“Fresh From Florida” Magazine - Division of Marketing and Development

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Marketing and Development, is soliciting proposals from qualified vendors to publish and distribute the "Fresh From Florida" magazine on a turnkey basis at no cost to the Department. The magazine is a high-quality print publication featuring original photography and editorial content that promotes Florida agriculture and the "Fresh From Florida" brand through farmer profiles, cooking features, industry information, and agricultural statistics. The selected vendor must provide complete in-house services including magazine design and layout, professional photography, quality printing, print distribution, and advertising sales. The publication specifications include dimensions of approximately 8 inches by 10.5 inches, a minimum of 60 pages including covers, a minimum print run of 18,000 copies with optional distribution up to 50,000 copies, perfect binding, and full-color 4/4 covers with bleeds. Proposals must be sealed and submitted by February 12, 2026, at 5:00 PM, with a public opening scheduled for February 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM via teleconference, evaluation occurring February 16-20, 2026, and agency decision notification by March 3, 2026. Qualified respondents must demonstrate current operation of successful turnkey publishing programs with in-house capabilities for agriculture-themed magazine production, provide three detailed examples of similar public-interest projects with minimum 18,000 distribution, supply three current client references from the past five years, and submit a comprehensive project management plan including proposed editorial topics, print distribution strategy, timelines, objectives, risks, and advertising rate schedules. The initial contract term is three years with an optional three-year renewal contingent upon mutual agreement, and the Department retains complete ownership and all copyrights of articles, photography, and images produced.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular organization types or disadvantaged enterprises. Vendor compensation is derived exclusively from advertising revenue generated through the magazine, with the contractor responsible for establishing advertising rates, solicitation, production, revenue collection, and managing bad debt; the Department provides no cost contribution and requires a minimum 10-percent discount to Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign members. The contractor must provide monthly sales status reports to the Department's program manager and final accounting within 90 days of publication delivery. No incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified in the procurement documents, and no existing infrastructure or technology integration requirements are specified. While no explicit budget or award value is stated, the financial viability of this opportunity depends entirely on the contractor's ability to generate advertising revenue sufficient to offset all production and distribution costs while maintaining profitability. Prior to contract execution, the Department may conduct onsite demonstrations to verify operational capability, and facility visits may occur during the contract term to ensure sustained performance standards are met.