Media Buy Services

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is seeking a professional, full-service multimedia communications and public relations contractor to develop and execute media campaigns targeting single parents and caregivers with children under 18. The RFP (#411) requires the selected vendor to conduct comprehensive media planning, buying, and strategic placement across digital, streaming, video, radio, print, and outdoor platforms, with a focus on reaching diverse and hard-to-reach populations. The contractor will be responsible for research, development, and campaign implementation, with DCSS providing creative assets. Evaluation will be conducted in four phases, examining administrative requirements, minimum qualifications, and a technical proposal scored up to 500 points. Key deliverables include strategic campaign planning, project management, campaign monitoring, and analytics. The RFP timeline includes a question deadline of January 20, 2025, with proposals due on February 4, 2025, and an anticipated contract start date of April 1, 2025, for an initial one-year term through February 28, 2026, with potential two one-year extensions.

The procurement includes several set-aside and preference designations, offering incentives for small businesses (5%), disabled veteran businesses (up to 5%), and target area contracts. Vendors must demonstrate substantial financial capabilities, including lines of credit of at least $100,000 and gross billings of $5 million in two of the six calendar years between 2018-2023, or show growth with minimum $3 million billings in 2023. The contractor will be compensated through an earned commission rate for media buys (maximum 15%) and a per-campaign administrative fee. There is no incumbent vendor for these services, and the anticipated budget is $1,000,000 per contract year. The successful bidder will have access to Google Analytics and first-party data, with the ability to pixel multiple site actions, and will be expected to recommend media mix and channels while ultimately deferring to campaign goals, best practices, and county preferences.