REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Notice to Prospective Proposers

February 24, 2026

You are invited to review and respond to this Request for Proposal (RFP), entitled California Brand Campaign. In submitting your proposal, you must comply with these instructions.

Note all agreements entered into with the State of California will include reference to General Terms and Conditions and Contractor Certification Clauses that may be viewed and downloaded here: https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page- Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract- Language?search=general%20terms

In the opinion of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO- Biz), this RFP is complete and without need of explanation. However, if you have questions, or should you need any clarifying information, please submit your questions to the email shown below. Answers to all questions will be compiled and posted for all potential bidders.

Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development 1325 J Street, Suite 1800 Sacramento, CA 95814

GO-Biz.BSU@gobiz.ca.gov

Opening Date: February 24, 2026

Closing Date: March 13, 2026, by 5:00 PM PST

Last Updated: March 6, 2026 Proposals submitted after the stipulated deadline will be rejected without being evaluated with no exceptions.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language?search=general%20terms https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language?search=general%20terms https://www.dgs.ca.gov/OLS/Resources/Page-Content/Office-of-Legal-Services-Resources-List-Folder/Standard-Contract-Language?search=general%20terms mailto:GO-Biz.BSU@gobiz.ca.gov

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT GO-BIZ

PURPOSE AND COMPANY EXPERTISE REQUIREMENTS

CONTRACT TERM

AVAILABLE FUNDS

EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

TENTATIVE RFP SCHEDULE

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

QUESTIONS

BUDGET FORM

OTHER MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

PROGRAM CONTEXT

CONTENT OF PROPOSAL

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

PERSONNEL AND MANAGEMENT

SUBCONTRACTORS

SCOPE OF WORK

DESIRED DELIVERABLES

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

AWARD AND PROTEST

PUBLIC RECORDS ACT

GENAI DISCLOSURE

INTRODUCTION

For 175 years, California has been a marvel of invention and reinvention, disaster and recovery, grit and ingenuity. We have found a way to build the future, over and over.

Today, we’re home to the world’s fourth largest economy. More Americans than any other state. Culture, food, music, movies, AI, biotech, quantum computing, agriculture — it all happens here first.

Because we don’t run from change, we drive it.

California has never been about perfection. It’s about persistence. The courage of our convictions and the strength to embody them. That’s the California Way.

But some look at this state and try to tear down our progress. They attack our values and caricature our culture. They distort the data to diminish our accomplishments.

But we know the truth: California’s success is not by chance — it’s by design. Our diverse workforce and entrepreneurial culture fuel innovation and resilience, while our ports, infrastructure, and global ties open doors to domestic and international markets and to visitors from around the country and around the world. The biggest manufacturing economy: constructed here. The most productive agricultural economy: grown here. Eighteen percent of the world’s R&D: invested here. Half of our nation’s unicorns — $1 billion startups: headquartered here. The greatest system of public higher education anywhere.

That’s the real California story. And that’s the story we’re going to tell.

About GO-Biz

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts.

GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more.

PURPOSE AND COMPANY EXPERTISE REQUIREMENTS

California is an economic powerhouse and unmatched tourism destination that is widely regarded as the world’s epicenter of innovation, but that reality is often obscured by negative narratives amplified online and in partisan media. These portrayals frequently oversimplify complex issues, dismiss major successes, and ignore fundamental economic facts. At a time when misinformation distorts public understanding, California’s economic narrative must be anchored in truth and supported by clear, data-backed storytelling that underscores the state’s enduring strengths. GO-Biz is seeking a creative and innovative partner to execute a thoughtful, data-driven brand campaign designed to:

• Highlight California’s economic dominance and innovative spirit;

• Reaffirm California’s overall value proposition and dispel myths driven by misinformation and political rhetoric;

• Reinforce California’s position California as the most sought after tourism destination in the country, particularly ahead of major global sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

• Showcase California’s vibrant, diverse business community, including our small business ecosystem;

• Remind audiences that California is a world-class place for business investment, relocation, and expansion;

• Align with the State of California’s mission to foster inclusive economic growth and opportunity for all; and

• Illustrate the many benefits of both living and working in California, complete with all the natural beauty the state has to offer.

The selected proposal will deliver a cohesive campaign, one that includes website design and development, digital content creation, video production, and both earned and paid media strategies.

We want this initiative to inspire trust and enthusiasm among our key audiences, which include:

• Investors, entrepreneurs, and small business owners;

• Corporate decision-makers;

• Key industry associations and trade groups within both tourism and economic development;

• Local elected officials;

• Regional leaders within the business community (economic development organizations, etc.); and,

• Top tier national, state-wide media outlets, along with influencers who hold credible sway in the tourism and economic development circles.

As a result of targeting the above audiences correctly, we aim to reach the broader California and American public – including both residents and visitors - with our campaign creative and messaging.

CONTRACT TERM

The overall term of this engagement is intended to conclude by December 31, 2026. Within the given contract term, we seek your recommendations on reasonable milestones and target dates for project deliverables based on this scope of work.

AVAILABLE FUNDS

We are seeking quality, cost-effective services. Subject to and contingent upon appropriation of funding, GO-Biz will fund the contract(s) up to $19M (USD), inclusive of all agency fees, travel and production costs. Of this total, up to $14M (USD) is designated for paid media placements (ad-serving fees and working media only, exclusive of agency fees and production costs). For each section answered, please indicate what percentage of the budget (Template available on CaleProcure) you plan to allocate for that section. GO-Biz reserves the right to adjust both the budget and related services. The budget for this RFP shall be made in U.S. dollars.

EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

Responses to this RFP will first be reviewed for responsiveness to the requirements outlined in this RFP. If a response is lacking any information required in those areas listed, it may be deemed non-responsive. All proposals and attachments must be submitted in one email. Each attachment must be labeled. No late submissions will be accepted. Further review is subject to GO-Biz’s discretion.

GO-Biz staff may at any time during the evaluation process seek clarification from proposers regarding any information contained within their proposal. Any attempt by a proposer to contact GO-Biz or other relevant staff outside the RFP process to gain knowledge or an advantage, may result in disqualification of Proposer.

Proposals will be evaluated by individuals in a committee. The committee will evaluate each proposal and score each proposal individually using the scoring criteria in Attachment A. Proposals will be considered for their merits in accordance with the Scope of Work.

Bidders must score enough technical points (non-budget/cost) to advance in the evaluation phase and be eligible for invitation to any applicable interview or presentation phase. The top finalists will be asked to interview with GO-Biz staff and other relevant parties as determined by GO-Biz. All proposers and key team members working on the account should ensure they are available for the interviews. All key personnel performing day to day activities will be requested to attend.

TENTATIVE RFP SCHEDULE

The tentative schedule below may be altered at any time at GO-Biz’s discretion.

DEADLINE RFP Event

Feb. 24, 2026 Release of RFP

Feb. 24 – March 4, 2026 Question and answer period

March 4, 2026 Answers to questions posted on website

March 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM PST Deadline for agencies to submit complete proposal

Weeks of March 16 and 23, 2026

Interviews (as appropriate)

March 30 – April 3, 2026 Notice of Intent to Award posted to Cal eProcure

April 6, 2026 Anticipated contract commencement date

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Questions

All proposers wishing clarification of this RFP must submit questions via email to: GO- Biz.BSU@gobiz.ca.gov by the date and time referenced in the tentative RFP schedule.

Budget Form

A complete Budget Form (Template available on CaleProcure) must be included, in the excel file format provided with this RFP, and must include all requested budget line items before submission. All costs associated with the Scope of Work must be included in the format provided in U.S. dollars. Costs for developing proposals are entirely the responsibility of the proposer and shall not be reimbursed by GO-Biz. All proposers agree that budget costs submitted with their proposals are valid for the contract duration.

Small Business Incentive Program

Current law encourages state departments to first consider a California-certified small business (SB) and microbusiness (MB) for contracting opportunities. The State of California is committed to supporting SB and MB participation in state contracting and seeks to use certified SBs and MBs whenever possible.

In accordance with GC Section 14835, et seq., certified small businesses and microbusinesses are encouraged to apply and can claim a five percent (5%) preference when submitting a bid on a state contract. A non-small business may receive a preference of five percent (5%) if the business commits to subcontracting at least twenty-five percent (25%) of its net bid price with one or more small businesses or microbusinesses. If the proposer is a non-small business, please note that subcontracting with a DGS-certified small business is mandatory for this contract. If the SB subcontracting percentage is less than 25% then the preference will not apply.

A) The SB preference provides certified SBs and MBs a calculation preference in the amount of five percent (5%) of the highest scored, responsible, and responsive proposal submitted by a proposing firm who is not a certified small business.

B) The five percent (5%) preference is used only for computation purposes, to determine the winning bidder and does not alter the amounts of the resulting contract. A contract awarded on the basis of the five percent (5%) preference is awarded to the small business or non-small business for the actual amount of its bid.

A complete copy of the firm’s current Small Business certification with the Department of General Services (DGS) must also accompany the response.

Helpful resources pertaining to the small business program may be found here:

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion- List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business

Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) Incentive Program

Prime contractors, with the exception of a certified Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE), who subcontract work to DVBEs a minimum of five percent (5%) of its net bid price to meet the DVBE participation goal will receive a five percent (5%) preference during the evaluation.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion-List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion-List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business

In accordance with section 999.5(a) of the Military and Veterans Code, an incentive will be given to bidders who meet or exceed the DVBE program requirement. For evaluation purposes only, the State shall apply an incentive to bids that propose California-certified DVBE participation as identified on the Bidder Declaration and confirmed by the State. A five percent (5%) preference will be given. A contract awarded on the basis of the five percent (5%) preference is awarded to the DVBE for the actual amount of its bid.

A complete copy or a link to the firm’s current DVBE certification with the Department of General Services (DGS) must also accompany the response.

Helpful resources pertaining to the DVBE program may be found here:

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion- List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business

Vendor Forms

Please include the completed vendor forms and submit with your proposal. Blank copies of the required forms will be included in the solicitation documents. The necessary forms are as follows:

• STD 204 – Payee Data Record

• STD 21 – Drug Free Workplace Certification

• CCC – Contractor Certification Clauses

• Darfur

• Bidder Declaration

Other Minimum Requirements

GO-Biz seeks a partner with the following minimum experience:

• Proven experience in developing large-scale (i.e. statewide and/or nation-wide) brand campaigns;

• Experience in communicating on issues tied to economic development, business attraction, tourism or community investment;

• Proven track record of securing earned media placements in Tier 1 outlets;

• Demonstrable, successful results from paid media programs, executed at a regional or statewide level; and,

• Dedicated staff or teams capable of producing innovative, high-quality digital content, including original video content.

All proposals submitted shall become the property of GO-Biz, will be made part of GO-Biz’s procurement contract file, and shall not be returned to the applicant.

https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion-List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business https://www.dgs.ca.gov/PD/About/Page-Content/PD-Branch-Intro-Accordion-List/OSDS/OSDS?search=small%20business

GO-Biz also reserves the right to:

• Adjust the RFP timeline;

• Award all, part, or none of this RFP to any number of proposers;

• Reject any and all bids;

• Waive any or all mandatory requirements if no proposers meet one or more of the requirements;

• Cancel this RFP;

• Revise the amount of funds available under this RFP;

• Amend this RFP as needed; and

• Not select a vendor or award a contract from this RFP.

All amendments will be posted on Cal eProcure. Each proposer is advised to check for amendments periodically, particularly if the proposer downloaded the RFP as the proposer will not automatically receive amendments. The Notice of Intent to Award will post to Cal eProcure and remain posted for five (5) business days.

Data Ownership and Governance

By responding to this RFP, proposers acknowledge and agree to the following mandatory stipulations governing all data and digital assets generated or handled under this contract.

• GO-Biz Ownership: GO-Biz shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all campaign creative content, as well as all raw, log-level, and derived data generated through this program, including audience segments, campaign performance files, and all historical reporting data.

• Data Portability: The proposer must guarantee GO-Biz full access and unlimited export rights to all campaign data in a standard, machine-readable format.

• Data Fencing: The proposer must certify that GO-Biz and related State of California data will be strictly segregated and will not be co-mingled, used, or monetized to benefit any other client or third party.

• Security & Privacy: Proposer must agree to abide by all applicable California state security standards and global data privacy regulations (e.g., CCPA, GDPR, PIPL) as applicable.

PROGRAM CONTEXT

GO-Biz is seeking a creative and innovative partner to execute a data-driven brand campaign designed to highlight California’s global economic leadership and key business advantages. The campaign should explicitly connect to the state’s mission to drive inclusive economic growth and good-paying jobs in California. The campaign should also position California as an unparalleled location for investment, relocation, and business expansion, along with tourist visitation, leveraging compelling data, imagery, video and other creative assets to reach key decision-makers who drive business investment decisions at the highest levels within the state.

Key outcomes of this effort should include, but may not be limited to:

• Improved public sentiment and brand perception, using a combination of social listening and media analysis tied to campaign messaging and media flights;

• Substantial message pull-through and positive tone in earned media, including the recurrence of priority narratives and the quality of coverage during and following campaign launch; and

• Enhancing business recruitment and retention efforts, further solidifying California as the epicenter of global innovation.

In an era of misinformation, the prevailing narrative about California’s business and economic climate should be grounded in truth, driven by fact-based, data-backed storytelling that highlights the state’s undeniable strengths. We expect partner(s) to demonstrate skill and ability in modern brand, media, and creative performance reporting, as well as in connecting performance KPIs to brand-level goals and outcomes.

CONTENT OF PROPOSAL

Your proposal should be based on a timeline of activities that showcase your firm’s ability to design, create and execute creative content as quickly as possible, while maintaining the highest standards in quality of execution. Each proposer must include a complete and detailed discussion, in a narrative format, for each of the items listed in the sections below. The discussion of these items will be used to evaluate the proposer’s qualifications for effectively delivering the requirements outlined within this RFP. Your discussion should include the details and strategies of how you intend to accomplish the tasks involved, your experience in accomplishing those tasks, estimated timeframes for accomplishing those tasks (with an emphasis on efficiency and demonstrated ability to execute under the contract terms), an implementation schedule, and any deliverables you may provide that will be derived from those tasks. In addition, you should also include a discussion of any relevant managerial experience, examples of any relevant past projects that demonstrate your skills and qualifications, and any other relevant information and evidence to support your skills and qualifications for successfully executing this scope of work and meeting our objectives.

Services and Activities

• Provide a letter of interest and an executive summary of the proposal.

• Provide a description of the nature of the proposer’s services and activities.

• Provide the year in which the company was formed.

• Provide agency ownership detail (i.e., if relevant, name the holding company, agency network, or owners, including any private equity with controlling interest or significant minority share).

• Note the company’s history and expertise as it pertains to this RFP, including relevant case studies.

• Note your company’s global reach.

• List the address from which the primary work on the contract would be performed (if applicable).

• List the size of the organization by headcount.

• List the number of full-time and part-time employees. Do not list any subcontractors in this section.

• Provide a current and past client list.

Conflict of Interest

The proposer must certify that there is no conflict of Interest between any existing contracts. Client relationships that could potentially be a conflict of interest must be listed together with a discussion of how the Proposer will resolve the potential conflict of interest and receive approval from other clients, if needed, prior to the interviews.

Personnel and Management

The proposer shall identify:

• The contract manager for this work; and,

• The individuals conducting the day-to-day work.

For all individuals assigned to this contract, please provide:

• Current resumes/curriculum vitae (CV) demonstrating qualifications related to this RFP. Include the length of time with the agency, as well as length of time in the industry; and,

• Provide an organizational chart for the management and staff that will be assigned to this account.

Subcontractors

The proposer should identify all proposed subcontractors. For each subcontractor:

• Document which portions of service will be performance by subcontractor;

• Describe their ability to perform the work;

• Provide the name and background of their company, if applicable; and,

• Submit resumes of the proposed subcontractor’s key personnel, including those conducting day-to-day work.

Scope of Work

GO-Biz seeks a comprehensive response from potential agency partners that demonstrates your expertise, vision, and unique value proposition to help us accomplish the campaign goals.

In your proposal, we want you to:

• Showcase Your Agency's Strengths: Highlight what makes your agency stand out in the realm of the chosen section(s). Demonstrate your expertise through relevant case studies, innovative approaches, and measurable results.

• Evaluate Our Current Position: Provide your assessment of California’s current brand position. What are we doing well? Where do you see opportunities for improvement in terms of our broader public perception?

• Present Your Vision: How would you communicate the California brand?

Outline your approach to creating a more efficient, effective, and user-centric content ecosystem for the state’s economic development and visitation efforts.

• Make Your Case: Why is your agency the best partner for the State of California? Explain how your unique capabilities, ability to quickly develop and launch high-impact campaigns, experience in economic messaging, tourism promotion, brand strategy, and innovative methodologies make you the ideal choice to elevate our positioning?

• Illustrate Your California Connection: Outline how your agency embraces the culture of California and your depth of expertise within the state.

• Demonstrate Your Integrated Approach for brand, media, and creative services. Include a brief summary outlining agency philosophy on cross-team / cross-agency collaboration. Consider the possibilities within the brand advertising agency ecosystem—including brand strategy, creative strategy and production, and media strategy and implementation.

• Articulate Your Measurement Approach: Outline how your agency plans to measure the success of the campaign against key performance indicators (KPIs), and how you plan to track and report frequency.

We encourage you to be creative in your response and present bold ideas that demonstrate your agency’s thought leadership and strategic vision. The selected partner(s) will be responsible for developing and implementing data-driven, innovative brand, media and creative strategies and implementation across multiple platforms and markets. Ultimately, we're looking for a partner who can bring fresh perspectives, measurable results, and a collaborative approach.

Desired Deliverables

1. Market Research and Leadership Discussions: The proposer will need to conduct limited market research, including researching other national/statewide/local economic development campaigns to help inform creative and message development. The proposer will also lead internal discussions with key members of GO-Biz staff to learn more directly about campaign goals and audiences as part of the kick-off phase of the project.

2. Audience Mapping and Media Plan: Conduct a comprehensive audit of key audiences (as outlined above), including online audience segments, to identify where and how business, economic, and other thought leaders engage digitally and identify the types of messaging that resonates with these thought leaders. Create detailed profiles for key audience segments and the right messages, content, channels and forums to engage. Develop a targeted branding and media plan that identifies tailored content and builds trust across these audiences.

3. Narrative and Message Development: Leverage audience mapping, data, and other research to work with the GO-Biz team to develop an overarching narrative and key messages for the campaign. Narrative should support the state’s overarching business development and public engagement efforts that aim to drive economic growth, innovation, and visitation.

4. Digital Content Creation, Ad Development and Distribution: Execute creative strategy and production, and disseminate content – including paid, social, and any other digital content. The proposer shall also provide overarching direction and the necessary accompanying assets for applying the creative content to select state social media accounts and websites, at external events like trade shows, and other relevant forums as applicable. Additionally, create a strategy for developing and deploying video content. Video content can be short-form (optimized for social media), long-form anchor videos (designed for owned state channels, presentations, or events) and industry-specific highlight reels (e.g. life sciences, tech, innovation).

5. Earned Media Engagement: Develop a robust strategy around earned media, complete with targets in top-tier statewide and national outlets. Consider how different outlets should be engaged at different moments throughout the campaign, ensuring there is a steady drumbeat of coverage throughout.

Identify and prepare a roster trusted messengers with key talking points to support the rollout and ongoing execution of the campaign.

6. Campaign Tracking and Reporting: Closely track and report out on key campaign metrics, specifically tied to any paid and earned media placements. Prepare regular, executive-level reports for key stakeholders, including GO-Biz and Governor’s Office leadership.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

It is the proposer’s responsibility to provide all necessary information for GO-Biz to evaluate the response, verify requested information, and determine the proposer’s ability to perform the tasks and activities defined in the Scope of Work.

• Formatting Requirements o Font must be Arial or Calibri, minimum 12-point size o Standard page size must be 8.5 x 11 inches o Pages must be sequentially numbered within each section o Proposals must be submitted as a single PDF file.

That single PDF file should include all resumes, any organization charts, required vendor forms, and small business and DVBE certification materials.

o The Budget Excel Template must be submitted as a separate Excel document (available on CaleProcure)

• Page Limitation o The proposal narrative is limited to 25 pages o The following items do NOT count toward the 25-page limit:

Budget Excel Template Required vendor forms (must be in the Appendix) Resumes/CV (prime and subcontractors) Organizational charts Small Business Certification, DVBE Certification. Etc.

The proposer must submit their response electronically to the department contact name and email address indicated on the cover sheet of this RFP.

Proposers must email all required materials to GO-Biz.BSU@gobiz.ca.gov no later than Friday, March 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM PST. No mailed/hard copy submittals will be accepted. No late proposals will be accepted or considered under any circumstances. It is recommended that you submit your proposal in advance of final deadline to receive a confirmation of receipt.

Plagiarism, including but not limited to taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own, and failure to cite someone else’s work or ideas, is prohibited and is grounds for disqualification. Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools to complete any portion of an application, without citation, may be considered plagiarism and may also be grounds for disqualification.

AWARD AND PROTEST

a) A contract award may not be made until GO-Biz posts a notice of the proposed contract award in a place accessible by the general public, including any Internet site identified in the RFP for at least five working days prior to awarding the contract. (PCC § 10345(b).)

A. Inspection of bids is required as follows:

1. All proposals and all evaluation and scoring sheets shall be available for public inspection at the conclusion of the committee scoring process.

(PCC § 10344(c)(2).)

B. There are time limits in which to file a protest. A protest must be filed with GO- Biz GO-Biz.BSU@gobiz.ca.gov and DGS OLSProtests@dgs.ca.gov after notice of intent to award the contract, if notice was required, but before the actual award. (PCC § 10345.)

C. Once a protest is filed, the contract may not be awarded until the protest is withdrawn or DGS has rendered a decision. (PCC §§ 10345(a)(2), 10345(b)(1).)

D. After filing a protest, the protestant has five (5) calendar days to file a detailed written statement of the protest grounds if the original protest did not contain the complete grounds for the protest. (PCC §§ 10345(a)3), 10345(b)(2).)

E. Upon receipt of a protest, DGS/OLS:

1. Sends the protestant an acknowledgment letter which includes copies of the protest statutes and regulations and informs the protestant that it must submit a full and complete statement specifying grounds of protest within five calendar days of filing of the notice of protest.

2. Requests information on a designated form from GO-Biz regarding the agency contact person and other administrative details. GO-Biz will complete and return the form to DGS/OLS within 24 hours. In addition, if GO-Biz is aware of any reason that the protest should not go forward, this would be communicated to DGS/OLS at this time. (See SCM 1, section 6.03).

3. Reviews the protest to determine whether DGS has jurisdiction. If DGS does not have jurisdiction, DGS/OLS issues a written notice of dismissal.

4. Assigns a Hearing Officer to the protest if DGS has jurisdiction. The Hearing Officer determines whether the protest will be resolved by written submission or public oral hearing.

mailto:OLSProtests@dgs.ca.gov

a. Written Submission Process: DGS/OLS sends a Hearing Notice to all interested parties, setting the due date for written submissions.

b. Oral Hearing Process: DGS/OLS sends a Hearing Notice to all interested parties of the date, time and place of the hearing at least five (5) calendar days before the hearing date. The Hearing Notice will also include a due date for written submissions. DGS/OLS will arrange for the hearing to be recorded.

Public Records Act

By submitting an application, the Respondent acknowledges that GO-Biz is subject to the California Public Records Act (PRA) (Government Code section

7920.000 et. seq.). Consequently, materials submitted by the Respondent to GO- Biz may be subject to disclosure pursuant to a PRA request. In the event that records of the Respondent are requested, GO-Biz will notify the Respondent, as soon as practicable, that a PRA request for the Respondent’s information has been received, but not less than five (5) business days prior to the release of the requested information, to allow the Respondent to seek an injunction. GO-Biz will work in good faith with the Respondent to protect any confidential information to the extent an exemption is provided by law.

GenAI DISCLOSURE

The State of California seeks to realize the potential benefits of GenAI, through the development and deployment of GenAI tools, while balancing the risks of these new technologies.

Bidder / Offeror must notify the State in writing if it: (1) intends to provide GenAI as a deliverable to the State; or (2), intends to utilize GenAI, including GenAI from third parties, to complete all or a portion of any deliverable that materially impacts: (i) functionality of a State system, (ii) risk to the State, or (iii) Contract performance. For avoidance of doubt, the term “materially impacts” shall have the meaning set forth in State Administrative Manual (SAM) § 4986.2 Definitions for GenAI.

Failure to report GenAI to the State may result in disqualification. The State reserves the right to seek any and all relief to which it may be entitled to as a result of such non-disclosure.

Upon notification by a Bidder / Offeror of GenAI as required, the State reserves the right to incorporate GenAI Special Provisions into the final contract or reject bids/offers that present an unacceptable level of risk to the State.

Government Code 11549.64 defines “Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)” as an artificial intelligence system that can generate derived synthetic content, including text, images, video, and audio that emulates the structure and characteristics of the system’s training data.

ATTACHMENT A – SCORING CRITERIA

Please note: the high-scoring proposals will thoroughly and thoughtfully address each piece of criteria listed below, while moderate-scoring proposals will address only some and the lowest-scoring proposals will address an insufficient number of them.

Criteria Description Available Points

Agency Experience and Expertise

• Overall experience of the firm

• Relevant case studies and measurable results

• Experience and qualifications of key team members

• Relevant expertise of any subcontractors

• Experience in economic development and tourism

• Relevant expertise in California’s economy and major industries

• Ability to execute campaigns under tight timeframes and with speed

Understanding of California Economy

• Demonstrated understanding of California’s economic strengths and unique culture

• Clear understanding of the state’s economic development, visitation, and business expansion objectives

• Evaluation of current brand strategy and identification of improvement opportunities

Strategic Vision, Brand Strategy & Narrative Development

• Innovative vision for showcasing California’s assets, economic power, and influence

• Clear, actionable plan

• Campaign architecture and enablement

• Compelling messaging development and consistency of stakeholder narrative

Creative and Media Strategies and Production

• Creative excellence

• Exercises agility and ability to create dynamic and modular content that can be customized for diverse audiences and platforms

• Earned and paid media strategies and tactics

• Advanced audience approach, mapping, and planning across media channels

Data and Measurement

• Thoughtful measurement approach

• Strategic insights and analysis capabilities

• Test and learn approach and applied practice

• Optimization approach and applied practice

Budget, Cost Effectiveness and Value

• Reasonableness of proposed budget

• Value of services in relation to costs

• Innovative approaches to maximizing ROI

When scoring a proposal, cost/value effectiveness and cost adequacy may be judged, evaluated and awarded points as part of the technical score, but this must be in addition to cost points. GO-Biz will use the suggested formula in SCM Vol 1, 5.25, B to calculate points for cost.

Overall Proposal Quality & Project Speed

• Speed and efficiency in overall project timeline

• Clarity and organization of proposal

• Thoughtfulness and detail in addressing RFP requirements

• Creativity and ingenuity of proposed solutions

TOTAL SCORE 100

ATTACHMENT B – BUDGET FORM

Access Excel template at Comments and Attachments https://caleprocure.ca.gov/pages/Events-BS3/event-bid-comments.aspx

GenAI DISCLOSURE