Social Media Management Services for Firefighter Recruiting

SOLICITATION NO. IFQ 8300 JRH1027
Description: Social Media Management Services for Firefighter Recruiting
1. Purpose and Scope
The purpose of this solicitation is to secure assistance for the Austin Fire Department (AFD)
Recruiting Division in developing and implementing Social Media campaigns that encourage
potential recruits with special focus on minority and women candidates to complete a
Candidate Interest Card (CIC) via our website (JoinAFD.com). Proposer will partner with AFD
in designing, administering, and validating a campaign that increases impressions,
engagement, website traffic, and CICs completions. We currently get about 58-60% of CICs
as targeted candidates and we would like to see an increase to 70%.
Responses shall describe all tools that the contractor reasonably believes may be used as
part of its solution and shall include a discussion of how each tool would be validated and
executed in a timely manner to meet deadlines and to show increases in recruitment with
special focus on increased interest from minority and women candidates. This campaign
project can include both organic social and paid social. This includes all paid digital media
platforms that best accomplish our goals. Unpaid social media marketing can be included if
it is relevant to the IFQ.
2. Term of Contract
This Contract shall remain in effect for an initial term of twelve (12) months, or the City
terminates the Contract. This Contract may be extended beyond the initial term for up to two
(2) additional twelve (12) month periods at the City's sole option.
3. Background/Objective
The new selection process will be used for all Fire Cadet Candidates, all of whom will be
external candidates. Historically, most applicants come from the central Texas region, but
because the jobs and location are very attractive, there are also applicants from further
away. AFD's need for new firefighters is frequent and ongoing due to general attrition,
increased authorized strength, etc. Minimum qualifications to apply as a Fire Cadet are: 18
to 35 years of age; U.S. citizenship or other status to work lawfully in the U.S.; and the ability
to read, write, and speak English. During the last hiring cycle, after being prescreened for
minimum qualifications, 1,398 applicants were invited to sit for the initial written test with
over 741 applicants taking the written and video interview tests. There are no certifications
required for employment as a cadet to enter the recruitment process. A high school diploma
or equivalent is required.
Under AFD's normal hiring practices, groups of 150 - 200 eligible candidates are invited each
year to go through the pre-hire assessments, including: physical ability test; medical and
psychological evaluations, a personal background history verifications and criminal
background check. Candidates who pass all the assessments are placed on a hiring list for
future Fire Cadet academies. AFD generally hosts two academy classes per year, with 45 to
48 cadets in each class. AFD is looking for innovative concepts in assessing candidate skills
that are more inviting for the recruit.
Hiring Cycle
Specification Revised 08/05/20

The recruiting/hiring cycle is a one to two-year process. It begins with a recruiting off-season
which lasts one year and four months. During this time our Recruiting Division attends
recruiting events, making community contacts, and collecting Candidate Interest Cards
(CICs). Applications are the first step of the official hiring process and most of those
applicants will be CIC holders. Shortly after the application period will be the written exam.
It is the first of two events that contribute to scores by which candidates are ranked. Next,
candidates are ranked, and the top 400 candidates are invited to proceed to the second
phase of the hiring process. In this phase candidates are required to complete a background
check, psychological assessment, medical assessment, treadmill test and the Candidate
Physical Assessment Test (CPAT), all of which are pass/fail. Candidates who successfully
pass all these steps are placed on a hiring list in the order by which they were first ranked.
This hiring list is good for up to two years depending on contract parameters. The actual hiring
process is 6-8 months long however it can take up to two years for candidates to be placed
into an academy.
The AFD Recruiting Division strives to interest qualified and competitive candidates in
participating in the Ausitn Fire Department's hiring process, ensuring a diverse workforce
reflective of the community we serve. This division is currently composed of one sworn
member and one civilian. For creative needs, we have access to Flickr account with AFD
photos over several years and a videographer can create new content if requested.
To see the current cadet application and process, please visit http://www.joinafd.com/.
4. Contractor's Minimum Qualifications
Proposers who do not meet these minimum requirements shall not be considered
for this solicitation.
4.1. Proposer shall have experience in fire department or public safety recruitment
campaigns:
4.1.1. With municipal fire departments or similar departments with authorized
strength of at least 300 firefighters or employees and
4.1.2. With applicant pools that are 1,500 persons or greater
4.1.3. Proposer will provide a list of the departments, including authorized
strength, applicant pools, and contract information for reference.
4.1.4. Proposer shall have recruitment campaigns that are currently in production
and have been so for at least one (1) year.
4.1.5. Through previous campaign metrics, proposer must be able to show
substantial increase in reach, engagement, and click-through rates that
ultimately generated increased traffic to websites.
4.1.6. Demonstrated the ability to work within existing brand guidelines as well as
build upon and expanding branding into new, creative, and cohesive
campaigns.
4.1.7. Show an innovative social media approach to addressing issues such as
inclusivity.
4.1.8. Proposer shall be able to produce documentation of the increased
candidate pools; and show increased in minority and women candidates at
these locations for awareness and engagement metrics, but conversions will
be the metric by which we judge success.
5. Tasks/Requirements
Specification Revised 08/05/20

5.1. Contractor's Responsibilities
5.1.1. Recommended Solution. The proposer's response shall identify its
recommended solution for the design and administration of social media and
email recruiting campaigns.
5.1.2. Tools. Proposer's recommended solution shall describe the social media
tool(s) that will best increase completion of CICs, show an increase in
minority responses, and/or an increase in women responses.
5.1.3. Timeline. The proposer's response shall include a timeline of
a) Milestones/Deliverables
b) Descriptions of Contractor's Responsibilities
c) Timely Completion Dates
d) Acceptance Criteria
e) Proposal Reference Section
5.1.4. Reporting. Describe the reporting capabilities to include
a) Frequency of reports
b) Content of reports
5.2. City's Responsibilities
5.2.1. The City has an online job application system that shall be used by applicants as the
entry portal into the Fire Cadet hiring process. Information input into the online
application system is dated and time stamped and becomes the City's official record
of the candidate's background and contact information. Reports of responses will be
presented as requested.
5.2.2. Representatives from AFD will be available for consultation.
6. Invoice and Payment Address
The City's preference is to have invoices emailed to FireAcctsPayable@austintexas.gov or mailed
to the below address:
City of Austin
Department: Austin Fire
Attn: Fire Accounts Payable
Address: 1501 South Mopac Expressway, Suite 200A
City, State, Zip Code: Austin, TX 78746
For questions regarding your invoice/payment please contact the City Contract Manager.
Specification Revised 08/05/20

7. Designation of Key Personnel
The City and the Contractor resolve to keep the same key personnel assigned to this
engagement throughout its term. In the event that it becomes necessary for the Contractor
to replace any key personnel, the replacement will be an individual having equivalent
experience and competence in executing projects such as the one described herein.
Additionally, the Contractor shall promptly notify the City and obtain approval for the
replacement. Such approval shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Contractor's and City's
key personnel are identified as follows:
Name/Title Phone Number Email Address
Contractor Contract
Manager
City Contract Manager Rebecca Hall 512-974-6934 Rebecca.Hall@austintexas.gov
City Project Manager
City Contract
Administrator,
Procurement Specialist
Specification Revised 08/05/20