Stormwater Public Education Campaign

Caltrans is seeking a contractor to develop and execute a statewide stormwater public education campaign targeting water quality improvement across California. The procurement covers comprehensive public relations, advertising, and marketing services aimed at changing public behaviors related to stormwater pollution. Specific deliverables include developing multicultural outreach strategies, creating informational materials, managing social media content, conducting teen presentations, organizing coastal cleanup events, and producing advertising campaigns. Proposers must demonstrate at least five years of public relations experience, with a project manager having five years of related experience and the ability to manage advertising campaigns with an average annual gross media budget of at least $1.5 million. The evaluation process will involve scoring technical proposals, conducting oral presentations, and assessing cost proposals, with the contract to be awarded to the highest-scoring proposer. An optional pre-proposal teleconference is scheduled for March 25, 2025, with final proposals due by April 17, 2025. The contract will run from June 30, 2025, to June 29, 2028, with a focus on educating diverse and underserved communities about stormwater pollution sources and individual impacts on water quality.

The procurement includes specific small business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) participation requirements, with a 5% DVBE participation goal and potential incentive points for meeting or exceeding this requirement. The contract is open to qualified vendors who can demonstrate expertise in public education and marketing campaigns targeting environmental awareness. While no incumbent vendors are specifically mentioned, the solicitation covers jurisdictions including Sacramento County and San Francisco City, indicating a broad statewide reach. The total budget for the campaign is not to exceed $8,000,000, providing significant resources for a comprehensive public education effort. Interested parties requiring accessible versions of solicitation documents can submit a request to ADAdocs@dot.ca.gov or call (833) 713-2922. The campaign's primary objective is to motivate behavior changes that will improve water quality in California's streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal waters through targeted, multicultural communication strategies.