REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS For Creative Services: TV/Radio Commercials

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS For Creative Services: TV/Radio Commercials The Nebraska State College System (NSCS) PO Box K Street, Suite 102 Lincoln NE, Release Date: Friday, October 22, 2010 Deadline for Vendor Questions: Monday, November 15, 2010 Response to Questions: Monday, November 22, 2010 Proposal Opening: Wednesday, December 22, :00 p.m. Central Standard Time Finalist Presentations and Wednesday-Thursday, Interviews January 5-6, 2010 Board Approval: Wednesday, January 19, 2010 All documents pertinent to this Request for Proposal will be posted on the Nebraska State College System website. It is the vendor s responsibility to periodically check the website for the most current information.

2 Nebraska State College System TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Request for Proposal Notice II. Background and General Information III. Scope of Service IV. Proposal Evaluation Criteria V. Conditions and Stipulations VI. Vendor Organization Questionnaire 2

3 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Nebraska State College System (NSCS) will accept Proposals for Creative Services: TV/Radio Commercials. All Proposals shall be clearly identified as Creative Services: TV/Radio Commercials. Nine (9) copies of your Proposal (one must be marked as original) should be forwarded to the NSCS at the following address if by U.S. Postal Service: Nebraska State College System Attn: Sheri Irwin-Gish PO Box K Street, Suite 102 Lincoln, NE If using FedEx, UPS, etc. to forward proposals please use the address below. The above criteria must be followed. Nebraska State College System Attn: Sheri Irwin-Gish 1115 K Street, Suite 102 Lincoln, NE There will be a formal opening of the proposals. The opening will be held at the NSCS Office, 1115 K Street, Suite 102, Lincoln, NE, at 2:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday, December 22, Proposals must be received in the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications, Marketing and System Relations by 2 p.m. Wednesday, December 22. Proposals received after 2:00 p.m. will not be considered and will be returned unopened. Any proprietary information submitted with your proposal must be in a sealed envelope marked Proprietary. Generally, responses are considered public information and can only be kept confidential to the extent allowed by law. Proposals will be evaluated by a committee and the selected vendor will be recommended for approval by the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges. The resulting contract will be signed by the Chancellor. The NSCS reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, waive formalities and to select the vendor and services that best meet the needs of the NSCS. The NSCS reserves the right to select and terminate any vendor services. Inquiries, clarifications, requests for proposal forms and questionnaires should be requested in writing or via . All correspondence regarding this Request for Proposal should be directed to: Sheri Irwin-Gish Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications, Marketing and System Relations Phone: sirwin@nscs.edu 3

4 BACKGROUND AND GENERAL INFORMATION The Nebraska State College System (NSCS) is seeking proposals for Creative Services: Television/Radio Commercials. The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to gather information from interested organizations relative to the NSCS required scope of service and key selection criteria. Organizations selected as finalists may be expected to address more detailed issues regarding specifics of their organization and operations. These same finalists may be expected to participate in interviews with the Chancellor, NSCS System Office staff, college representatives and other designated representatives. These interviews may be held by telephone conference or in person in either Lincoln or Omaha, Nebraska. The Nebraska State College System serves 9,000 students from Nebraska and the surrounding states through three geographically diverse institutions: Chadron State College, Peru State College, and Wayne State College. Combined, the three colleges offer more than 200 degree, certificate, and pre-professional programs that are accessible on the three campuses, via the Internet, and in several satellite locations throughout the state. With more than 250 credentialed faculty members and 50,000 successful graduates, the Nebraska State College System provides significant human and intellectual capital that contributes to the current and future economic strength of the State of Nebraska. The NSCS Strategic Plan can be found at: 4

5 SCOPE OF SERVICE The Nebraska State College System (NSCS) is seeking a creative agency to provide the following services, at a minimum: 1. Provide direct, personal services necessary to work with and assist the Nebraska State College System (NSCS) to create, produce and place effective television and radio commercials with the following goals in mind: a. Increase enrollment throughout the NSCS and its member colleges at Chadron, Peru and Wayne. b. Increase overall awareness, name recognition and credibility of the Nebraska State College System and its member colleges. 2. Provide a full range of creative services from brainstorming to writing to producing quality work and then placing the finished product into the proper media channels. 3. Demonstrate depth, breadth and a recognized history of expertise in creating successful television and radio commercials that meet the goals established. 4. Demonstrate the successful completion of similar projects for institutions or organizations similar to the NSCS. 5. Bring a spirit of creativity and innovation to all phases, including media buying, to this project. 6. Provide all files and work products to the NSCS in a timely manner. The NSCS anticipates that the project will include telephone conferences and e- mail exchanges as the primary mode of communication. The project includes visits to Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges. NSCS officials will also visit the creative agency. PHASE 1: Creation of the Concepts and Scripts The NSCS project includes four television commercials and eight radio commercials. Three of the television commercials will focus on a specific college while being co-branded with the NSCS. The fourth television commercial will focus on the system-wide Master of Science in Organizational Management (MSOM) program offered by the three colleges. The radio commercials will correspond with the television commercials and provide detailed information designed to support the messages. 5

6 The NSCS Enrollment and Marketing Committee will provide input and approve concepts for the scripts and storyboards. The committee will have final approval over the four television scripts and eight radio scripts prior to production. The commercials will be targeted to prospective students, even though the specific target audience may be different for each commercial. The exact audience will be determined during the concept process. For instance, the demographics for the MSOM students will be adults with bachelor s degrees. The other commercials may focus on traditional high school students or transfer students, etc. Deliverables and Timeline: The successful agency shall provide two or more concepts for each commercial prior to writing the scripts. Once a concept for each commercial is determined, draft scripts will be provided for input and approval by the NSCS Council of Admissions and College Relations Officers (NSCS Council). Any music to be included must be approved prior to review of the final scripts and the agency is responsible for copyrights needed for any music used. Final scripts will be presented to the council no later than Thursday, February 24, An outline of the plans and process for Phase 2 and Phase 3 will also need to be provided at that time. PHASE 2: Production and Editing To create the four television commercials, a minimum of one day will be required at each college. Filming will need to occur in April and/or the first week of May. Associate Vice Chancellor Sheri Irwin-Gish will be the NSCS contact involved with the set up and planning of this process. Each college will also have one representative involved in the process. The Nebraska State College System will own all video footage and the master copies with the right to reproduce. The television and radio commercials will be provided in a format compatible to run on YouTube, each college s website and the NSCS website. Deliverables: A schedule for shooting video at all three colleges. Four distinctly different, quality television commercials and eight radio commercials ready for the media outlets. Timeline: A shooting schedule at each of the three colleges will be developed by Monday, March 28. The agency will shoot the video for the commercials in April and/or the first week of May. The four completed commercials and eight radio commercials will be presented to the NSCS Council of Admissions and College Relations Officers no later than Thursday, May 26, Final changes must be 6

7 completed by Thursday, June 2, 2011 with all commercials media ready and provided to the Associate Vice Chancellor via a DVD/CD. PHASE 3: Media Buying and Placement Media schedules will be created after the final scripts and storyboards are complete. The selected agency will work with Sheri Irwin-Gish and college representatives to determine media placement for the target audiences. All advertisements will be ready to air in selected markets by Thursday, June 2. The final, media-ready television and radio commercials will be presented to the NSCS Council. PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA The NSCS will evaluate proposals based on the needs of the NSCS. The following criteria will be used in evaluating each of the vendor responses: 1. Ability to assist the NSCS in meeting its goals as discussed in the Background and General Information and Scope of Services sections. 2. Experience, resources, and qualifications of the organization and individuals assigned to this account in providing services outlined in this RFP. 3. Compliance with specifications, responsiveness to requirements and adequacy of information provided. 4. Ability to offer a comprehensive set of core services. 5. Competitive financial proposal. 6. Other criteria identified by the NSCS as important in evaluation of submitted proposals. 7

8 CONDITIONS AND STIPULATIONS You are invited to submit your Proposal for Creative Services: Television/Radio Commercials based on the information contained in this Request for Proposal. Unless a specific note is made to the contrary, we will assume that your Proposal conforms to the NSCS specifications. You are invited to ask questions during the proposal process and to seek additional information, if needed. All questions should be submitted in writing to Sheri Irwin-Gish, Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications, Marketing and System Relations at the address or address noted on the Request for Proposal Notice. Questions must be received no later than Monday, November 15, A written response to all questions will be provided on the NSCS website by Monday, November 22, The NSCS reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive formalities and select the Vendor that best meets the needs of the NSCS. The objective of the NSCS is to select a vendor who will provide the best possible service at the best possible cost while meeting the Request for Proposal specifications. The NSCS is not obligated to award the contract based on cost alone. Any proposed deviations to any part of these specifications must be submitted in writing as a part of the questionnaire, and clearly identified in the appropriate section of the Proposal. Any deviation deemed to be significant by the NSCS will disqualify the Proposal. Failure to identify any such deviation(s) shall not in the future accrue to the disadvantage of the NSCS or any qualified participant or dependent in any manner. The successful vendor shall be required to include a disclosure statement of any potential conflict of interest that the firm may have due to other clients, contracts or interest associated with this project. All Providers must be in full compliance with Nebraska and Federal requirements relating to the requested coverage or administration of such benefits, including (but not limited to): o State and federal privacy requirements o Drug Free Workplace o Nondiscrimination/Fair Labors Standards o Americans with Disabilities Act o State of Nebraska Lawful Presence requirements 8

9 The NSCS reserves the right to negotiate with the successful Vendor to obtain other related services not specifically covered herein. The Vendor will remain an independent contractor, not an employee of the NSCS, and is not entitled to unemployment or worker s compensation insurance benefits from the NSCS as a result of any agreement. This Request for Proposal does not obligate the NSCS to the eventual contract for any items described or implied until confirmed by written contract and may be terminated by the NSCS without penalty or obligation at any time prior to the signing of a contract. All expenses for developing and presenting proposals shall be the entire responsibility of the vendor and shall not be chargeable to the NSCS. The NSCS reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the selected vendor even though these negotiations may result in changes to the NSCS specifications and/or to the vendor s proposal. In the event of a dispute, the laws of the State of Nebraska will prevail. VENDOR ORGANIZATION QUESTIONNAIRE Note: A complete response to this questionnaire must accompany all Requests for Proposal. A response such as See Proposal is not sufficient unless there is proper reference to the specific section of the proposal addressing the question. Please be specific in your answers. Please list the question, as stated, with your response immediately following the question. ORGANIZATION INFORMATION 1. Provide a description and brief history of your organization. 2. Provide the number and a listing of employees at your firm. 3. What attributes distinguish your organization from the competition? 4. What experience has your agency had with public sector entities? 5. What experience has your organization had with higher education? 6. Provide a detailed description of how your agency would approach each phase of the work and the anticipated deliverables. 9

10 7. Please include a timeline and the cost to complete each phase of the project. SERVICES SECTION 8. Please describe the services included with your proposal to provide creative services to the NSCS. 9. What standard services are included? Are there additional costs associated with any of these services? 10. What additional resources are available to the NSCS? Are there additional costs associated with any of these services? 11. If selected to provide services to the NSCS, please list the name(s) and provide resumes of the individual(s) who would be providing services to the NSCS. 12. Who would be the designated contact for the NSCS? Please provide the name, contact information and years of experience with your company. 13. Provide the names and telephone numbers of five (5) current or former clients with whom you have had a working relationship, as a reference for the NSCS. Please include governmental and/or educational agencies in the listing, if possible. 14. Provide either a hard copy of two samples of similar work you have done for other clients or two direct links to the samples on a website. 15. Provide written verification that a representative from your organization will be able to make a formal presentation to a committee, if contacted for the following times: Monday, January 3, 2011 to provide more information for selection process, most likely a phone call Wednesday or Thursday, January 5 or 6, 2011 to present to the NSCS Council Thursday, March 26, 2011 to present the four television commercials and eight radio commercials to the NSCS Council (can be sooner if final commercials are completed) 10

11 DEVIATIONS Does your proposal contain any deviations from the general conditions, stipulations or other provisions of the specifications? If yes, provide details in a separate cover letter. Otherwise, confirm that you have responded according to proposal conditions. The undersigned certifies that they have carefully reviewed all terms, conditions, and requirements contained herein and agree to provide such services in accordance with the specified scope of work. Signature (Authorized Representative) Company Title Date Telephone Number 11