RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP Number: PA-2025-10-DM
REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS
JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA
REGARDING:
RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP number: PA-2025-10-DM
PROPOSALS DUE:
December 8, 2025, NO LATER THAN 1:00 P.M. PACIFIC TIME
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rev July 2022
RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP Number: PA-2025-10-DM
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.1 Judicial Council of California. The Judicial Council of California, chaired by
the Chief Justice of California, is the chief policy making agency of the
California judicial system. The California Constitution directs the council to
improve the administration of justice by surveying judicial business,
recommending improvements to the courts, and making recommendations
annually to the Governor and the Legislature. The council also adopts rules for
court administration, practice, and procedure, and performs other functions
prescribed by law. The Judicial Council of California is the staff agency for the
council and assists both the council and its chair in performing their duties.
1.2 The Judicial Council’s core mandate includes expanding access to justice for all
Californians. Alongside recent court website improvements and expanded self-
help tools, the Judicial Council will undertake a coordinated communications
initiative to reintroduce Californians to their courts; clarifying what the courts
do, how to access them, and their role in daily life. This effort will continue to
build trust and confidence in the courts by highlighting available court
resources, demonstrating how courts have evolved to meet current needs, and
inviting direct engagement from the public, so the courts are understood as
accessible, impartial, and embedded in local communities.
2.0 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES AND DELIVERABLES
2.1 The Judicial Council seeks the services of a consultant with expertise in
strategic communications for government. The consultant will lead the design
and assist in the execution of a creative messaging campaign for the Judicial
Branch based on the theme of “Reintroducing the California Courts to
Californians.”
2.2 The consultant will work with Judicial Council staff to research and create
effective messaging and campaign strategies for the California Courts. Judicial
Council staff, other key stakeholder input, and feedback from a representative
sample of the California population will be used to inform the creation of
messaging and distribution strategy. The goal of this creative messaging
campaign is to continue to increase trust in the state judiciary by communicating
1) the Courts are committed to access to justice, and 2) Courts are part of
Californian’s local communities.
The successful Proposer will support the Judicial Council in identifying which
key messages resonate with specific audiences, as well as determining the most
appropriate communication channels to deliver those messages. The
consultant’s work should focus on developing and testing messaging strategies
that enable the California Courts to communicate effectively and continue to
cultivate trust in the Judicial Branch.
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rev July 2022
RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP Number: PA-2025-10-DM
The consultant’s work will take place in three phases:
• The first phase will consist of conducting baseline research, creating a
design brief, and iterative design of creative messaging.
• In the second phase, the consultant will lead a design process testing
various approaches to implementing the messaging strategy and
informed by iterative testing with Californians. The Judicial Council
expects two to three rounds of feedback resulting in a minimum of nine
to twelve pieces of exemplar content each designed to resonate with
specific audiences in a specific media format.
• The third phase will consist of the consultant guiding and advising
Judicial Branch staff on how to adopt the successful messaging
strategies in their own communication channels. This includes guidance
on how to leverage potential paid, earned, and owned communication
platforms. Implementation of distribution strategies will be managed by
the Judicial Council. The consultant’s work product will be in English.
It’s acceptable for Phase 2 work to continue simultaneously with Phase
3.
• Finally, the consultant will conclude the engagement by delivering a
toolkit for courts interested in adopting the messaging strategies. The
toolkit should summarize findings and results from tested messages,
creative assets that can be adapted for court use, and lessons learned
about effective distribution.
The consultant must ensure all design assets created for the project are
transferable to the Judicial Council in platforms and formats that are accessible
to the Judicial Council staff. Accessible platforms include but are not limited
to:
• Content Generation and Editing: Canva, Tiki-Toki, Google Suite,
Microsoft Suite, Drupal, MyEmma, Adobe Acrobat and Flourish.
• Content Hosting: Drupal/Azure, OneDrive, SharePoint, Flickr, Google
Photos, Dropbox, and YouTube.
The consultant is expected to have expertise in strategic communications and is
expected to have prior experience with the following:
• working with public sector organizations
• placement and distribution of key messaging across print and digital
media
• creating a successful statewide public engagement campaign
• audience research, capturing and measuring impact of campaigns on
public sentiment
• Familiarity with working on statewide campaigns targeting multiple and
diverse audiences, including rural and urban, etc.
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RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP Number: PA-2025-10-DM
The consultant is expected to provide periodic status updates of deliverables to
the Project Manager and provide status reports upon request. The consultant
(and all staff members working on the project) must work and reside in the
United States but can be located in states other than California. They may need
to be prepared to occasionally attend in-person meetings or engagements in
California. Majority of the work can be done remotely.
2.3 Term of Awarded Agreement
It is the intention of the Judicial Council to award a single contract with a term
of approximately six months with an estimated starting date of January 20,
2026 through July 20, 2026. The available funding for work under this project
will not exceed $150,000.00, which includes all expenses.
2.4 Deliverables
Deliverable
Description
1.
Phase 1: Conduct baseline research. Consultant
to conduct preliminary research on public
attitudes towards the California Courts with
representative samples of the California
population.
2.
Phase 1: Create preliminary design brief.
Consultant will create a design brief for the
project including goals, scope, and requirements
of the project outlined by the Judicial Council.
3.
Phase 1: Create creative messaging. Consultant
will design a messaging campaign and seek
input/feedback from stakeholders. Consultant will
provide 3-5 alternative messaging strategies.
4.
Phase 1: Refine and finalize creative
messaging. Consultant will address key
stakeholder feedback and go through two to three
rounds of revision until reaching a finalized
creative messaging strategy.
5.
Phase 2: Create and test exemplar content.
Over two to three rounds of iterative testing with
the public, a consultant will produce a minimum
of nine to twelve unique exemplar content assets
finalized for distribution.
6.
Phase 3: Guide testing of messaging. Consultant
will guide Judicial Council staff on how to
distribute exemplar, including best practices for
paid placement and use of communication
platforms.
Estimated
Completion Date
March 10, 2026
March 10, 2026
March 10, 2026
March 10, 2026
April 28, 2026
July 20, 2026
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RFP Title: Communications Strategy Consultant
RFP Number: PA-2025-10-DM
Deliverable
Description
7.
Phase 3: Create and conduct evaluation plan.
Consultant will monitor and evaluate
performance metrics of content distributed over
paid, owned, and earned channels.
8.
Phase 3: Delivery of Court Communication
Toolkit. Consultant creates toolkit for courts
summarizing findings and results from tested
messages, creative assets that can be adapted for
court use, and best practices.
Estimated
Completion Date
July 20, 2026
Preliminary: June
23, 2026
Final: July 20, 2026
3.0 TIMELINE FOR THIS RFP
The Judicial Council has developed the following list of key events related to this RFP.
All dates are subject to change at the discretion of the Judicial Council.
EVENT
RFP issued
Pre-proposal Conference (Optional) over Zoom
Please see Section 6.0 below for instructions on
how to register for the Pre-proposal conference
Deadline for questions
Solicitations@jud.ca.gov
Questions and answers posted (estimate only)
https://courts.ca.gov/policy-
administration/bidders-solicitations
Latest date and time proposal may be submitted
solicitations@jud.ca.gov
Anticipated interview dates (estimate only)
Evaluation of proposals (estimate only)
Notice of Intent to Award (estimate only)
https://courts.ca.gov/policy-
administration/bidders-solicitations
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DATE
November 6, 2025
November 17, 2025
11:30 AM
(Pacific Time)
November 20, 2025
No Later than 1:00 PM
(Pacific Time)
November 25, 2025
December 8, 2025
No Later than 1:00 PM
(Pacific Time)
December 12 - 16, 2025
December 17 - 22, 2025
December 23, 2025
rev July 2022
This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
