or committee chair Oversee storage of chapter items in paid storage facility Maintain passwords, log-in information and other important details for all chapter accounts Manage the chapter-owned equipment (credit card machines, banners, member nametags) Submit post-event photos, calendar listings, press releases, etc. to local media Coordinate transfer of electronic files and records to PRSA Houston on an annual basis Leadership/Committee Support Assist in the implementation of directives of the executive committee and board of directors Maintain contact list of chapter leadership and provide to leadership Assist with tactical implementation of events/activities as requested by committee leaders Provide feedback on printed materials (i.e. brochures, invitations, etc.) at the request of the President or Committee Chair Assist the President and committee leaders in negotiating and signing contracts for facilities, catering, etc. for events/meetings E. Response Format & Proposal Instructions Responses must include the following information that will serve as the basis for rating demonstrated qualifications of the vendor in this RFP. In the evaluation process, PRSA Houston will evaluate proposals on the basis of the following information that must be submitted in each response: 1. Executive Summary Condense and highlight the contents of the proposal. The summary should provide the Selection Committee with an overall understanding of the proposal and vendor s approach. 2. Evidence of the vendor s ability to provide association management services, including company background and history. 3. Vendors must address the following questions: Identify how you will manage, service and support PRSA Houston. 3

4 Describe your firm s experience with similar clients/associations. Develop a detailed process for your services and how those components will benefit PRSA Houston. 4. An outline of the vendor s credentials and the professional experience of individual project team members intended to provide services as a result of an awarded contract positions held, past clients, etc. Vendors should include resumes or other descriptions of relevant past experience and qualifications of key individuals who will work with this client. While PRSA Houston does not limit the vendor s ability to assign or reassign personnel during the period of contract performance, the past experience, qualifications, and education of the key individuals are expected to represent a contractual commitment by the vendor to retain comparably skilled and qualified individuals on the project during its performance. 5. Vendor must list at least three (3) references for similar work completed in the association management market that includes the following information: Company name Address Phone number Contact name Title Contact Website address (If applicable) PRSA Houston may contact the individuals listed to validate the nature of the vendor s experience, as well as other individuals who may be identified as having relevant information during the course of those discussions. PRSA Houston reserves the right to consider representations by those individuals concerning project scope, timeliness of performance, project management capabilities, or other information relevant to determining the quality of the vendor s past experience and demonstrated capabilities. 6. Fee Structure Detail the fees associated with providing the detailed Scope of Work and any additional costs associated with fulfilling this RFP. 7. Vendor may also provide any additional information that may be germane to the proposal and the evaluation of the vendor s experience. Submission and General Instructions Proposals must be received on or before the date and time indicated in the Schedule of Activities. It is the responsibility of the Vendor to ensure PRSA Houston receives the proposal on or before the proposal deadline regardless of the delivery method used. Late proposals will not be accepted. Individuals and firms responding to this announcement shall submit their proposal in electronic format to PRSA Houston President-Elect Kelly George, APR, ([email protected]) prior to 5:00 p.m. on September 12, All proposals should be submitted in either Microsoft Office software (Word or PowerPoint) or as a PDF. Submitted proposals should not exceed 10 printed pages in length in their entirety, all appendices and other reference material (excluding individual resumes) included. The message containing the proposal file shall not contain any information not included in the attached file. Font size for 4

5 basic narrative descriptions must be no smaller than 12 characters per inch. The subject line should read: PRSA Houston Proposal for Professional Association Management Services. F. Evaluation & Award Selection Process A Selection Committee will evaluate the merits of proposals received in accordance with the evaluation factors stated in this RFP and identify the proposal that is most advantageous to PRSA Houston. Numeric evaluations will be used to identify strengths and weaknesses of proposals and to establish a ranking based on the following criteria. Demonstrated experience in association management Demonstrated capacity to assist in administrative tasks Ability to provide support for association activities Ability to provide sufficient personnel to meet association needs Ability to assist with financial reporting and documentation Pricing Vendor s experience, qualifications, and key personnel, and the extent to which the qualifications, experience, and past performance are likely to foster successful, on-time performance Failure of the vendor to provide any information requested in this RFP may result in disqualification of the proposal. This responsibility belongs to the vendor. Vendors should not assume that they will have an opportunity for oral presentations, so they should submit their most favorable proposals as their initial proposal. The oral presentation may be held for the purpose of clarification and to ensure full understanding of and responsiveness to solicitation requirements. Vendors will not be provided an opportunity for proposal revisions. All vendors must meet the minimum requirements established by this RFP to be eligible for award. PRSA Houston reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or parts thereof. Proposals resulting from this solicitation shall be available for use by PRSA Houston. For additional information, please contact PRSA Houston President-Elect Kelly George, APR, at or [email protected]. 5