Communications and Advertising Services for Medicaid Outreach

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is seeking an external public relations firm through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) to provide comprehensive communications and advertising services for statewide Medicaid outreach efforts related to the federal HR1 law implementation. The procurement encompasses full-service offerings including audience research and segmentation, plain-language messaging development for diverse Medicaid populations, creative development and production, media planning and placement across paid, owned, and earned channels, translation and language access services, digital and social media management, campaign management and coordination, and performance measurement and reporting. The primary objective is to ensure current Medicaid customers maintain their coverage as federal policy changes take effect beginning January 2027. Vendors must demonstrate a minimum of five years of continuous operation providing communications and advertising services and must have served as the prime contractor on at least three large-scale public sector campaigns within the past five years that included statewide or multi-regional reach, paid media services, and accessible messaging for diverse or low-income populations. The contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest overall total price, with bids remaining firm for 90 days from opening. Written questions regarding the solicitation must be submitted no later than April 30, 2026, with a non-mandatory pre-submission conference potentially available as noted in the BidBuy posting; all bid submissions are due electronically through BidBuy by May 14, 2026.

This procurement includes a Business Enterprise Program (BEP) goal of 2% participation by businesses owned and controlled by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities; vendors must submit a completed BEP Utilization Plan or render their bids non-responsive. Vendors are required to submit vendor disclosures, an offer to the state, contract documents, business qualifications attestation, and proof of financial resources sufficient to ensure contract performance. The contract has an initial term not to exceed five years with a maximum total term of ten years including renewals or extensions, and a total contract value not to exceed $9,000,000, with $6,300,000 allocated for media purchases and pass-through costs to be billed at actual cost with no markup. Vendor pricing is structured around hourly labor rates for identified labor categories on a firm not-to-exceed basis, with media purchases advanced by the vendor and subsequently invoiced to the State on a monthly basis subject to agency approval and documented supporting materials. Vendors must maintain General Commercial Liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate, Auto Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and Worker's Compensation Insurance as required by law. The contract is contingent upon availability of appropriated funds, and the State reserves the right to terminate for convenience with thirty days' notice or for cause immediately.