Hydrilla Marketing Campaign RFB

Request for Bids (RFB)

Marketing Campaign to Increase Awareness of Harm and Impact of Hydrilla and Address Prevention and Reporting Strategies

Release Date: April 22, 2020

Bid due date and time: May 29, 2020 by 5:00 P.M.

Full Package available here: RFB 2020 – Hydrilla_Marketing_CampaignV2

Insurance addendum: Addendum 1_RFP Tax and Audit Services_2019

Questions and Answers: Addendum 2_RFP Hydrilla

Request for Bid: Scope of Work

Marketing Campaign to Increase Awareness of Harm and Impact of Hydrilla and Address Prevention and Reporting Strategies

 

Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (FL-PRISM) Subcontract

Deadline for receipt of Bids: May 29, 2020 at 5 P.M.

Background and Purpose

Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is a highly prolific invasive species that is invading waterbodies in select locations of the Finger Lakes and Great Lakes region. It spreads quickly and causes adverse impacts to water quality, aquatic communities, recreation, and navigation. Hydrilla is difficult to control due to the need for multiple treatments across multiple years.

 

In late August 2019, Hydrilla was detected within Finger Lakes Marine Service’s marina, on Cayuga Lake in Lansing, NY. Cayuga Lake is hydrologically connected to Lake Ontario via the Seneca River and Oswego River. Hydrilla is a relatively new invader to New York, with known populations on Long Island (8-10 sites), in a small pond in Orange County, a small pond in Monroe County, 2 ponds in Erie County, and several small private ponds in Broome County. Infestations have been documented in Cayuga Lake (Tompkins and Cayuga County), the Erie Canal/Tonawanda Creek (Tonawanda, Erie, and Niagara Counties), and the Croton River (Westchester County).

 

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) intends to subcontract with a marketing/advertising agency to develop and execute a public awareness campaign to alert residents and visitors in the Finger Lakes region to the harm and impact of Hydrilla and provide strategies for prevention and reporting. The focus of the campaign will be to reach stakeholders in the Finger Lakes including boaters, recreationists, marina owners and other lakeside businesses about the presence of Hydrilla, how to report possible sightings, and ways to prevent its spread. It is expected that majority of the campaign will occur during the late June to October timeframe when Hydrilla is most likely to be found in the Finger Lakes.

 

Contact Information

Any questions regarding this Request for Proposals should be directed to the Finger Lakes PRISM Coordinator: Hilary R. Mosher, mosher@hws.edu, 315-781-4385 by May 13, 2020.

Hydrilla Marketing Campaign Objectives

The Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the Finger Lakes PRISM are requesting proposals to design, develop, and execute a strategic advertising campaign to educate those who live, work, and recreate in the watershed of the Finger Lakes, particularly in areas with known Hydrilla infestations, about the harm and impact of Hydrilla, ways to prevent the spread and impact of this plant and how to report a possible sighting.

 

Working in collaboration with the Finger Lakes Institute/ Finger Lakes PRISM, the campaign will include:

• Identification of key target audiences and tactics for each
• Campaign design
• Agreed-to implementations (e.g. video, print, digital)
• Placements (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, print, web)

 

Core messages of this campaign will be:

Hydrilla is a threat to our region

Here is how to identify Hydrilla

Here is what to do when you find it

Help prevent it from entering or spreading by taking these actions

 

Deliverables

Deliverables should include the following:

1. An executed advertising campaign that engages those living, working, and recreating in the Finger Lakes region of New York State
2. A final report including number and type of audience reached, type of campaign(s) utilized, and other metrics for reporting

 

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be selected based on the following:

1. Background and Qualifications/Relevant Experience (35%)
2. Creative Development (35%)
3. Expected Reach (20%)
4. Cost Structure (10%)

 

Eligibility

Recipient of funding must present the results of the project at a Finger Lakes PRISM event such as a working group meeting or full partner meeting. All applicants must be willing and able to accept the insurance requirements and have the organizational capacity to successfully manage the project and properly administer the subcontract funds. Organizational capacity will be evaluated prior to issuance of subcontracts. Exceptions cannot be made to this requirement. Service-Disabled-Veteran-Owned-Businesses and Minority-Women-Business-Enterprises are encouraged to apply

 

Term

This project will should begin 06/15/20 and be completed no later than 02/15/21.

 

Proposal Submission

Proposals should be submitted electronically as a single PDF file attachment to mosher@hws.edu by 5pm on or before May 29, 2020. Award recipients are expected to be notified by June 2020.

 

Minimum Requirements

• Proposals must be fully implemented and completed during the proposed period of performance.
• Client references and samples from prior, related projects must be included in the proposal.
• A progress report will be submitted with the first invoice and progress towards goals of the project must be clearly displayed for review. A final report is due upon project completion or no later than 02/28/21 and must provide updates to project metrics that are in alignment with project expenditures.
• Successful proposals will directly address elements listed in the evaluation criteria and include key metrics (number of people reached, etc.). Proposals should include a narrative description of the budget.

 

Funds:

The maximum level of funding will be $18,000. Smaller funding requests will be accepted and evaluated commensurate with measurable results/outcomes expected. The money for this program comes from the Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Funds will be made available upon completion of work and will be issued upon completion of all reports and other deliverables as described in the subcontract.

 

Contract decisions are expected to be made in June 2020. Work should be completed no later than 2/15/2021, with final invoices submitted by 2/28/21. This program requires that two reports be provided by the award recipient to the Finger Lakes-PRISM Coordinator. The progress report will be due 60-days after commencing work and the final report by 2/28/2021.