Addendum 1 - Questions and Answers 12.11.25.pdf

Ron DeSantis GOVERNOR

J. Alex Kelly SECRETARY

Caldwell Building | 107 E. Madison Street Tallahassee, FL 32399

850.245.7105 | www.FloridaJobs.org | Twitter: @FLACommerce

An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and service are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTY/TTD equipment via the Florida

Relay Service at 711.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

ADDENDUM NO. 1

SOLICITATION TYPE: Request for Proposal (RFP)

SOLICITATION NUMBER: 26-RFP-004-TD

SOLICITATION TITLE: Marketing and Outreach Services

RESPONSE OPENING DATE: 12/17/2025 @ 3:00 PM

ADDENDUM NUMBER: 1

ADDENDUM PURPOSE: Questions and Answers

ADDENDUM DATE: 12/11/2025

The Department hereby amends RFP No. 26-RFP-004-TD as noted within this Addendum.

For revisions, underlines represent additions and strikethroughs represent deletions. In the event of a conflict between previously released information and the information contained herein, the information herein shall control. The information in this addendum is hereby made part of this solicitation. All other terms and conditions of the RFP remain in effect.

FAILURE TO FILE A PROTEST WITHIN THE TIME PRESCRIBED IN SECTION 120.57(3),

FLORIDA STATUTES, OR FAILURE TO POST THE BOND OR OTHER SECURITY

REQUIRED BY LAW WITHIN THE TIME ALLOWED FOR FILING A BOND SHALL

CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF PROCEEDINGS UNDER CHAPTER 120, FLORIDA

STATUTES.

Any protest concerning this agency decision or intended decision must be timely filed with the Agency Clerk. Protests may be filed by courier, hand delivery, or U.S. mail at: Agency Clerk, Florida Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel, 107 East Madison Street, MSC 110, Caldwell Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-4128. Protests may also be filed by fax at (850) 921-3230, or by email at agency.clerk@commerce.fl.gov within the time prescribed in section 120.57(3), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 28-110, Florida Administrative Code (“F.A.C.”). It is the filing party’s responsibility to meet all filing deadlines. The Procurement Officer should be listed and copied in such filings.

The enclosed information has been provided for consideration in the preparation of your response to the above-mentioned solicitation.

This Addendum also includes the following:

http://www.floridajobs.org/ http://www.twitter/ mailto:agency.clerk@commerce.fl.gov

ADDENDUM NO. 1

12/11/2025

Questio n Numbe r

RFP Page Number, Section Number, Subsection Reference

Question

Answers

1.

Eligibility & Organizational Requirements

1. Eligibility Clarification:

The RFP states that only nonprofit organizations or government-supported partnerships are eligible.

Can a for-profit consulting agency participate as a prime contractor, or only as a subcontractor?

Only as a Subcontractor

2.

Eligibility & Organizational Requirements

2. Partnership Requirements:

If a for-profit firm partners with an eligible nonprofit, Does the partnership need to be formalized before submission, or can it be contingent upon award?

It can be contingent upon the award.

3.

Subcontracting Opportunities

5. Subcontracting Role:

Does the RFP allow an eligible respondent (nonprofit/government partnership) to subcontract marketing, outreach, or communications work to a for-profit consulting agency?

Yes, a subcontractor can be for profit.

4.

Subcontracting Opportunities

6. Subcontracting Percentage:

Is there a maximum percentage of work that can be subcontracted to a for-profit entity?

Yes. The subcontractor maximum should be less than 49%.

5.

Scope of Work Clarifications

8. Marketing & Outreach Activities:

Can Commerce provide more specificity on outreach expectations (e.g., community events, media campaigns, grassroots canvassing, digital outreach, multilingual marketing)?

The award may use all of the listed methods of outreach and any other associations or expos available.

Community events-

Tabling at small business expos.

Chamber of Commerce events

Approved Social Media marketing

Banker’s associations etc.

6.

Scope of Work Clarifications

9. Geographic Execution:

Are activities required in all 67 counties, or is a regional approach acceptable if statewide coverage is achieved through partnerships?

Yes, activities are required in all 67 counties. Activities may be achieved through partnerships and notate those partners in response to the RFP.

7.

Funding & Budget Structure

11. Funding Allocation:

Is there an established budget range for this project, or will Commerce evaluate cost proposals based on the proposed methodology?

Commerce will evaluate the cost proposals based on the proposed methodology.

8.

Will Commerce accept proposals for regions of the state or must all proposals cover the entire state?

Yes, submitted proposals must cover the entire state.

9.

Should proposals include costs for travel expenses, development of marketing materials, radio and tv advertising, site fees for outreach activities, etc., or will that be determined after the awarding of the contract?

Yes. Reference B.38.2, Cost Proposal Submittal.

10.

Is there an expected maximum amount for bids?

$500,000 – $1,000,000

11.

Has there been a previous contract for the same work? If so, may we have access to the most recent winning bid?

No.

12.

If it is not expected that there will be any interactions with hazardous waste in the completion of the work, would bidders still need to include a Hazardous Waste Generator Identification Form with the proposal?

No, the Department does not anticipate the Contractor will generate hazardous waste.

Reference B.28.3, Other Insurance.

13.

Should proposals include costs for the full 24 months or only for one year?

Reference Attachment B, Cost Proposal.

14.

Page 30, Section C.5(a)

The Scope of Work references "substantial revision of the existing

Comprehensive Outreach Plan." Please identify the current contractor(s) performing SSBCI marketing and outreach services and provide access to or a summary of the existing

Comprehensive Outreach

Currently, there are no contractors.

Plan that respondents would be revising.

15.

Page 30, Section C.5(a)

What is the current contract value and term for the existing SSBCI marketing and outreach contract(s)?

Currently, there is no existing contract for these services.

16.

Page 30, Section C.5(a)

Will the incumbent contractor(s) be eligible to respond to this solicitation?

Currently, there is no current contract or contractor for these services.

17.

Section C.5 Please provide performance data from the current/previous SSBCI marketing campaign, including metrics such as businesses reached, event attendance, and program enrollment rates, to help respondents develop realistic proposals.

This data is not available for release at this time.

18.

Section C.5(a) For new respondents without access to the existing

Comprehensive Outreach Plan, should proposals assume development of a new Comprehensive

Outreach Plan rather than revision of an existing plan?

Respondents shall propose the development of a new comprehensive outreach plan.

19.

Page 3, Section B.5

Please define "government supported partnership" as used in the eligibility criteria.

What documentation would be required to demonstrate this status?

Government supported partnerships are historically funded through partnerships between local partners which can include universities, chambers of commerce and other economic organizations.

MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the above stated.

20.

Page 3, Section B.5

If a nonprofit organization partners with for-profit subcontractors for specialized services (media buying, creative development, technology), does this affect eligibility?

No, that would not affect the eligibility.

21.

Page 15, Section B.32

If a respondent's existing network of partner organizations (such as local chambers, EDCs, or SBDCs) will conduct outreach activities, must each be listed as a subcontractor and pre-approved?

Yes, Respondent must list subcontractors, and the subcontractors will be pre-approved by Commerce.

22.

Page 32, Section C.5(h)

Please provide technical specifications for the required Marketing and Outreach Dashboard, including any integration requirements with

Commerce systems, security standards, and required data fields.

In response to the required data fields, we are looking for events attended, businesses assisted, and other relevant engagement metrics to be proposed by the Respondent.

23.

Page 32, Section C.5(h)

Does Commerce have an existing dashboard platform that contractors should utilize, or should contractors propose their own solution?

Contractors shall propose their own solution.

24.

Page 31, Section C.5(e)

What languages, beyond English, are required for translation of Outreach

Materials? Please specify which languages have been identified by Commerce for the Comprehensive Outreach Plan.

Additional languages identified by Commerce include Spanish and Haitian-Creole at minimum.

25.

Section C.5(e) Will Commerce provide existing branding guidelines and approved creative assets, or must contractors develop new brand identity elements?

Commerce can provide existing branding guidelines, or the awardee may develop their own but must be approved by Commerce.

26.

Section C.5 What is the anticipated total budget range for this procurement across all potential awards?

$500,000 - $1,000,000

27.

Page 31, Section C.5(f)

For paid media campaigns, should respondents budget a specific allocation for media buys, or will

Commerce procure media separately per Section

C.5(j)?

Respondents shall budget a specific allocation for media buys.

28.

Page 32, Section C.5(j)

Section C.5(j) reserves Commerce's right to separately procure services including media purchase and website development.

Which services, if any, does Commerce intend to procure separately?

Commerce does not plan to procure any additional services at this time.

29.

Pg. 8, B12 and State of Florida PUR General Instructions to

Respondents, pg 2- Electronic submission of responses

Can you confirm that the requirements related to electronic submission in section A is not relevant? Instead you are requiring an original and hard copy submission as outlined in section B of the

RFP.

Confirmed. The electronic submission instructions in Section A (PUR 1001) do not apply to this RFP. Please submit hard copies and USB drives exactly as outlined in Section B.36.

30.

Pg. 8 B12 With respect to electronic signatures, are you still requiring electronic signature (with a system like Adobe sign or docusign) on all document that require a signature, or will a wet signature suffice?

Yes.

31.

State of Florida PUR General Instructions to

Respondents, pg 2- Electronic submission of responses

Under the mandatory requirements, what is meant by a redacted version of the

Technical and Cost Proposals? Is this the

Microsoft Word version? Or simply the version without signatures?

Reference B.18, Respondent’s Duties to Assert Exemption from Disclosure as a Public

Record

32.

Pg. 15-16 B.36 Regarding submittal requirement B36, will we only need to submit a "redacted" copy if we have confidential information included? Item 1 and 2 under the mandatory requirements make it seem as if the redacted version is required.

Yes. Reference B.18, Respondent’s Duties to Assert Exemption from Disclosure as a Public

Record

33.

Pg. 17.

Identification of key personnel

Regarding key personnel, Is the respondent required to provide the names of subcontractors? What if this is unknown as an RFP or RFQ is required before selection?

Prior to an executed contract, Commerce must be notified of any and all subcontractors.

34.

Pg. 20 B.38.2 Can the cost of staff members who screen, provide intake and/or qualify small businesses for SSBCI program eligibility be covered as an eligible direct cost?

Allowable direct costs, including staff time directly attributable to the project, are eligible for reimbursement subject to the terms of the grant.

35.

Tab 6 If this tab is not applicable, does the respondent need to submit anything stating “not applicable"

Yes.

36.

B.39 Past Performance referenced

Will a reference that was a client for “outreach or marketing" services for a different commodity/ or non-small business- related effort count as an eligible reference?

Yes, a client for a different commodity/non-small business-related effort may count as an eligible reference.