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Questions and Answers for RFP 24-08
| Are you looking for an actual sample annual plan, or are you just evaluating based on cost structure and overall scope of services offered. In section 1.4, you ask for a ‘price quotation’ or does this only mean cost structure? |
| Overall scope and service would be great. We shared our ad buy budget and admin budget for this, so vendor experience and knowledge of these platforms to serve a community is what we want to know. |
Is there an incumbent firm?
If yes, who are you working with?
Yes, Chair 10 Marketing
Are any of your current tactics underperforming?
If so, have you identified, why?
Currently they’re all performing fairly well. We like to try new tactics; if they don’t work we tending to adjust and then stop if results aren’t ideal.
Are there any current tactics you’d like to see improved performance on?
If yes, which ones?
No
| Regarding Search, will the winning bidder run the campaign via South Puget Sound CC’s SEM account (MCC)? |
| Yes |
| Can you clarify the funding which reads: The overall budget for this procurement is up to 20% of total ad campaign ($175,000) for administrative fees or not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00). |
| This was not as clear as it should have been clearer. Our maximum ad buy budget is $175,00.00, though we man not spend it all. The maximum for the procurement budget for fees/costs outside of ad buy is $25,000.00. |
| Is the $25,000 the procurement budget or would it be up to 20% of $175,000 = $35,000? |
| Yes, $25,000 is the procurement budget and not the 20% of the $175,000 |
| Can we confirm the RFP submission deadline? Page 5 of ‘2.3 Submission of Proposals’ notes “The proposal must be received by the RFP Coordinator no later than 4:30 p.m., Pacific Standard Time on 4/29/2024” whereas the cover page states a deadline of 1pm Pacific Time. |
| The deadline is April 29th, 2024 at 1 pm Pacific Time |
| The questions for this RFP differ between those in Section 1.4 on page 3 and those listed in Section 3.2 on page 10. Please can you confirm which ones are to be responded to? |
| The respond to the information in Section 1.4 |
| Can you confirm if you anticipate there being a pitch or clarifications meeting, as part of your schedule of procurement activities? |
| No pitch meeting. Please include in your bid. You can ask further clarifying questions via email. |
| Can you kindly advise what your hero courses are? Are there any specific courses that campaigns should focus on? |
| We don’t promote courses, and rarely an individual program in this work. This is general college marketing / prospecting via digital platforms to a few target audiences. |
| Why have you decided to tender for this opportunity now? Can you confirm what the trigger was e.g. new budget/marketing initiative or a contract coming to an end with the incumbent agency/agencies? |
| We don’t promote courses, and rarely an individual program in this work. This is general college marketing / prospecting via digital platforms to a few target audiences. |
| Are you able to confirm who your incumbent agency is, how many agencies you work with and whether they will be tendering for this opportunity? In addition, it would be good to understand if the successful agency in this tender will be working with any of your existing third parties/agencies. |
| We currently have a contract with Chair 10 Marketing. We are not at liberty to disclose whether or not a vendor would be a part of the solicitation responses. |
Additionally, each contract is separate and independent based on the needs of the solicitation.
| Can you please divulge any specific goals/targets for your advertising campaigns e.g. a defined number of enrollments. Would you also be able to confirm what your recruitment targets are for the next 1-3 years? |
| One primary goal is to garner info request form completions, which feed our CRM. We typically have a goal of 1,200 per year. There are additional goals for sub campaigns we will discuss with winning bidder. |
| Who would you consider to be your top 5 competitors? |
| This is a tough question; we’re the only community college in our service area so we don’t have a direct competitor. We kind of compete with nearby CCs in adjacent counties and the 4-year institutions in town, but not really: The Evergreen State College, Saint Martin’s University, Centralia College, Pierce College, Tacoma Community College |
| What CRM does SPSCC currently use to manage activity? |
| Radius by Campus Management until Feb. 2025; then moving to another vendor we’re working to select now. |
| Is there an incumbent agency for this type of work? |
| Yes |
| We do not invoice at an hourly rate. Will you accept proposals with rates based on quantity and duration of media buy? |
| You can present your quote based on your needs. Since the process is scored and the quote is one of the definitive factors in the score, we will have to use your quote and come up an hourly rate in order to compare your quote to other proposals. |
| What platforms have you used in the past? |
| All of those listed; OTT was managed through Choozle platform. |
| In section 1.2.1 you mention various social media platforms. Do you want the proposal to include all of those or use our best practices and judgement for recommendations? |
| Use your best judgement at this point. We will explore more fine details with winning bidder. These are platforms we’ve used in the past and may use in the future; we expect the vendor to be experts in to help guide us. |
| Does the SPSCC Communications team have predetermined priority platforms among those listed, that will be a primary focus of this investment? And if so, which are the top two? |
| All of those listed; OTT was managed through Choozle platform. |
| Will there be partnership consideration with a vendor that specializes in specific digital platforms vs all? |
| No, we plan to use the platforms listed in the RFP. |
| Would SPSCC consider using more than the $175,000 for the ad campaign, provided the combination of the campaign and management fees still do not exceed the total of $200,000. |
| We have an approved budget that will not exceed $175,000 |
| Would you like an actual sample annual plan, or are you solely evaluating based on cost structure and overall scope of services offered. In section 1.4, you metion ‘price quotation’ but it reads like a request for us to outline our cost structure. |
| Overall scope and service would be great. We shared our ad buy budget and admin budget for this, so vendor experience and knowledge of these platforms to serve a community is what we want to know. |
| If you would like to see a plan outlined – could you provide more detail on your audiences, overall goals, previous challenges or successes, and list sizes? |
| Not necessary except with winning bidder |
| You mention ‘administrative costs’ can’t exceed $25K. Can you define what you mean by ‘administrative fees’? |
| Any fees or costs outside of ad buys; essentially cost of vendor to setup, manage, update ad creative/copy, meet regularly with us, etc. |
| Proposal documents: Please provide us with the official RFP document, including all relevant details and requirements. |
| The official documents can be found on Washington’s Electronic Business Solution website that can be accessed by visiting https://des.wa.gov/sell/bid-opportunities |
| Submission Method: Could you please clarify the preferred method for submission? Whether it’s via email, an online portal, or physical delivery, we want to ensure compliance with your guidelines. |
| Preferred method is via email. The proposal and all necessary documents must be submitted in a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file as an attachment. |
| Is there a page limit for proposals for RFP PR24-08? |
| No, there isn’t a page limit |
| Is there a particular goal metric you're looking to hit with this ad campaign? (ie, "We need the ad campaign to drive X number of application-submission"etc.) |
| There is not just one campaign or goal. |
Each year for the past 5 years, we’ve hit approximately 1,200 “request info form submissions”.
While that one metric, but there are various goals, campaigns, and audiences in our Integrated Media & Marketing Plan.
| Does te $25,000 administrative cost include creative as well as strategy, planning meetings, project management and media planning? Or can some of the creative development come out of the $150K? |
| We do not need help with Creative. We have a creative team to do this. |
$25K admin is the budget to include any onboarding, strategy, planning, vendor work time, and monthly meetings. The $150K is strictly for ad buys.