Transit advertising (PT)

Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and Palm Tran Inc. are issuing a Request for Proposal for transit advertising services to be managed across Palm Tran's fleet of 159 buses and the Intermodal Transit Center. The contractor will be responsible for marketing advertising space utilizing directly applied vinyl media on bus exteriors, interior styrene signs, and multi-media signage at three facilities: Palm Tran North (89 buses), Palm Tran South (57 buses), and Palm Tran West (13 buses), with 100 buses designated for external advertising and the full fleet available for internal advertising. The selected contractor must demonstrate three years of documented experience in transit advertising services and must manage advertising content in compliance with County standards that prohibit tobacco, alcohol, gambling, illegal drugs, adult content, false or misleading materials, and political advertising. Key deliverables include installation and maintenance of advertising materials during afternoon and evening hours (3:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., seven days weekly), comprehensive record-keeping, monthly billing and operational reports, and annual independent audits by a Certified Public Accountant. The evaluation criteria consist of Experience and Qualifications (15%), Project Approach and Understanding (25%), Key Personnel and Operations (10%), Revenue Proposal Information (30%), Small Business Enterprise participation (15%), and Business Location/Local Preference (5%). The original RFP was issued on August 18, 2025, with a proposal deadline of September 18, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. local time; the Selection Committee meeting occurred on October 2, 2025, with oral presentations scheduled for October 10, 2025, the Notice of Intent to Award posted October 13, 2025, and the Board of County Commissioners Award Date and contract start date set for October 21, 2025, with a three-year contract term extending through October 20, 2028, plus two optional one-year renewal periods at the County's sole discretion.

This is a revenue-generating contract with no monies due from the County to the contractor, with compensation consisting of four components: a Minimum Guaranteed Revenue amount paid upfront annually or monthly secured by a Revenue Guarantee Bond or Letter of Credit, a percentage share of the contractor's net advertising revenues, a Media Trade Bank amount for County promotional advertising, and discounted rates for Public Service Announcement wraps. Small Business Enterprise participation is weighted at 15% of the evaluation criteria, demonstrating the County's commitment to supporting disadvantaged enterprises, with respondents required to complete Subcontractor/Subconsultant Schedules 1-4 pursuant to Emergency Ordinance 2025-014 to document SBE involvement and participation percentages. The contractor must assume all costs associated with installation, maintenance, and removal of advertising materials and must manage pre-existing advertising contracts from the current contractor, paying 20% of net revenues from surviving contracts for up to twelve months. While specific guaranteed revenue amounts are not disclosed in the publicly available solicitation documents, the contract structure emphasizes revenue sharing based on the contractor's advertising sales success, creating incentives for aggressive marketing and client development. The geographic scope of advertising placements includes the City of West Palm Beach's fixed-route shuttle service areas and on-demand service zones, encompassing downtown corridors and major destinations such as the Brightline station, Palm Beach County Convention Center, and other institutional anchors visible to transit riders throughout the service area.