20-21-025 - Public Relations for Visit Las Cruces.pdf

Revised: April 2020 Page 1 of 9

RFP COMPLIANCE DECLARATION

RFP TITLE: Public Relations Services for Visit Las Cruces

RFP NO.: 20-21-025

DUE DATE/TIME: August 13, 2020 / 4:00 p.m.

In compliance with the requirements of this RFP, I, the undersigned, offer and agree to furnish any or all materials and/or services to the City of Las Cruces within the time agreed.

I further certify that this company has not been debarred, suspended, or otherwise made ineligible for participation in Federal Assistance programs under Executive Order 12549 Debarment and Suspension as described in the Federal Rules and Regulations.

Receipt of Addenda Nos.: ________is hereby acknowledged (where none received, place a zero in this space)

Company Name and Address:

Authorized Signature

Typed or Printed Name

Title

Email Address

Telephone number

Fax number

NM Tax & Revenue Dept. CRS # ___________________

Current NM Secretary of State Business ID # ____________________ (corporations only)

Current CLC Business Registration # ____________________ (respondents located in Las Cruces only)

Federal I.D. number _______________________ (mandatory for all respondents)

NM Resident Certificate from NM Tax and Revenue Department enclosed _____ Yes _____No

THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED AND INCLUDED WITH PROPOSAL

FAILURE TO INCLUDE WILL SUBJECT RESPONSE TO REJECTION

Revised: April 2020 Page 2 of 9

CITY OF LAS CRUCES

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RFP TITLE: Public Relations Services for Visit Las Cruces

RFP NO.: 20-21-025

DUE DATE/TIME: August 13, 2020 / 4:00 p.m.

I. GENERAL

A. The City of Las Cruces (City), a New Mexico Municipal Corporation, is soliciting proposals from qualified firms interested in entering into an agreement for public relations as described herein.

B. Responses to this solicitation must be received by the DUE DATE/TIME at the City Purchasing Section subject to requirements and conditions of the enclosed Schedule A (General Conditions of Proposing).

C. The conduct of this procurement is subject to the City Procurement Code, Chapter 24 of the Las Cruces Municipal Code (LCMC), 1998, incorporated herein by reference.

D. City Contact:

Except for:

1. Communications during any pre-proposal conference conducted by the City for this solicitation,

2. Any related interviews initiated by the City,

3. Any related negotiations initiated by the City, and, to ensure information is consistent to all prospective respondents, any direct or indirect contact with City elected officials or City staff, other than the City Purchasing Section staff, relating to this solicitation is strictly prohibited during this solicitation process until contract award. Upon such finding, the violating party will be deemed non-compliant and a proposal from such party will not be considered for award.

E. The agreement to be entered for the proposed services will be in a format acceptable to the City and awarded firm. The agreement will be for a base period from the time of award through June 30, 2021, with the option to renew at the discretion of the City for an additional two (2) one (1) year terms.

F. The City intends to award to the highest-ranking firm to meet its need for services based upon the criteria herein.

II. BACKGROUND

Visit Las Cruces is the convention and visitors bureau for the City of Las Cruces, the second-largest city in the state with a population of roughly 100,000 people. Nestled in southern New Mexico's Mesilla Valley between the Rio Grande River and Organ Mountains, Las Cruces offers convenient access to the nation’s newest National Park, White Sands National Park. Las Cruces has close connections to space tourism as the gateway to New Mexico and the United States' first purpose-built commercial spaceport, Spaceport America; an Annual Space Festival. The city

Revised: April 2020 Page 3 of 9 boasts a rich history of western legends such as Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett and blends a unique variety of such special events, attractions, culture and historical sites, as well as superb weather, with over 320 days of sunshine per year. Las Cruces was recently cited as one of the most scenic Southwest cities by Expedia users, and Money Magazine named Las Cruces #3 on their list of 20 Best Places to Visit in 2019. Las Cruces was chosen as the 2019 “Nicest Place in New Mexico.”

Some of the area’s most popular attractions include: White Sands National Park, the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument, Prehistoric Trackways National Monument and other outdoor recreation hotspots, the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, the New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University, the bi-weekly Farmers Market, wineries and breweries, the open-air Plaza de Las Cruces in downtown, the nearby Mesilla, NM, the nearby Spaceport America.

Although Las Cruces does have an airport, that airport does not feature commercial passenger service. The closest airports which do feature commercial passenger service are the El Paso International Airport, located 50 miles South in El Paso, TX, and the Albuquerque International Sunport, located 220 miles to the North in Albuquerque, NM.

Visit Las Cruces is also currently coordinating recovery efforts, which seek to capitalize on changing industry and consumer attitudes, purchasing power, and purchasing habits, following the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions across the state. These recovery efforts include the implementation of new itinerary planning software, new live chat website software, and 360o virtual video tour software, all of which will be implemented in the coming weeks and months. The investment in new technology also mirrors the organization’s shift to a more regional marketing strategy which focus advertising money primarily on digital advertising in cities within an approximately 600-mile radius of Las Cruces. This shift to a more regional marketing strategy is based in part on the growing interest in vehicle vs. air travel and outdoor recreation activities, which are expected to continue to grow in popularity as public health restrictions across the country start to relax.

As part of Visit Las Cruces’ mission to promote the City as a tourism destination, the organization has an ongoing need for public relations services that position the city as a travel destination regionally and nationally and promote the City within the hospitality and tourism industry.

In addition to providing ongoing public relations services, the selected firm would also assist in coordinating large-scale media events such as journalist familiarization tours and the first launch event from Virgin Galactic at Spaceport America, which is the world’s first purpose-built spaceport located about 55 miles North of Las Cruces. Since the launch event date is still unknown, and we expect the event to draw extensive international and national attention, we anticipate ongoing planning and coordination for the event and extensive planning and coordination efforts in the weeks before and after the initial launch. The selected firm will also work collaboratively with Visit Las Cruces’ marketing and communications staff and contracted graphic design firm.

III. SCOPE

A. Among the services needed are: ongoing pre-screening, evaluation and recommendation services for travel writers, journalists, bloggers, influencers, etc.; Consistent generation of earned media in local, regional, national, and industry publications and other media; Consistent creation and distribution of news releases, e-newsletters and other content to established industry contacts; Ongoing coordination of travel writer visits and/or familiarization tours to Las Cruces;

Ongoing development and cultivation of partnerships with writers, journalists, influencers and other media; Crisis communication support, as needed; Occasional Media/Meeting Planner Surveys; Ongoing recommendations for marketing, branding, and social media strategy;

Revised: April 2020 Page 4 of 9

Occasional media coaching and workshops for Visit Las Cruces Staff; and Weekly coordination meetings and updates.

B. delineate the description and/or details of the work that is needed including what the City’s expectations are at the end of project. What are the basic services and what special services will be needed? Include timeframes, if any, for completing the project or project phases, meeting requirements, etc. Try to be thorough in what the expectations are.

1. bond requirements;

2. reports, types and frequency;

3. right to audit;

4. record keeping requirements; and

5. Insurance requirements

C. Insurance Requirements

The awarded firm shall obtain and maintain insurance at its own cost and expense during the life of this Agreement, and shall require Subcontractors, if any, to maintain during the life of his subcontract:

1. Professional Liability

a. $1,000,000 per occurrence

2. General Liability Insurance

a. $1,000,000 per occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate

b. Coverage must include premises and operations, and personal and advertising injury.

c. The City must be named as an additional insured for all coverages listed above on endorsements acceptable to the City.

d. Coverage must be primary and non-contributory.

e. Coverage must be per project or per location.

f. Coverage must be on an occurrence form.

g. Subrogation must be waived.

3. Property Damage Insurance – $100,000

4. In the case of any approved subcontract, the CONTRACTOR shall require the subcontractor to provide statutory Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance, with the same limits as those required by the CONTRACTOR.

5. Auto Liability – $1,000,000 – Each Accident, and must include:

a. Covers all owned, leased, hired, and non-owned autos or “any auto”

6. Worker's Compensation Per New Mexico Statute $1,000,000 – Bodily Injury: By Accident – Each Accident $1,000,000 – By Disease: Policy Limit $1,000,000 – By Disease: Each Employee

7. The CONTRACTOR must immediately notify the CITY if insurance is canceled or not renewed.

The City must be named as additional insured – this coverage must be as broad as the coverage provided to the insured; coverage must be primary and non-contributory before any other insurance or self-insurance. A copy of the endorsement(s) for this coverage must be provided as a condition of this Agreement.

Waiver of Subrogation will apply and shall be noted on the certificate.

CONTRACTOR shall furnish the CITY with a certificate(s) of insurance showing CONTRACTOR and Subcontractors, if any, have complied with this Article. The CONTRACTOR shall provide insurance certificates before work is to start on the project and shall provide the CITY thirty (30) days written notification of cancellation of such policies.

Revised: April 2020 Page 5 of 9

IV. PROPOSAL CONTENT

Each copy of the proposal must include a completed and signed RFP COMPLIANCE DECLARATION (page 1 of this solicitation document). Failure to submit the RFP COMPLIANCE DECLARATION page will subject the response to rejection.

A. Technical Proposal Content

The respondent’s Technical Proposal shall include the following items, and in the sequence presented:

1. To address Evaluation Criteria No. 1 (Technical approach) below,

a. Provide description of the proposed technical approach of all professional, technical and customary services provided,

b. Methods and results of candidate qualification, including pre-employment testing, screening, and / or assessments should be included,

c. Major tasks to be accomplished,

d. A detailed statement of services to be provided under each task, and

e. A project time schedule

2. To address Evaluation Criteria No. 2 (Qualifications/competence) below,

a. Provide the names of key personnel who will be assigned to provide the services described herein. For each person listed, a description of experience, areas of competence and percent of time assigned to the project shall be provided,

b. Name, address, telephone number, of the principal member/officer of the firm responsible for administration of the contract. If applicable, list of subcontractors, including addresses, qualifications and areas of responsibility.

c. Location(s) of office(s) where the work will be performed, and percent of work to be performed at each.

d. Name, address, and New Mexico registration (if applicable) of the professional responsible for and in direct charge of the work.

3. To address Evaluation Criteria No. 3 (Performance of the firm) below, provide the following:

Description and name of a minimum of five past contracts similar to the scope herein that have been completed by the firm including the name and telephone number of the contact person for each project.

B. Cost Proposal Content

The cost proposal will not be used in the evaluation of the RFP; it will be used as a basis for negotiating a contract. The cost proposal must be submitted as a separate PDF file with “COST PROPOSAL” in the file name, and contain the following:

1. Direct costs

2. Indirect costs

3. Labor (hours) by major tasks

4. Materials

5. Equipment

6. Subcontractors

7. Any other proposed costs that may be incurred by the City.

Revised: April 2020 Page 6 of 9

V. PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND SELECTION

A. Evaluation of the technical proposals determined to be responsive to the submittal requirements will be conducted by an evaluation committee.

EVALUATION CRITERIA Points

1. Technical approach to the requested services 40

2.

Qualifications/competence of team members to manage services to be provided

3.

Performance of the firm with previous clients, based upon quality of the work, control of costs, ability to meet schedules or deadlines; and responsiveness to the client

Total 100

B. Should it be determined that there is a need for interviews to be conducted, the highest-scoring respondent and respondents within ten (10) percent of the highest-scoring respondent will be interviewed. If there are less than three (3) respondents within the top ten (10) percent, then the top three respondents, regardless of their relative scores, will be interviewed. The Purchasing staff will coordinate with the qualifying interviewees as to the time, date, and place for the interviews, and the time allowed for each interview. Interviews will be closed to any persons not representing the interviewee. At the conclusion of all interviews, each member shall freshly score each interviewee in accordance with the RFP criteria, and the scores will be added to the previous scores of the interviewees to arrive at a composite score.

C. Preference For State and Local Resident Businesses/Contractors

a. Pursuant to §13-1-21 and §13-4-2, NMSA, 1978, of the New Mexico Statutes, applicable percent preference will be added to the scores of respondents who submit within their proposal a copy of their New Mexico residency certificate issued by the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department.

b. Pursuant to Section 24-100, LCMC, 1998, a 5% preference will be added to the scores of respondents who submit within their proposal a copy of their City of Las Cruces business certification issued by the City’s Community Development Department.

c. The maximum geographical preference that can be applied shall not exceed 10%.

d. Proposals received without copy of resident certificates stated herein do not qualify for this preference.

e. Any and all geographical preference herein presented within this RFP shall not apply whenever federal funds are used in procuring goods/services.

C. Upon completion of the evaluation process, a recommendation for award of contract(s) will be issued by the evaluation committee to the Council for review and approval. Contract(s) will have been negotiated prior to the committee’s recommendation.

Revised: April 2020 Page 7 of 9

SCHEDULE A

GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR RESPONSES

UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED IN THE RFP DOCUMENT, THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS APPLY

1. Proponents are advised that this solicitation is subject to the provisions of the City of Las Cruces (City) Procurement

Code, incorporated herein by reference.

2. Inquiries and Related Addenda:

Except for communications during any informational meeting conducted by the City for this solicitation and to ensure information is consistent to all prospective respondents, any direct or indirect contact with City elected officials or staff other than the City Purchasing Section staff relating to this solicitation is strictly prohibited throughout the duration of the solicitation and evaluation process and, upon such finding, will render a respondent and/or related proposal non-compliant.

a. Any and all inquiries must be submitted by the prospective respondent to the Purchasing Section no later than one week before the due date/time unless otherwise specified in the solicitation documents. Inquiries received after the deadline may not be considered.

b. Inquiries must be emailed to bidclerk@las-cruces.org.

c. Telephone inquiries will not be responded to, including the results of this solicitation.

d. Inquiries will be compiled and responded to via written addendum issued before the due date/time.

e. In the event addendum is received by a proponent after its response is submitted, the proponent must acknowledge receipt of the addendum by notice to the Purchasing Section via email.

f. In the event addendum is received by a proponent after its response is submitted and forces a change to its response, the proponent must submit a revised response, clearly marked as a revised response.

g. Failure to acknowledge receipt of addenda may render response as non-compliant.

3. Response Format Requirements:

a. Responses include following two (2) components:

1. A technical proposal of the submittal requirements called out in solicitation documents.

2. A cost proposal in a separate file consisting of itemized cost elements expected to be incurred by the City in obtaining the proposed services from the respondent.

b. Responses are limited to a maximum of 15 pages (excluding index; transmittal letter; title page). Any and all forms incorporated in the RFP solicitation documents and submitted with response also do not count towards the specified page limit.

c. Pages incorporated within the specified page limit must be numbered and typed in no less than 12 points per inch.

d. Responses must include the RFP COMPLIANCE DECLARATION page that is included within the solicitation documents. This requirement cannot be waived as the page confirms the respondent’s understanding and compliance with the RFP submittal requirements, any required federal certification and conduct of this solicitation.

This declaration must be completed and signed with each copy of response. FAILURE TO RETURN THE RFP

COMPLIANCE DECLARATION SHEET WILL SUBJECT THE RESPONSE TO REJECTION.

1. If applicable, respondents should provide business, tax, registration numbers etc. on the RFP COMPLIANCE

DECLARATION page where listed. Such numbers shall be listed as City, County, State, or Federal. These may be submitted on a separate sheet if not enough room is available.

e. Response shall be submitted in PDF format, with technical proposal content included in a single file. Respondents are encouraged to minimize the size of their PDF files prior to submission by optimizing to reduce the resolution of scanned content. 100 dots per inch (DPI) or less is acceptable for viewing files on a computer.

f. In a separate PDF file, include one copy of the cost proposal, unless otherwise specified in the RFP; marked as COST PROPOSAL and clearly showing the proposal number and proponent name. For the purposes of these conditions of proposing, Total Price shall include all costs except gross receipts tax.

g. Proposals must be submitted electronically via e-mail to the City Purchasing Section Bid Clerk at bidclerk@las-cruces.org. Please list the RFP number and title, “Proposal,” due date and time, and the respondent’s company name in the subject line of the e-mail. For example: “19-20-### (TITLE) Proposal MM/DD/YY ##:##pm, (Company Name).” The e-mail must be delivered to the Bid Clerk inbox no later than the proposal due date/time. Proposals received after the due date/time will be considered non-responsive and not acceptable for award. The City will only accept proposals via e-mail. The Bid Clerk inbox has an attachment size limit of 150MB.

h. Should include any samples or other material required by the City on or before the specified due date and time provided in the request for proposal.

i. No other materials are to be submitted, unless specifically requested in proposal.

4. Proposals must be submitted by the due date/time to bidclerk@las-cruces.org.

a. Please note, e-mails with large attachments may be delayed during transmission, and will subject response to rejection in the event it is received by the City Purchasing Section after the due date/time.

b. Proposals delivered after the closing date and time will not be accepted and will be deleted unopened.

c. Faxed proposals will not be accepted.

5. The City of Las Cruces reserves the sole right to:

mailto:bidclerk@las-cruces.org mailto:bidclerk@las-cruces.org

Revised: April 2020 Page 8 of 9

a. Determine responsible respondents and responsive proposals.

b. Determine and waive minor technicalities in the responses from requirements not affecting price, quality, quantity of items, or services sought.

c. Delete, decrease or increase quantities of proposed items or service within effective price dates.

d. Reject any or all responses/proposals and terminate this solicitation process.

6. Law Application:

Respondents shall be responsible for complying with the New Mexico laws prohibiting bribes, gratuities, and kickbacks.

7. Award:

a. The evaluation of proposals and final selection typically takes 45 to 60 days after the closing date.

b. After the evaluation is complete, the award will be posted on the New Mexico Purchasing Group website (BidNet):

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-mexico

c. All proponents will receive a summary of the results via email.

d. Successful proponent will receive notice of award via email and will be contacted to negotiate a contract.

e. For negotiated contracts exceeding $75,000, a recommendation for award shall be forwarded to the City Council for review and approval.

THE REST OF THE PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

https://www.bidnetdirect.com/new-mexico

Revised: April 2020 Page 9 of 9

LOCAL PREFERENCE NOTICE

To receive five (5) points for local preference, submit a current copy of the respondent’s Business Certificate issued by the City of Las Cruces Community Development Department.

NEW MEXICO RESIDENT PREFERENCE NOTICE

Pursuant to §13-1-21 & §13-4-2, NMSA, 1978, of the State of New Mexico Statutes, as amended, a respondent who submits, within its bid or proposal documents, a copy of its resident business or resident contractor certificate issued by the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department will qualify for preference as authorized by the statutes.

Bids or proposals submitted without the certificate issued by the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department will not qualify for this preference.

Firms seeking this preference are encouraged to apply with the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department to receive certification as a “resident business” or “resident contractor”. Firms may obtain application forms by contacting the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department at 575-524-6225 or may apply online at the following web address:

http://www.tax.newmexico.gov/Pages/TRD-Homepage.aspx

NEW MEXICO RESIDENT VETERAN BUSINESS NOTICE

To receive a ten (10) point veteran preference, submit a Resident Veteran Business / Contractor certificate issued by the NM Tax & Revenue Department. Effective July 1, 2016 per New Mexico House Bill 93, certificates issued under previous legislation are no longer valid.

Firms may obtain application forms by contacting the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department at 575-524- 6225 or may apply online at the following web address:

PREFERENCE FOR RECYCLED CONTENT GOODS

Whenever specifications for supplies or materials provide bidders opportunity to offer items made with recycled content good, and, when bids are received for both recycled content goods and non-recycled content goods, bids submitted for recycled content goods shall be deemed five percent (5%) lower that the bids actually submitted provided that the recycled materials content meets or exceeds the minimum content standards required by bid specifications. “Recycled content goods” means supplies and materials composed of a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of recycled materials or more as specified herein.

The maximum preference allowed is 10 points