Branding, Communications and Marketing Services for Finger Lakes ON-RAMP
| Location: | New York |
|---|---|
| Posted: | Oct 27, 2026 |
| Due: | Nov 13, 2026 |
| Agency: | RochesterWorks |
| Type of Government: | State & Local |
| Category: |
|
| Publication URL: | To access bid details, please log in. |
ADDED: October 27, 2026
Branding, Communications and Marketing Services for Finger Lakes ON-RAMP
Request for Proposal | PDF
Questions or requests for clarification must be submitted no later than Monday, November 2, 2026.
DUE: Friday, November 13th, 2026, no later than 12 PM.
Attachment Preview
ROCHESTERWORKS, INC.
Request for Proposal
Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services for
Finger Lakes ON-RAMP (One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Partnerships)
Issued October 26, 2026
Procurement milestone
RFP released
Questions due
Proposals due
Staff recommendation to the Board
Anticipated award announcement
Anticipated contract execution
Service start
Date/time
Monday, October 26, 2026
Monday, November 2, 2026
Friday, November 13th, 12:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Thursday, December 17, 2026
Monday, January 4, 2027
Monday, January 11, 2027
PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE ABOVE.
Submit electronically to Jeanette Koncikowski, Project Management Consultant, at
jeanette@thrivecommunityconsulting.com
1. Background, Purpose, and Objectives
Background
RochesterWorks, Inc. (RWI), a nonprofit organization, is seeking proposals from
experienced, qualified contractors to develop branding, communication, and core
messaging strategies, and marketing services (including both creative ad campaigns
and community outreach) aligned with employer and community needs for the startup
and launch of the Finger Lakes One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Partnerships (“FLX ON-RAMP”) initiative.
Respondents should submit one comprehensive proposal for all services. RWI reserves
the right to make one or multiple awards. RWI is located at 100 College Ave., Suite 200,
Rochester, New York 14607. Additional information is available at
https://rochesterworks.org.
ON-RAMP Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services • 2026 | 1
Purpose
The One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships (“ON-RAMP”)
program is a $200 million investment to help fund and realize a network of four new
workforce development centers in strategic, high-impact locations in Upstate New York.
ON-RAMP's primary goal is to connect diverse, skilled New Yorkers with careers in
dynamic, high-growth advanced manufacturing industries.
With a flagship location in Syracuse, New York State is funding three additional
ON-RAMP initiatives. In February, 2025, the Finger Lakes Region (comprised of nine
counties in the Greater Rochester, New York, region) was awarded a planning
development grant from New York State Empire State Development (“ESD”).
Throughout 2025, a coalition led by Monroe Community College and RochesterWorks
engaged in a strategic planning effort to develop an FLX ON-RAMP Business Plan that
was centered on using the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Center (“FWD
Center”) at Monroe Community College’s (“MCC”) downtown campus as the region’s
main training hub for careers in advanced manufacturing, with RochesterWorks being
responsible for participant recruitment, career navigation, and supportive services.
RochesterWorks recently received an implementation award from ESD through the
Office of Strategic Workforce Development to support capital and operating activities
associated with the initiative.
The FLX ON-RAMP initiative will serve as a regional hub for advanced manufacturing
workforce development in the Finger Lakes region. The initiative intends to:
● Increase access to advanced manufacturing careers;
● Coordinate workforce training and supportive services;
● Build partnerships with employers and training providers;
● Support underrepresented populations entering manufacturing careers;
● Coordinate implementation of startup activities, facilities buildout, staffing,
branding, operations, and reporting;
● Establish a new independent FLX ON-RAMP 501(c)(3) organization to ultimately
govern and operate the initiative, with RochesterWorks and the MCC FWD
Center as primary partners.
Objectives
The primary objective of this award is to launch with a clear identity, strong internal
systems, and early awareness among key partners across sectors, including potential
students drawn from historically marginalized communities; advanced manufacturing
companies and their leadership and talent acquisition teams; and community-based and
workforce development organizations. Core messaging, community outreach, and
ON-RAMP Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services • 2026 | 2
marketing campaigns must align with overall NYS ON-RAMP initiatives and branding
while remaining distinctive enough to achieve significant regional attention.
2. Mission, Vision, Market Position, Key Features, and Audience
Mission:
FLX ON-RAMP will be a regional gateway to advanced manufacturing career pathways
by assessing the skills and needs of job seekers and connecting them with opportunities
and resources they need for success.
Vision:
FLX ON-RAMP envisions a region where family-sustaining advanced manufacturing
careers are available, attractive, and accessible to every resident.
Market Position:
FLX ON-RAMP is entering the workforce development field to fill existing gaps by
developing accessible career pathways through entry-level positions in advanced
manufacturing. FLX ON-RAMP’s primary focus will be to open doors to new potential
talent pools of workers not yet in advanced manufacturing careers, while also upskilling
entry-level workers already employed in the industry.
Key FLX ON-RAMP Features:
● Focus on Advanced Manufacturing: FLX ON-RAMP is strongly focused on
advanced manufacturing, even as training partners, including Finger Lakes
Workforce Development Center, have a broader portfolio of offerings across
industries.
● Gap-filling Model: FLX ON-RAMP is designed to fill gaps in the advanced
manufacturing workforce ecosystem, not to create duplicative or competing
offerings, but to catalyze expansion of existing ecosystem strengths.
● Accessible Location: FLX ON-RAMP brings together different training providers
into a centralized, accessible, and welcoming location in downtown Rochester.
● Serving Communities that Have Been Marginalized: FLX ON-RAMP serves
clients across the region while expanding opportunities for communities and
individuals who have faced barriers to training, good-paying jobs, and career
pathways.
● Employer-Driven Focus: By collaborating closely with industry, FLX ON-RAMP
responds in real time to develop talent with the current and emerging skills
advanced manufacturing employers need.
ON-RAMP Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services • 2026 | 3
● Leveraging Public Dollars: FLX ON-RAMP focuses on stretching federal and
state dollars for greater impact, matching them with private philanthropic funding,
and ensuring success beyond training through job retention and career
pathways.
Audiences
FLX ON-RAMP’s strength within the advanced manufacturing workforce development
landscape will be its focus on generating partnership interest with industry partners and
building bridges across diverse cross-sector constituencies. FLX ON-RAMP will connect
career-seekers, employers, and workforce development partners, and its marketing
efforts must reach each audience with clear messages that convey the value of its
unique role and the outcomes its partners and participants can achieve.
For career-seekers, FLX ON-RAMP will expand awareness of advanced manufacturing
opportunities and improve the industry’s image. Working with partners, it will dispel
outdated perceptions of industrial-era factory work and reposition manufacturing as a
welcoming, technology-driven career pathway. Messaging will emphasize three core
features of the ON-RAMP model: pathways to good jobs and career success, strong
employer engagement, and accessible, affordable training. Marketing will also highlight
FLX ON-RAMP’s supportive services that directly address common barriers—such as
cost, transportation, childcare, and educational attainment—by emphasizing pathways
to rapid upskilling and reskilling for in-demand jobs.
For employers, FLX ON-RAMP must address perceptions across organizations, from
executives to hiring managers and line supervisors. Through ongoing industry
engagement, FLX ON-RAMP and its partners will continually refine training offerings to
meet industry needs and demonstrate a clear, ongoing value proposition: FLX
ON-RAMP is a reliable source of talent, and its credentials are trusted and recognized
regionally.
FLX ON-RAMP must also be positioned as a regional asset—not a competitor—to
existing workforce development providers, including adult education programs and
P–12 Career and Technical Education (CTE). While adult education providers have
expanded manufacturing offerings across the region, capacity and equipment vary. FLX
ON-RAMP can serve as connective tissue, strengthening referrals and collaboration so
partners can focus on their strengths while meeting client needs. As FLX ON-RAMP
launches at the FWD Center, it will continue to build relationships that deepen and
expand training opportunities regionwide.
3. Scope of Services
ON-RAMP Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services • 2026 | 4
Building off of FLX ON-RAMP’s approved business plan, this scope of services focuses
on developing the brand identity and core messaging strategies, as well as community
outreach and a marketing plan for FLX ON-RAMP's pre-launch and public launch
activities over the next year.
The selected firm(s) will work closely with RochesterWorks leadership and its project
management consultants, MCC, Empire State Development, and other stakeholders to
1) develop the organization’s public-facing identity and brand that aligns with NYS
ON-RAMP’s branding guidelines and 2) develop, coordinate, and/or implement all pre-
and post-launch communication messages, community outreach, and marketing
strategies for FLX ON-RAMP (including a separate budget for ad buys).
Services may include, but are not limited to:
A. Creation of a Regional Startup Brand Identity that Remains in Alignment with NYS
ON-RAMP Branding Guidelines (Parent Brand)
● Complete logo suite (primary, secondary, icon, variations)
● Comprehensive color system (not just primary colors)
● Typography system with clear hierarchy
● Photography and imagery direction
● Brand guidelines document that includes relationship to parent brand with visual
consistency rules and differentiation points
● Core collateral templates (letterhead, presentation deck, email signature)
B. Communications, Marketing, Community Outreach, and Transition Support
1. Design and Development of Core Messaging and Marketing Materials
● Building off the approved Business Plan, strategize and differentiate core
messaging to career seekers, employers, and workforce development/community
partners.
● Develop campaign materials for community outreach to support the program
launch, highlighting FLX ON-RAMP’s value proposition to job seekers, such as
earning potential and career ladder opportunities in advanced manufacturing
(i.e., supported by wage data and examples of career progression).
● Advise on messaging and advertising across digital, print, and public spaces to
reach target demographics. Efforts should include a detailed plan with
recommendations for which communication channels to use (including, for
example, article placement, appearances in traditional media, engagement with
local podcasters, and collaboration with trusted community messengers and
social media strategy), as well as frequency, goals, and metrics to
track. Separate ad buy budget available with client approval for year 1 activities.
ON-RAMP Branding, Communications, and Marketing Services • 2026 | 5
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
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