Public Education & Community Outreach Services

Beaufort County, South Carolina is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP #051326) to procure Public Education & Community Outreach Services for a comprehensive campaign supporting the 2026 Transportation Sales & Use Tax Referendum scheduled for November 3, 2026. The selected firm will be responsible for planning, developing, and executing a factual, educational public awareness campaign designed to inform Beaufort County voters about the proposed one-cent sales tax, including its nature, rate, duration, and how the revenue will fund transportation projects such as road widenings, intersection improvements, resurfacing, and safety enhancements. The campaign must educate voters on tax structure under South Carolina law, exemptions, the County's track record on prior sales tax commitments since 1998, and the voting timeline and process. Deliverables include strategic campaign planning, message development and creative services, digital and social media outreach, earned media and public relations support, community engagement and events, paid media placement across multiple channels, and comprehensive reporting and evaluation. A critical objective is reaching all geographic areas and demographics within Beaufort County with particular emphasis on engaging underrepresented communities including Gullah/Geechee populations, non-English speakers, and rural residents, while mobilizing civic, business, and neighborhood organizations as trusted messengers. Qualified proposers must demonstrate relevant experience with ballot measure campaigns, provide minimum three project references, and identify proposed team members with resumes. The evaluation committee will assess proposals based on relevant experience with ballot measure campaigns (25 points), technical approach and strategy (25 points), team qualifications (20 points), understanding of local context (15 points), and pricing reasonableness (15 points). A non-mandatory pre-proposal meeting is scheduled for 2:00 pm EST on April 30, 2026, and electronic proposals must be submitted through the Procurement Portal by 3:00 pm EST on May 13, 2026, with contract award anticipated by May 30, 2026 and campaign launch in June 2026.

The RFP does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting responses to particular categories of organizations, and no incumbent vendors or current contractors are identified. All contractors must maintain specified insurance coverage including Worker's Compensation, Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 each occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Comprehensive Automobile Liability ($500,000 combined single limit), Umbrella Liability ($2,000,000), and Professional Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and South Carolina law governing the use of public funds in referendum campaigns. Proposers must disclose any conflicts of interest related to political campaigns or advocacy organizations. Pricing proposals should be itemized by service category including strategy, creative services, digital and social media outreach, earned media and public relations, community engagement and events, paid media placement, and reporting and evaluation, with paid media buys potentially presented as a separate estimated budget with final expenditures based on County-approved plans. Proposers must include hourly rate schedules for out-of-scope work and identify anticipated reimbursable expenses. While specific budget ranges are not disclosed in the RFP documents provided, the County reserves the right to negotiate scope and budget with the selected firm, and all materials and work produced shall become the property of Beaufort County.