25-8341_Solicitation.pdf

COLLIER COUNTY

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

FOR

TOURISM MARKETING AND PROMOTION

SOLICITATION NO.: 25-8341

LISA OIEN, PROCUREMENT STRATEGIST

PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FLORIDA 34112

TELEPHONE: (239) 252-8935

Lisa.Oien@colliercountyfl.gov

Any alterations to this document made by the Vendor may be grounds for rejection of the proposal, cancellation of any subsequent award, or any other legal remedies available to the Collier County

Government.

SOLICITATION PUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

NUMBER:

25-8341

PROJECT TITLE: Tourism Marketing & Promotion

DUE DATE: June 30, 2025, at 3:00 PM EST

PLACE OF RFP OPENING: PROCUREMENT SERVICES DIVISION

3295 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST, BLDG C-2

NAPLES, FL 34112

All proposals shall be submitted online via the Collier County Procurement Services Division Online Bidding System:

https://procurement.opengov.com.

INTRODUCTION

As requested by the Tourism Division (hereinafter, the “Division or Department”), the Collier County Board of County Commissioners Procurement Services Division (hereinafter, “County”) has issued this Request for Proposal (hereinafter, “RFP”) with the intent of obtaining proposals from interested and qualified vendors (also referred to as “Contractor” “Firm” and “Proposer”) in accordance with the terms, conditions and specifications stated or attached. The vendor, at a minimum, must achieve the requirements of the Scope of Work stated herein.

Historically, the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has spent between $5,000,000 and $6,200,000 annually on Tourism Marketing and Promotion Services; however, this may not be indicative of future buying patterns.

BACKGROUND

Collier County is located in Southwest Florida. Naples, the seat of Collier County, is about twenty-five (25) miles south of Fort Myers and the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). The full-time population of Collier County is about four hundred thousand (400,000), although a seasonal peak of about four hundred fifty thousand (450,000) occurs between November and April. The structure of the Collier County Government is based on the standard constitutional form of county governments in Florida.

Visitors have much to discover along Florida's Paradise Coast of Naples, Marco Island & the western portion of the Everglades. Visitors will find an escape, serenity, and relaxing beachside fun along the Gulf of Mexico in beautiful Southwest Florida. Visitors will also enjoy pristine natural wilderness, perfect for bird watching or outdoor adventure in the world-famous Everglades. The area is most known for its over 30 miles of soft white sand beaches, exceptional accommodations, family attractions, outdoor eco-adventures, golf, a dynamic culinary scene, arts and cultural performance centers and activities, and exceptional shopping.

It is also home to FC Naples (a United Soccer League franchise), Paradise Coast Sports Complex, the U.S. Open Pickleball Championship, and is host to three major PGA / LPGA, nationally televised, championship tournaments.

The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) is a part of the County Manager's Agency in Collier County Government. The CVB, with oversight by the Tourist Development Council (TDC) Advisory Board, markets and promotes the entire County as a worldwide leisure travel, group meetings, and sports event destination.

The CVB promotes the destination to high-end, luxury consumers with discretionary travel dollars, to travel industry professionals such as meeting planners, travel agents, and tour operators, to golfers, sports enthusiasts, and fishermen, arts and culture, heritage seekers, and nature and adventure enthusiasts.

The annual budget can fluctuate as it is based on the Tourist Development Tax (“TDT”) collections from the previous year is the 5% bed tax that is collected from overnight accommodations with Collier County, including resorts, hotels, and short-term rentals). The funds are allocated per Florida State statutes to cover pre-determined, approved uses that include beach renourishment, beach park facility maintenance, sports facility programming and maintenance, programming for County-owned museums, and tourism marketing and promotion.

The budget for the CVB is determined from the five percent (5%) tourist development tax collections on short-term lodging (six months or less) within Collier County. A predetermined allocation of the tax collected directs funds to various uses, including promotion and advertising, beach renourishment and inlet management, beach park facilities, and County owned museum operation.

The CVB has determined that Public Relations and Media Relations activities will be handled by internal staff and through a separately contracted outside Public Relations firm. Social and digital media are handled by internal staff working in concert with the contracted firm and the contracted advertising firm.

https://procurement.opengov.com/

TERM OF CONTRACT

The contract term, if an award(s) is/are made is intended to be for three (3) years with two (2) one (1) renewal options.

Prices shall remain firm for the initial term of this contract.

Surcharges will not be accepted in conjunction with this contract, and such charges should be incorporated into the pricing structure.

The County Manager, or designee, may, at her discretion, extend the Agreement under all of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement for up to one hundred eighty (180) days. The County Manager, or designee, shall give the Contractor written notice of the County's intention to extend the Agreement term not less than ten (10) days prior to the end of the Agreement term then in effect.

All goods are FOB destination and must be suitably packed and prepared to secure the lowest transportation rates and to comply with all carrier regulations. Risk of loss of any goods sold hereunder shall transfer to the COUNTY at the time and place of delivery; provided that risk of loss prior to actual receipt of the goods by the COUNTY nonetheless remains with

VENDOR.

DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK

1. Scope and Responsibilities

The County is seeking a full-service advertising, promotion, marketing and digital firm with extensive experience in marketing tourism destinations in various local, regional, national and international target markets. The successful firm should have extensive expertise in domestic and international advertising, social media and digital marketing and in strategic planning and implementation of annual marketing plans and promotional programs and events.

While the successful firm will be acting in an independent contractor role, the County may:

• Provide a temporary workspace, access to telephone and internet service if needed while on County property at County's expense.

• Pre-approve any advertising, production, media, and travel expenditures created or distributed by the successful firm.

• Reimburse pre-approved travel expenses related to executing the marketing plan elements or production of advertising or promotional materials as outlined in Fla. Stat. Section 125.0104 and County Resolution 2006-40.

The successful firm will be responsible for providing (this list is not exhaustive and is intended to be illustrative in nature) the following:

• An annual marketing plan and a longer-term strategic plan.

• An advertising campaign which will allow for the broadest possible exposure into international and domestic markets within the available budget maximizing the usage of cooperative advertising and identifying promotional and value-added opportunities.

• Develop, nurture, and promote targeted consumers, meeting planners, trade professionals, and sports event organizers.

• Be knowledgeable of and provide extensive industry research models for use in targeting strategic audiences and determine and report return on investment of all campaigns and activities.

• Explore and provide possible joint-advertising programs which would match the CVB with travel-related and non- travel advertisers, e.g., airlines, auto rental centers, credit card companies, luggage companies, suntan product manufacturers, etc., as well as regional and statewide promotions with other destination marketing organizations.

• Provide advertising, marketing, and promotional services that promote Collier County as a luxury tourist destination worldwide.

• Provide measures, proof-of-performance, and results for all campaigns.

• Prepare and present monthly reports for presentation at the Tourist Development Council (TDC) meetings and, when necessary, the Board of County Commissioners meetings.

• Manage paid social media content calendars, postings, and content generation for a variety of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube. Work collaboratively with the Public Relations team to create synergies with organic social media and paid social media content and campaigns.

• Manage and monitor social media channels during emergency situations as outlined in the CVB’s Crisis Communications plan.

• Provide a "lead" contact person/project manager to the County; an individual who shall serve as a first point of contact between the County and the firm. The Collier County Tourism Director or designee, at their sole discretion, shall approve the appointment of the "lead" contact person/ project manager.

• Assist with general analytical and web support functions, personalization, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content generation, and Application Programming Interfaces (API).

The firm, and all of its agents and subcontractors, are expected to comply with Fla. Stat. Section 125.0104 and the County's Ordinance 92-60 as amended and County Resolution 2006-40.

2. Marketing and Advertising Flat Service Fee

For marketing and advertising services in paid media and production, the County will pay an agreed-upon annual fixed service fee in twelve monthly installments in lieu of media commissions and markup on outside vendor services. This fee will be a percentage of the total annual Collier County Board-approved destination marketing budget, comprised of paid media, creative services, production of all media and collateral materials, photography, and video production. This fixed service fee will include account management service time, senior management, media research, media buying and verifying, accounting, administrative, and other internal operating costs. Should additional staffing needs arise, the request will be considered on a case-by-case basis and, only with pre-approval, be implemented.

No markup will be applicable for vendor or subcontracted services, tools, paid media, social, or digital media.

3. Professional Fees/Creative Work- Optional Work- Optional Services

Optional Services includes any other related professional services (other than the Marketing and Advertising Flat Service Fee), for marketing and promotional creative design, advertising, production, photography, online and social media production and creative design, copywriting, direct mail development, audiovisual production services, marketing research, social media creative and supervision and promotional publicity. and included in the final agreement. The firm will provide quotes for pre-approval and invoices, and proof of performance for each of these services/projects, which will include:

• A project quote estimate that includes the number of hours by each position (hourly rate) the extended total, and any anticipated subcontractor hours and rates, travel, and miscellaneous charges such as expenses relating to "photo shoots," wardrobe, television or radio ads, special printing or service charges, etc. at no additional mark-up or surcharges fees (at cost amounts).

• The firm’s invoice that matches the approved estimate and includes the number of hours by each position (with their hourly rate) and the extended total for payment and "at cost" invoices.

• Provide a copy of the advertising, promotional and marketing information or documentation of paid media delivered such as affidavits and/ or proof of performance.

4. General Requirements

• Pay media and production invoices/bills upon demand from suppliers with a full understanding that the firm will not be reimbursed until the service has been performed and/or the promotion/advertisement has appeared, and proof of performance has been supplied to and accepted by the County.

• Prepare reports required by the County and submit said reports as requested, including formal monthly presentations to the Tourist Development Council (TDC) at the firm's expense. Establish and maintain a system of records, books, and accounts in a manner satisfactory to the County, which is consistent with and for the durations mandated by the affordability period.

• The selected firm will keep adequate records and supporting documentation that concern or reflect its services. The records and documentation will be retained by the firm for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of termination of this agreement.

• The County, or any duly authorized agents or representatives of the County, shall, free of charge, have the right to audit, inspect and copy all such records and documentation as often as they deem necessary during the period of this agreement and during the five (5) year period noted above; provided however, such activity shall be conducted only during business hours.

• The County understands a portion of this work may be subcontracted to meet expertise or timelines for the County.

Similarly, the County reserves the right to contract/utilize other service providers during the term of this contract for similar advertising, promotional, or marketing materials or services.

• Participate in certain meetings, discussions, project site visits, workshops and hearings, which pertain to the administration of the services being provided and report results to the Board at the firm's expense.

• Obtain travel compensation for programs and events per Fla. Stat., Section 125.0104 and County Resolution 2006-40.

• Obtain project management software for ease of reviewing and signing estimates, reviewing and approving campaign materials, and providing feedback.

• Obtain pre-approval on stock materials, including, but not limited to, stock photos, voice talent, models, clothing, etc.

The firm must provide evidence of any restrictions, terms and conditions, or other considerations prior to use.

• Charges for advertising and media placed by the firm on behalf of the CVB will be billed at the actual cost paid by the firm and shall not include any markup for the specified medium or media.

• Charges for expertise talents and services needed to execute marketing, media, or production advertisement placed by the Firm on behalf of the CVB will be billed at the actual cost paid by the firm.

• County will own all promotional, marketing, and advertising campaign materials, stock images, film, negatives, videos, and art.

The County will retain ownership and the right to use any materials generated by the firm and any other CVB material generated by CVB personnel and may do so without the firm’s consent or approval. The CVB acknowledges certain legal constraints require universal releases unless cost considerations become prohibitive (such as model releases, music, photographs, etc.) and retains sole right to use materials created for the CVB as it sees fit.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) PROCESS

1.1 The Proposers will submit a qualifications proposal, which will be scored based on the criteria in Evaluation Criteria for Development of Shortlist, which will be the basis for short-listing firms.

The Proposers will need to meet the minimum requirements outlined herein in order for their proposal to be evaluated and scored by the County. The County will then score and rank the firms and enter into negotiations with the top-ranked firm to establish the cost for the services needed. The County reserves the right to issue an invitation for oral presentations to obtain additional information after scoring and before the final ranking. With successful negotiations, a contract will be developed with the selected firm, based on the negotiated price and scope of services, and submitted for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.

1.2 The County will use a Selection Committee in the Request for Proposal selection process.

1.3 The intent of the scoring of the proposal is for respondents to indicate their interest, relevant experience, financial capability, staffing, and organizational structure.

1.4 The intent of the oral presentations, if deemed necessary, is to provide the vendors with a venue where they can conduct discussions with the Selection Committee to clarify questions and concerns before providing a final rank.

1.5 Based upon a review of these proposals, the County will rank the Proposers based on the discussion and clarifying questions on their approach and related criteria and then negotiate in good faith an Agreement with the top ranked Proposer.

1.6 If, in the sole judgment of the County, a contract cannot be successfully negotiated with the top-ranked firm, negotiations with that firm will be formally terminated, and negotiations shall begin with the firm ranked second. If a contract cannot be successfully negotiated with the firm ranked second, negotiations with that firm will be formally terminated, and negotiations shall begin with the third-ranked firm, and so on. The County reserves the right to negotiate any element of the proposals in the best interest of the County.

RESPONSE FORMAT AND EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SHORTLIST:

1.7 For the development of a shortlist, this evaluation criterion will be utilized by the County’s Selection Committee to score each proposal. Proposers are encouraged to keep their submittals concise and to include a minimum of marketing materials. Proposals must address the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria Maximum Points

1. Cover Letter / Management Summary 5 Points

2. Certified Woman and/or Minority Business Enterprise 5 Points

3. Business Plan 20 Points

4. Cost of Services to the County 10 Points

5. Experience and Capacity of the Firm 20 Points

6. Specialized Expertise of Team Members 30 Points

7. Local Vendor Preference 10 Points

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 100 Points

Tie Breaker: In the event of a tie at final ranking, the award shall be made to the proposer with the lower volume of work previously awarded. Volume of work shall be calculated based upon total dollars paid to the proposer in the twenty-four

(24) months prior to the RFP submittal deadline. Payment information will be retrieved from the County’s financial system of record. The tie-breaking procedure is only applied in the final ranking step of the selection process and is invoked by the

Procurement Services Division Director or designee. In the event a tie still exists, selection will be determined based on random selection by the Procurement Services Director, or designee before at least three (3) witnesses.

Each criterion and methodology for scoring is further described below.

***Proposals must be assembled, at minimum, in the order of the Evaluation Criteria listed, or your proposal may be deemed non-responsive***

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 1: COVER LETTER/MANAGEMENT SUMMARY (5 Total Points Available)

Provide a cover letter, signed by an authorized officer of the firm, indicating the underlying philosophy of the firm in providing the services stated herein. Include the name(s), telephone number(s), and email(s) of the authorized contact person(s) concerning the proposal. Submission of a signed Proposal is the Vendor's certification that the Vendor will accept any awards as a result of this RFP.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 2: CERTIFIED WOMAN AND/OR MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (5 Total Points Available)

Submit certification with the Florida Department of Management Services, Office of Supplier Diversity as a Certified Woman and/or Minority Business Enterprise.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 3: BUSINESS PLAN (20 Total Points Available)

In this criteria, include but not limited to:

• Detailed plan of approach that answers the scope of work requirements.

• Detailed timeline for the startup phase through full implementation of the initial annual marketing plan.

• Include with the Business Plan or as an attachment, a copy of a report as an example of similar work provided for another destination marketing organization. This should be for one of the client projects listed as a reference.

• Provide a narrative, or demonstrate through sample work, the firm’s creative expertise in attracting and recruiting new visitors, including campaign description, media utilized, and measured results.

• Provide a narrative, or demonstrate through sample work, the firm’s creative expertise and ideas for the retention of visitors returning to Southwest Florida.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 4: COST OF SERVICES TO THE COUNTY (10 Total Points Available)

In this criteria, include but not limited to:

Provide information and insert fees in the fee chart below:

• Provide the Projected Marketing and Advertising Annual Service Fee for the Scope of Work.

• Provide for Professional Fees/Creative Work-Optional Services hourly rate for services not in the Marketing and

Advertising Annual Service Fee.

• Provide a projected reimbursable expenses not-to-exceed monthly amount for out-of-pocket expenses that the firm will request reimbursement of pre-approved expenses such as travel expenses, shipping, postage, etc.

Service Description Fees

• Projected Marketing and Advertising Annual Service

Fee $ Annually

• Professional Fees/Creative Work- Optional Services (hourly rate)

$ Per hour

• Projected reimbursable expenses not-to-exceed (monthly amount)

$ Monthly

• Initial pricing is for evaluation purposes and is subject to change during negotiations with the selected vendor.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 5: EXPERIENCE AND CAPACITY OF THE FIRM (20 Total Points Available)

• Provide information that documents your firm’s qualifications and experience in representing destination marketing organizations or other clients with travel industry marketing programs. Include examples of the firm’s capacity, skill, and financial strength, and a number of years of experience in providing the required services included in the Scope of Work.

• The County requests that the vendor submit no fewer than three (3) and no more than ten (10) completed reference forms from clients during a period of the last 5 years, whose projects are of a similar nature to this solicitation as a part of their proposal. Provide information on the projects completed by the Proposer that best represent projects of similar size, scope, and complexity to this project using the form provided in Form 5. Proposers may include two (2) additional pages for each project to illustrate aspects of the completed project that provide the information to assess the experience of the Proposer on relevant project work.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 6: SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE OF TEAM MEMBERS (30 Total Points Available)

• Description of the proposed firm’s team that will work on the CVB account and the role to be played by each member of the team to fulfill the Scope of Work.

• Attach brief resumes of all proposed firm’s team members’ who will be involved in the creative, production, media, social, and digital media services as described in the Scope of Work.

• Attach resumes of any sub-vendors that you know will be used and attach letters of intent from stated sub-vendors indicating their willingness to subcontract on the CVB’s service needs.

• Describe the various firm members’ successful experience in working with one another on previous projects.

• With your proposal, indicate how sub-vendors will be compensated, if needed.

• If sub-vendors will not be used, please indicate that fact in your proposal.

EVALUATION CRITERIA NO. 7: LOCAL VENDOR PREFERENCE (10 Total Points Available)

Local business is defined as the vendor having a current Business Tax Receipt issued by the Collier or Lee County Tax Collector prior to proposal submission to do business within Collier County, and that identifies the business with a permanent physical business address located within the limits of Collier or Lee County from which the vendor’s staff operates and performs business in an area zoned for the conduct of such business.

VENDOR CHECKLIST

***Vendor should check off each of the following items as the necessary action is completed (please see Vendor Check List)***