Public Relations Consultant

TOWNSHIP OF NORTH BERGEN
County of Hudson
State of New Jersey
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)
FAIR & OPEN PUBLIC SOLICITATION PROCESS
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
RFQ- 2027-7 PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT
Submission Date:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026
11:00 A.M. prevailing time
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TOWNSHIP OF NORTH BERGEN
HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR THE SOLICITATION OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that sealed request for qualifications submissions will be received
by the Township of North Bergen Purchasing Agent for the service set forth below in accordance with the
"fair and open process" pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.5, et seq.:
RFQ# PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
RFQ 2027-7 Public Relations Consultant
Submission package may be examined or obtained at the Township Purchasing Office, Township
of North Bergen, 4233 Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen, NJ, 07047 (phone 201-392-2040), Monday
through Friday during business hours, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or downloadable on the Township's website
www.northbergen.org/notices.
Request for qualifications ("RFQ") responses shall be submitted to Carmen M. Borrell, Purchasing
Agent, Township of North Bergen, 4233 Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen, NJ, 07047, on or before
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026, at 11:00 am prevailing time.
Responses must be enclosed in a sealed envelope. The service provider must indicate the following
on the outside of the envelope: (1) the name and address of the service provider; (2) "RFQ# 2027-8 - Public
Relations Consultant"; and (3) "Sealed RFQ Response". Responses may be delivered by hand, overnight
courier or mail. The envelope containing the response must be received by the Township of North Bergen
by the date and time set forth above. No late responses will be accepted.
All professional service contractors are required to comply with the requirements of N.J.S.A. 52:32-
44 (Business Registration of Public Contractors), N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27 (Contract
Compliance and Equal Employment Opportunities in Public Contracts).N.J.S.A. 52-32.-60.1(Certification
of Non-Involvement in prohibited activities in Russia or Belarus).
Contracts will be awarded based on the most advantageous responses. The Township of North
Bergen reserves the right to reject any or all responses.
Carmen M. Borrell
Purchasing Agent
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INVITATION TO SUBMIT QUALIFICATIONS
Public Relations Consultant
The Township of North Bergen ("Township") is soliciting proposals from Qualified Respondents
to provide for public relations services.
Proposals are being solicited through a fair and open process in accordance with N.J.S.A. 19:44A-
20, et seq.
Respondents should submit an original and one copy of their proposals.
Respondent will be selected based upon on an evaluation of the most advantageous proposal, price,
and other factors. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
1. Respondent's qualifications, availability and experience working on this type of work.
2. Understanding of scope of work, appropriateness of work proposed in task description
and guidelines. Respondent's innovation and ingenuity applied to project.
3. Prior experience and familiarity with North Bergen and similar projects either under the
supervision or direction of a similar entity.
Respondents are expected to examine the RFQ with care and observe all its requirements. All
questions about the meaning or intent of this RFQ shall be submitted in writing no less than 5 days
prior to the due date of the proposal. All interpretations and clarifications considered necessary
by the Township's representative in response to such comments and questions shall be responded
to no less than 7 days prior to the due date of the proposal and will be posted online at
www.northbergen.org/notices.
The Township assumes no responsibility and liability for costs incurred by the Respondents prior
to the issuance of an agreement. The liability of the Township shall be limited to the terms and
conditions of the contract. Respondents will assume responsibility for all costs not stated in their
proposals. All unit rates either stated in the proposal or used as a basis for its pricing are required
to be all-inclusive. Additional charges, unless incurred for additional work performed by request
of the Township, are not to be billed and will not be paid.
Any contract entered into between the Respondent and the Township must be in accordance with
and subject to compliance by both parties with the New Jersey Local Public Contracts Law. The
Respondent must agree to comply with the nondiscrimination provisions and all other laws and
regulations applicable to the performance of services there under. The Respondent shall sign and
acknowledge such forms and certificates as may be required by this section.
No corporation or partnership shall be awarded any contract for the performance of any work or
the furnishing of any goods, unless, with receipt of the proposal of said corporation or partnership,
there is submitted a statement setting forth the names and addresses of all stockholders in the
corporation or partnership who own ten (10) percent or greater interest therein. The Respondent
shall complete and submit the form of statement that is included in this RFQ.
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The right to reject any or all proposals and to waive immaterial formalities is reserved by the
Township.
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
EVENT DATE
RFP Issue Date.............................................................................................................10/8/26
RFP Response Due Date..................................................................................................10/29/26
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SECTION 1: PROJECT OVERVIEW AND INSTRUCTIONS
1.0 PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Township seeks Qualifications from qualified Public Relations firms to provide services
including but not limited to consultation, developing advertising programs, press releases and special
projects on an as-needed basis.
1.1 CONTRACT TERM
The contract term is for a period beginning January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027.
1.2 SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT
From the date this RFQ is issued until a proposer is selected and the selection is announced by the
procurement officer, proposers may not communicate with any Township staff, commissioners or
officials regarding this procurement, except at the direction of Carmen Borrell, the procurement
officer in charge of the solicitation. Any unauthorized contact may disqualify the proposer from further
consideration. Contact information for the single point of contact is as follows:
Procurement Officer: Carmen M. Borrell
Township of North Bergen
4233 Kennedy Boulevard
North Bergen, NJ 07047
Phone: 201-392-2040
E-mail: Cborrell@northbergen.org
1.3 REQUIRED REVIEW
1.3.1 Review RFQ. Proposers should carefully review all instructions, mandatory requirements,
specifications, standard terms and conditions set out in this RFQ and promptly notify the procurement
officer identified above in writing, fax or via e-mail of any ambiguity, inconsistency, unduly restrictive
specifications, or error which they discover upon examination of this RFQ. This should include any terms
or requirements within the RFQ that either preclude the proposer from responding to the RFQ or add
unnecessary cost.
This notification must be accompanied by an explanation and suggested modification and be
received by the deadline for receipt of inquiries set forth below. The Township will make any final
determination of changes to the RFQ.
1.3.2 Form of Questions. Proposers with questions or requiring clarification or interpretation of
any section within this RFQ must address these questions in writing, via e-mail, to the procurement officer
referenced above prior to 5 days of due date. Each question must provide clear reference to the section,
page, and item in question. Questions received after the deadline may not be considered.
1.3.3 Township Response. The Township will provide written answers to proposers' questions.
Any other form of interpretation, correction, or change to this RFQ will not be binding. Responses will be
posted online at www.northbergen.org/notices. Proposers must sign and return any addendum with their
RFQ response.
1.4 PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE - No pre-proposal conference is scheduled.
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1.5 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
1.5.1 Acceptance of Standard Terms and Conditions/Contract. By submitting a response to
this RFQ, proposer agrees to acceptance of the standard terms and conditions as set out in this RFQ. Much
of the language included in the standard terms and conditions reflects requirements of New Jersey law.
Requests for additions or exceptions to the standard terms and conditions including any necessary licenses,
or any added provisions must be submitted to the procurement officer referenced above by the date for
receipt of written/e-mailed questions and must be accompanied by an explanation of why the exception is
being sought and what specific effect it will have on the proposer's ability to respond to the RFQ or perform
the contract. Any material exceptions requested and granted to the standard terms and conditions language
will be addressed in any formal written addendum issued for this RFQ and will apply to all proposers
submitting a response to this RFQ. The Township will make any final determination of changes to the
standard terms and conditions.
1.5.2 Resulting Contract. This RFQ and any addenda, the proposer's RFQ response, including
any amendments and any clarification question responses, shall be included in any resulting contract. The
Township's contract contains the contract terms and conditions which will form the basis of any contract
between the Township and the selected proposer. In the event of a dispute as to the duties and
responsibilities of the parties under this contract, the contract, along with any attachments prepared by the
Township, will govern in the same order of precedence as listed in the contract.
1.5.3 Mandatory Requirements. To be eligible for consideration, a proposer must meet the
intent of all mandatory requirements. The Township will determine whether a proposer's RFQ response
complies with the intent of the requirements. RFQ responses that do not meet the full intent of all
requirements listed in this RFQ may be subject to point reductions during the evaluation process or may be
deemed non-responsive.
1.5.4 Understanding of Specifications and Requirements. By submitting a response to this
RFQ, proposer agrees to an understanding of and compliance with the specifications and requirements
described in this RFQ.
1.5.5 Proposer's Signature. The proposals must be signed in ink by an individual authorized to
legally bind the business submitting the proposal. The proposer's signature on a proposal in response to this
RFQ guarantees that the offer has been established without collusion and without effort to preclude the
Township from obtaining the best possible supply or service. Proof of authority of the person signing the
RFQ response must be furnished upon request.
1.5.6 Offer in Effect for 60 Days. A proposal may not be modified, withdrawn or canceled by
the proposer for a 60-day period following the deadline for proposal submission as defined in the Schedule
of Events and proposer so agrees in submitting the proposal.
1.6 SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
1.6.1 Content of Proposal. Proposers should address all requests for information and
qualifications set forth in this RFQ.
1.6.2 Failure to Comply with Instructions. Proposers failing to comply with the instructions
in this RFQ may be subject to point deductions.
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1.6.3 Late Proposals. Regardless of cause, late proposals will not be accepted and will
automatically be disqualified from further consideration. It shall be the proposer's sole risk to assure
delivery at the designated office by the designated time. Late proposals will not be opened and will be
returned to the proposer at the expense of the proposer or destroyed if requested.
1.7 COST OF PREPARING A PROPOSAL
1.7.1 Township Not Responsible for Preparation Costs. The costs for developing and
delivering responses to this RFQ and any subsequent presentations of the proposal as requested by the
Township are entirely the responsibility of the proposer. The Township is not liable for any expense
incurred by the proposer in the preparation and presentation of their proposal or any other costs incurred by
the proposer prior to execution of a contract.
1.7.2 All Timely Submitted Materials Become Township Property. All materials submitted
in response to this RFQ become the property of the Township.
SECTION 2: RFQ STANDARD INFORMATION
2.0 AUTHORITY
This RFQ is issued under the authority of the Township of North Bergen. The RFQ process is a procurement
option allowing the award to be based on stated evaluation criteria. No other evaluation criteria, other than
as outlined in the RFQ, will be used.
2.1 PROPOSER COMPETITION
The Township encourages free and open competition among proposers. Whenever possible, the Township
will design specifications, proposal requests, and conditions to accomplish this objective, consistent with
the necessity to satisfy the Township's need to procure technically sound, cost-effective services and
supplies.
2.2 RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS AND PUBLIC INSPECTION
2.2.1 Public Information. All information received in response to this RFQ, including
copyrighted material, subject to public disclosure and may be made available for public viewing after the
time for receipt of proposals has passed with the following four exceptions: (1) bona fide trade secrets
meeting the requirements of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Title 30, chapter 14, part 4, MCA, that have
been properly marked, separated, and documented; (2) matters involving individual safety as determined
by the Township; (3) any company financial information requested by the Township to determine vendor
responsibility, unless prior written consent has been given by the proposer and (4) other constitutional
protections, or as otherwise not subject to disclosure according to OPRA guidelines.
2.2.2 Procurement Officer Review of Proposals. Upon opening the proposals received in
response to this RFQ, the procurement officer in charge of the solicitation will review the proposals and
separate out any information that meets the referenced exceptions in Section 2.2.1 above, providing the
following conditions have been met:
* Confidential information is clearly marked and separated from the rest of the proposal.
* The proposal does not contain confidential material in the cost or price section.
* An affidavit from a proposer's legal counsel attesting to and explaining the validity of any trade
secret claim asserted by the proposer.
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Information separated out under this process will be available for review only by the procurement officer,
the evaluation committee members, and limited other designees. Proposers must be prepared to pay all legal
costs and fees associated with defending a claim for confidentiality in the event of an open public records
request from another party.
2.3 CLASSIFICATION AND EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
2.3.1 Initial Classification of Proposals as Responsive or Non responsive. All proposals will
initially be classified as either "responsive" or "non responsive". Proposals may be found nonresponsive
any time during the evaluation process if any of the required information is not provided; the submitted
price is found to be excessive or inadequate as measured by criteria stated in the RFQ; or the proposal is
not within the plans and specifications described and required in the RFQ. If a proposal is found to be
nonresponsive, it may be subject to point deductions or rejected.
2.3.2 Determination of Responsibility. The Township will determine whether a proposer has
met the standards of responsibility. Such a determination may be made at any time during the evaluation
process if information surfaces that would result in a determination of non-responsibility.
2.3.3 Evaluation of Proposals. The Township will evaluate the proposals and recommend
whether to award the contract to the firm determined to best meet the needs of the Township or, if necessary,
to seek discussion in order to determine the firm to be selected. All responsive proposals will be evaluated
based on stated evaluation criteria. The Township may consider such factors as accepted industry standards
and a comparative evaluation of all other qualified RFQ responses in terms of differing quality and
contractual factors. These will be used to determine the most advantageous offering to the Township.
2.3.4 Completeness of Proposals. Selection and award will be based on the proposer's proposal
and other items outlined in this RFQ. Submitted responses may not include references to information
located elsewhere, such as Internet websites or libraries, unless specifically requested. Information or
materials presented by proposers outside the formal response or subsequent discussion may not be
considered.
2.3.5 Opportunity for Discussion and/or Oral Presentation/Product Demonstration. After
receipt of all proposals and prior to the determination of the award, the Township may initiate discussions
with one or more proposers should clarification be necessary. Proposers may also be required to make an
oral presentation and/or product demonstration to clarify their RFQ response or to further define their offer.
In either case, proposers should be prepared to send qualified personnel to the Township of North Bergen
to discuss technical and contractual aspects of the proposal. Oral presentations/demonstrations, if requested,
shall be at the proposer's expense.
2.3.6 Contract Award. Contract awards, if any, will be made to the proposer who the Township
determines who best can provide the services required and provides all required documents. Formal
contracts incorporating this RFQ, including attachments hereto, and the selected proposals, will be executed
by all parties.
2.4 TOWNSHIP'S RIGHTS RESERVED
While the Township has every intention to award contracts as a result of this RFQ, issuance of the RFQ in
no way constitutes a commitment by the Township to award and execute any contract. Upon a determination
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that such action would be in its best interest, the Township, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to cancel
or terminate this RFQ; reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFQ; waive any undesirable,
inconsequential, or inconsistent provisions of this RFQ which would not have significant impact on any
proposal; not award if it is in the best interest of the Township not to proceed with contract execution; or if
awarded, terminate any contract if the Township determines adequate funds are not available.
SECTION 3: SCOPE OF PROJECT (OVERVIEW)
3.0 SCOPE OF WORK
The Township of North Bergen (hereinafter referred to as "Township") seeks proposals for a qualified
Public Relations firm. The Public Relations firm shall be required to provide the following services:
3.1 RETAINER SERVICES
1. Be available for consultation with Township representatives on an as-needed basis and participate
in scheduled planning meetings to support Township communications goals.
2. Advise on and assist in the development of a comprehensive communications strategy aligned
with Township priorities, including community engagement, economic development, arts and
cultural initiatives, and municipal services.
3. Provide strategic support for Township events and initiatives, including ideation, messaging
development, promotional planning, and media outreach.
4. Prepare, distribute, and place press releases and media advisories, including both proactive and
reactive communications, as required by the Township.
5. Cultivate ongoing relationships with members of the local, regional, and state media and pitch
positive Township stories, initiatives, events, and programs.
6. Provide crisis communications support, including strategic guidance, preparation of response
messaging, and rapid response coordination when required by the Township.
7. Act as a media spokesperson for the Township and attend all press conferences as required by the
Township.
8. Attend all regularly scheduled and special meetings of the Township Commission.
9. Develop and distribute annual tax letter.
10. Provide strategic planning, messaging development and scripting, and creative direction for
bimonthly "NB Update" video communications. Any additional video services and all outside
vendors must be approved by the Township.
11. Prepare and distribute bimonthly "NB Update" mailings, including content development and
layout.
12. Work with Township Administrator to establish communications calendar for "NB Updates"
referenced in #10 & 11 above.
13. Work with the Township Administrator and designated staff to ensure consistency of messaging
across all communications platforms.
14. Assist with Township social media efforts by providing strategic guidance, campaign planning,
content recommendations, copy support, and social media advertising strategy, while
coordinating with designated Township staff responsible for day-to-day posting. All paid social
media advertising must be approved by the Township in advance.
15. Prepare and provide cost estimates for all proposed special projects and initiatives prior to
commencement of work.
16. Provide professional translations as required by the Township to ensure accessibility of
communications.
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