Social Media Management Services for Firefighter Recruiting

The City of Austin Fire Department is requesting quotations for social media management services to support firefighter recruiting campaigns under IFQ 8300 JRH1027, with proposals due June 15, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The solicitation follows a tiered process initially distributing to certified HUBS or M/WBE vendors before broader public posting if adequate quotes are not received.

Minimum qualifications require demonstrated experience managing recruitment campaigns for municipal fire departments with authorized strength of at least 300 firefighters and applicant pools of 1,500 or greater, with documentation of previous campaigns in production for at least one year showing substantial increases in reach, engagement, click-through rates, and website traffic. Proposers must document increased candidate pools with demonstrated increases in minority and women candidates at previous locations, with conversions serving as the primary success metric. The City confirmed that experience supporting large-scale public sector audience recruitment campaigns—including workforce development, economic development, tourism promotion, and membership growth initiatives—that demonstrate measurable increases in engagement, website traffic, lead generation, and conversion metrics will be considered comparable to direct fire department recruitment campaign experience.

The scope requires the contractor to develop and implement social media campaigns designed to increase Candidate Interest Card completions through JoinAFD.com, managing both organic and paid social media across digital platforms with the goal of increasing CIC completions from the current 58–60% of targeted candidates to 70%. Proposers must provide a recommended solution identifying specific social media tools, a detailed timeline with milestones and deliverables, acceptance criteria, and reporting capabilities. The initial contract term is twelve months with two optional twelve-month renewal periods at the City's sole discretion.

The historical budget range for such services is $15,000 to $25,000 annually. Pricing must be submitted on an FOB Destination basis with all freight charges included; no tax is to be included. Payment is due within thirty days of receipt of properly documented invoices. Award will be made to the lowest responsive offer meeting minimum qualifications. All offerors must complete City of Austin Wage Theft Training within thirty days of contract award and certify compliance with non-discrimination requirements, wage theft ordinances, and non-debarment status. Submissions are to be emailed to rebecca.hall@austintexas.gov, with Rebecca Hall (512-974-6934) serving as the City Contract Manager.