Appendix B - Written Response Packet.docx

appendix b: Written Response Packet

1801 Hermitage Boulevard, Suite 210 Tallahassee, FL 32308

When completing this Written Response Packet, the Respondent should give clear, concise, and, where appropriate, quantifiable replies to all questions. The length of the Response is at the discretion of the Respondent, however, Responses are expected to be brief and to contain full and fair disclosure of essential elements without references to an appendix or attachment, unless otherwise requested.

This packet is made available in Microsoft Word on the Board’s website for ease of completion.

Please visit: https://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/board-reports/.

TAB 1: Invitation to Negotiate Acknowlegement

1801 Hermitage Boulevard, Suite 210 Tallahassee, FL 32308

This sheet and the accompanying negotiation documents constitute an offer from the Respondent to provide the services detailed in the solicitation under the contractual terms provided therein.

By completing this acknowledgment, I agree to abide by all conditions of this negotiation and certify that (1) I am authorized to sign this response and (2) that the offer complies with all requirements of the solicitation.

Respondent (Firm):

Contact Person:

Address:

Telephone:

E-Mail Address:

Authorized Signature:

Date:

Printed Name & Title:

Tab 2: Minimum Qualifications

Respondent:

The following represents minimum qualifications for any Response to this ITN. A mark in a field indicates an affirmative response to the statement as of June 30, 2025. Any Respondent that does not satisfy the criteria herein shall be rejected.

The Respondent has five years of experience within the financial services industry.

The Respondent maintains a permanent and active place of business in the state of Florida.

The Respondent has not included Going Concern language in any of the previous three annual audit reports of the Respondent’s financial statements.

The following sections represent minimum qualifications for each component of this ITN. A mark in a field indicates an affirmative response to the statement as of June 30, 2025. Any Respondent that does not satisfy the criteria of a component shall not be considered for that component.

For Advertising and Creative Services, Digital Marketing, and Social Media Services:

(Please leave blank if not responding to this component.)

The Respondent has a minimum 5 years of experience and $15M in annual billings related to these types of activities.

For Public Relations, Partnerships, and Events:

(Please leave blank if not responding to this component.)

The Respondent has a minimum 5 years of experience and $5M in annual billings related to these types of activities.

Tab 3: Organizational and Strategic Experience

Respondent:

Organization Overview

1) Please provide a 1-page summary of the organization (e.g., business history, leadership structure, and ownership).

2) Staffing

a) Briefly introduce the key personnel that would be assigned to the Board account.

b) Describe the anticipated working relationship with Respondent and Board.

c) Is the Respondent dependent upon third parties to deliver any of the services offered? If yes, explain how accountability, data security and performance quality are managed.

3) AI

a) Discuss how your organization utilizes AI to increase speed and quality of deliverables.

b) Describe how you have integrated AI into client solutions to increase customization, responsiveness, training, etc.

c) How will your organization reflect cost savings from AI utilization into the annual retainer amount?

4) How you think about strategy? What is your process to develop new strategic approaches?

5) Are there any strategic changes you would make regarding topics raised in this ITN to:

a) Prepaid Program

b) Investment Program

c) ABLE United

6) What strategic approach would your firm take regarding topics raised in this ITN for the Foundation?

Section 1.01 outlines the Foundation’s goal of becoming Florida’s one-stop partner for scholarships, with an emphasis on increasing the use of Florida 529 Plans—both Prepaid and Investment—for scholarship purposes. Please describe the strategic approach your firm would take to:

· Position the Foundation as a preferred partner for scholarship-giving organizations across Florida

· Increase awareness and adoption of Florida 529 Plans as the standard vehicle for scholarship delivery

· Drive measurable growth in 529 plan sales through Foundation-led partnerships and campaigns

7) Workflow and organization – describe project management and systems used, evaluation of processes, what tools do you use, experience with Salesforce and Marketing Cloud – and how these processes and tools contribute to high quality results.

Experience

1) Describe the Respondent’s experience delivering:

a) Innovation and differentiated solutions for clients.

b) Outcomes at scale relative to Program size and strategy, as discussed in 1.01 for context.

2) Describe the Respondent’s experience and strategic fit for the Board:

a) With D2C outreach, including financial services, public sector and disability campaigns.

b) With B2B outreach, including scholarship programs, philanthropy and corporate giving.

3) Describe the Respondent’s relevant procedural controls, including:

a) Billing clients for passthrough costs net of any discounts or commissions.

b) How ethical behavior is encouraged and how ethic policy violations are handled.

c) Ensuring security of customer data and sensitive information by the organization and subcontractors.

Regulatory Restrictions, Litigation and Conflicts of Interest

1) Please state whether or not there are any past or pending regulatory restrictions, consent orders, stipulations or litigation to which the Respondent, any subcontractor, any Related Entity of the Respondent or any subcontractor, or any of their principals, owners, directors or officers, has ever been a party that would affect its or their ability to provide the required services or which alleges any unfair, illegal or unethical business practice. If so, a detailed description of each must be provided.

2) Please state whether or not any officers, principals, owners, directors and all proposed contract employees of the Respondent or any subcontractor that will provide services related to this product have been convicted of, or have plead guilty or nolo contendere to, any felony, regardless of whether adjudication of guilt was withheld. If so, a detailed description of each incident must be included.

3) Please state whether or not any penalties, fines or liquidated damages have been imposed against the Respondent, any subcontractors or any Related Entity of the Respondent or any subcontractor, including without limitation thereto, those associated with any contract for services entered into by the Respondent, any subcontractor, or any Related Entity of the Respondent or any subcontractor, within the past five (5) years. If so, a detailed description of each such incident, including the amount of the penalty, fine, or liquidated damages imposed, must be included in the Response.

4) Please state whether or not the Respondent or any subcontractor has ever been involved in any litigation with any Qualified Tuition Plan. If so, a detailed description of each lawsuit must be provided.

5) Please state whether or not the Respondent or any Related Entity has ever been contacted by any regulatory body (federal, state or industry) regarding any potentially illegal, non-compliant, unethical or improper activities involving the Respondent, any Related Entity, or any of the employees of the Respondent or any Related Entity. If so, a detailed description must be provided that indicates whether your firm or any Related Entity conducted an investigation of those matters.

6) Please confirm that the Respondent has not been placed on the convicted vendor list and that it will comply with the provisions of s. 287.133, F.S. Section 287.133(2)(a), F.S., which provides:

A person or affiliate who has been placed on the convicted vendor list following a conviction for a public entity crime may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity; may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work; may not submit bids, proposals, or replies on leases of real property to a public entity; may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and may not transact business with any public entity in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY TWO for a period of 36 months following the date of being placed on the convicted vendor list.

7) Please confirm that the Respondent has not been placed on the discriminatory vendor list and that it will comply with the provisions of s. 287.134(2)(a), F.S. which provides that:

An entity or affiliate who has been placed on the discriminatory vendor list may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract to provide any goods or services to a public entity; may not submit a bid, proposal, or reply on a contract with a public entity for the construction or repair of a public building or public work; may not submit bids, proposals, or replies on leases of real property to a public entity; may not be awarded or perform work as a contractor, supplier, subcontractor, or consultant under a contract with any public entity; and may not transact business with any public entity.

8) Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 112, F.S., Respondents must disclose with their Response the name of any officer, director, or agent who is also an employee of the State of Florida, the Board, or any State agency. Respondents must disclose the name of any state employee who owns, directly or indirectly, interest of five percent or more in the Respondent. Respondents must disclose all investment products, annuities, mutual funds or other similar type savings plans that are marketed or sold by the Respondent or its proposed subcontractors for other states as a part of a prepaid college fund, a college savings fund, or ABLE program.

Tab 4: work EXAMPLES

Respondent:

ADVERTISING AND CREATIVE SERVICES, DIGITAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES

If the Respondent is not responding to the ADVERTISING AND CREATIVE, DIGITAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES component of this ITN, provide notation in this section indicating that the Respondent is not addressing this component.

1. Work Example: Advertising and Creative Services The Respondent shall provide an example of the Respondent’s Advertising and Creative Services via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goal(s)

· Creative strategy, why that strategy, and execution

· Media strategy and execution

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

· A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN.

The example must be recent (completed after January 1, 2022).

i. Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

ii. Relevant example for the Foundation college scholarship programs (Primarily B2B Outreach).

2. Work Examples: Digital Marketing The Respondent shall provide examples of the Respondent’s Digital Marketing experience via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

a) Provide an example of a web development project, interactive tool and/or app previously created, produced, and launched. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution (including development platform and technologies used)

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

· A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN.

b) Provide an example of an email campaign and/or CRM (customer relationship management) utilization. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution (including communication platform utilized)

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

· A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN.

The examples must be recent (completed after January 1, 2022).

i. Relevant a) and b) examples for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

ii. Relevant a) and b) examples for the Foundation college scholarship programs (Primarily B2B Outreach).

3. Work Example: Social Media Services The Respondent shall provide an example of the Respondent’s Social Media Services experience, as outlined below, via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

Provide an example of a successful social media campaign using social influencers and/or content creators. The example should include the following:

1) Situational analysis

2) Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

3) Strategy and execution

4) Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

5) A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN The example must be recent (completed after January 1, 2022).

i. Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

PUBLIC RELATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND EVENTS

If the Respondent is not responding to the PUBLIC RELATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND EVENTS component of this ITN, provide notation in this section indicating that the Respondent is not addressing this component.

1. Work Example: Public Relations The Respondent shall provide an example of the Respondent’s Public Relations experience, as outlined below, via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

Provide an example of a Public Relations project previously implemented. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

· A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN

Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

Relevant example for the Foundation college scholarship programs (Primarily B2B Outreach).

2. Work Example: Partnerships The Respondent shall provide examples of the Respondent’s Partnerships experience, as outlined below, via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN and the Board, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

Provide an example of a strategic partnership implementation. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

i. Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

3. Work Example: Community Engagement The Respondent shall provide an example of the Respondent’s Community Engagement experience, as outlined below, via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN and the Board, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

Provide an example of a successful grassroots outreach campaign or brand ambassador program implementation. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

i. Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

4. Work Example: Events The Respondent shall provide examples of the Respondent’s Events experience, as outlined below, via supplemental attachments.

The example presented should provide insight into the Respondent’s work experience related to this ITN and the Board, particularly Section 3.01 of this ITN.

Provide an example of an event (community, media, conference, etc.) implementation. The example should include the following:

· Situational analysis

· Objective(s) and/or goals(s)

· Strategy and execution

· Performance metrics (results and effectiveness relative to the objectives/goals)

· A summary detailing the relevance of the work example to this ITN.

i. Relevant example for the Prepaid, Investment and ABLE United Program (Primarily D2C Outreach).

Tab 5: Pricing Schedule

Respondent:

Respondent shall provide an annual retainer figure for each component to which they are responding using the spaces below. The annual retainer shall be inclusive of all services for the applicable component(s) listed as included in the retainer figure(s), per Section 3.01 of the ITN. All out-of-pocket expenses and other third-party vendor services shall be reimbursed at actual cost net of any discounts or commissions and excluding any markup of any nature.

The figure(s) provided for multiple components shall not be conditional upon award of multiple components. If a Respondent, who has addressed multiple components of the ITN in their response, is chosen to the shortlist for one single component, the figure provided in this section for that component shall reflect the offer.

PREPAID / INVESTMENT / ABLE UNITED

Annual Retainer Fees (leave blank if not responding to the component):

ADVERTISING AND CREATIVE SERVICES, DIGITAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICES

PUBLIC RELATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND EVENTS

Respondent may provide additional details on the annual fees in a supplemental attachment.

PREPAID / INVESTMENT / ABLE UNITED / FOUNDATION

Hourly Rates Respondent shall provide a comprehensive list of positions/roles and related hourly rates. Respondent may provide additional details on hourly rates in a supplemental attachment.