Crisis Communication

The State of Utah Division of Purchasing is soliciting proposals for crisis communication services on behalf of the Division of Risk Management under RFP Solicitation #KK27-101, with proposals due November 3, 2026. A single contract award will be made to the highest-scoring responsive and responsible vendor based on evaluation criteria.

The scope requires a contractor to provide public relations and crisis communication support to state entities, higher education institutions, school districts, and charter schools covered by the State Risk Management Fund. The contractor must be available within 12 hours of a significant incident to advise DRM-designated personnel and the Litigation Division or Attorney General's Office on communications strategy, develop messaging collaboratively with DRM, and ensure all public or media communications receive DRM approval before release. The contractor must maintain continuous primary contact details for non-business-hours deployment, provide training to covered entities as needed, and uphold rigorous confidentiality and legal hold mandates protecting all records, drafts, strategy documents, and work materials.

The evaluation methodology totals 1,000 points: 75 percent technical (750 points) and 25 percent cost (250 points). Technical evaluation spans five categories — Company Experience (225 points), Company Personnel Expertise (187.5 points), Response Protocols (150 points), Capacity and Resources (150 points), and Other Services (37.5 points). Vendors must achieve a minimum threshold of 70 percent on technical criteria (525 points) to remain eligible for award. Mandatory prerequisites include demonstrated experience with reputation and crisis management for public entities, familiarity with Utah and national media, capability to attend in-person meetings, and ability to respond within 12 hours of significant incidents.

The contract term is five years, with vendor pricing guaranteed for one year. Cost proposals require submission of an hourly rate for crisis communication services; DRM historically uses approximately 20 billable hours per month. Travel expenses are reimbursable separately under the Division of Finance policy. Contractors must carry commercial general liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate and comply with E-Verify, anti-boycott provisions under Utah Code Annotated 63G-27, and restrictions on forced labor products and restricted foreign entities.