B-46748 QandA 3-25-25~1.docx

Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Request for Proposal Tourism Public Relations Firm RFP BidBuy Bid Number – B-46748 Vendor Q&A – Published 3/25/2025 *** DCEO has reviewed the timeline for this solicitation and is extending the dates for questions and the bid due date to allow all interested Vendors additional time to prepare proposals and to identify partnerships. Questions are now due no later than 4/2/2025 at 5:00 pm CST and Proposal are now due no later than 4/11/2025 at 10:00 am CST. A revised RFP Document has been attached in BidBUy and the due date has been updated in BidBuy as well. *** Vendor Questions

1. Would you allow us to just bid on the international part of the RFP?

A: No, per Section A.1. of the Tourism Public Relations Firm RFP. “The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Office of Tourism (IOT) is seeking a full-service public relations firm to work in collaboration with the Office of Tourism in the planning and execution of public relations programs and activities that promote Illinois as a business and leisure tourism destination. The public relations activities will encompass, but not be limited to, domestic and international tourism, special events management, crisis communications, reputation/brand management, media outreach and relations, management of social media and other promotional opportunities.”

2. I am writing to kindly request an extension for the deadline to submit our application for DCEO Tourism Public Relations RFP that is currently due on April 4.

A: Please See information above.

3. Does your organization have a preference for local agencies, or are you open to considering a Canadian agency with experience working with clients across the United States, including those in California, Colorado, and Wyoming?

A: DCEO would consider contracting with a Vendor outside of the United States, as long as they meet the Mandatory Requirement listed in F.3.1. “Vendor must have an established, full-service public relations office or must have the ability to create a full-service office, within a 30 mile radius office of Chicago or Springfield, Illinois within 30 days of the execution of a subsequent contract.” The awarded Vendor must have appropriate staffing for the core efforts covered under the contract which includes meetings, presentations, events, media opportunities, etc. DCEO IOT Core working hours are M-F 8:30 am-5:00 pm CST. Not everything under the resulting contract is planned out far in advance so the awarded Vendor will need to have enough people in the Illinois Office to staff appropriately. Please also note that, DCEO will not pay for international travel to meet the basic staffing needs of the contract.

4. Could you kindly provide the budget allocated for this project? Send to Lisa Link A: DCEO has provided the estimated budget for each year of the contract in the BidBuy Item Information. Please refer to the the BB Items under B-46748.

5. Is there an incumbent vendor currently managing this project, and if so, will they be participating in this RFP process?

A: Yes, there is an incumbent vendor currently (please see Pre-Bid Q&A document attached in BidBUy). Any Vendor who meets the requirements within the RFP are allowed to submit proposals in response to the solicitation. The contract will be awarded to the Vendor with the highest awarded points as outlined in the RFP. DCEO does not have information on any bidders until the Bid opening date.