Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Services

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Department of Transportation
Request for Proposal #: 54-SS-3260077
Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Services
Date of Issue: 10/06/2026
Proposal Opening Date: 10/27/2026
At 2:00 PM ET
Direct all inquiries concerning this RFP to:
Sidahmed Salih
Procurement Specialist III
Email: ssalih@ncdot.gov
Phone: 919-707-2638

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Request for Proposal #
54-SS-3260077
______________________________________________________
For internal State agency processing, including tabulation of proposals, provide your company's eVP (Electronic
Vendor Portal) Number. Pursuant to G.S. 132-1.10(b) this identification number shall not be released to the public.
This page will be removed and shredded, or otherwise kept confidential, before the procurement file is made
available for public inspection.
This page shall be filled out and returned with your proposal.
Failure to do so may subject your proposal to rejection.
___________________________________________________
Vendor Name
______________________________
Vendor eVP#
Note: For a contract to be awarded to you, your company (you) must be a North Carolina registered
Vendor in good standing. You must enter the Vendor number assigned through eVP (Electronic Vendor
Portal). If you do not have a Vendor number, register at https://evp.nc.gov/SignIn.
Electronic responses ONLY will be accepted for this solicitation.
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Refer ALL Inquiries regarding this RFP to: Request for Proposal #: 54-SS-3260077
Sidahmed Salih Proposals will be publicly opened: 10/27/2026
ssalih@ncdot.gov
Using Agency: NCDOT - Communications Commodity No. and Description: 821015 Marketing, Advertising and
Requisition No.: N/A Public Relations Services
EXECUTION
In compliance with this Request for Proposals (RFP), and subject to all the conditions herein, the undersigned Vendor offers and agrees to furnish
and deliver any or all items upon which prices are bid, at the prices set opposite each item within the time specified herein.
By executing this proposal, the undersigned Vendor understands that false certification is a Class I felony and certifies that:
this proposal is submitted competitively and without collusion (G.S. 143-54),
none of its officers, directors, or owners of an unincorporated business entity has been convicted of any violations of Chapter 78A of the
General Statutes, the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (G.S. 143-59.2), and
it is not an ineligible Vendor as set forth in G.S. 143-59.1.
Furthermore, by executing this proposal, the undersigned certifies to the best of Vendor's knowledge and belief, that:
it and its principals are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from
covered transactions by any Federal or State department or agency.
As required by G.S. 143-48.5, the undersigned Vendor certifies that it, and each of its sub-Contractors for any Contract awarded as a result of this
RFP, complies with the requirements of Article 2 of Chapter 64 of the NC General Statutes, including the requirement for each employer with more
than 25 employees in North Carolina to verify the work authorization of its employees through the federal E-Verify system.
As required by Executive Order 24 (2017), the undersigned vendor certifies will comply with all Federal and State requirements concerning fair
employment and that it does not and will not discriminate, harass, or retaliate against any employee in connection with performance of any Contract
arising from this solicitation.
G.S. 133-32 and Executive Order 24 (2009) prohibit the offer to, or acceptance by, any State Employee associated with the preparing plans,
specifications, estimates for public contracts; or awarding or administering public contracts; or inspecting or supervising delivery of the public
contract of any gift from anyone with a contract with the State, or from any person seeking to do business with the State. By execution of this
response to the RFP, the undersigned certifies, for Vendor's entire organization and its employees or agents, that Vendor is not aware that any such
gift has been offered, accepted, or promised by any employees of your organization.
By executing this proposal, Vendor certifies that it has read and agreed to the INSTRUCTION TO VENDORS and the NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL
TERMS AND CONDITIONS incorporated herein. These documents can be accessed from the ATTACHMENTS page within this document.
Failure to execute/sign proposal prior to submittal may render proposal invalid and it MAY BE REJECTED. Late proposals shall not
be accepted.
COMPLETE/FORMAL NAME OF VENDOR:
STREET ADDRESS: P.O. BOX: ZIP:
CITY & STATE & ZIP: TELEPHONE NUMBER: TOLL FREE TEL. NO:
PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS ADDRESS IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE (SEE INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ITEM #21):
PRINT NAME & TITLE OF PERSON SIGNING ON BEHALF OF VENDOR:
VENDOR'S AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE*: DATE: EMAIL:
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
VALIDITY PERIOD
Offer shall be valid for at least one hundred and twenty (120) days from date of proposal opening, unless otherwise stated here: ______ days, or if
extended by mutual agreement of the parties in writing. Any withdrawal of this offer shall be made in writing, effective upon receipt by the agency
issuing this RFP.
ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL
If your proposal is accepted, all provisions of this RFP, along with the written results of any negotiations, shall constitute the written agreement
between the parties ("Contract"). The NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS are incorporated herein and shall apply. Depending
upon the Goods or Services being offered, other terms and conditions may apply, as mutually agreed.
FOR STATE USE ONLY: Offer accepted and Contract awarded this________ day of __________, 20____, as indicated on
The attached certification, by ____________________________________________________________________.
(Authorized Representative of the Department of Transportation)
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK**
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
Contents
1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................. 5
1.1 CONTRACT TERM ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE ................................................................................................................................................ 5
2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 5
2.4 RFP SCHEDULE ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 6
2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL .............................................................................................................................................. 7
2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................................... 7
2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS ............................................................................................................................................ 8
2.9 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... 8
3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS ............................................................................. 8
3.1 METHOD OF AWARD ................................................................................................................................................. 8
3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION .................................................... 8
3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS ............................................................................................................................ 8
3.4 EVALUATION CRITERIA .............................................................................................................................................. 9
3.5 PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES ....................................................................................................... 10
3.6 INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND PHRASES ............................................................................................................ 10
4.0 REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.1 PRICING ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 FINANCIAL STABILITY ............................................................................................................................................... 10
4.3 VENDOR EXPERIENCE/STAFF ORGANIZATION ......................................................................................................... 11
4.4 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.5 BACKGROUND CHECKS ............................................................................................................................................ 11
4.6 PERSONNEL.............................................................................................................................................................. 11
4.7 VENDOR'S REPRESENTATIONS ................................................................................................................................ 11
4.8 AGENCY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS MODIFICATION ........................................................................................... 12
4.9 SUBCONTRACTORS .................................................................................................................................................. 12
4.10 SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATION ...................................................................................................................... 12
5.0 SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK ............................................................................................................. 12
5.1 GENERAL .................................................................................................................................................................. 12
5.2 TASKS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
5.2.1 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT...............................................................................................12
5.2.2 CREATIVE SERVICES.....................................................................................................13
5.2.3 MEDIA BUY MANAGEMENT..............................................................................................13
5.3 CASE STUDIES OF VENDOR'S PRIOR CAMPAIGNS AND WORK SAMPLES...................................................................13
5.3.1 CASE STUDIES................................................................................................................13
5.3.2 WORK SAMPLES.............................................................................................................14
6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION .................................................................................................................................... 14
6.1 CONTRACT MANAGER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE ................................................................................................... 14
6.2 INVOICES.................................................................................................................................................................. 14
6.3 POST AWARD BUSINESS REVIEW MEETINGS........................................................................................................... 15
6.4 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ................................................................................................................................ 15
6.5 PERIODIC STATUS UPDATED AND REPORTS ............................................................................................................ 15
6.6 ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ........................................................................................................................................... 15
6.7 TRANSITION ASSISTANCE ........................................................................................................................................ 15
6.8 DISPUTE RESOLUTION ............................................................................................................................................. 15
6.9 CONTRACT CHANGES............................................................................................................................................... 16
7.0 ATTACHMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. 17
ATTACHMENT: COST PROPOSAL ...................................................................................................................................... 17
ATTACHMENT: INSTRUCTIONS TO VENDORS ................................................................................................................... 19
ATTACHMENT: NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS ........................................................................... 19
ATTACHMENT: CUSTOMER REFERENCE TEMPLATE ......................................................................................................... 19
ATTACHMENT: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR ....................................................................................... 19
ATTACHMENT: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION .............................................................................................. 19
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK***
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
1.0 PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking proposals from qualified Vendors to provide full-service
marketing, communications and advertising support to the Department's various marketing, outreach, and education programs.
The primary role of the Vendor will be to identify, recommend and facilitate the optimum use of paid advertising media to maximize
the impact of a limited marketing budget. The Vendor shall be involved primarily with large scale projects with far reaching impacts.
The frequency and scope of various marketing campaigns will be determined according to NCDOT's priorities, objectives and
resources at the time and will change over the course of the contract. Funding for campaigns will change throughout the length of
the RFP and are based on what the department is allocated for each program/initiative from State or Federal funds. Vendors propose
scalable media plans that can be adjusted across varying budget scenarios, including low, medium, and high funding levels, to account
for annual fluctuations in available State and Federal funds.
NCDOT has internal marketing and creative service teams that develop campaign concepts and produce creative materials in-house.
However, the Vendor may occasionally be called upon to strategize, conceptualize, produce, place, and distribute any or all aspects
of a specific marketing campaign.
Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions of this RFP and any addenda issued hereto
The intent of this solicitation is to award an Agency Specific Term Contract.
1.1 CONTRACT TERM
The Contract shall have an initial term of two (2) years, beginning on the date of contract award (the "Effective Date") or February 1,
2027, whichever is later.
At the end of the Contract's current term, the State shall have the option, in its sole discretion, to renew the Contract on the same
terms and conditions for up to a total of one (1) additional year. The State will give the Vendor written notice of its intent to exercise
each option no later than thirty (30) days before the end of the Contract's then-current term. In addition to any optional terms, and
with the Vendor's concurrence, the State reserves the right to extend a contract term after the last active term.
2.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENT
This RFP is comprised of the base RFP document, any attachments, and any addenda released before Contract award, which are
incorporated herein by reference.
2.2 E-PROCUREMENT FEE
ATTENTION: The E-Procurement fee may apply to this solicitation. See the paragraph entitled ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT of the
North Carolina General Terms and Conditions.
General information on the E-Procurement Services can be found at: http://eprocurement.nc.gov/.
2.3 NOTICE TO VENDORS REGARDING RFP TERMS AND CONDITIONS
It shall be the Vendor's responsibility to read the Instructions to Vendors, the North Carolina General Terms and Conditions, all relevant
exhibits and attachments, and any other components made a part of this RFP and comply with all requirements and specifications
herein. Vendors are also responsible for obtaining and complying with all Addenda and other changes that may be issued in connection
with this RFP.
If Vendors have questions or issues regarding any component of this RFP, those must be submitted as questions in accordance with
the instructions in the PROPOSAL QUESTIONS Section. If the State determines that any changes will be made as a result of the
questions asked, then such decisions will be communicated in the form of an RFP addendum. The State may also elect to leave open
the possibility for later negotiation of specific provisions of the Contract that have been addressed during the question-and-answer
period, prior to contract award.
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
Other than through the process of negotiation under 01 NCAC 05B.0503, the State rejects and will not be required to evaluate or
consider any additional or modified terms and conditions submitted with Vendor's proposal or otherwise. This applies to any language
appearing in or attached to the document as part of the Vendor's proposal that purports to vary any terms and conditions or Vendors'
instructions herein or to render the proposal non-binding or subject to further negotiation. Vendor's proposal shall constitute a firm
offer that shall be held open for the period required herein ("Validity Period" above).
The State may exercise its discretion to consider Vendor proposed modifications. By execution and delivery of this RFP Response,
the Vendor agrees that any additional or modified terms and conditions, whether submitted purposely or inadvertently, shall have
no force or effect, and will be disregarded unless expressly agreed upon through negotiation and incorporated by way of a Best
and Final Offer (BAFO). Noncompliance with, or any attempt to alter or delete, this paragraph shall constitute sufficient grounds to
reject Vendor's proposal as nonresponsive.
2.4 RFP SCHEDULE
The table below shows the intended schedule for this RFP. The State will make every effort to adhere to this schedule.
Event Responsibility Date and Time
Issue RFP State 10/06/2026
Submit Written Questions Vendor 10/09/2026
Provide Response to Questions State 10/16/2026
Submit Proposals Vendor 10/27/2026
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2.5 PROPOSAL QUESTIONS
Upon review of the RFP documents, Vendors may have questions to clarify or interpret the RFP in order to submit the best proposal
possible. To accommodate the Proposal Questions process, Vendors shall submit any such questions by the "Submit Written
Questions" date and time provided in the RFP SCHEDULE Section above, unless modified by Addendum.
Written questions shall be emailed to ssalih@ncdot.gov by the date and time specified above. Vendors should enter "RFP # 54-SS-
3260077: Questions" as the subject for the email. Question submittals should include a reference to the applicable RFP section and
be submitted in the format shown below:
Reference Vendor Question
RFP Section, Page Number Vendor question ...?
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
Questions received prior to the submission deadline date, the State's response, and any additional terms deemed necessary by the
State will be posted in the form of an addendum to the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP), https://evp.nc.gov, and shall become an
Addendum to this RFP. No information, instruction or advice provided orally or informally by any State personnel, whether made in
response to a question or otherwise in connection with this RFP, shall be considered authoritative or binding. Vendors shall rely only
on written material contained in the RFP and an addendum to this RFP.
2.6 PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is an absolute requirement. Late proposals, regardless of cause, will not be opened or considered, and will
be automatically disqualified from further consideration. Vendor shall bear the sole risk of late submission due to unintended or
unanticipated delay. It is the Vendor's sole responsibility to ensure its proposal has been received as described in this RFP by the
specified time and date of opening. The time and date of receipt will be marked on each proposal when received. Any proposal or
portion thereof received after the proposal deadline will be rejected.
All proposal responses shall be submitted electronically via the electronic Vendor Portal (eVP). Additional information can be found
at the eVP updates for Vendors link: https://eprocurement.nc.gov/news-events/evp-updates-vendors.
If confidential and proprietary information is included in the proposal, also submit one (1) signed, REDACTED copy of the proposal.
Such information may include trade secrets defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. 66-152 and other information exempted from the Public
Records Act pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. 132- 1.2. Vendor may designate information, Products, Services or appropriate portions of
its response as confidential, consistent with and to the extent permitted under the statutes and rules set forth above. By so redacting
any page, or portion of a page, the Vendor warrants that it has formed a good faith opinion, having received such necessary or proper
review by counsel and other knowledgeable advisors, that the portions determined to be confidential and proprietary and redacted
as such, meet the requirements of the Rules and Statutes set forth above. However, under no circumstances shall price information
be designated as confidential.
If the Vendor does not provide a redacted version of the proposal with its proposal submission, the Department may release an
unredacted version if a record request is received.
Failure to submit a proposal in strict accordance with these instructions shall constitute sufficient cause to reject a Vendor's
proposal(s). Vendors are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to upload proposals.
Critical updated information may be included in Addenda to this RFP. It is important that all Vendors responding to this RFP periodically
check the State's eVP website for any Addenda that may be issued prior to the proposal opening date. All Vendors shall be deemed
to have read and understood all information in this RFP and all Addenda thereto.
2.7 PROPOSAL CONTENTS
Vendors shall populate all attachments of this RFP that require the Vendor to provide information and include an authorized signature
where requested. Failure to provide all required items, or Vendor's submission of incomplete items, may result in the State rejecting
Vendor's proposal, in the State's sole discretion.
Vendor RFP responses shall include the following items and attachments, which shall be arranged in the following order:
a) Completed and signed versions of all EXECUTION PAGES
b) Signed receipt pages of any addenda released in conjunction with this RFP, if required to be returned.
c) Vendor's Proposal addressing all Specifications of this RFP. (Sections 4.3, 5.2, and 5.3)
d) Completed version of ATTACHMENT: COST PROPOSAL
e) Completed version of ATTACHMENT: CUSTOMER REFERENCE FORM
f) Completed version of ATTACHMENT: LOCATION OF WORKERS UTILIZED BY VENDOR
g) Completed and signed version of ATTACHMENT: CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
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Proposal Number: 54-SS-3260077 Vendor: __________________________________________
2.8 ALTERNATE PROPOSALS
Unless provided otherwise in this RFP, Vendor may submit alternate proposals for comparable Goods, various methods or levels of
Service(s), or that propose different options. Alternate proposals must specifically identify the RFP requirements and advantage(s)
addressed by the alternate proposal. Any alternate proposal, in addition to the marking described above, must be clearly marked with
the legend: "Alternate Proposal #54-SS-3260077 [for 'name of Vendor']". Each proposal must be for a specific set of Goods and Services
and must include specific pricing. If a Vendor chooses to respond with various offerings, each must be offered with a separate price
and be contained in a separate proposal document. Each proposal must be complete and independent of other proposals offered.
2.9 DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS
Relevant definitions for this RFP are provided in 01 NCAC 05A .0112 and in the Instructions to Vendors found below which are
incorporated herein by this reference.
3.0 METHOD OF AWARD AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS
3.1 METHOD OF AWARD
North Carolina G.S. 143-52 provides a general list of criteria the State shall use to award contracts, as supplemented by the additional
criteria herein. The Goods or Services being procured shall dictate the application and order of criteria; however, all award decisions
shall be in the State's best interest. All qualified proposals will be evaluated, and awards will be made to the Vendor(s) meeting the
specific RFP Specifications and achieving the highest and best final evaluation, based on the criteria described below.
While the intent of this RFP is to award a Contract(s) to a single Vendor, the State reserves the right to make separate awards to
different Vendors for one or more-line items, to not award one or more-line items or to cancel this RFP in its entirety without awarding
a Contract, if it is considered to be most advantageous to the State to do so.
The State reserves the right to waive any minor informality or technicality in proposals received.
3.2 CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS DURING EVALUATION
While this RFP is under evaluation, the responding Vendor, including any subcontractors and suppliers, is prohibited from engaging in
conversations intended to influence the outcome of the evaluation. See Paragraph 29 of the Instructions to Vendors entitled
COMMUNICTIONS BY VENDORS.
Each Vendor submitting a proposal to this RFP, including its employees, agents, subcontractors, suppliers, subsidiaries and affiliates,
is prohibited from having any communications with any person inside or outside the using agency; issuing agency; other government
agency office or body (including the procurement lead named above, any department secretary, agency head, members of the General
Assembly and Governor's office); or private entity, if the communication refers to the content of Vendor's proposal or qualifications,
the content of another Vendor's proposal, another Vendor's qualifications or ability to perform a resulting contract, and/or the
transmittal of any other communication of information that could be reasonably considered to have the effect of directly or indirectly
influencing the evaluation of proposals, the award of a contract, or both.
Any Vendor not in compliance with this provision shall be disqualified from evaluation and award. A Vendor's proposal may be
disqualified if its subcontractor and/or supplier engage in any of the foregoing communications during the time that the procurement
is active (i.e., the issuance date of the procurement until the date of contract award or cancellation of the procurement). Only those
discussions, communications or transmittals of information authorized or initiated by the issuing agency for this RFP or inquiries
directed to the procurement lead named in this RFP regarding requirements of the RFP (prior to proposal submission) or the status of
the award (after submission) are excepted from this provision.
3.3 PROPOSAL EVALUATION PROCESS
Only responsive submissions will be evaluated.
The State will conduct a One-Step evaluation of Proposals:
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