Domestic Visitor Data Survey/Database Research Services

The Missouri Department of Economic Development, Division of Tourism, is soliciting bids through an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for Domestic Visitor Data Survey and Database Research Services. The procurement seeks a contractor to provide comprehensive marketing research services including domestic visitor data collection, survey administration, database management, and analysis to assess the impact of the Division's marketing efforts and support visitor profiling and advertising concept research. Key deliverables include a written research plan due within 30 days of Division approval, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly survey deployment, complete calendar year data delivery as soon as possible after each year-end, web-based database access for the Division, and three years of historical data spanning 2023-2025. The scope of work requires conducting a national traveler tracking survey focused on Missouri residents and out-of-state visitors who have taken leisure trips of 50 or more miles or overnight stays within the past 12 months, with questionnaires addressing demographics, travel frequency, trip purpose, transportation, expenditures, activities, and accommodations. Qualified contractors must have a minimum of five years of experience in travel and tourism research, data collection, and analysis, with executive-level leadership possessing college degrees and at least ten years of relevant experience, and project team members including a lead research analyst, project manager, data collection manager, and programmer, each with undergraduate degrees or equivalent experience and at least three years of travel and tourism research background. The contract period runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with two optional one-year renewal periods. Electronic bids must be submitted to Lorinda.cruikshank@ded.mo.gov by June 4, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time. The evaluation will award the contract to the lowest and best responsive bid based on 200 total points: 50 points for cost and 150 points for technical merit, which includes proposed methodology and work plan (80 points), team qualifications (35 points), and past performance (35 points).

The procurement includes bonus point opportunities of 5-15 points for Organization for the Blind/Sheltered Workshop participation and 3 bonus points for Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise participation. Incumbent contractor information is available upon request from Lorinda.cruikshank@ded.mo.gov, and historical spending data can be accessed through the Missouri Accountability Portal. Pricing is submitted on a firm fixed-price basis for the core Domestic Visitor Data Collection Survey and Database Project for the original contract period and maximum prices for each renewal period, plus an hourly rate for additional research services beyond the core scope that may be negotiated based on performance and Division needs. Invoicing will proceed in two phases: 50 percent upon Division approval of predetermined progress points outlined in the research plan, and the remaining balance upon completion and Division approval of deliverables, reports, and any required oral presentations, with final invoices due within 30 days of final product delivery. The specific contract award value or budget range is not stated in the solicitation; interested parties should reference the IFB document or contact the Division for historical spending information to determine potential project costs.