3-6561-26 Juvenile Auto Prevention - RFP.pdf

Juvenile Auto Theft Prevention Campaign

City of Erie Police Department

Request for Proposals

Please respond no later than:

Friday, June 26, 2026

Submit PDF of proposal via PennBid:

https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com/

INTRODUCTION

The City of Erie (the “City”) is a third-class City and the fifth largest City in Pennsylvania. It was incorporated on April 14, 1851. The City is situated in Erie County (the “County”) located in the northwest corner of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the “Commonwealth”) and serves as the County seat. The City is bordered by Lake Erie on the north, Millcreek Township on the west and south, and Lawrence Park Township and Wesleyville Borough to the east. Covering a total area of approximately 19.1 square miles, the City is situated approximately 125 miles north of the City of Pittsburgh. The City is the employment hub of Erie County with the region’s largest employers headquartered within or near its downtown.

Government

The City is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth governed by the Third-Class City Code operating under a strong mayor form of local government. The Mayor is elected to serve a four-year term and is the chief administrator of the City. There are seven at-large City Council members who each serve four-year staggered terms.

Population

The City has seen annual decreases in the number of residents over the past 50 years. The height of Erie’s population was in 1960 when it hovered just under 140,000 but due to heavy losses in manufacturing and heavy industry, the current population per the 2020 U.S. Census is

92,940.

Blight and Decline

The suburbanization of Erie County and throughout the nation occurring in the 1960s and 1970s had a profound impact on the City’s housing stock. The Comprehensive Plan for the City (Erie

Refocused) determined that there was a tremendous oversupply of housing, most dating back prior to 1950. The housing survey completed as part of the planning process identified 9,500 residential properties showing signs of moderate to severe distress with 4,700 units vacant and

1,900 housing units vacant and abandoned. The City will be redrafting a comprehensive plan starting in 2026.

Between 1960 and 2010, a period when the city shed over 36,000 residents, the remainder of

Erie County added over 66,000 residents. Homeownership rates in Erie hover at about 53% with 47% of all housing as rental units. 24.6% of the City’s population live in poverty while the poverty rate for the entire County is only 14.5%.

Erie Police Department

The Erie Police Department (EPD) provides professional, community-focused law enforcement to serve and protect all residents and visitors in the City of Erie. As Pennsylvania’s fourth largest municipal police department, EPD employs 194 officers and is among the top-trained departments in the state, far exceeding minimum requirements for firearms, legal, social services, and mental health training.

Nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for building community partnerships, EPD uses a team-oriented approach that brings police, city officials, and community leaders together to work through the tough issues that face the Erie community. Department programs like the Strengthening Police Community Partnerships (SPCP) Council (a pilot program of the

DOJ’s Community Relations Services), the Erie Police Athletic League (PAL), and the

Community Outreach Program (COP) build positive relationships between officers and Erie’s youth to foster important conversations, support educational needs, and serve as role models.

Rising Auto Theft in the City of Erie

Over the past seven years, auto theft has been a critical emerging crime trend in the City of

Erie. With limited enforcement tools and only one dedicated auto theft investigator, EPD is inundated with calls of auto theft cases being committed by juveniles and spends valuable time merely reacting rather than proactively attacking this chronic problem.

Since 2019, the number of auto thefts in the City of Erie has risen dramatically, increasing from

99 thefts to 195 by 2023. While a dedicated auto theft investigator hired in 2021 helped reduce thefts that year, the numbers began to climb again in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, the department recovered 178 stolen vehicles and made 67 arrests. Several factors have contributed to this rise in auto thefts:

● Crimes of Opportunity: Most thefts are committed by juveniles and are crimes of opportunity. Many vehicles are stolen when owners leave their doors unlocked or keys inside.

o The number of arrests of juveniles for auto theft has also increased, with eight juveniles being charged with felonies in 2023, up 60% from the previous year.

From 2021 to 2024, auto thefts increased from 146 in 2021 to 159 in 2022, 193 in

2023, and decreased to 132 in 2024.

● TikTok Challenge: A viral TikTok trend targeting specific Kia and Hyundai models has led to a significant increase in thefts of those vehicles. From August to September 2023, there were 8 thefts and 8 attempted thefts of these vehicles in the City of Erie.

● Increased Workload: In addition to the 195 vehicles stolen in 2023, the department also investigated cases of unauthorized use of motor vehicles, thefts of trailers, and assisted other agencies. The auto theft investigator only had the capacity to conduct partial investigations on 111 of these cases.

● Increase in Youth Related Violent and Petty Crime: The City of Erie has also seen an upward trend in youth involved in both violent and petty crime. A need has been identified through statistical analysis and qualitative feedback gathered from youth living in the city for positive, engaging programming and content to counteract the social, economic, and lifestyle pressures that move children in the direction of perpetrating criminal acts.

FY24 Field Initiated: Encouraging Innovation Grant

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded EPD $1 million through its FY24 Field Initiated: Encouraging Innovation grant program, which supports police departments to develop innovative approaches that address emerging or persistent crime problems and systemic issues within the criminal justice field.

For this grant program, EPD has developed a two-pronged strategy of auto theft prevention and enforcement. For prevention, EPD will launch a multi-faceted three-year marketing campaign targeting potential victims of auto theft and teens considering perpetrating auto thefts. This will be developed in partnership with community partners, including: the Blue Coats, Erie Police

Athletic League (PAL), Community Outreach Program (COP), Strengthening Police and

Community Partnerships (SPCP) Council, and law enforcement partners. A second prevention piece includes working with Unified Erie and the Blue Coats to implement a successful early intervention focused deterrence strategy, or “Call-in”, for teens at risk of displaying auto theft tendencies.

For enforcement, EPD will develop a real-time crime center, outfitting its 38 vehicles with license plate readers (LPRs), and installing 12 stationary LPRs at key intersections where the data indicates hotspots. These programs, strategies, and initiatives will be implemented by EPD’s auto theft investigator, with the help of a second fully funded auto theft investigator, bolstered by the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs and the City’s research partner, the Mercyhurst Civic

Institute.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) focuses on the two-year marketing strategy.

A. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

1. Proposals must be submitted only via PennBid no later than June 26th, 2026 at 5 p.m.

2. Proposals will be handled confidentially by the city during the pre‐award process.

3. The City of Erie will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by a marketing agency submitting proposals in connection with this procurement.

B. QUESTIONS

Any questions concerning the Request for Proposals should be messaged through the PennBid project posting. https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com

I. GENERAL CONDITIONS

A. No verbal instructions or verbal information to bidders will be binding on the City of

Erie. These written specifications will be considered clear and complete unless written attention is called to any apparent discrepancies or incompleteness before the opening of the proposals. Should any alterations to these specifications be made in the form of written addenda, they will be emailed to all bidders. These addenda https://pennbid.bonfirehub.com/ shall then be part of these specifications.

B. Submission of a proposal will be considered as conclusive evidence of the bidder’s complete examination and understanding of the specifications.

C. The City of Erie reserves the right to reject any or all proposals; the right to request additional information from any consultant; the right in their sole discretion to accept the proposal considered most favorable; and the right to waive minor irregularities in the procedures or proposals if it is deemed in the best interest of the City of Erie.

The City of Erie reserves the right to negotiate with consultants to establish variations from the original proposal(s), including proposed cost, which may be in the interest of the City of Erie.

D. The award will be made to the responsive and responsible bidder whose proposal, conforming to specifications, will be most advantageous to the City of Erie; price and other factors will be considered, such as delivery time, quality, service, experience and specific skills and disciplines represented on the agency team. The project may or may not be awarded to the agency with the lowest cost.

E. The City of Erie shall have the right, without invalidating the contract, to make additions or deductions from the items or work covered by the specifications. In case such deductions or additions are made, an equitable price adjustment shall be made between the City of Erie and the Contractor. Any such adjustments in price shall be made in writing.

F. Bidders requesting additional information and/or clarifications to the bid specifications shall submit the inquiries, in writing, not less than five working days prior to the bid opening date. Inquiries received less than five working days prior to the bid opening date will not receive responses. See paragraph “A” above for additional clarification.

G. Bidders shall not discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment with the bidder because of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, physical or mental disability, age, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or marital or familial status and shall comply with all applicable ordinances, statutes and regulations of the City of Erie, Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania or Federal Government relating to Equal Employment Opportunity.

H. Bidders will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed without regards to discriminatory characteristics. Bidders will take steps to insure employees are treated during employment without regard to discriminatory characteristics.

I. The contractor shall not initiate work or incur any cost until such time as the City of

Erie awards the contract and issues a Notice to Proceed.

J. CONTRACT TERMINATION: A contract may be canceled by the City of Erie by giving the Vendor sixty (60) days written notice of intent to cancel.

K. INDEMNIFICATION: The successful bidder shall assume the defense of and indemnify and hold harmless City of Erie, their officers, agents and employees from and against all claims, demands, actions, suits and proceeding by others and against all liability, both negligent and non‐negligent, arising directly or indirectly out of the actions of the agency in their performance of this contract.

L. INSURANCE: The successful bidder, prior to commencing work, shall provide at his/her own expense the following insurance to the City of Erie, evidenced by

Certificates of Insurance. Each certificate requires that notice be given thirty (30) days prior to cancellation or material change in the policies, to the City Treasurer.

Workers’ Compensation including Occupational Disease and Employer’s Liability

Insurance

1. Statutory‐amounts and coverage as required by Pennsylvania Workers’

Compensation and Occupational Disease Laws.

2. Employer’s Liability – Bodily injury by:

a) Accident $100,000 each

b) Disease $500,000 minimum policy limit

c) Disease $100,000 each employee

Liability

The successful bidder shall maintain a commercial general liability insurance policy, using an occurrence form of coverage. The required coverage forms are:

1. Comprehensive

2. Premises – Operation

3. Contractual Insurance

4. Independent Contractor

The Comprehensive General Liability Policy shall have a minimum limit of liability of $300,000 minimum, per occurrence.

Automobile liability coverage with minimum combined single limits of $300,000 per occurrence.

The successful bidder shall obtain total minimum coverage limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence. The additional limits above the General Liability and Automobile

Liability policies (required above) may be provided by Excess and/or Umbrella

Liability policies.

The successful bidder shall provide evidence of professional liability coverage

(Accountants Professional Liability Coverage) with limits to be acceptable to the

City Solicitor, and the successful bidder shall have and maintain coverage for at least one year beyond completion of actual work.

All policies except Professional Liability shall name the City of Erie, their officers, agents, and employees as additional insured. This coverage shall be reflected on the Certificates of Insurance.

Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as limiting the extent of the vendor’s responsibility for payment of damages resulting from his operations under the contract.

II. SCOPE OF WORK

The City of Erie Police Department seeks to develop a three-year marketing campaign focused on combatting rising auto theft in the City of Erie. Marketing would target at-risk youth in the City of Erie and potential victims of auto theft and other crimes.

• Project Period: 07/01/26 - 09/30/27

• Allocated Marketing Campaign Budget: $90,000

• Total campaign research, creative development, media buys, and other agency fees/services must not exceed $90,000 total.

III. ENGAGEMENT OBJECTIVES

The marketing agency will develop and execute a two-pronged integrated marketing campaign focused on reducing auto-theft, promoting safety, strengthening community connections, and empowering young people in the City of Erie. The agency may make recommendations to adjust this plan based on research findings, professional experience, and marketing best practices.

Target Audience: At-Risk Youth

The agency will produce short videos to be distributed through social media to reduce youth participation in auto theft and other criminal activity by clearly communicating risks and consequences, while also increasing awareness of positive programs, resources, and alternatives available through the City. This includes addressing the viral “TikTok

Challenge” and other forms of theft, violent, and petty crime. Messaging should balance deterrence with constructive pathways forward for youth.

This effort will include:

● Developing creative assets and producing social media content in collaboration with PAL youth, city youth from the Youth Advisory Council, and others to ensure content reflects youth perspectives and resonates authentically.

● Working with the City to distribute these videos on their social media channels and other media.

Target Audience: Drivers and Citizens Living in High-Risk Areas

The agency will produce video public service announcements (PSAs) to remind citizens to protect their vehicles from theft and break-ins and be aware of other crime trends.

This effort will include:

● Conducting focus groups and stakeholder interviews with EPD and the

Strengthening Police Community Partnerships (SPCP) Council

● Developing messaging and creative assets based on the research findings.

● Helping the city craft a distribution plan for the PSAs via digital and traditional media.

● Creating supporting print and digital assets, including convenience store signage, door hangers, rack cards, and digital billboards.

The City will manage the campaign's execution and distribute updates through press conferences and social media, with posts cross-shared on various community partner channels.

IV. STATEMENT OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED

The proposal should include:

● Ideas for the marketing campaign to include digital media, print media, or other recommended tactics

● Research including focus group facilitation and stakeholder interviews

● Breakdown of the tasks to be performed

● Timeline

● An overview and explanation of proposed services to be subcontracted, if any, designating the firm and its qualifications

The award allocates $90,000 over the course of the grant to be used for the development and implementation of the marketing campaign. If the consultant would prefer to create the campaign in the first year with the total $90,000 in funding, please provide a clear breakdown of tasks with the timeline and the reasons for the request, and the City can submit a grant award modification.

All messaging and creative assets must be approved by the City of Erie and the DOJ.

V. SUPPORT TEAM

The consultant will be expected to work with a consortium of individuals representing the

City’s administration, EPD personnel, and community partners. These will include representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, EPD command staff and officers, PAL, SPCP, and Mercyhurst University Civic Institute.

VI. DELIVERABLES REQUIRED

The agency is expected to develop a written two-year marketing plan, including strategies and tactics related to social media and print assets.

VII. SCHEDULE/TIMELINE

During the administration of the grant, the consultant will meet with the steering committee comprised of members of the Erie Police Department, including the two dedicated auto theft investigators; the City’s grant administrator and community liaisons; the Mercyhurst Civic

Institute; SPCP; PAL; and COP to develop the plan/campaign and discuss the progress of the engagement.

RFP Solicitation, Review, and Agency Selection 1 Month

Deliverable #1: Conduct research (focus groups/stakeholder interviews) 1 Month

Deliverable #2: Develop marketing plan, including media distribution outlets 2 Months

Deliverable #3: Develop messaging, video, and creative assets 6 Months

Deliverable #4: Distribute media through appropriate platforms and outreach 6 Months

Evaluation: Measure campaign effectiveness through marketing and crime data 2 Months

Agency has the discretion to recommend changes to the schedule above.

VIII. PROPOSAL

A. Technical Proposals should include the following information in the order detailed:

1. Title Page – List the RFP subject, the name of the firm/agency, the local address, telephone number, name of the contact person and date.

2. Table of Contents – Include a clear identification of the material included in the proposal by page number.

3. Letter of Transmittal – Limit two pages. Make a positive commitment to perform the required work within the time requested. Also, give the name(s) of the person(s) who will be authorized to make representation for your firm, their title, and telephone numbers.

4. Profile of Agency – State whether your agency is local, national, or international in size. Give the location of the office from which the work is to be done, and the number of partners, managers, supervisors, seniors, and other professional staff employed at the office. Briefly describe the range of activities performed by the office such as marketing research, strategy development, creative development, photo/video production capabilities, and media buying. Please indicate if the agency will be outsourcing any activity. And identify the individuals who will be dedicated to this campaign.

5. Summary of Qualifications – Describe the recent local, regional, state-wide, or national public awareness campaign experience like the type requested in the proposal and give the names and telephone numbers of client officials who might be contacted regarding your firm’s work. At least three references are requested.

Provide a brief résumé for each of the people to be assigned to the engagement.

At a minimum, detailed information should be provided for the individual in charge of the campaign. Résumés should include educational and professional experience with particular emphasis on public information campaigns.

Responding agencies shall assure that the designated staff, including sub-contractors, is used for the work described in the proposal. Departure of, reassignment of, or substitution for any member of the designated team or sub-contractors shall not be made without prior notification to the City of Erie.

Provide details as to the capability of your agency to provide marketing services over the three‐year grant period.

6. Utilization of City Resources – The agency should provide an estimate of the number of hours that will be required of: (1) The City’s staff in assisting in the provision of data; (2) management staff in providing interviews/assisting with focus groups; and (3) communications team to post/release information.

7. Completed non-collusion affidavit (provided at the end of this RFP).

8. Additional Data – Include in this section any pertinent information not covered in any of the previous sections. If there is no additional information to present, please state so.

B. Price Proposals should include the following information:

1. Compensation – The estimated maximum number of hours and hourly rates by staff classification necessary to complete the engagement. The estimated out‐of‐ pocket costs and the resulting all‐inclusive maximum fee for which the requested work will be done.

2. Billings and Payment Terms – Agency should include what payment terms are required, although monthly progress billings are preferred for both the consultant fees and out‐of-pocket expenses. Billings should show the total professional hours, by classification, together with applicable rates and extensions, actual travel expenses incurred, and a reasonable itemization of other out-of-pocket expenses.

IX. EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSALS

In general, the Technical Proposals will be evaluated in terms of:

1. the agency’s demonstrated understanding of the City’s requirements and plans for meeting them;

2. the professional qualifications and related experience of the people assigned to the engagement;

3. the prior experience and reputation of the agency in performing public awareness campaigns; and

4. the organization size and structure of the agency.

After the three best Technical Proposals have been selected, including the Price Proposals, an award will then be given to the agency which, in the opinion of the Encouraging Innovation

Steering committee of the City, submitted the best, most beneficial, all-inclusive proposal.

Please note that the City may conduct interviews with top prospects, and the award may or may not be made to the agency submitting the lowest cost proposal.

The City of Erie reserves the right to reject all proposals submitted and to request additional information from agencies. Notice is also given about the possibility that an award may be made without discussion or after limited negotiations. It is, therefore, important that all proposals contain the most favorable terms possible and should be complete in all respects.

Proposals will be evaluated by a team consisting of the Department of Grants, Mayor’s Office of

Community Affairs, and Erie Police Department staff.

NON-COLLUSION AFFIDAVIT

I , ______________________________, the ________________________________________

(NAME) (TITLE)

OF ________________________________________, certify and make this affidavit

(VENDOR, COMPANY, AGENCY)

on behalf of my company agency, or brokerage and its owners, directors, and officers, that I am the person responsible for the pricing quoted in this bid for the City of Erie to which this affidavit forms a part.

I, by my signature on this form, certify that:

1. That the pricing reflected in this bid has been arrived independently and without outside influence, communications, or collusion from any other bidder, potential bidder, or disqualified bidder.

2. That the pricing contained in this bid has not been disclosed to or discussed with any other bidder, potential bidder, or disqualified bidder.

3. That no influence, extortion, or collusion has been used to restrain or prevent any person, firm, company, or organization from participating in or responding to this request for bid by the City of Erie.

4. That this bid is being made free and clear of any collusive activity or inducement to submit this as a noncompetitive bid for the purpose of complementary bidding to make another bid appear to be lowest.

5. The bidder shall not provide any gift having more than a nominal value as defined by the

IRS rules of de minimis benefits, including money, services, loans, travel, lodging, entertainment, discount or other thing of value, from a contractor with a professional services contract with the City of Erie. The bidder also is making this bid with the understanding there will be no agreement or arrangement for further engagements outside this contract.

I understand that by signing this form I acknowledge that the above representations are material to form a part of and will be relied upon in the awarding of a contract by the City of Erie for which this bid is being submitted. I further understand fraudulent concealment of the true facts pertinent to the submission of this affidavit shall subject such vendor, company, or agency to penalties of law and permanent banning of bidding, subcontracting or providing all current and future materials, equipment, services or projects required by the City of Erie.

VERIFICATION

I, ______________________________, hereby state that the facts contained in the within the foregoing Non-Collusion Affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge, information and belief. This statement is made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa. C. S. A.

Section 4904 relating to unsworn falsification to authorities.

By: _________________________________

Dated: ______________________