RFP 26-005-H Advertising Agency

The Board of Trustees of Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is requesting proposals for integrated advertising and marketing services under RFP 26-005-H, with technical proposals due February 6, 2026 and price proposals due March 2, 2026. Minority-owned businesses are specifically encouraged to respond.

The scope encompasses strategic planning, creative development, media planning and buying, performance measurement, and client services across digital, social, streaming, outdoor, print, and traditional media channels. The agency must develop and execute student recruitment campaigns targeting high school students, working adults, career changers, online learners, and lifelong learners across 3–6 campaigns annually aligned with six academic promotion cycles. Bidders must demonstrate a minimum of five years of successful experience in integrated marketing, media planning, buying, and creative services, with demonstrated experience in higher education or similarly complex, multi-audience organizations. Proposals must include five client references, three case studies, responses to a project challenge on digital transformation of non-credit program marketing, and detailed resumes and experience documentation for assigned personnel. The selected contractor must secure comprehensive general liability insurance with limits of $1 million each occurrence and $1 million aggregate.

The annual budget ranges from $750,000 to $950,000 based on CCBC's spending history, with year-by-year allocations to be determined collaboratively. The contract term is three years beginning July 1, 2026, with two optional one-year renewal periods at CCBC's sole discretion. During the initial 12 months, the agency will maintain current campaign strategies while developing a comprehensive, research-backed campaign for launch July 1, 2027. Performance metrics will emphasize inquiries, applications, and registrations using multi-touch attribution methodology with monthly reporting and annual reviews. The selected agency must establish a dynamic dashboard for CCBC's self-service performance reporting and integrate with CCBC's existing systems: Element 451 (CRM), GTM and GA4 (analytics), and PowerBI (reporting). The incumbent agency has been invited to bid and will transition all campaign data, platform access, and creative assets to the selected partner. Proposed team members must participate in virtual presentations the week of February 23–27, 2026 (one hour each). Questions are due January 20, 2026. Award is contingent on Board of Trustees approval.