Brand standards

Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina's largest school district serving approximately 160,000 students across 204 schools, is requesting proposals for comprehensive brand standards and visual identity system development under an open-market RFP, with proposals due September 30, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

WCPSS seeks a qualified branding, marketing, or communications agency to conduct a comprehensive brand audit, develop brand strategy and architecture, modernize the existing visual identity system, and establish standards for digital and social media, video and motion graphics, AI-assisted design, promotional products, apparel, photography and representation, and accessibility. Deliverables include detailed brand standards documentation, templates, a comprehensive template library for employee use, training for designated WCPSS Communications leaders, and final editable source files.

Vendors must be approved to do business in North Carolina and are ineligible if listed on state or federal debarred vendor registries. Professional Liability Insurance with a minimum of $1,000,000 is required for design services. Commercial General Liability must cover $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate; Commercial Automobile Liability $1,000,000 per occurrence; and Workers Compensation at statutory limits. Vendors must comply with E-Verify, Affordable Care Act provisions, sexual offender registry checks on all contractual personnel prior to service delivery, and North Carolina business authorization and tax collection requirements.

Evaluation criteria include demonstrated understanding of the project scope, quality and practicality of the proposed approach, relevant brand strategy and architecture experience, qualifications of assigned personnel, references, and overall cost and value. Proposals must include detailed cost proposals presented as a single overall cost for all services, including travel and miscellaneous expenses without separate line items. Proposals must remain valid for 120 days from opening. Payment terms are Net 30 days after invoice receipt or goods acceptance, whichever is later. Submit proposals via email to bids-pgooding@wcpss.net.