Travelers Marketing Due Diligence Notice~1.pdf

Revised: June 30, 2016

Due Diligence Posting of Notice of Intent to Accept a Best Value Offer

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announces its intent to Accept a Best Value Offer pursuant to the Commonwealth’s Due Diligence Posting policy, to enter into a contract to support the Road Safety Communications Program in four Regional Planning Agency (RPA) areas with Travelers Marketing of Natick, Massachusetts (Offeror), pending the results of this Notice of Intent.

Description Travelers Marketing, for the sum of $400,000, over a period of 24 months (plus an evaluation period of 6-9 months), intends to support MassDOT efforts to implement and administer Road Safety Communications Programs in four RPA areas in Massachusetts focused on micromobility on shared use paths, teen distracted driving, older driver/pedestrian safety and rural road safety as outlined below.

The Department is posting this Notice rather than conducting a full procurement because the Department believes this opportunity represents best value to the Commonwealth and is utilizing this Due Diligence Posting to ensure that the process is open, fair and competitive.

Background A groundbreaking community-driven road safety campaign has significantly increased seat belt usage in Brockton. The "Buckle Up, Brockton" campaign, led by MassDOT, has led to a remarkable rise in seat belt compliance from 42 percent in April 2024 to 72 percent in September 2024 and over 80% in June 2025. Similarly, the “You’re loved. Te necesitan. Mira! Phone Down” campaign in Holyoke reduced distracted driving by 23% compared to an increase of 6% in control communities. This was followed by successes in Chelsea on pedestrian safety “Hey Chelsea, Drive like you care. Walk like it too” and the ongoing speeding reduction campaign in Leominster “Hey neighbor, it’s not Johnny Applespeed. Slow Down.”

The campaigns’ success stems from the unique, grassroots approach. This initiative was not simply about promoting the specific safety topic—it was about empowering the communities to take ownership of the messages and drive real change.

MassDOT hopes to repeat this type of work and measure the effectiveness in other areas of safety namely Teen Distracted Driving (Franklin Regional Council of Government), Speeding and

Micromobility on shared use paths (Pioneer Valley Planning Commission), Older driver/pedestrian safety (Cape Cod Commission) and Speeding on rural roads (Pioneer Valley Planning Commission). MassDOT hopes to replicate the effectiveness of changing behavior from the bottom-up, similar to the campaigns that were conducted in Brockton, Holyoke, Chelsea and Leominster (ongoing). As such, MassDOT is seeking to assist the above RPAs within the Commonwealth with a more holistic approach that includes education and awareness to reduce deaths and serious injuries. Each of the four regions will focus on one of the topics, as described above. Therefore, MassDOT is intending to enter into an agreement with Travelers Marketing for $400,000 for 24 months (plus an evaluation period of 6-9 months) to work alongside the RPAs and perform the following tasks:

• Lead community engagement sessions/meetings

• Set-up and prepare for community engagement sessions/meetings

• Advise on engagement approaches, message testing, and private-sector partnership opportunities

• Translate community input into campaign concepts

• Shape development, messaging, and media strategy

• Develop survey, questionnaires, and related tools to capture community input

• Guide an interactive refinement process to ensure messages remain credible and effective

• Provide strategic direction for campaign launch activities, community events, and press outreach

• Review program phases for consistency, accuracy, adherence to scope, and alignment with best practices

• Finalize messages, materials and selection of platforms through interactions with the stakeholders and partnerships that have been developed

• Co-create novel and replicable engagement activities with groups and stakeholders that drive behavior change on the intended topic for that region

• Coordinate, develop and purchase media and marketing materials

• Implement the plan

• Provide monthly progress reports

• Provide final program assessment report

• Fiscal coordination (invoicing, reporting, documentation, and budget tracking)

• Write-up and presentation on further scaling up the program

Determination of Other Interested Vendors The intent of this posting is to determine if there are any other interested and qualified vendors. Any such vendors must:

• Submit documentation that they can provide a comparable or better offer.

Response Requirement and Deadline All Interested Vendors and Offerors interested in responding to this Notice, regardless of prior communications with the Department, must submit a Response to this posting containing evidence of their qualification and interest. All required information must be submitted by 2pm on 7/28/2026.

If, after the posting deadline has passed, interest is generated by this Notice, the Department will review all Responses and will determine whether they will: (i) withdraw the notice and not accept the Offeror’s offer (and cancel the Notice of Intent) or (ii) accept the offer from the Offeror or

(iii) accept an offer from another vendor offering a comparable or better value than the Offeror in their Response or (iv) accept the offer from the Offeror and from any other offerors offering similar value in their response.

Interested Vendors and Offerors may submit questions within COMMBUYS until 5pm on July 21, 2026.

Additional Terms Required for Doing Business with the Commonwealth

Names of Standard Forms Instructions Instructions for Vendors Responding to Bids Electronically

Read and agree prior to submitting a Response.

RFR - Required Specifications Read and agree prior to submitting a Response.

MassDOT Terms & Conditions Read and agree prior to submitting a Response.

Prompt Payment Discount Form Complete and submit as an attachment to

Quote, attached in COMMBUYS.

Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing Read and agree. Complete upon Award, if any.

Authorization for Electronic Funds Transfer Complete upon Award, if any.

Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification (W-9)

Complete upon Award, if any.

MassDOT Standard Contract Form and Instructions

Read and agree. Complete upon Award, if any.

Quote Submission Method Online Quote Submission via COMMBUYS is required. All Interested Vendors and Offerors must submit Quotes online using tools available only to Sellers registered in COMMBUYS. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. All Interested Vendors and Offerors who are awarded a contract resulting from this Notice, if any, will be required to maintain an active account during the duration of the Contract, by reviewing their registration information regularly and maintaining its accuracy.

COMMBUYS Quote Submission Training and Instructions The following resources are provided to assist Interested Vendors and Offerors in submitting Quotes:

• An online job aid on How to Create a Quote;

• Webcast video on How to Locate and Respond to Bid Solicitations;

• Using the Q&A Tab within a COMMBUYS Bid

• Instructor-led trainings (ILT) and live webinar sessions on “How to Locate and

Respond to Bids” may also be available. Check the OSD Vendor Training schedule for Sellers/Business Entities for available locations, dates and times. Note that space https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids/download?_ga=2.198604650.49168113.1757341251-1895896813.1725987281&_gl=1*o8518o*_ga*MTg5NTg5NjgxMy4xNzI1OTg3Mjgx*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*czE3NTc2OTc4MzIkbzE1OCRnMSR0MTc1NzY5NzkxOSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/instructions-for-vendors-responding-to-bids/download?_ga=2.198604650.49168113.1757341251-1895896813.1725987281&_gl=1*o8518o*_ga*MTg5NTg5NjgxMy4xNzI1OTg3Mjgx*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*czE3NTc2OTc4MzIkbzE1OCRnMSR0MTc1NzY5NzkxOSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/rfr-required-specifications-for-commodities-and-services/download?_ga=2.173965286.49168113.1757341251-1895896813.1725987281&_gl=1*180cc64*_ga*MTg5NTg5NjgxMy4xNzI1OTg3Mjgx*_ga_MCLPEGW7WM*czE3NTc2OTc4MzIkbzE1OCRnMCR0MTc1NzY5NzgzNSRqNTckbDAkaDA.

http://www.commbuys.com/ https://www.mass.gov/doc/how-to-create-a-quote-in-commbuys/download https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQxGuebEB7jHIAz8e3NVVCT__lGLkJiSF&feature=shared https://www.mass.gov/doc/using-the-qa-tab-within-a-commbuys-bid/download https://attendee.gototraining.com/957t1/catalog/5152599978190574336?tz=America/New_York is limited and pre-registration for training is required to attend. Follow instructions on the course schedule to register.

COMMBUYS Support Technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

• Website: Go to www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys and select the COMMBUYS Resource Center link offered under Key Resources.

• Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov

• Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-MA-STATE (1-888-627-8283).

The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Interested Vendors and Offerors are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

http://www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys mailto:OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov?Subject=COMMBUYS%20Question