Tourism public relations & marketing services in the asia service region

The State of Texas Office of the Governor is issuing Request for Proposals No. 301-26-03905D to procure comprehensive tourism public relations and marketing services targeting the Asia market, specifically India and Taiwan as primary markets with Japan and Korea as secondary markets. The solicitation seeks a qualified contractor to develop and implement an integrated marketing campaign combining consumer and media activities with travel trade support to promote Texas as a premier travel destination. Required deliverables include media relations activities, social media strategy and management, consumer promotions, travel trade relations support, promotional functions, creative services, and an annual Plan of Action, with the contractor required to maintain a fully operational office within the target market within 60 days of contract award and dedicate qualified professional staff including a dedicated Account Manager. The primary contract term runs from the anticipated start date of April 1, 2026, through August 31, 2026, with options for three additional 12-month renewal periods through August 31, 2029, and potential extension for up to six additional months. The contractor must submit weekly status meetings and reports, monthly reports detailing media placements and expenditures by the 15th business day, quarterly performance reports within 30 calendar days of quarter close, and annual reports by September 15th each fiscal year, with failure to meet reporting deadlines resulting in liquidated damages of $50 per day. Evaluation criteria include company information (5%), experience and qualifications (15%), proposal quality (15%), methodology of the Plan of Action (30%), and monthly service fees (35%) in Phase I; strategy and planning (40%), creative presentation (40%), and oral presentation quality (20%) in Phase II; and best and final offer negotiations in Phase III. Proposals are due March 3, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CT, with responses requiring one original signed hard copy, three additional hard copies for the evaluation team, and one digital copy in searchable PDF format, and the top three scoring respondents invited to make mandatory in-person or videoconference oral presentations limited to 1.5 hours plus 30 minutes of questions in Austin, Texas.

The RFP requires HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) Subcontracting Plan compliance with statewide HUB goals applicable based on contract classification, with emphasis on incorporating HUB subcontracting opportunities in communications and media services and marketing services categories. Respondents must demonstrate financial responsibility through audited financial statements compliant with GAAP or IAS and must comply with numerous certification and disclosure requirements including Exhibits A through G, which encompass execution of proposal, respondent information, bidder preferences identification, conflict of interest disclosure, FCPA contractor certification, HSP forms, and monthly fees schedule. Past performance will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, with respondents potentially disqualified for scores below C in the Vendor Performance System, current corrective action plans, repeated negative performance reports, or cancelled purchase orders for non-performance within the previous 12 months. No incumbent vendors or existing contractors are identified in the solicitation materials. The contractor will receive a firm fixed monthly service fee to cover all in-house services and administrative expenses, with reimbursable expenses and ad hoc deliverables requiring pre-approval, and all reimbursable travel expenses reimbursed at government rates established by the Comptroller of Public Accounts with no markups permitted. The proposed contract budget is not to exceed $250,000 in United States dollars for all monthly service fees, reimbursables, and ad hoc deliverables across the initial contract term and any renewal or extension periods.