RFR 2018-MOTT-02 International Destination Marketing & Public Relations - CANADA

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT), is seeking proposals for a vendor to provide international destination marketing and public relations services to significantly increase travel from Canada to Massachusetts. The selected contractor will be responsible for developing and implementing public relations, trade relations, and consumer marketing campaigns to drive increased tourism visitation. Required services include an annual strategic plan, public relations activities, travel trade development, digital strategy, and consumer marketing. Bidders must demonstrate at least 24 months of continuous operation, in-house marketing capabilities, and experience working within the Canadian travel industry. The contract will have an initial term of one year with three optional one-year renewals, for a total potential term of four years. The estimated annual contract value range is $105,000 to $150,000, funded by state funds.

The procurement requires bidders to submit a Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) plan, which will be evaluated as part of the overall proposal. Bidders may also submit an optional environmental plan, which may earn bonus points. There is no set-aside designation, and the Commonwealth has not identified any incumbent vendors or current contractors. Proposals must be submitted via the COMMBUYS procurement platform by the May 11, 2017 deadline.