27-004 Marketing RFP_Final.pdf

Request for Proposals

CCCS 27-004

Integrated Strategic Marketing and

Communications Services

August 18, 2026

Vendor Response Signature Page

CCCS RFP 27-004 Integrated Strategic Marketing and

Communications Services

Vendors responding to this solicitation must fill out this page in its entirety, sign and return with vendor’s response. This page must bear a physical or electronic signature, as electronic signature is defined in the "Uniform Electronic Transactions Act", section 24-71.3-102 (8), evincing an intent by the vendor to be bound by its response. Failure to do so may disqualify the vendor response.

The undersigned understands and agrees that misrepresentation made in this response and/or subsequent discussions or information presented to the State may be deemed sufficient cause for the refusal by the State to execute a contract as a result, and that that later discovery of any omission or misrepresentation made in the solicitation response and/or subsequent discussions or information presented to the State may be grounds for the cancellation of an existing contract.

LEGAL COMPANY NAME (OFFEROR): _____________________________

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

SIGNER’S NAME: _____________________

TITLE: _____________________________

PHONE NUMBER: _____________________

EMAIL: _____________________________

Award notice will be posted on ColoradoVSS. Please provide your VSS ID#, if known: __________________________

CONTACT FOR CLARIFICATIONS

NAME: ___________________________

TITLE: ___________________________

PHONE: _______________________

EMAIL: ______________________

RFP 27-004 Integrated Strategic Marketing and Communications Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 2

A. General Information 2

B. Background 2

C. Overview and Goals 3

D. Sole Point of Contact 5

E. Schedule of Activities 5

F. Start Date 6

G. Anticipated Contract Term 6

2. OFFEROR’S EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL 6

A. Organizational Experience 6

B. Organizational Personnel 8

3. REQUIREMENTS 8

A. Accessibility Requirements 9

B. Insurance Requirements 9

C. Mandatory Requirements - Reserved 9

4. Scope of Work 9

A. Scope of Work and Deliverables 9

5. REQUESTED PROPOSAL FORMAT 10

6. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY 13

A. Evaluation Process 13

B. Evaluation Committee 13

C. Proposal Evaluation Criteria 13

D. Demonstrations and Discussions 14

E. Single proposal 15

F. Award 15

Appendix A - Administrative Information

Appendix B - Vendor Disclosure Statement

1. INTRODUCTION

A. General Information

On behalf of the State of Colorado, the Colorado Community College System

(CCCS) is issuing this Request for Proposals for Integrated Strategic Marketing and

Communications Services. We are seeking a vendor to create, manage, and report on various marketing initiatives.

B. Background

The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest provider of higher education and workforce training, consisting of 13 colleges and over 35 locations across the state, educating approximately 130,000 students annually.

CCCS also provides customized workforce training for thousands of Coloradans and employers each year through industry partnerships and customized employer training programs.

CCCS serves the education and workforce training needs of Colorado and beyond by mobilizing the strengths of 13 colleges to support learners throughout their lifelong learning journey. Guided by its vision to be the first and best path for all to achieve a more prosperous and fulfilling life, CCCS is committed to expanding opportunity through accessible, high-quality education and workforce training that supports student success, economic mobility, and community advancement.

The CCCS Office of Public and Legislative Affairs seeks to establish a long-term partnership with an integrated strategic marketing and communications agency to support statewide brand awareness, student recruitment, strategic communications, and audience engagement efforts across multiple platforms and audiences.

The selected agency will support CCCS and its statewide initiatives, including

Colorado Online, through integrated marketing strategies designed to strengthen brand trust, increase awareness, drive prospective student engagement, and support measurable enrollment growth. Services may include, but are not limited to, strategic enrollment marketing, audience segmentation, recruitment marketing campaigns, audience journey management, conversion-focused digital strategies, traditional and digital media planning and buying, social media advertising and post boosting, creative development, campaign execution, performance optimization, analytics and reporting dashboards, and on-demand design support across digital and print media. Additionally, the agency will provide support for on-demand design tasks across both digital and print media.

CCCS seeks a partner capable of developing and optimizing multi-channel campaigns that support prospective students throughout the recruitment funnel— from awareness and exploration through inquiry, application, and enrollment— while aligning messaging and creative content to audience behaviors, platforms, and engagement stages. The selected agency should demonstrate experience leveraging data-informed strategies, performance analytics, and conversion optimization techniques to continuously improve campaign effectiveness and return on investment.

In addition to student recruitment and enrollment marketing, the selected agency may support broader CCCS communications priorities, including statewide awareness campaigns, workforce and economic mobility initiatives, executive visibility support, storytelling, and public engagement efforts that reinforce

CCCS’s mission and strategic goals.

CCCS is committed to facilitating access to its colleges’ instruction, communication, and business processes for the broadest possible audience. CCCS strives to employ principles of Universal Design and the use of the most recent version of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

(WCAG) standards in the design, development, implementation, and enhancement of all digital based information and services.

C. Overview and Goals

i. The selected agency will provide integrated strategic marketing and communications support to help CCCS plan, execute, manage, and optimize multi-channel campaigns and audience engagement efforts across statewide initiatives.

ii. Services may include strategic enrollment marketing, audience research and segmentation, recruitment marketing, audience journey management, traditional and digital media planning and buying, paid social media amplification, creative asset development, campaign execution, conversion-focused digital strategies, analytics and performance reporting, optimization, and supplemental design and communications support as needed.

Goals

CCCS seeks measurable outcomes through this partnership, including but not limited to:

Increase awareness, understanding, and positive perception of CCCS and its

13 colleges as Colorado’s leading provider of affordable, accessible, high-quality education and workforce training, supporting learners throughout their lifelong learning journey.

Drive measurable prospective student engagement and enrollment growth through strategic recruitment marketing efforts that support inquiry generation, audience nurturing, application conversion, and enrollment objectives.

Develop branding and increase awareness, engagement, and enrollment in

Colorado Online offerings through targeted digital marketing strategies that connect learners to flexible online education opportunities.

Develop and optimize audience journey strategies that deliver relevant messaging, creative content, and calls to action aligned with audience behaviors, engagement stages, and conversion goals.

Strengthen campaign performance and return on investment through data-informed optimization, audience insights, and actionable reporting that supports continuous improvement.

Support statewide awareness and strategic communications campaigns that elevate CCCS’s role in workforce development, economic mobility, educational opportunity, and statewide impact.

Increase awareness of CCCS as a trusted statewide resource and engaged community partner serving learners, employers, policymakers, and communities across Colorado.

Provide scalable campaign execution and creative support that extends internal team capacity while maintaining alignment with CCCS brand, accessibility, and communications standards.

D. Sole Point of Contact

i. The State’s sole point of contact for this solicitation is Lindsey Buffy, Purchasing Director, who may be reached via email at

Lindsey.Buffy@cccs.edu, or via phone at 720-858-2772.

ii. Because phone lines may not be consistently monitored, email is the preferred method of communication. The individual listed above is the sole point of contact for this solicitation. Initiating contact with anyone other than this individual may result in Offeror disqualification.

E. Schedule of Activities

i. This Schedule of Activities is for information and planning purposes only.

Schedules for Activities listed as “Estimated” may be subject to change depending on the needs of the State. All times are considered in Mountain

Time (MT), as adjusted for daylight savings.

iii. The date of publication for this solicitation on Colorado VSS is August 18, 2026.

a. Written inquiries must be submitted to BidNet no later than August 28, 2026 at 11:00 AM.

b. The estimated date for the State’s responses to vendors’ written inquires to be published on Colorado VSS is September 4, 2026.

c. All proposals must be submitted in the method described below no later than September 21, 2026 11:00 AM.

d. A public opening of the proposals will be held virtually on September 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM. So that CCCS can plan for attendance, if an Offeror wishes to attend the public proposal opening, please send an email to the Procurement Contact to RSVP at least one day prior to the date of the public proposal opening and include the name and email for the http://www.bidnetdirect.com/ mailto:Lindsey.Buffy@cccs.edu person who will attend. CCCS will respond to the attendee with a link to the meeting.

e. The estimated date for demonstrations from selected proposers is the week of October 12, 2026.

f. The estimated date for the publication of an Intent to Award on

Colorado VSS is October 23, 2026.

F. Start Date

The desired Contract or Purchase Order start date is December 1, 2026.

G. Anticipated Contract Term

i. The initial term of the awarded Contract is anticipated to begin on December

1, 2026 and end on November 30, 2027. This Contract may be renewed for up to four (4) additional one-year periods at the sole discretion of the State.

The total duration of the Contract, including all options, is not anticipated to exceed five (5) years.

ii. The State may extend the Contract beyond the anticipated term in accordance with the Colorado Procurement Code, and in the event that the

State determines an extension is necessary.

iii. The State may, within its sole discretion, choose not to exercise any option or extension term in the Contract for any reason. If the State chooses not to exercise any option or extension term, it may re-procure the goods and/or services in its sole discretion.

2. OFFEROR’S EXPERIENCE AND PERSONNEL

A. Organizational Experience

The agency must demonstrate the ability to support coordinated campaigns that engage diverse audiences across multiple channels, align messaging and creative to audience behaviors and stages of engagement, and apply data-informed strategies to continuously improve performance and return on investment. The selected agency should demonstrate experience leveraging data-informed strategies, performance analytics, and conversion optimization techniques to continuously improve campaign effectiveness and return on investment.

Detailed list of specialized expertise for agency:

1. Strategic Enrollment Marketing

a. Audience segmentation

b. Persona development

c. Journey mapping

d. Enrollment funnel optimization

e. CRM integration recommendations

f. Recruitment marketing strategy

g. Behavioral targeting

h. Conversion strategy

2. Paid Media Strategy & Buying

a. Digital advertising

b. Search engine marketing

c. Streaming/CTV/OTT

d. Paid social

e. Audio/radio

f. Out-of-home

g. Geofencing

h. Programmatic

i. Multilingual campaigns where appropriate

3. Creative Services

a. Platform-native creative adaptation

b. Short-form video

c. Static/digital ads

d. Motion graphics

e. Recruitment creative

f. Landing page recommendations

g. A/B testing creative

4. Recruitment Funnel Content Strategy Agency should help determine:

a. What content prospective students see

b. When they see it

c. On which platform

d. Based on behavioral stage

5. Analytics & Optimization. Must include:

a. Dashboard reporting

b. Attribution modeling

c. Conversion tracking

d. CAC (cost per applicant)

e. Application source tracking

f. Campaign optimization

g. Monthly performance recommendations

6. Market Research & Brand Insights

a. Perception studies

b. Audience polling

c. Competitive analysis

d. Messaging testing

e. Student sentiment

f. Brand awareness tracking

7. Executive & Institutional Visibility Support

a. Strategic thought leadership amplification

b. Executive visibility strategy

c. Earned media strategy

d. Statewide positioning support

e. Reputation management

8. Systemwide Collaboration Support Agency must demonstrate ability to:

a. Navigate decentralized stakeholders

b. Support shared governance environments

c. Balance statewide strategy with local identity

B. Organizational Personnel

a. Assign a dedicated account lead/project manager who will serve as CCCS’s primary day-to-day point of contact and be responsible for project coordination, timelines, deliverables, and communication across all assigned workstreams.

b. Identify the core account team, including leadership oversight and specialized personnel supporting strategy, paid media, creative services, analytics, and recruitment marketing.

c. Maintain continuity in staffing and provide advance notice and transition planning for any key personnel changes.

d. Demonstrate sufficient staffing capacity to manage concurrent campaigns, rapid-turn requests, and time-sensitive priorities.

3. REQUIREMENTS

A. Accessibility Requirements

i. All work performed as a result of this solicitation must comply with all applicable provisions of §§24-85-101, et seq., C.R.S., and the Accessibility

Standards for Individuals with a Disability, as established by the Office Of

Information Technology pursuant to Section §24-85-103 (2.5), C.R.S. and 3) all

State of Colorado technology standards related to technology accessibility and with Level AA of the most current version of the Web Content

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), incorporated in the State of Colorado technology standards.

ii. The vendor shall be prepared to deliver marketing asset items to CCCS, as requested, at any point during the duration of this contract in both English and Spanish.

B. Insurance Requirements

The awarded Offeror will be required to submit a certificate(s) of insurance evidencing insurance coverage for, at minimum, the types and amounts of insurance as required by the Insurance provision in the Contract or Purchase Order

Terms and Conditions, included in this solicitation as an attachment, prior to execution of the Contract or Purchase Order.

C. Mandatory Requirements - Reserved

4. - Scope of Work

A. Scope of Work and Deliverables

This Scope of Work describes the deliverables sought through this RFP and the scope of what the awarded Offeror will be expected to offer through the contract resulting from this RFP. The Scope of Work is intended to provide interested

Offeror’s with sufficient basic information to submit a proposal. It is not intended to limit a proposal’s content or exclude any relevant or essential data.

i. Strategic Planning & Market Intelligence

a. Conduct ongoing market analysis, audience research, and competitive assessments to inform campaign strategy, creative recommendations, and media planning.

b. Demonstrate the ability to assess and recommend differentiated strategies for:

(a) statewide brand and awareness campaigns,

(b) student recruitment and enrollment marketing,

(c) Online recruitment and adult learner engagement,

(d) workforce and community-facing initiatives, and

(e) executive visibility or thought leadership efforts, as assigned.

c. Provide audience segmentation and persona recommendations informed by behavioral, demographic, and market data.

d. Support audience journey development and optimization to align campaigns with prospective student decision-making stages.

ii. Create platform-appropriate creative optimized for campaign objectives and audience behavior.

iii. Manage end-to-end campaign implementation, including media planning, buying, trafficking, launch coordination, optimization, and reporting.

a. Campaigns may include paid, earned, owned, social, digital, video, streaming, out-of-home, partner, and other appropriate channels.

iv. Recruitment Marketing & Enrollment Strategy

a. Support strategies that move prospective students from awareness through inquiry, application, and enrollment.

b. Recommend recruitment funnel strategies, audience nurturing approaches, and conversion-focused content recommendations.

c. Demonstrate understanding of non-linear adult learner decision journeys and digital engagement behaviors.

v. Provide transparent, actionable campaign reporting and performance insights.

vi. Performance against agreed-upon KPIs, benchmarks, and measures of return on investment, where applicable.

5. REQUESTED PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals should cover the following areas, with an emphasis on how these areas relate to the evaluation criteria listed in this Request for Proposals. Please format Proposals as a single PDF document with tab sections as outlined below and no more than 50 pages not including administrative documents. Only proposals submitted via BidNet

Direct will be accepted. See Appendix A Administrative Information, Section 2 Offeror

Proposal Information for more details.

Tab A – Administrative Documents

Signed Vendor Response Signature Page

Completed W-9

Vendor Disclosure Statement (Appendix B)

Tab B - Demonstrated Experience and Capabilities

i. Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how the Offeror’s experience and capabilities make it the ideal candidate to perform the work. Describe experience with similar projects. Reference Section 2.A. above of this solicitation regarding the desired organizational experience.

ii. Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall indicate key personnel who will be assigned to the project and describe their experience. Reference Section 2.B.above of this solicitation regarding the desired organizational personnel.

Tab C - Technical/Business Proposal

Offeror’s Response- Offeror shall describe how they will accomplish the Scope of

Work detailed in this solicitation and shall include the following:

i. Identify any pertinent issues and potential problems. Identify any risks and how to mitigate them.

ii. Provide the proposed approach for meeting the scope of work and requirements, including any applicable timelines. Address the ability to meet any required technical requirements.

Tab D - Cost Proposal

Offerors shall submit with their proposals the proposed pricing that supports their response to the Scope of Work. The price proposal shall include your company’s pricing models and pricing narrative. Proposers shall outline pricing models and include a detailed pricing narrative that justifies its rates. The pricing narrative should explain how your company has structured its costs and how it proposes to charge the state for the work. Pricing must include all annual and one-time expenses, fees, materials and administrative costs for each year of the contract term.

Tab E – References

Provide a minimum of three (3) current or former clients where work has been performed within the last five years who may be contacted with respect to your firm’s reputation for high quality of work, responsibility and efficiency. Include the name, address and telephone number of the executive in each organization who can speak knowledgeably about the quality, timeliness and cost of your work.

Tab F – Confidential Information

Requests for confidential Information may be included in this section. It is also acceptable to provide this Tab G as a separate folder. Note that commingling of confidential and non-confidential information is not acceptable and the proposal may not be considered confidential in its entirety. Neither price information nor any information that will be included in a resulting Contract will be considered confidential. See Appendix A, Section 2.H for details.

Tab G – Exceptions or modifications to the Draft Contract terms

The standard terms and conditions in the State Model Contract shall govern this procurement and are hereby incorporated by reference. Vendors must submit any requested changes to the state’s contract template in redline format with their proposal. Please note that the section of the Contract identified as the Colorado

Special Provisions are considered non-negotiable.

The state does not agree to accept any requested changes to the state’s contract template and will only consider changes proposed by potential vendors. While the state will work with a potential vendor on requested changes, none are guaranteed. Additionally, Vendors are cautioned that modifications to any of the provisions in the State Contract Template as well as other standard state exhibits, are considered to constitute an increased risk as well as increased costs to the State. Therefore, Vendor’s noted exceptions may be considered in any evaluation. The state will not accept or consider any requests to modify the Colorado Special Provisions, and the state reserves the right to deem proposals as unresponsive if this request is made.

Any changes requested to the State Model Contract or Exhibits accompanying this solicitation will constitute an increased timeline to contract execution as approvals may need to be obtained by multiple CCCS departments. Therefore, any requested changes may take several weeks to review.

If no exceptions are noted, Vendor indicates their intent to accept the State of

Colorado Terms and Conditions as-is.

6. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

A. Evaluation Process

A comprehensive, thorough, complete and impartial evaluation of each proposal received will be conducted in accordance with §24-103-203(7), C.R.S, which states, “The award shall be made to the responsible Offeror whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the state, taking into consideration the price and evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposal.”

B. Evaluation Committee

i. An Evaluation Committee will be established utilizing measures to ensure the integrity of the evaluation process. These measures include the following:

a. Selecting committee members who do not have a conflict of interest regarding this solicitation.

b. Facilitating the independent review of proposals.

c. Requiring the evaluation of the proposals to be based strictly on the content of the proposals.

d. Ensuring the fair and impartial treatment of all Offerors.

iv. The objective of the Evaluation Committee is to conduct reviews of the proposals that have been submitted, to hold frank and detailed discussions among themselves, and to recommend an Offeror for award.

C. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

i. The State will evaluate proposals to determine if each Offeror meets all mandatory qualification requirements; provided, however, that the State has the authority to waive non-material mandatory requirements in certain circumstances. Reference Procurement Rule R-24-103-301-03. The mandatory qualification requirements are scored on a Met/Not Met basis and only those proposals found to meet all mandatory requirements, other than non-material mandatory requirements waived by the State, can be considered for a

Contract resulting from this solicitation.

ii. Proposals will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee using the evaluation criteria listed below. The evaluators will consider whether the Scope of Work requirements in the solicitation have been addressed, and they will review the capabilities of the Offeror, as well as the quality of the approach proposed, the price, and any other aspect determined relevant to the evaluation criteria.

iii. The evaluation criteria to be used in evaluating the proposals are as follows

(and are listed in no particular order):

a. Experience/Qualifications

b. Technical/Business Proposal

c. Cost Proposal

D. Demonstrations and Discussions

i. The Evaluation Committee may, if it deems necessary, request clarifications, conduct discussions or oral presentations, or request best and final offers. Per

R-24-103-203-03, discussions may be held with responsible offerors whose proposals are determined to be reasonably susceptible to be selected for award to:

a. Promote understanding of the state’s requirements and the offerors’ proposals; and

b. Facilitate a contract that will be most advantageous to the state taking into consideration price and the other evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals.

ii. The Evaluation Committee may adjust its scoring based on the results of such activities. However, proposals may be reviewed and determinations made without such activities. Offerors should be aware that the opportunity for further explanation might not exist; therefore, Offerors should ensure that their submission is complete, and are encouraged to submit their best possible proposal, including pricing.

E. Single proposal

If only one bid or proposal is received in response to a solicitation, an award may be made to the single bidder or offeror if the procurement official finds that the price submitted is fair and reasonable and that other prospective bidders or offerors had reasonable opportunity to respond. Reference Procurement Rule R-

24-103-201-02(d).

F. Award

i. A Notice of Intent to Award will be published on Colorado VSS.

ii. The award determination is ultimately a business decision that will reflect an integrated assessment of the relative merits of the proposals received, using the factors set forth in in this solicitation. The State intends to award

Contract(s) to the Offeror(s) whose proposal(s), conforming to the solicitation, will be most advantageous to the State, price and other factors considered.