RFP-CTR-Videos-2025.pdf

Advertisement for Proposal: Professional Service Collect, Treat and Return Video Series Advertised starting September 22, 2025, for a minimum of two consecutive weeks using VendorNet.

Specifications are available by visiting the District website at:

https://www.madsewer.org/contracting-center/

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District requests proposals from creative firms and independent contractors for assistance in developing video assets that highlight the wastewater collection system, the treatment plant and the return of clean water to the environment.

Proposals will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. CT, Monday, October 13, 2025 via email to rfp@madsewer.org. The email must clearly state “CTR Videos” in the subject line. Any questions should be directed to Amy Steger at 608-338-2334 or rfp@madsewer.org.

Only formal written addenda can materially alter the specifications. No verbal statement made by a District employee or anyone else is binding, nor shall such a statement be considered an official part of this public proposal. All proposal responses and their contents will be public record.

Unless otherwise specified in the proposal documents, the proponent should check the Contracting Center on the District website for any addenda 72 hours before the scheduled proposal deadline.

The District is federal and state tax-exempt. The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or to waive any technicality and accept any proposal that may, in its opinion, be advantageous to the District.

Any questions may be directed to:

Amy Steger, Communications & Marketing Specialist Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District 1610 Moorland Road | Madison, WI 53713 608-338-2334 rfp@madsewer.org

Published by authority of the Commissioners of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. By Bradley J. Murphy, Secretary

About the District Established in 1930 to protect the lakes and streams of the upper Yahara watershed, the District is a wastewater collection and treatment utility serving about 435,000 people in 24 Madison-area owner communities covering about 190 square miles.

The District owns and operates 145 miles of pipe and 18 regional pumping stations that convey approximately 37 million gallons of wastewater to the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant daily. Through the treatment process, we recover valuable resources from the wastewater we receive before returning clean water to the environment.

Our mission is to protect public health and the environment. The District is dedicated to service, reliability, and sustainability, and our tradition of innovation has positioned us as a leader among clean water utilities.

Learn more at www.madsewer.org.

Project Background The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (the District) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to produce a series of three educational videos. These videos will explain the key stages of the wastewater process: (1) the collection system, (2) wastewater treatment at the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant, and (3) the safe return of clean water to the environment. The wastewater collection system, treatment process, and return of clean water to the environment are largely unseen, and the wastewater system is not well understood. The goal is to foster understanding of the essential role the District plays for communities in protecting public health and the environment.

This project aims to create visually engaging, accessible and educational videos that support the District’s public education efforts. The videos will be used in broad outreach through the District’s website, social media channels and in-person presentations like plant tours or community presentations.

The videos should be approximately 60-120 seconds in length, depending on the topic, and must be informative and visually engaging for a wide range of audiences. The use of animation is preferred, but the incorporation of other styles is an option. The content should explain complex processes in a simplified, approachable way, using clear visuals and narrative flow. The videos must also adhere to the District’s brand standards, including use of approved colors, fonts and tone of voice. The story arc should have alignment across the three-video series.

Vendors should be prepared to collaborate with District staff to refine scripts, incorporate feedback and ensure technical accuracy in representing wastewater infrastructure and environmental processes.

Scope of Work The selected vendor will be responsible for the full production of three videos focusing on the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s wastewater system, including:

1. Video 1 – Collect it.

Explain the flow of wastewater from homes and businesses through laterals and municipal sewer lines to pumping (lift) stations and into the regional sewer system. This is expected to be a 60-second or shorter video.

2. Video 2 – Treat it.

Illustrate the treatment process at the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant, including key stages such as headworks, primary and secondary treatment, disinfection, and biosolids management. This is expected to be a 90-120 second video.

3. Video 3 – Return it.

Show how treated water is safely returned to local waterways, emphasizing environmental protection, water quality and the water cycle. This is expected to be a 60-second or shorter video.

Key responsibilities include:

• Account service and project management.

• Pre-production planning, including collaboration with District staff to develop and refine video scripts and storyboards.

• Production of a three-part video series, ensuring consistency with brand standards.

• Provide voiceover narration (voice talent selection and direction to be coordinated with the District).

• Include stock music, as needed.

• Incorporate closed captioning and accessibility best practices.

• Include any color correction and audio mix of the final video.

• Design of any lower thirds or on-screen text.

• Deliver final videos in multiple digital formats (9:16, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5) suitable for web, social media and in-person presentation use.

• Final video files, footage and artwork elements should be well-labeled, organized and delivered on an external hard drive.

Deliverables:

• Three (3) final videos, approximately 60-120 seconds per video, depending on topic.

• Project timeline and milestones with progress updates throughout the production cycle.

• Scripts and storyboards for all videos submitted and approved prior to production.

• Voiceover recordings are professionally produced and integrated into each video.

• Stock music, as needed.

• Closed captions and transcripts for all videos.

• Editable source files and final master files in HD and web formats (MP4 preferred), delivered by external hard drive in 9:16, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5 formats.

Timeline

• RFP distributed: Monday, Sept. 22, 2025

• Questions submitted by: 9:00 a.m. CT, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025

• Answers posted by: close of business, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025

• Proposals due: 4:00 p.m. CT, Monday, October 13, 2025

• Proposal selected, teams notified by: Wednesday, October 22, 2025

• Design: October 23, 2025 through December 17, 2025

• File delivery by Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Proposals The District requests proposals from creative firms or independent contractors that can execute and deliver three 60-120 second videos by December 17, 2025.

Proposals must be limited to no more than four pages (not including portfolio/work samples) and include the following:

1. Contact information for primary contact

2. Description of expertise and qualifications

• Provide information relative to the firm’s size, history, personnel, special expertise and general credits. Individual resumes, awards, associations, etc., may be included in moderation but are not required.

3. Project understanding and approach

• Provide statements as to your understanding of the project, how your firm is a fit for this work, a timeline or schedule of the process and an outline how you will execute the work.

4. Portfolio/work samples

• Provide a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 7.

• Digital format(s)/link(s) preferred

5. References

• Include name, title, organization, phone, and email for at least 2 references.

• The District will not contact references until after selections are made.

6. Cost proposal

• Include the total cost to execute the deliverables in the creative brief.

• If rates vary by deliverable, please break out those costs/differences.

• If a subcontractor will complete any aspects of the work, include the costs/rates.

Evaluation The District will not award a contract solely on price; the award will be made in the District's best interest as evaluated by the project review team. The evaluation team will review all proposal responses. Proposals will be evaluated and scored using the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria Points Allocation Qualifications 0-30

• Past experience

• Team

• Operationalization

• Portfolio

Approach 0-25

• Project understanding

• Feasibility and practicality

• Process and collaboration

• Realistic timeline

Pricing 0-15

• Cost-effectiveness

• Budget inclusions

• Travel costs

Overall Impression 0-30

• Conceptual alignment

• Brand alignment

Following the review of proposals, clarifying questions may be sent. Additionally, virtual interviews may be scheduled as deemed necessary by the review committee.

The review committee’s recommendation will be for the consultant deemed to be in the best interest of the project based on both the proposal and interview, if conducted.

Award shall be made to the consultant determined to be the best qualified by the review committee, based on the evaluation criteria set forth in the Request for Proposals and upon negotiation of compensation determined to be fair and reasonable. If compensation cannot be agreed upon with the best-qualified consultant, negotiations may be conducted with such other consultant or consultants in the order of their respective ranking; and the contract may be awarded to the consultant then ranked as best qualified.

The District reserves the right to contract for all or part of the project. The contract and associated scope of work will be a “not-to-exceed” contract.

Resources The following are provided as supplemental resources for this request for proposal:

• District Brand Standards: madsewer.org/brand-standards

• Examples of a past video campaign: madsewer.org/flushables

• Example Professional Services Agreement:

madsewer.org/professional-services-agreement

Additional Provisions

Professional Services Contract Following the selection of a qualified firm for the work of this RFP, the District and the firm will begin a good-faith effort to negotiate a Professional Services Contract for the work. This contract will be the basis for negotiations, which will include Terms & Conditions as well as the Scope of Services for performance. A contract template is provided as part of this RFP. Proposers should notify the project manager of any questions or concerns about the standard Terms & Conditions during the request for proposal process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Requirements In connection with the performance of work for this project and under the related contract, the Proposer agrees not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, religion, color, disability, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other status protected by law. This provision shall include, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship.

Use, Disclosure, and Confidentiality of Information The information supplied by a Proposer as part of an RFP response will become the property of the District. Proposals will be available to interested parties and other requestors in accordance with the Wisconsin Public Records Law. None of the proposal responses will be made available to the public until after negotiation and award of a contract or cancellation of the procurement.

To the extent allowed by law, the District will treat trade secrets as confidential (if designated as confidential and submitted separately in a sealed envelope.) If a Proposer wishes for a proposal to remain confidential, the Proposer must, before submitting a proposal, establish to the District’s satisfaction that the proposal be given confidential status. The District reserves the right to make any final disclosure determinations in accordance with the law. (Note: Pricing information will not be considered confidential.)

Use of the District’s Name Upon entering an agreement, the successful Contractor agrees not to use the name of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District in relation to the agreement in commercial advertising, trade literature or press releases to the public without the prior written approval of the District. The District has the https://www.madsewer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brand-Standards-2024.pdf https://www.madsewer.org/pollution-prevention/flushables/ http://madsewer.org/professional-services-agreement right to enjoin the Contractor from any such use in violation of this provision, and the Contractor shall be responsible for damages and reimbursement of actual reasonable legal fees incurred with regard to legal evaluation and/or legal action taken by the District because of the Contractor's violation of this provision, including fees incurred to obtain an injunction.

Confidentiality Subject to Wisconsin’s Public Records law, any data or other information regarding the District’s customers, operations, or methods obtained by the Contractor during the course of the project shall remain confidential and shall not be released to third parties without the express written consent of the District.