Tourism Marketing and Creative Services
Open State & local contract opportunity Posted
- Solicitation number
- 2026-RFP-055
- State
- California
- Responses due
Opportunity facts
- Jurisdiction
- Point of contact
-
- Celina Cabrera ccabrera@palmdesert.gov (760) 776-6449
Opportunity details come from procurement.opengov.com. Updated .
About this opportunity
The City of Palm Desert is requesting proposals for Tourism Marketing and Creative Services under RFP 2026-RFP-055, with proposals due October 22, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. and a question deadline of September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
The City seeks a full-service firm to provide integrated tourism marketing encompassing destination strategy, creative and brand development, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, email communications, website marketing, and research and analytics. The selected firm will serve as strategic partner and account manager working with City staff, with Thomas Soule (Marketing and Tourism Manager) as the City's primary contact. The firm must develop a new destination campaign platform during the initial contract period and differentiate Palm Desert within a competitive desert travel market dominated by Palm Springs and other regional destinations.
The contract term runs July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030, with the City holding a unilateral renewal option for two additional one-year terms. The firm's annual services budget is capped at $335,000, covering all firm compensation, research, data, production, technology, subcontractor, and reimbursable costs. A separate working-media budget of approximately $550,000 annually is allocated for media placement and billed at actual net cost without firm markup. Proposers must allocate pricing across nine scope categories using a lump-sum approach. Pricing proposals remain valid for 120 days.
Evaluation occurs in three phases: Phase 1 assesses completeness and responsiveness (pass/fail); Phase 2 applies weighted scoring on understanding of Palm Desert (15%), strategic approach (25%), relevant experience (20%), proposed team and account management (15%), research and measurement capabilities (15%), and cost and value (10%); Phase 3 may include finalist interviews. The City Council retains final contract approval authority. The City reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and may terminate without cause upon seven days' written notice. Proposers must submit electronically through OpenGov Procurement. Required insurance includes general liability and automobile liability at $1 million each, with workers' compensation at statutory limits.
Opportunity text
The City of Palm Desert ("City") is requesting proposals from qualified firms ("Proposers") for Tourism Marketing and Creative Services ("Services") to establish a Professional Services Agreement for Tourism Marketing Services ("Agreement") for a term of July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2030.
To serve and promote the welfare of its residents, the City intends to procure the Services, as described below:
Tourism is an important contributor to Palm Desert's economy, supporting lodging, dining, retail, arts and culture, recreation, events, attractions, and other visitor-serving businesses. The City maintains an established destination-marketing program to strengthen awareness of Palm Desert, attract qualified visitors, connect travelers with local experiences and businesses, and support visitor economic activity throughout the community. The City's current tourism-marketing contract is approaching the end of its term, creating the need for a competitive procurement for services beginning July 1, 2027. This procurement provides an opportunity to preserve successful practices, incorporate lessons learned, modernize the scope of services, strengthen research and performance measurement, improve financial and contractual clarity, and establish a durable framework for the next phase of Palm Desert's destination marketing. Palm Desert competes within a crowded travel market and must communicate a distinctive sense of place that differentiates it from Palm Springs and other desert destinations. The City requires a partner that is experienced in tourism-marketing, can provide strategic leadership and integrated execution across creative and brand management, media planning and buying, public relations, social media, tourism email communications, website marketing, research, measurement, and analytics. The selected firm will work collaboratively with City staff while exercising professional judgment and managing public resources transparently within approved strategic, financial, and administrative parameters.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Tourism_Marketing_and_Creative_Services_(Addendum_#1_Revision).pdf | ||
| Tourism_Marketing_and_Creative_Services.pdf | ||
| Sample_Professional_Services_Agreement.docx | DOCX document |
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