Media Strategist, Planning and Buying (Grant Funding)

The City of Detroit Office of Contracting and Procurement is requesting proposals for Media Strategist, Planning and Buying services to support multiple city departments including the Detroit Police Department, Detroit Fire Department, General Services Department, Detroit Public Works, Detroit Department of Transportation, Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, and Detroit Health Department. The three-year contract, with two additional one-year renewal options subject to City Council approval, seeks qualified firms to develop comprehensive media strategies, create media plans, and execute media buys across traditional, non-traditional, and digital platforms for various marketing campaigns. Respondents must demonstrate a minimum of five years of media strategy, planning, and buying experience with proven expertise in the Detroit media market. The contract will be evaluated on six criteria: technical approach and strategic methodology (30 points), relevant and Detroit market experience (20 points), media buying and negotiation capability (15 points), reporting and analytics approach (15 points), staffing and account management (10 points), and cost proposal and fee transparency (10 points). Key dates include a pre-proposal conference on May 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST via Teams meeting, question submission deadline of May 22, 2026 with answers distributed May 26, 2026, and proposal submission deadline of June 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST through the EUNA Bonfire Supplier Portal. Respondents must submit a detailed cost proposal based on a sample six-month campaign (March-August) targeting Detroit residents 18 and older with a $250,000 budget, including agency fees as a separate line item, forecasted deliverables by medium, net costs per medium, and campaign metrics across radio, digital, billboard, and television tactics.

The RFP documents do not identify specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, though all contractors must comply with federal Equal Employment Opportunity standards and provide evidence of active System of Awards Management (SAM) registration. Successful respondents must complete extensive pre-award requirements including submission of notarized City of Detroit Consolidated Affidavits, a Certificate of Insurance compliant with model agreement requirements (including $1,000,000 commercial general liability per occurrence and $1,000,000/$5,000,000 cyber/errors and omissions coverage), three years of financial statements, and City of Detroit Treasury Clearance. Additionally, contractors must provide ISO 27001 certification or annual SOC 2 Type 2 Reports and comply with all federal regulations including Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements, Clean Air Act provisions, Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment certification, and debarment verification. The RFP indicates that the City anticipates making one or multiple awards, and individual project budgets will be determined by requesting city departments in coordination with the Media Services Office, though no specific overall budget range is disclosed in the available documentation. All submissions must be made exclusively through the Bonfire portal; faxed or mailed proposals will not be accepted.