RFP 17-26 Public Relations Firms for the Western Utility Complex

New Smyrna Beach Utilities is requesting proposals from qualified public relations firms to provide proactive communications, public education, and community engagement services for the Western Utilities Complex (WUC), a 600-acre municipal property, with proposals due July 27, 2026 at 2:30 PM and a questions deadline of July 17, 2026.

The scope spans four integrated project phases (planning, entitlements, implementation, and long-term buildout) across two distinct components: Component A (public parcel/NSBU operational campus, designated as the most critical priority) and Component B (private development parcels/master developer portion). The firm must maintain strict separation between components with no blending of messages, data, or branding. Services include general marketing, public relations, digital communications, and community engagement. Key personnel must be located in Central Florida and readily available; the selected firm must attend certain public meetings in person and maintain familiarity with the WUC property. Bilingual Spanish-language outreach materials are not anticipated to be required. The contractor must maintain Professional Liability and Errors & Omissions insurance at a $1,000,000 limit and comply with E-Verify employment eligibility requirements and a Drug-Free Workplace Certification and Non-Collusion Affidavit.

The initial contract term is one year with options to renew for up to three additional one-year periods upon mutual written agreement. Phase 1 kickoff is anticipated in 2026; workload and performance expectations are contingency-based rather than guaranteed, with no annual spend estimates or guaranteed minimum spend established. Pricing should be structured by phase, component, and task, and may include hourly rates, monthly retainers, project-based fees, or combinations thereof; proposers should include a rate card for other potential NSBU projects and may separately delineate paid media costs. No incumbent contractor exists. Evaluation criteria are: understanding of project phasing and component separation (20 points), technical approach by phase and component (20 points), relevant experience with comparable utility and infrastructure projects (20 points), key personnel qualifications (15 points), digital and analytics approach (10 points), price reasonableness (10 points), and quality of sample deliverables (5 points). Proposals are limited to 50 pages excluding required forms and must be submitted in PDF format via VendorLink. Addendum No. 1 was issued July 17, 2026, clarifying requirements; all work products, including editable source files and digital property access credentials, become NSBU's property upon creation.