City Marketing and Branding Initiative

The City of East Orange, New Jersey, is soliciting proposals from qualified firms for a comprehensive City Marketing and Branding Initiative. This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks professional services encompassing research, marketing, design, and implementation to develop a new community brand. The core objective is to establish a strong, unified "umbrella" brand identity for the City, aiming to create a consistent message and image that promotes East Orange locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally as an ideal place to live, work, shop, and invest. The extensive scope of work includes project management, qualitative and quantitative research to determine existing perceptions and opportunities, strategic planning for brand implementation and ongoing promotion, creative development of design concepts, logos, and messages (requiring a minimum of three distinct options), and the formulation of detailed implementation and evaluation plans. Deliverables include community engagement reports, a new brand identity with logo and tagline, a style manual with usage guidelines, and a comprehensive internal and external marketing strategy with rollout materials and cost estimates. To be eligible, consultants must specialize in project management, research, marketing, and creative design, demonstrating significant prior experience with community branding initiatives. Priority will be given to firms that have successfully engaged a substantial portion of residents on behalf of a local government. Required compliance documents for submission include a Business Entity Disclosure Certification, Non-Collusion Affidavit, Disclosure of Ownership Form, Insurance Requirement Acknowledgement Form (with general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate), EEO/Affirmative Action Compliance Notice, Americans With Disabilities Act acknowledgement, a copy of the Certificate of Employee Information Report, and a valid New Jersey Business Registration Certificate. Firms must also submit a detailed lump sum fee proposal (not-to-exceed) for the entire project, including costs for each phase, meetings, travel, and document production. Proposals must include one (1) original, three (3) copies, and one (1) electronic copy, and must be submitted to Racquel C. Ferguson, QPA, at City of East Orange, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, NJ 07018. The absolute deadline for proposal submission is Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. Failure to adhere to the submission requirements, including the provision of all mandatory forms and a detailed fee proposal, may result in the rejection of the bid. The City reserves the right to evaluate proposals based on qualifications, experience, proposed fees, methodology, references, and illustrative examples, with no bid security or performance bonds explicitly required in the provided text.