Midwest Tree Selection publication - Scope of Work.pdf

State of Illinois Chief Procurement Office for General Services Contract

1. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES

1.1. GOAL:

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forest Resources (IDNR) seeks an experienced marketing-communications contractor with demonstrated expertise in promoting urban and residential tree selection, tree planting, tree care, tree preservation, and community sustainability to Illinois local government officials and residents in printed publication format, to lead the development of a professional and technically correct Midwest tree selection, planting and care publication that includes easy to understand tree selection, planting and care illustrations and guidelines as well as promotes sustainable tree preservation and community practices that benefit local neighborhoods.

1.2. SUPPLIES AND/OR SERVICES REQUIRED:

The contractor shall provide a bid price to complete this project by the stated completion date. The contractor will research, plan, and develop a full-color, professionally designed publication focused on the selection, planting, and care of trees suitable for the Midwest, with an emphasis on Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. The publication shall include written guidelines, charts, graphics, and original botanical illustrations to assist residents in selecting, planting, and caring for trees in an urban environment. The publication should also include a tree poster featuring 29 botanical illustrations of preselected trees, with leaf, flower, fruit, or bark details. The publication shall be designed with web use in mind so that the entire document, or portions thereof, may be readily converted into web page content. The publication shall include:

• information and illustrations about planning for proper tree selection, which includes consideration for purpose, seasons, site, and space.

• Illustrations and guidelines on how to select a new tree

• Common tree selection and planting mistakes to avoid

• Instructions and color illustrations on how to properly plant a tree

• Instructions on proper watering and year-round care of a young tree

• Guidelines and illustrations on proper pruning of young trees

• Tree species table that includes common and scientific names, mature height and spread, growth rate, preferred planting season, and other helpful information such as desirable features, adaptability, and other considerations of 29 preselected trees

• Illustration of Tree Heights of each tree included in the publication

• List of Editing team names and appropriate (State DNR Agency) logos.

Contractor is responsible for managing, developing, and producing all required components for a print-ready publication, including research, content creation, graphic design, illustration, editing, and layout. All creative content shall be vetted, revised when requested, and approved by IDNR staff, Mike Brunk, before any production.

Contractor must provide high-resolution digital files for the entire publication, each illustration, and each publication page. Contractor shall be available to meet bi-monthly in person with IDNR staff, Mike Brunk (Springfield, Illinois). The multi-state editing team for proofing the work will be secured/provided by IDNR.

For procurements conducted in BidBuy, the State may include the BidBuy Purchase.

Order in this contract, as it contains the agreed-upon Supplies and/or Services.

1.3. MILESTONES AND DELIVERABLES: Start date – March 16, 2026; Completion date –

December 31, 2027. Final products are to be provided via Google Drive or other readily accessible cloud-based storage before the completion date. Please provide a bid/cost to produce the final products listed below:

1. High-quality, professionally designed, print-ready multi-page publication that includes a poster with 29 botanical tree illustrations that include an enlarged leaf and either flower, fruit, or bark details. High-resolution digital files required. Seven copies (one for each state) of a printed digital proof of the entire publication will be required upon completion of the work.

1.4. VENDOR/ STAFF SPECIFICATIONS:

Contractor must have proven experience working with and providing marketing guidance to forestry/arborist professionals in government and professional forestry or arborist associations through the creation of educational and promotional materials related to urban forestry programming, management, tree preservation, tree planting/care, and tree by-product recycling practices. Experience with publication development, production management, writing, editing, design/graphics, botanical illustration, and web page development is required. To verify this experience, the Contractor must provide:

- two examples of fully completed full-color urban forestry-related publications that the bidding contractor created for local or state government, which illustrate the contractor’s professional ability in publication layout, writing, editing, design/graphics, and botanical illustration, and the technical and grammatical correctness, appeal, and readability of the publication

- The contractor must provide one example of web page development including content and graphics which illustrate the contractor’s technical and grammatical correctness, creativity, and understanding of web page development and function

- two examples of full color botanical tree illustrations with leaf and fruit/flower details, demonstrating contractor’s technical accuracy and attention to species detail

- two urban forestry program-related references, one government, one professional forestry/arboriculture association, including name, valid phone number, email, and physical mailing address that can substantiate the contractor's experience in providing marketing guidance related to urban forestry

1.5. TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY:

Final print-ready products must be Adobe-compatible files and delivered via Google Drive or another easily accessible cloud storage service.

The IDNR Division of Forest Resources can be invoiced monthly throughout the project and must be promptly invoiced upon completion of the work, no later than December 31, 2027. All invoices for this contract shall be emailed to Michael Brunk at michael.brunk@illinois.gov.

1.6. SUBCONTRACTING

Subcontractors are allowed. However, subcontractors cannot be used to meet the contractor specifications noted above.

mailto:michael.brunk@illinois.gov

1. DESCRIPTION OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES