Knoxville-Knox County Planning is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for a media plan for the City of Knoxville's Comprehensive Plan called What's Next Knoxville?

Proposals are due August 25th by 4:00 pm ET. More detailed instructions are outlined in the scope of work of the RFP.

Visit the project website at whatsnextknoxville.com for more information about What's Next Knoxville? 

Request for Propsals

Questions

1. The Call to Action Priorities list attendance at six City Council District meetings and visiting a booth at events. Are those the actions the campaign is meant to drive residents toward, or is the consultant expected to staff those meetings and booths in person? If in person attendance is expected, roughly how many events and how many staff would Planning want on site?
   The consultant will not need to attend these meetings.
2. The Experience criterion asks for at least four projects of similar size and scope and a minimum of three references. Do projects performed for private sector clients satisfy that requirement, or is Planning looking specifically for public sector work?
   Private sector experience will be accepted, but public sector experience should be listed if available.
3. For media placement, would Planning pay media vendors directly, or is the consultant expected to place and pay for media and then invoice against the $24,999 total?
   The consultant will be expected to pay for media and invoice against the $24,999 total.
4. Is there an agency of record or existing media vendor currently placing advertising for the What's Next Knoxville campaign?
   There is no agency of record or existing media vendor for this project.
5. The RFP asks for a detailed budget breakdown. Does Planning have a preferred split between labor and media placement, or is that left to the proposer to recommend?
   Those details are up to the proposer to recommend.
6. SMS messaging: do you have an opt in mobile list from round 1 engagement? Or are you looking for the consultant to build and manage the list from scratch? If it's the latter, who holds consent and TCPA compliance responsibility, your team or the consultant?
   We do not have an existing list and TCPA compliance responsibility should be held by the consultant team.
7.  Budget breakout: I know the $24,999 covers planning, creative development, placement and reporting. Is there a minimum or target amount you'd like going toward working media placement, or is that split left to the consultant to recommend?
   Those details are up to the proposer to recommend.
8.  Round 1 data access: the round 1 engagement summary and survey results are noted as available for review. Can bidding firms also get access to website analytics for the What's Next Knoxville? site, plus results from any paid media that ran during round 1, to inform targeting?
   Yes, website analytics and results from previous paid media can be made available to the chosen consultant.
9. Conversion tracking: for conversions by source and demographic, can the consultant place tracking pixels on the What's Next Knoxville? site and the survey platform, and what do you count as a conversion (survey completion, event RSVP, booth visit, something else)?
   These details will be discussed during the selection process.
10.  Creative assets: are the provided brand assets already built as sized digital ad units, and are non English versions available? If resizing is required, should that be budgeted as part of creative production?
    Resizing may be required and this should be budgeted as part of creative production.
11. District meetings: for the six City Council district meetings the weeks of September 21 and 28, will specific dates and venues by district be available before the September 1 start, so promotion can be split geographically by district?
    Yes, these dates and details will be available prior to September 1.
12. Page limit: do resumes, references and appendices count toward the ten page limit?
    Yes, the full proposal should be no more than 10 pages, though links to bios are encouraged.
13. Could you please clarify whether the $24,999 budget encompasses the full cost of media (including ad spend) or if it primarily covers media placement services and associated costs? We want to ensure we accurately estimate our proposed investment for this project.
    The $24,999 budget encompasses the full cost of media and all costs of placement and production. 
14. To ensure we align our creative approach with your needs, could you please outline the specific types of creative development required for this project? We are prepared to deliver a range of services including, but not limited to graphic design, content creation (social media posts, website copy, etc.), video production, photography, and potentially interactive elements. Knowing your priorities will help us tailor our proposal effectively.
    The response should include what the proposer identifies as the most effective use of the full budget. Any assets already produced by Planning or the City of Knoxville are available for use. 
15. For the assets you mentioned, could you provide a more detailed description of what ‘assets’ are available? Are we talking about existing branding guidelines, logos, website URLs, social media profiles, or something else?
    Yes, existing assets include brand elements and guidelines, logos, website URLs, and social media profiles. Additionally, photos and video footage are available.
16. Given the timeline leading up to the launch of the online survey on September 21st, what is your anticipated timeframe for creative review and approval? We want to ensure we can deliver the necessary assets within your required deadlines.?
    We recognize that this is a compressed timeline, and would discuss review and approval timeframes during the selection process.
17. Could you please elaborate on the definition of ‘underserved populations’ as it relates to this project? We want to ensure we are targeting outreach efforts effectively and respectfully, and a clearer understanding of your specific needs will allow us to develop a tailored strategy."
    Broadly, this refers to populations that have not historically been part of or regularly participate in planning processes within the City of Knoxville.
18. Regarding weekly progress reports, what level of detail and reporting is expected? Would a comprehensive dashboard with live metrics be sufficient, or would you prefer a more interactive format including a brief call or check-in to discuss performance and insights?
    A dashboard with the option for periodic calls or check-ins to discuss performance would suffice.
19. Could you please clarify your approach to SMS outreach? Do you have an existing list of contacts, or would we be responsible for developing and maintaining the targeted audience list?
    The chosen team would be responsible for developing and maintaining the SMS list.

20. Will the What’s Next Knoxville planning group have a means for survey participants to go on a website to fill out appropriate questionnaires?
    Yes, the feedback mechanism for the material presented in September-November will be available on our website. 

21. Is there a kiosk or iPads available for same, for in person? Please describe.
    We currently do not have kiosks or iPads, but responses will be captured at in-person events. 

22. Are the survey results on the website current?
    The survey results on the What's Next Knoxville website reflect all responses from the first survey distributed earlier this year. Another round of engagement with a separate mechanism to collect feedback will be available in September. 

23. Our company requires that digital media be paid in advance. Will that be an issue?
    The consultant will be expected to pay for media and invoice against the $24,999 total.