RFI-017-2657206-JC - OFFICIAL OC BRAND: MERCHANDISING, MARKETING AND E-COMMERCE PROGRAM

The County of Orange, County Procurement Office (hereinafter referred to as “County”), is soliciting proposals from qualified firms (hereinafter referred to as “Respondents”) for OFFICIAL OC BRAND: MERCHANDISING, MARKETING AND E-COMMERCE PROGRAM . Respondents must meet the minimum qualifications and requirements as set forth within the RFI and be capable of providing services identified in the Scope of Work herein.

Proposals may be submitted for one or more services, either individually or in combination. Please check the box(s) below for all of the services included in your Proposal.

Multiple service components are being solicited, which may yield multiple contract awards. The County reserves the right to award to one or more Respondents for each service components or combination thereof, as deemed in its best interest. For further details about the service components, see Project Documents, Section 2. Scope of Services in this RFI .

The propose schedule below is subject to change. Any changes to the schedule for the RFI process will be issued to all Respondents via addenda on the County's eProcurement Portal. eProcurement Portal

The County has a strong brand identity with positive associations to build upon with its OC Brand of goods and merchandise. The County Executive Office Real Estate (“CEO-RE”) has developed and will continue to develop certain marks, logos and slogans that are identified with the County and its departments that can be used for merchandising, promotion, and revenue generation.

The purpose of this initiative is to implement the County’s merchandising vision, strategies, and priorities, to help expand brand awareness for the OC Brand, which in turn will generate goodwill and a positive, authentic brand identity. This initiative allows CEO-RE to develop marks, logos, and slogans which will be trademarked, or protected by common-law usage. In turn, the intellectual property will be utilized to produce merchandise and used in licensing arrangements and collaborative cross-branding partnerships with established vendors, with an emphasis on utilizing Orange County vendors if possible. The County is now soliciting information from experienced vendors to participate in the marketing, manufacturing, and e-commerce side of the OC Brand merchandising effort.

Beyond physical sales, a recent soft launch of the officialocbrand.com e-commerce site has shown positive results despite limited promotion through initial testing phases. The OC Brand has established a vehicle for passive income, demonstrating a promising online market for County branded goods and merchandise. This success paves the way for further online expansion, offering a convenient and accessible way for customers and employees to acquire OC Brand products.

The County has an employee base of approximately 18,000 workers spread throughout 21 departments, several of which are internal and others public facing, with a special connection to the residents the County serves. For example, among the public facing departments, OC Parks operates the Orange County Zoo serving approximately 419,000 visitors per year. This department also manages several regional parks, local beaches and harbors that combined welcome 16,000,000 visitors on an annual basis. OC Parks annually hosts the County's Summer Concert and Sunset Cinema series, attracting nearly 31,000 and 12,500 visitors, respectively, to diverse venues throughout the County. The County is also looking for assistance expanding the OC Brand's presence at key locations like John Wayne Airport and Dana Point Harbor. This may involve direct sales or collaborating with concessionaires, lessees, and collaborations with existing brands.

The County is currently seeking information pursuant to this Request for Information (“RFI”) to identify and select a qualified vendor or a collection of vendors that can assist in building the OC Brand's online presence by, among other things, further developing and promoting an e-commerce platform, establishing cross-branding initiatives, unifying the County's sales strategy, and promoting the OC Brand on a broader scale. The County is seeking innovative approaches to enhance the marketing and engagement of the OC Brand throughout every phase of the typical sales cycle, including:

1. Marketing and Promotion Strategy
2. P roduct Engagement and E-Commerce Site Creation and Management
3. On-Demand Printing and Fulfillment Services
4. E-Commerce Strategies and Management
5. Order Processing, Customer Service and Logistics
6. Licensing and Brand Management