Multimedia Campaign

The Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS), in collaboration with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), is seeking a full-service communications, marketing, and advertising agency to develop and execute a comprehensive statewide multimedia campaign focused on recruiting and retaining educators in California. The campaign will run from April 2026 through July 2028, with initial deliverables due by April 1, 2026. Required services include end-to-end campaign development encompassing strategy and planning, creative development (involving short-form social media videos, bilingual toolkits, testimonial profiles, website hub, and digital advertising), messaging integration, media planning and outreach, and ongoing monitoring and reporting. Proposers must demonstrate significant experience developing statewide campaigns for Local Educational Agencies, expertise in social cause or education-focused marketing, and ability to effectively reach young adult audiences. The evaluation process will utilize an 800-point scoring system, with points allocated across proposal quality (125 points), experience (100 points), work plan (75 points), innovation (100 points), cost effectiveness (150 points), use of innovative Gen Z audience tools (125 points), and work samples (125 points). Key submission deadlines include an Intent to Submit due November 1, 2025, clarification questions due November 14, 2025, and final proposals due December 15, 2025, at 5:00 PM PST.

Eligible proposers are required to operate a full-service communications firm with an existing brick-and-mortar office in California that will be maintained throughout the contract duration. The procurement appears to have no specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or minority-owned businesses. The contract carries a soft budget cap of $2 million for the entire two-plus-year campaign period, with the anticipated award date no later than January 31, 2026. The most competitive proposals will advance to a secondary evaluation phase that may include in-person or virtual interviews. The final contract will incorporate the original RFP, the selected proposal, and negotiated terms, with exhibits addressing scope of work, budget and payment provisions, pricing/rates, standard terms and conditions, additional provisions, and insurance requirements. The three highest-scoring proposers will be considered for potential selection, with the ultimate goal of creating a robust multimedia campaign to address educator recruitment and retention challenges in California.