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<b>Bid Opportunity for Marketing and Outreach Services in the State of
Georgia<br>
</b> <br>
November 1, 2013<br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is currently seeking a Request
for Proposal (RFP) for NFB-NEWSLINE marketing and outreach services in
the state of Georgia to cover twelve months (one year). Organizations or
individuals that wish to submit a response to this RFP should read this
document thoroughly and carefully follow the enclosed instructions when
preparing a response. The term "candidate" in this document
will refer to an organization or individual respondent. Interested
candidates that reside either in or outside of Georgia are encouraged to
respond to this request for proposal.<br>
<b> <br>
Deadline:<br>
</b>All responses must be sent via email to Scott White, director
of the NFB-NEWSLINE service, to be received no later than Friday,
November 15, 2013, at 5:00 PM Eastern time. Questions pertaining to this
RFP should be directed to Scott White via e-mail at
<a href="mailto:swhite@nfb.org">swhite@nfb.org</a> or by calling (410)
659-9314, extension 2231. It is hoped that the award of this one-year
contract can be completed by December 1, 2013. This solicitation for a
request for proposal is not to be considered a contract for services, nor
is it to be considered a guarantee that a contract will be awarded for
such services. <br>
<br>
All submissions must be in an accessible format in order to be considered
for this opportunity. Please reference the following sections for other
RFP submission requirements, statement of work, and evaluation of RFP
responses, etc. <br>
<b> <br>
Statement of Work <br>
</b>The successful candidate will promote the NFB-NEWSLINE service in
Georgia by increasing the number of subscribers to the service, while
simultaneously engaging the existing Georgia subscribers on a routine
basis to alert them to new publications and features added to
NFB-NEWSLINE.<br>
<br>
The criteria outlined below must be met or exceeded by the successful
candidate.<br>
<br><br>
1. The successful candidate will submit a report
to the NFB by the fifth of each month detailing the following for the
previous month: marketing / outreach activities, any subscriber
complaints and their resolution, comments from subscribers, and service
usage statistics. The required statistics for this monthly report will be
provided to the successful candidate via a secure website. Please note,
additional sections may be added to the report over time that will
enhance the reporting process. This reporting will also include the
preparation of an annual report comprised of a summary of the past twelve
month’s activities.<br>
<br>
2. The successful candidate must sign up, on
average, at least twenty new subscribers during each month.<br>
<br>
3. The successful candidate shall make at least
eight presentations per month around the state about the NFB-NEWSLINE
service. Presentations are to be conducted in person, face to face,
except in remote areas of Georgia when the use of conference calls will
be acceptable. Persons attending a presentation on NFB-NEWSLINE must be
given the opportunity to make application for the service at the time of
the presentation. A candidate residing outside of the state of Georgia
must demonstrate the ability to conduct these presentations in an
efficient manner. <br>
<br>
4. The successful candidate will manage the
local, state-specific channel for Georgia. This channel must be kept
up-to-date with relevant timely information. Any content that is
contained on the local channel must be promptly removed after it has
expired.<br>
<br>
5. The successful candidate will maintain both
the telephone and online greeting messages for NFB-NEWSLINE Georgia
subscribers. These greeting messages should be concise as possible and
only contain relevant information.<br>
<br>
6. The successful candidate should create and
maintain a professional business telephone, customer-service help desk
where subscribers can get their questions answered and other interested
parties can obtain information on NFB-NEWSLINE Georgia. The goal of this
customer-service help desk would be to have all calls answered in person.
Any messages left on the customer-service voice mail must be returned
within twenty-four hours. The customer-service help desk must be
accessible to Georgia subscribers via a toll-free and local Atlanta
telephone number. <br>
<br>
7. The successful candidate will also create a
website presence for NFB-NEWSLINE Georgia including an email address
where persons can make contact and get their questions answered. This
website will contain specific NFB-NEWSLINE Georgia information and also
be linked to the national website.<br>
<br>
8. The successful candidate will contact all new
subscribers approximately one week after they received their introductory
welcome letter to ascertain if they need any assistance with using the
service and to make them aware of other NFB-NEWSLINE access methods.<br>
<br>
9. The successful candidate will contact all
subscribers listed on the previous month’s Low Average Call Users report
on <a href="http://www.nfbnewsline.net">www.nfbnewsline.net</a> to
ascertain if they need any assistance with using the service and to make
them aware of other NFB-NEWSLINE access methods. A list of low average
callers will be provided to the successful candidate via a secure
website. <br>
<br>
10. The successful candidate will attempt to make contact with every
NFB-NEWSLINE subscriber in Georgia either by regular mail, e-mail, or
telephone on an annual basis in order to keep them informed of
NFB-NEWSLINE® feature or publication additions.<br>
<br>
11. The successful candidate will send out an email newsletter to all
NFB-NEWSLINE® Georgia subscribers once a quarter. This communication will
be designed to engage existing subscribers by informing them of new
service developments and other useful hints for users. The NFB will
distribute this email newsletter to Georgia subscribers, it will be the
responsibility of the successful candidate to create the newsletter and
deliver it to Director Scott White of NFB-NEWSLINE in a timely
manner.<br>
<br>
12. The successful candidate will attend in person quarterly
NFB-NEWSLINE Georgia advisory meetings to be held usually in Atlanta,
Georgia. <br><br>
<br>
<b>Submission Requirements for Candidates<br><br>
</b>· As the candidate, you
will provide a cover letter stating why you feel that you are the best
qualified for this opportunity and how you believe that you can have a
positive impact on the NFB-NEWSLINE® Georgia service. <br>
<br><br>
· The candidate will provide a
plan outlining the steps to be taken to accomplish the numbered items
listed above in the Statement of Work.<br>
<br><br>
· The candidate will provide a
marketing plan for a period of one year, providing as much detail as
possible. Specifics, not generalities, on any stakeholders contained in
the marketing plan should be included. <br>
<br><br>
· The candidate will provide a
statement affirming each one of the numbered items listed above in the
Statement of Work.<br>
<br><br>
· If the candidate resides
outside the state of Georgia, a section must detail how the requirement
of conducting the face to face presentations will be accomplished. For
consideration in the RFP process, this section must be included if it
applies.<br>
<br><br>
· Please include a resume of
key personnel or any other supporting documentation that you feel makes
you or your organization best suited for this opportunity. <br>
<br>
<b> <br>
<br>
Evaluation of RFP Responses<br>
</b> <br>
After evaluating all written responses, a selection of candidates will be
contacted by the Director of NFB-NEWSLINE for one or more personal
interviews. During this interview, the candidate will be asked questions
pertaining to the implementation of their proposed bid and evaluated on
their knowledge of the NFB-NEWSLINE service. <br>
<br>
<b>Contact Information:</b> <br>
Scott White, NFB office, Baltimore, Maryland <br>
Email: <a href="mailto:swhite@nfb.org">swhite@nfb.org</a> .<br>
Office: (410) 659-9314, extension 2231.<br>
<br>
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