2025 Recycling Education Outreach

The City of Pittsburgh's Office of Management and Budget, on behalf of the Department of Public Works, is soliciting proposals through Request for Proposal #2025-RFP-185 for marketing and outreach services to support a 2025 Recycling Education Outreach campaign. The procurement seeks qualified vendors to develop and implement community-based social marketing (CBSM) methodology aimed at promoting proper recycling practices and addressing barriers to recycling behavior change. The primary deliverables include conducting market research to understand recycling participation barriers, developing an annual outreach plan, creating integrated marketing materials across multiple media platforms (newspaper ads in digital or print, public transit, radio, school programs, and special events), and producing graphics, infographics, and campaign collateral. Key objectives are to improve recycling participation and quality across Pittsburgh's diverse neighborhoods, with all developed materials becoming the property of the City upon completion. Qualified vendors must demonstrate firm qualifications, project team expertise, a sound project approach, and commitment to diversity participation goals. The evaluation criteria consist of firm qualifications (15%), project team qualifications (15%), project approach (30%), cost proposal (30%), and demonstration of good faith effort for minority, women-owned, veteran-owned, and LGBTQIA+ business participation (10%). Critical deadlines include a pre-proposal meeting held on September 11, 2025, questions due by September 26, 2025, and proposals due October 3, 2025 at 3:00 pm, with anticipated award in October 2025.

This procurement includes specific diversity participation set-asides and goals, requiring 18% Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) participation, 7% Women Business Enterprise (WBE) participation, 5% Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) participation, and 3% LGBTQ+ business participation, with all proposers required to demonstrate good faith efforts toward these targets. Market research and campaign development costs are capped at 15% of the proposed budget. The City's existing recycling outreach infrastructure has previously included farmers markets, Earth Day webinars, and annual recycling mailers; proposers are encouraged to develop innovative strategies that complement these existing efforts. Vendors must submit a detailed timeline for outreach development and distribution, along with a final project report upon completion by December 2026. The total project budget is $100,000, with all funds required to be expended by December 2026. All vendors must comply with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Standard Terms and Conditions, including comprehensive nondiscrimination and sexual harassment prevention requirements applicable to grantees, employees, subgrantees, contractors, and subcontractors.