Marketing and Advertising Services for the Dane County Regional Airport

Dane County Purchasing Division is requesting proposals for marketing and advertising services for the Dane County Regional Airport under RFP #2026-RFP-059-PR, with proposals due September 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM and questions due September 9, 2026. A local-vendor preference awards five points to vendors with an established place of business within Dane County and two points to vendors in adjacent counties.

The scope encompasses comprehensive marketing and advertising services including advertising strategy development, creative design and production, media planning and buying, market research and evaluation, social media management, and video and audio production. The selected vendor will serve as the Airport's Agency of Record and primary marketing partner with capacity to coordinate multiple partner companies while maintaining overall responsibility for service delivery. The Airport generated 2.5 million passengers in 2025 across six commercial airlines serving 19 nonstop destinations. All creative assets, website code, video, photography, social content, and campaign data produced under the contract are assigned to Dane County upon final payment.

Compensation is structured as hourly rates for nine position categories: Account Supervisor, Project Manager, Creative Director, Art Director, Digital Design or Video Editor, Media Buying/Planning, Social Media, Copy Writer or Ad Production or Graphic Design, and Administrative Support. Vendors must propose percentage increases for hourly rates in Years 2 and 3, with all pricing fixed for the contract term and inclusive of labor, materials, equipment, and other costs.

The contract term runs from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027, with optional renewal terms for 2028 and 2029. Vendors must submit a W9 form and provide a Certificate of Insurance naming Dane County as additional insured with minimum coverage limits of $1 million for Commercial General Liability and Business Auto Liability, plus Workers' Compensation insurance at Wisconsin statutory limits. Site visits and bidder meetings are available upon request. Evaluation scoring allocates 23.8% to organizational capabilities, 19% to marketing and advertising experience, 19% to creative design and video/audio production, 9.5% to media planning and buying, 4.8% each to market research and social media support, 14.3% to cost, and 4.8% to local-vendor preference.