PROJECT OVERVIEW

Orange Township (OT) in Delaware County, Ohio has experienced substantial growth and change in our community over the last decades. To better plan and manage this growth, Orange Township recently partnered with The Ohio State University’s City and Regional Planning Department, to update to the Orange Township 2010 Land Use Plan (2010 plan: http://www.orangetwp.org/index.aspx?nid=189 ; draft new plan: http://www.orangetwp.org/DocumentCenter/View/2401).

As stated in the draft of the updated plan, OT strives for balanced and smart growth and development, together with preservation of social amenities and natural resources, while supporting residents, existing business needs and growth and encouraging new business.

In order to support this vision and better reflect our changing Township, the Board of Orange Township Trustees (“Orange Township Trustees”) and the Orange Township Outreach & Communication Committee (OTOCC) have determined to utilize the authority of Section 9.03 of the Ohio Revised Code to communicate information about the plans, policies, and operations of the Township to members of the public within Orange Township, existing businesses and other persons and entities who may be affected by the Township, including such communication and the possible incorporation of a name or mark.

In part, this includes the conduct of an in depth initiative calculated to develop a strategy to continue Orange Township’s progressive and forward thinking attitude to openly and broadly share and distribute such information, to guide those efforts and afford residents, community businesses and others the benefits of it, so as to support community outreach efforts and business growth and retention, as well as to position the Township as one of the leading communities in the State of Ohio.

Pursuant to direction of the Orange Township Trustees, the OTOCC is requesting proposals from qualified firms to develop a strategy and focused and creative elements that capture the essence and feel that is Orange Township, the result to be incorporated into its’ overall effort. Resulting deliverables will serve as a platform for the Township’s outreach and communication efforts.

The OT Initiative will be conducted in two phases:

1. Outreach and Communication Strategy (including marketing research, focus groups and consideration of current brand position) calculated to identify a range of groups towards which the most effective information sharing efforts can be directed.
2. Brand creation as an adjunct to the Outreach and Communication Strategy and implementation.

PHASE 1 - OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

Scope of Work

• Conduct an analysis of other similarly situated communities (particularly townships) in Central Ohio and their corresponding efforts.
• Review existing research and existing Township plans and information that will assist in achieving the project’s goals.
• Based on your firm’s knowledge and expertise, propose a suggested plan of action with specific details of timelines and your approach to information about OT’s unique qualities that help us clearly identify and share who we are and what we have. This research should include, but is not limited to, residents, business community, community leaders as well as targeted audiences outside of the Orange Township region.
• Develop a comprehensive information sharing strategy for OT that could work for all audiences, augmented by individual messages for each of the separate audiences - residents, local businesses and those outside OT.

PHASE 2 - BRAND CREATION & IMPLEMENTATION

Scope of Work

• Develop a detailed Implementation plan for key strategy elements with timelines and costs including but not limited to logo, marketing collateral, messaging platform(s) and signage for communicating with residents, businesses and others.

SUBMITTAL CRITERIA

For consistency of evaluation, each proposal submittal must contain at least the following elements:

1. Firm Experience: A resume of experience and other credentials that illustrate your qualifications and abilities to successfully deliver the project. Please provide at least 2 examples of projects of similar intent, size and scope that your firm has completed within the last 2 years (community projects are preferred).
2. References: A list of 3 to 5 references providing names, organizational names, addresses and phone numbers of previous clients. This section should also contain details about type and size of projects.
3. Project Team Composition: A team description including resumes for all team members. Identify the capacity in which team members will be used, and identify a primary team member for ongoing project communication and question resolution. Only include descriptions and resumes of people who will have continuous or substantial involvement in the project.
4. Approach to the project: A project approach description, which embraces the outlined proposed Scope of work. Scope of work elements may be expanded to provide further detail or modified to reflect specific procedures unique to the Firm. If you are proposing partnering with another firm(s) to complete part(s) of the requested scope of work, or other sub-contracting, please list those firms and their experiences related to this type of project.
5. Time Frame: A statement illustrating availability to perform the required tasks, including a proposed time frame required to complete the stated Scope of Work.
6. Cost Submittal: A schedule of fees for completing the Scope of Work (see below Compensation for more details).
7. Number of Proposals: Please submit EIGHT (8) hard copies and one electronic PDF version of the proposal.

COMPENSATION

Define the total estimated contract amount on a time and materials, with a “not to exceed” figure. Include the following:

• A list of all phases of the work.
• A list of all tasks required to complete each phase.
• The estimated project expenses (mileage, reproduction costs, etc.) and labor hours to accomplish each task and a current fee schedule.
• The time and duration required to accomplish each phase of the work.
• A clear statement of deliverables to be presented to the Orange Township Trustees and OTOCC upon project completion.

TIME SCHEDULE

The OTOCC will adhere to the following time schedule, which should result in a selection of a person/firm by May 31, 2018. Review of submittals and recommendation of a person/firm will be undertaken by the OTOCC, with final selection of the successful person/firm and contract authorization being determined by the Orange Township Trustees. If deemed necessary by the OTOCC, this schedule may be updated and agencies will be notified.

• Issue RFP March 21, 2018.
• Submission of prospective agency partner questions via email to the Township Administrator, Mr. Lee R. Bodnar, by 4:30 p.m., March 28, 2018.
• Answers to prospective agency partner questions will be delivered to all agencies via email by 4:30 p.m., April 2, 2018.
• Deadline for submittal of proposals by 1:30 p.m., April 13, 2018.
• Finalists notified by 4:30 p.m., April 27, 2018.
• OT reserves the right to schedule presentations as part of the selection process should this be necessary. Finalist interviews date: TBD
• Notify firm or individual of final selection by May 31, 2018.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The Orange Township Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and to waive minor irregularities in any proposal. The Orange Township Trustees reserves the right to request clarification of information submitted, and to request additional information from the respondent. The Orange Township Trustees shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondent in preparing, submitting or presenting its response to the RFP. If no single proposal satisfactorily meets the criteria above, the Orange Township Trustees may choose to award this contract to more than one agency partner, or to award only part of this proposal, whichever is judged to be in the OT’s best interest.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Interested firms should submit proposals to:

Mr. Lee R. Bodnar
Township Administrator
1680 E. Orange Road
Lewis Center, Ohio 43035

Email: lbodnar@orangetwp.org