Request for Proposals, KY Safe Teen Driving Challenge

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Office of Highway Safety, has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking sponsorship opportunities for the Kentucky Safe Teen Driving Challenge 2.0, an app-based competition designed to incentivize safe driving behaviors among Kentucky teen drivers aged 15-19. The initiative tracks driving metrics including speeding, phone distraction, hard braking, sharp turning, and rapid acceleration, with participants required to complete a minimum of 100 miles across at least 30 driving trips. Participating schools must have a minimum of 10 eligible students enrolled, and cash prizes will be awarded to both individual student winners and highest-performing schools in December 2025. The previous iteration of this challenge, held in spring 2025, attracted over 1,200 registered teen drivers with approximately 800 actively participating and nearly 500 achieving safe driving scores of 80% or higher. Sponsors are invited to contribute at four funding levels of $500, $1,000, $2,500, or $5,000, with all funds used directly for student and school prizes. Critical deadlines include written questions due by 4:00 PM EST on October 27, 2025, anticipated Commonwealth response by November 3, 2025, and proposals due by 2:00 PM EST on November 14, 2025. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service System and must include organization name and contact information, organization type, sponsorship level selection, a statement of interest describing the organization's connection to highway safety or teen driver safety, a completed and signed solicitation form, a notarized affidavit for bidders, and compliance certifications regarding debarment, tax compliance, nondiscrimination, and boycott provisions.

The RFP does not identify specific set-aside designations or restrictions limiting participation to particular types of organizations, meaning for-profit companies, nonprofits, and other entity types appear eligible to respond. Sponsorship benefits include logo display on the official contest landing page, recognition on Highway Safety social media accounts, partnership recognition in press releases, and association with a statewide youth safety initiative. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any proposals or sponsorships whose branding, image, or mission conflicts with agency goals. No incumbent vendors or existing contractor information is identified in the solicitation documents. Award values are determined by the sponsor's selected contribution level, with a minimum investment of $500 and maximum of $5,000 per sponsor, and selected respondents must maintain their obligations through the fiscal year. The procurement does not identify specific existing infrastructure or technology requirements beyond the requirement to submit through the Kentucky Vendor Self Service System.