RFPs

To stand out against the competition during the RFP process, firms are adding all sorts of services to their proposal offerings, including research. Firms are also making all kinds of promises, some that are difficult or impossible to keep.

Today’s guest post is written by Mark Weiner, CEO of PRIME Research Americas, a global research and analysis firm, and author of Unleashing the Power of PR: A Contrarian’s Guide to Marketing and Communication. He looks at the role that research and evaluation can play in the RFP process and how firms can position the research services they plan to provide in their proposals.

Click through to read on.

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The American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS) is looking for a PR firm to reach “Generation C” and build on its Beauty Changes Lives marketing initiative. They have a spokesperson (hair stylist Ted Gibson) and would like to use traditional and social media to reach audiences with a message encouraging cosmetology education and a better perception of the industry.

The job has a $5,000 monthly retainer budget. Interested? We’ve got the RFP, due May 6 (next Friday) after the jump.

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Volkswagen of America has issued two RFPs for PR AOR and event AOR reports PRWeek. MWW Group was selected as the company’s first AOR back in 2006 and renewed the contract last year after “a review for a three-year, million-dollar AOR contract,” the story reports.

MWW has declined to participate in the review. “We are very proud of the work that was done for Volkswagen.  Our team won virtually every major industry award including many ‘Best of Show’ honors this year and we consistently exceeded all of the success metrics set by the client,” wrote Michael Kempner, CEO of MWW Group, in an e-mail to PRNewser.

PRWeek reports that the search includes both mid- and large-sized firms and Volkswagen reached out to firms about six weeks ago.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (sub req’d) in New Orleans has issued an RFP seeking public affairs and community outreach services. The organization is accepting responses by September 8, 2010. Outreach Process Partners has been providing PR services since 2007. Its contract ends next month. The value of this new contract starts at $1.5 million for the first year.

The Army Corps of Engineers is investing billions in the New Orleans levee system, which failed when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

Wells Fargo is in the process of reviewing (sub req’d) PR agencies for its Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement Group.

The RFP is closed and 10 agencies are participating. Wells Fargo has not named the other agencies or given details about budget or timeline for a decision. PRNewser has reached out to the company for further comment.

Jackie Alosso, Associate Marketing Manager, PR & Advertising at Welch Foods, Inc. just told PRNewser the following in regards to the company’s recently issued PR RFP:

Within the scope of the RFP, there will be a heightened focus on using public relations and health professional partnerships to educate consumers about our inherently healthy and distinctively delicious Concord and Niagara Grapes, grown by our family farmer owners, and our rich heritage as an American brand.

We began speaking with agencies invited to participate in the RFP a couple of weeks ago.

A total of 8 agencies have been invited to participate in the RFP including incumbent Tonic Life Communications, as they are a valued partner.

These agencies are all proven strategic thinkers and results focused with expertise in Health & Nutrition, experience in agriculture and high quality food and beverages, and a sensitivity to co-op and / or family ownership structures.

The agency partner’s overall goal will be to drive and enhance consumer awareness of core message platforms.

RELATED: Welch’s Puts PR Up for Review

Welch’s, maker of grape jams, juices and jellies, has issued a PR RFP.

Eight agencies have been invited to pitch so far, including Tonic Life, which has held the account for three years.

It’s unclear if Welch’s will consider more agencies on the pitch. We’ve reached out to the company for further comment.

Are there more RFPs on the market this week? It seems so, according to industry executives PRNewser has spoken with.

While most agencies have policies in tact not to comment on active RFPs — who would want to potentially ruin their chance at winning the business? — we’ve been hearing about more accounts being up for grabs.

Just this morning, Edelman Chicago president Rick Murray posted on Twitter, “Not complaining in the least, but you do have to wonder — why do pre-holiday weeks overindex on RFP’s?”

We followed up with Murray via email, asking for more details. “My guess is that it traces to people trying to push things off their desk before they scoot out on vacation,” he said.

In late April, Feld entertainment, the company behind the Ringling Bros. and the Barnum & Bailey Circus, issued a national PR RFP, with a budget of $30,000 per month.

This week, the company put a halt to the RFP process and decided to pull PR in house. Hill & Knowlton was the incumbent agency.

Feld VP of corporate communications Stephen Payne said the change has nothing to do with PETA, who issued a statement in mid-May telling PR firms to stay away from the bidding process. In the statement, PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said the company, “is a public relations nightmare waiting to happen,” due to alleged animal abuse.

“We received a very positive response from over two dozen firms and were in the process of whittling that down when we took a hard look at all the proposals and a hard look at our staff internally, and came to conclusion that we could do most of what we were looking for in house,” Payne told PRNewser in a phone interview today.

Payne did say a lot of the ideas in the proposals “were great,” and that the company may occasionally consult with firms down the road. However, he also said, “We’re not going to issue another RFP.”

Best Buy has awarded its holiday account to Edelman, after a long pitch process that began in February.

Rumors of the account being up for grabs had been swirling for months, although Best Buy spokespeople declined to comment during the RFP process. PRNewser heard as many as 20 agencies were involved with the RFP.

As PRWeek reports, “the account consolidates the company’s holiday programs, including the Best Buy brand work, formerly handled by MS&L, and the Geek Squad business, which Ketchum had worked on.”