Amendment 2 - RFPNo. EDA126-WDD-6382 Communication and Media Coordination Services Q and A-Final.pdf

San Bernardino County Request for Proposal No. EDA-126-WDD-6382 Workforce Development Professional Communications Department and Media Coordination Services

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Date: June 16, 2026

Amendment #2: to Request for Proposal (RFP) No. EDA126-WDD-6382

Issued: Tuesday June 16, 2026

This Amendment is intended to provide additional information and/or to change the requirements in the above-referenced RFP. Any information contained herein will be considered part of the RFP.

Amendment Description:

(1) Proposal Timeline is modified as follows. Highlighted in yellow with red text.

II. PROPOSAL TIMELINE

Release of RFP Friday, May 22, 2026 Non-Mandatory Proposal Conference via

ZOOM

Thursday June 4, 2026 @ 10:00 AM PST

Deadline for Submission of Questions Thursday June, 11 2026 @ 4:00 PM PST Deadline for Response to Questions Tuesday June 16, 2026 Deadline for Proposals Monday June 22, 2026 @ 4:00 PM PST Date for Tentative Contract Award July, 2026

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(2) Questions and Answers.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

# Question Answer

1. What is the size of the County's communication staff and its expectations for Contractor FTE/PT?

This RFP is being released to provide Professional Communications and Media Coordination Services for the County of San Bernardino’s Workforce Development Board (WDB) through the Workforce Development Department (WDD), these services are contracted out, the FTE/PT is up to the Proposer.

2. Is there an incumbent currently performing these services, and if so, what aspects of the current support are you looking to improve?

There is a current contracted provider for these services and the contract expires June 30, 2026, please refer to the Scope of Work of the RFP.

3. Is the $120,000 budget a hard ceiling or simply proposed at this time?

The annual budget for the selected Proposer shall not exceed $120,000.

4. Do you need to keep all headers on the attachments and/or keep those pages exactly as is?

The attachments may be modified but keep the headers as they are in the RFP.

5. #10, 11, 12 refer to meeting or providing updates to the WDB board. Are the meetings in person, virtual or a combination?

At this time WDB meetings are in person and the selected Proposer is expected to be at the in person meetings.

6. In the required sections of the proposal, one section is titled "Reserved", but has no additional information. What is the purpose of this section and how should we respond?

This RFP is the County’s boilerplate RFP Template and those Section labeled as “Reserved” where remove due as they did not pertain to this RFP, there is no need to respond.

7. Thank you for the presentation Fred. With regard to the proposal format, is there a page limit to the submission?

There is no page limit restriction;

Proposals will be evaluated by their quality and not quantity.

8. How do proposers respond to the Appendix D debarment requirement since there's no fill-ins or signature block on that Appendix or related documents?

Please reply yes understood, and sign and date on the bottom of the page.

9. Should the cover page and table of contents be separate? Or can they be combined into one?

They may be combined.

10. Approximately how many press releases, media advisories, newsletters, and earned media placements were produced during the past 12 months?

Approximately 12 newsletters, 19 Media advisories and news releases, and 23 earned media placements in the last 12 months.

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11. What level of in-person participation do you anticipate for meetings, events, board presentations, and media activities?

The selected Proposer is expected to attend ALL meetings, events board presentations, and media activities in person.

12. Is there currently an incumbent for these professional services or similar work supporting WDB?

Yes and their current Contract expires on June 30, 2026.

13. Can you provide additional guidance regarding the expected frequency of social media and website content updates?

The frequency will be decided upon the needs of the WDB.

14. How significant is the 5% Local Preference Policy of this RFP and will a proposer who does not meet this policy be automatically out of consideration because of the 5% preference?

A Proposer will not be automatically out of consideration because of the 5% preference.

15. Does WDB currently have established branding, messaging, content libraries, photography, and templates that the contractor can build upon?

Yes.

16. If you could change one thing about the public's understanding of the Workforce Development Board today, what would it be?

Reemphasizing that the WDB is the “glue” that brings together businesses, educators, job seekers and community leaders to build high-demand jobs for the local economy.

17. Does the County have an existing list of preferred media? There is a current contracted provider for these services and the contract expires June 30, 2026.

18. During the presentation, we understood that proposals would be submitted electronically through ePro. However, Section VI.A.4 of the RFP appears to indicate that paper (hard copy) responses must also be submitted in addition to the electronic submission.

Can you please confirm whether proposers are required to submit both an electronic response through ePro and a hard-copy submission, or if the electronic submission alone will satisfy the proposal submission requirement?

ePro is the preferred submission of the Proposals; hard copies may be submitted but the electronic submission alone will satisfy the submission requirement. Either way the deadline for submission is Monday June 22 @

4:00 PM EST.

19. Confirming proposals must be submitted via ePro and hard copy?

Is DocuSign signature sufficient for both?

Proposals should be submitted through ePro (Please see question #18).

DocuSign signatures are sufficient.

20. Is the department or board currently sending out a newsletter or will the contractor be developing the newsletter template and selecting the platform to send out monthly newsletters?

The WDB does currently have a newsletter; any changes will be negotiated between the selected Proposer and the WDB.

21. Does the County have an existing CRM or list of contacts to be utilized for the monthly newsletter or is the proposer meant to mine these contact lists?

The County does have an existing list of contacts and the selected Proposer is expected to mine these as well as new contacts.

22. The County's scope of work and its proposed budget as well as the various requirements from the county (i.e. all the insurance requirements) may not be practical to ensure quality services. Is

The WDB expects to receive Proposals to this RFP; there will be no changes.

4 | P a g e there any room for the County to reconsider either its scope of work or its proposed budget?

23. In additional to creating the content for the website and social media platform, will the contractor also be responsible for day to day activities related to posting and monitoring sites or will contractor provide content to County staff to post?

The selected Proposer is expected to post and monitor social media, staff will assist when needed.

24. Does the County have KPIs for the number of web & social media content to be produced monthly, quarterly, or annually or is this to be solely from the proposer's recommendation?

Approximately 12 newsletters, 19 Media advisories and news releases, and 23 earned media placements in the last 12 months.

25. How would you rate the success today of attracting media coverage for WDD and WDB in the last 3 years? is coverage radio, print or TV? local, regional, or national?

In the past 3 years, coverage has been by print, TV and radio, our local area has been very successful.

26. With regards to section 2. Insurance Requirements: Please confirm that we can submit copies of the policies currently in place in lieu of Attachment J, which requires us to secure a third-party review of this RFP and then sign an insurance limit affidavit. This is costly, burdensome, and we contend unnecessary if policy coverage is provided at the time of submission.

Insurance requirements will be negotiated between the selected Proposer and the WDB during contract negotiations.

27. The ePro solicitation page indicates electronic quote submission is available, while Section VI of the RFP states that paper hard copy responses must be submitted in addition to electronic submission. Can the County confirm whether proposers are required to submit both an electronic proposal through ePro and a paper hard copy/original signature package, or whether electronic submission through ePro alone is sufficient?

ePro is the preferred submission of the Proposals; hard copies may be submitted but the electronic submission alone will satisfy the submission requirement. Either way the deadline for submission is Monday June 22 @

4:00 PM EST.

28. After completing vendor account registration in ePro, the system routes back to the public bid detail page for RFP No. EDA-126- WDD-6382. Can the County confirm whether proposers should access the response/submission area from the public bid detail page, or whether there is a separate step required to begin the electronic quote submission?

All ePro related question should be directed to ePro, System-related issues in ePro shall be directed to the Purchasing Department at (909) 387- 2060.

29. For purposes of Attachment K, Local Vendor Preference Self- Certification, can the County clarify whether a proposer headquartered outside San Bernardino County may qualify as a local vendor if it maintains a regional operational presence within San Bernardino County and otherwise meets all criteria listed in the Local Vendor Preference requirements? One of the co-founders is based in San Bernardino County, but the company is based in a nearby county.

The Company’s headquarters must be located in San Bernardino County to be considered for Local County Preference.

30. The RFP estimates an annual budget of up to $120,000 for services. Can the County clarify whether this budget is intended to include third-party hard costs such as media monitoring tools, press release distribution fees, paid advertising, printing, design

The $120,000 for services is for the selected Proposer to perform the Scope of Work, any additions expenses will be negotiated by the WDB and the selected Proposer.

5 | P a g e production, and other direct pass-through expenses, or whether those costs may be separately approved if needed?

31. Attachment F requests three customer references providing the same service as requested in this RFP, preferably public agencies of similar size. Can the County confirm whether references from non-public agency clients or agency partners will be accepted if the services performed are substantially similar to the communications, media coordination, reporting, and outreach services requested in this RFP?

Performing similar services to WDBs is highly recommended.

32. Will a recording, attendee list, slide deck, or written summary from the non-mandatory proposal conference be made available in ePro for proposers preparing responses?

No.

33. Per the RFP, there is an item in the checklist for two-year worth of financials, but nothing mentioned in the actual document. Is it possible to get details on what specifically is required?

This requirement has been removed.

34. How does the hourly rate structure (Attachment E) work against the $120,000 annual budget? Is the budget a ceiling for all services combined, and how are hours allocated across the 12 deliverables?

The WDB and the selected Proposer can negotiate these services during contract discussions.

35. Are there any anticipated tasks or projects beyond the 12 listed deliverables in Section V that could draw on contracted hours?

No.

36. What is the current state of WDB's social media presence;

platforms, follower counts, and posting frequency?

Approximately 12 newsletters, 19 Media advisories and news releases, and 23 earned media placements in the last 12 months.

37. Does the WDB have existing brand guidelines, approved messaging, or a communication strategy the contractor must align with?

Yes.

38. Who on the WDB/WDD side will be the day-to-day liaison, and what is their expected availability for approvals and content review?

The WDB and the selected Proposer can negotiate these services during contract discussions.

39. What does the annual advertising value equivalency report need to include? Is there a preferred methodology or format?

The WDB and the selected Proposer can negotiate these services during contract discussions.

40. Are there any incumbent contractors currently providing similar services whose work the new contractor would be expected to build on or transition from?

Yes.

41. What geographic media market is primary? * Inland Empire, broader Southern California, or Statewide

Inland Empire, San Bernardino County, Southern California, Statewide or Nationwide.

42. Are any of the 12 deliverables weighted more heavily in importance by WDB leadership?

No.

43. Will oral presentations or interviews be part of the evaluation process?

No.

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44. Regarding the 30-day termination clause on page 22, we wanted to better understand its intent. If the County may terminate the contract with 30 days' written notice, it effectively functions as a 30-day agreement rather than a five-year term. Would it be possible to request an exception to this clause or propose an alternative structure? For example, a minimum contract term of six months to one year, coupled with a 60-day termination notice, or something similar.

No,

45. Please clarify if a paper (hard copy) of the proposal must be submitted, as there is conflicting information in the RFP. Pg2B states "and/or hard copy must be submitted...pg9A4 states "paper (hard copy)" must be submitted in addition to electronic submission.

ePro is the preferred submission of the Proposals; hard copies may be submitted but the electronic submission alone will satisfy the submission requirement. Either way the deadline for submission is Monday June 22 @

4:00 PM EST.

46. Will an updated RFP with the new cover page (without financials) be issued or should we use the amended/highlighted page?

The original Cover Page may be used, Financials are no longer required.

Alternatively, you may use the amended Cover Page, removing the highlights is acceptable.