CITY OF FLORENCE, SC REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) No. 2015-51 FLORENCE COMMUNITY BRANDING REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PURPOSE The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to solicit proposals from firms and/or individuals experienced in brand discovery, design and development in order to establish a branding platform for the Florence, SC community. The City of Florence will participate to a large degree in a partnership role during this process, and a shared brand between the community stakeholders and the City may emerge as a result. The branding program will be used in the following ways: Build awareness of both internal and external stakeholders by providing an established and seamless image across all participating entities Provide branding icon and tagline(s) Aid in producing tangible results for economic development, tourism, quality of life, etc. The intent is to have a unifying theme and message about the Florence community which differentiates Florence from similar cities and serves to bring visitors to Florence as their destination. The branding platform is meant to harmonize marketing of business and industrial recruitment, special events, City and County government, tourism, and historical and recreational amenities. SECTION II BACKGROUND Florence, South Carolina, located halfway between New York and Miami on I-95, at the intersection of I-95 and I-20, has long been the stopping point for leisure travelers. Just 85 miles from the high tourist concentration of Myrtle Beach and 100 miles from Charleston, SC, Florence hotels and restaurants are already well-known to tourists. As reported by the Travel Industry Association, tourism-related activities generated $293 million in direct tourist spending with 2.1 million visitors to Florence County in 2014. Florence, SC is an innovative, urban community with progressive leaders. In the past ten years, more than $100 million in public and private funds have been invested in the downtown. Public / private developments include the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library, Florence Little Theatre, Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center, and recently opened Florence County Museum. Private investors have opened a boutique hotel with fine dining, several apparel shops, and a row of locally-owned restaurants. Upscale / rooftop dining, hotel expansion, apartment complex with parking facility, and commercial space are under construction. The FMU Health Sciences Complex will provide opportunities for third and fourth year USC medical students to do their internships at two regional hospitals while completing coursework. At the intersection of interstates 95 and 20, the Florence Civic Center has drawn dozens of restaurants, retail stores, and 11 hotels to develop in order to serve the event attendees and leisure travelers over the past 20 years. Florence has consistently been chosen by large manufacturing corporations as the ideal location for investment and expansion. The newly developed downtown area will increase quality of life for residents which will be an additional asset to our economic development efforts. 1
Florence, however, lacks a unique selling point or a hook to pull travelers in to experience the community for an extended stay. The purpose of the branding platform is to differentiate Florence from similar cities and to entice visitors to Florence as a destination. SECTION III PROJECT REQUIREMENTS AND SCOPE OF SERVICES The Vendor is to develop a branding platform through discussions with the Florence SC Community Stakeholders Committee and related entities. Results of a recent strategic planning session will also be distributed for use in this process. Based on research and discussions, a new branding platform for the Florence, SC community will be created. The firm selected may be expected to provide multiple branding concepts and be prepared for revisions of the chosen brand concept. The brand identity will need to be effective in representing Florence in any context, enhance the perception of Florence, and develop a feeling of community pride and ownership. Upon completion of the project, the Vendor is to provide logo and any other materials available in editable files for use in websites, publications, etc. The logo and materials will be jointly owned by the City of Florence, Florence County and The Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau and will only be used for the purposes of marketing Florence, SC. The branding platform will provide the structure from which economic, design and promotional development for the Florence community will evolve. SECTION IV RFP SUBMITTAL PROCESS Essential Proposal Content/Criteria A. Description of your discovery process, including primary and secondary resources, and the protocol followed to arrive at a branding platform. B. Examples of brand discovery and design by your organization. C. Has your company ever facilitated a brand discovery project for a city of comparable size to Florence? Please describe. D. Discuss your organization s unique, value-added services and areas in which you differentiate yourself from other vendors as it relates to branding. E. Awards or industry distinctions your company has received for brand design and development. F. A description of the project management team, including roles, credentials and tenure within your organization. Timeline of Services Following Vendor selection, the vendor will be expected to complete services outlined above within a four week period. Anticipated Schedule Issue of RFP - November 24, 2015 Closing date for inquiries - December 18, 2015, 3pm EST Submission of proposals - December 31, 2015, 3pm EST Vendor selection - No later than January 31, 2016 2
Inquiries Questions concerning this RFP should be directed to the City Purchasing Agent, Lynwood F. Givens in writing by e-mail at lgivens@cityofflorence.com. The deadline for the submission of all inquiries is Friday, December 18, 2015. All answers to question received will be shared with all other respondents to this RFP. No question will be accepted after the Proposal due date. Modifications No oral, telephone, or fax proposals or modifications will be considered. Content of Proposals The Vendor proposal should include the following: A. A brief description of your firm, including professional experience and staff. B. Case studies of brand discovery, development and execution, including names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least two clients for whom you have performed similar work. C. Summary of your ability to meet the requirements for selection as described in Section III Requirements of this request for proposal. D. Any additional services that you propose to enhance or exceed the scope of the minimum requirements of this project. E. A complete fee schedule with rates for any and all services provided. Note: The Florence Branding Committee anticipates that the development of a community brand should not exceed $25,000, excluding the cost of creating collateral materials, media placement and other expenses that will be incurred in implementing the brand. The budget is not absolute and the committee may be willing to adjust the budget if the vendor can document that their services for other similar communities required a larger budget. Selection of Proposals In determining the apparent successful Vendor, the degree of compliance with the requirements of this RFP and the items listed below shall be given consideration. A. The ability, capacity, and skills of the Vendor to perform the contract or provide the service required. B. The ability of the Vendor to deliver service at agreed-upon timelines, unless otherwise approved by the Purchaser. C. The character, integrity, reputation, judgment, experience, and efficiency of the Vendor. D. The quality of performance of previous contracts or service. E. A demonstrated understanding of the scope of the project, special implications of the brand in the overall scheme of community development. F. The previous and existing compliance by the Vendor with laws relating to the contract or services. G. Proposed cost, for this project and potential future work with the Florence SC Community Stakeholders Committee. G. Such other information as may be secured having a bearing on the decision to award the contract. 3
Contract in Best Interest The Purchaser reserves the right to accept or reject proposals on each item separately or as a whole, to reject any or all proposals without penalty, to waive informalities or irregularities, and to contract in the best interests of the Purchaser. Term of Contract The term of this agreement will be outlined in the negotiated project specifications. Cancellation The Purchaser has the right to cancel the contract at any time with written notice to the Vendor. Additional Terms A. The Vendor agrees to indemnify the Purchaser against any and all copyright or trademark infringement claims which may result from this contract. B. All items created as a result of this contract become the property of the Purchaser. Public Disclosures All documents submitted in response to this contract, or during the life of the contract, become the property of the Purchaser. If a request is made to view a document, the Purchaser will comply according to appropriate Public Disclosure statutes. SECTION V EVALUATION AND ACCEPTANCE General A full evaluation of all qualified Vendors proposals will be made. During evaluation, individuals involved in the selection process may inquire to Vendors for clarification of technical points or an interpretation of the financial data referenced in the Vendors proposals. Evidence of Qualifications Upon the request of the Purchaser, a Vendor will provide evidence of: A. Technical resource personnel B. Relevant experience C. Other relevant factors Fee Evaluation Financial evaluation will be based on Vendors rate schedule together with experience and other qualifications. After evaluating the proposals, the award will be made based upon the best value to the Purchaser. All factors concerned will be evaluated. Summary of Criteria for Selection of Apparent Successful Vendor A task force consisting of public and private individuals involved in the branding project will evaluate the proposals using the following criteria: A. Demonstrated background and experience of the firm or individual in compliance with the stated requirements. B. Similar work completed by the firm and the principals assigned to the project. C. Accessibility and expertise of the proposed assigned personnel. D. Quality of the proposal, including creativity. 4
E. Understanding of Florence SC community and the importance of identity and branding in the tourism industry. F. Content of oral presentation, if requested by Purchaser G. Fees/rate structure, including the hourly fee that would be charged for any future design work and possible phases of project that you feel would be of benefit to Florence. Project Management It is anticipated that the City of Florence will manage the RFP process and will award this contract for branding services. The City of Florence Procurement Director will respond to applicant questions. Once the project is awarded, a team consisting of a representative from the City of Florence, Florence CVB and Florence Chamber of Commerce will serve as the primary contact for the selected firm, and will insure performance of the Scope of Services. Submission of Proposals Each proposal in response to this RFP must be formatted as a single bound volume and must be submitted at or before the time and date set forth below in this RFP. An original and five (5) copies of each proposal must be provided. Responses shall remain valid, active, and firm for a period of 120 days from the due date. Each respondent must submit the information requested in standard letter size format for their proposal to be complete (fold out documents will be accepted). The outside of the package containing a proposal should be clearly marked with Branding RFP. The proposals shall not exceed 15 single spaced pages using no less than one inch margins and no less than a 10 point font. Supplemental material may be submitted separately from the proposal. All submittals should be concise and address the goals and objectives as listed in this RFP and relevant support documents Submittals are due on or before Thursday, December 31, 2015, at the Office of Purchasing & Contracting, Third Floor of the City Center, 324 West Evans Street. All proposal packages must be sealed and have Branding RFP clearly marked on the outside for easy identification by the City. Proposals may be hand delivered prior to the submission deadline at the address listed above. Directions may be obtained by calling (843) 665-3165. Any proposals received later than the submission deadline will not be accepted or considered. Proposals submitted by mail should be addressed to: City of Florence, Attn: Lynwood F. Givens, Purchasing Agent, 324 W. Evans Street, Florence, SC 29501. The City will not be responsible for late submission caused by the postal service, other carriers, or any other delivery problems regardless of the reason. This solicitation does not commit the City of Florence to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal, or to procure or contract for services. The City of Florence reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals received as a result of this Request for Proposal, or to cancel it in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of the City of Florence. The CITY OF FLORENCE, in its sole discretion, may amend or withdraw this RFP at any time. 5
MINORITY AND WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS The City of Florence welcomes and encourages submissions from minority and woman owned businesses. Please indicate that you are a minority or woman owned business with your proposal documents. Minority Business Owners (minority or woman owned businesses) will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, creed, sex or national origin in consideration for an award. It is the policy of the City that minority business and women owned business enterprises (MBE/WBE) have an opportunity to participate at all levels of contracting in the performance of City contracts to the extent practical and consistent with the efficient performance of the contract. The successful company must ensure that all subcontractors, agents, personnel assigned by or employees of prime company and subcontractors are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Bidders must make positive efforts to provide equal employment opportunity for minority and women owned businesses. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: The successful respondent shall agree to hold harmless, indemnify and defend the City of Florence, South Carolina, its agents and employees from any claims for property damage or personal injury (including death resulting therefrom). Such claims include, but are not limited to, actual, consequential, incidental or punitive damages. The successful respondent shall agree to maintain sufficient comprehensive general liability insurance, naming the City of Florence, South Carolina, as additional insured, in the amounts of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence and $1,000,000.00 per person. Proof of such insurance shall be given to the Purchasing Agent by an appropriate certificate-of-insurance issued by the successful respondent s insurance agent. Vehicle liability insurance with minimum combined single limits of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence shall be maintained by the successful respondent. The successful respondent shall take out and maintain, during the life of the contract agreement, workers compensation and employer s liability insurance for all employees to be engaged in services on this project under this agreement in an amount not less than the minimum allowed by South Carolina law, and in case any such services are sublet, the successful respondent shall require the subcontractor(s) similarly to provide workers compensation and employer s liability insurance for all of the subcontractor s employees to be engaged in such services. BUSINESS LICENSE REQUIREMENT Entities that provide goods and services within the City limits are required to have a business license. The successful contractor/company will be required to contact the Business License Office, 324 West Evans First Floor Florence, SC 29501 prior to commencement of work. The Business License Office s phone number is (843) 665-3173 and its Fax number is (843) 665-3171. The City s business license application can be viewed at the following URL: http://www.cityofflorence.com/docs/documents-city-council/download-and-print-the-businesslicense-application-.pdf?sfvrsn=0 6