REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

Public Health Campaigns and

Marketing Services for Master Contract

Advertising Agencies Only

RFx# 3140003831

570 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.

Jackson, MS 39216-4538

Email: jennifer.dotson@msdh.ms.gov

frames to respond quickly to specific health issues, diseases, and disasters.

The MSDH seeks to hire a professional services consultant which would effectively create and

promote a variety of public health campaigns, assist with rebranding, website development,

applications development, and other communications and media projects as they arise. The

contractor shall be expected to assist agency staff in the development and implementation of said

campaigns under the direction of the MSDH Director of Communications. The contractor shall be

and communications services.

responsive and adaptable.

1.3 Questions and Requests for Clarification

all attachments for defects, questionable, or objectionable material. Following review, vendors may

have questions to clarify or interpret the RFQ in order to submit the best qualifications possible. To

via email by the deadline reflected in the Section 1.2 Procurement Timeline. All questions and

requests for clarification must be directed by email to Jennifer Dotson at:

Jennifer Dotson, Qualifications Coordinator

1.3.1 Official responses will be provided only for questions submitted as described above and only

to clarify information already included in the RFQ. The identity of the organization

submitting the question(s) will not be revealed. All questions and answers will be published

on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search Portal website and the

agency's website as an amendment to the RFQ by the date and time reflected in Section 2.

1.3.2 The Agency will not be bound by any verbal or written information that is not contained

within this RFQ unless formally noticed and issued by the contact person as an RFQ

amendment. Offerors are cautioned that any statements made by agency personnel that

materially change any portion of the qualifications document shall not be relied upon unless

1.4 Qualifications Acceptance Period The Agency will accept qualifications until Friday, April 19,

cover page of this RFQ. Qualifications submission requirements are contained in Section 3 of this

following:

Qualifications that include terms and conditions that do not conform to the terms and conditions in

that are not complete and/or signed is subject to rejection as non-responsive. The Agency reserves

qualifications prior to a determination by the Agency staff of non-responsiveness based on the

submission of nonconforming terms and conditions.

1.6 Withdrawal of Qualifications

in the preparation of the qualifications demonstrates clearly that the mistake was an

material.

must give notice in writing to the Agency of claim of right to withdraw qualifications. Within two

(2) business days after the qualifications opening, the Offeror requesting withdrawal must provide

No partial withdrawals of a qualifications are permitted after the time and date set for the

qualifications opening; only complete withdrawals are permitted.

1.7 Expenses Incurred in Preparing Offers

presentation of an offer. Such expenses shall be borne exclusively by the Offeror.

1.8 Proprietary Information

The Offeror should identify any part of the qualifications package considered to be proprietary

information which may remain confidential in accordance with Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 25-

The Offeror shall submit a completed Proprietary Information Acknowledgement form, attached to

this RFQ as Attachment G.

1.9 Restrictions on Communication with Agency Staff

regarding this RFQ except the RFQ Coordinator listed on the cover page of this RFQ in the manner

agency may result in the potential Offeror being disqualified, and the potential Offeror may also be

registered, that it will do so within five (5) business days of being notified by the agency that it has

1.11 Debarment

By submitting qualifications, the Offeror certifies that it is not currently debarred from submitting

qualifications for contracts issued by any political subdivision or agency of the State of Mississippi

or federal government and that it is not an agent of a person or entity that is currently debarred from

1.12 Offeror Investigations

necessary to ascertain all site conditions and requirements affecting the full performance of the

Contract and to verify any representations made by the Agency upon which they will rely. If the

every detail with all provisions and requirements of the Contract documents, nor will a plea of

additional compensation.

the following: all required labor; all required equipment/material; all required insurance, bond, or

other surety; all required overhead/profit; all required applicable taxes; all required vehicles; all

required fuel and mileage; all required travel; all required labor and supervision; all required

training; all required business and professional certifications, licenses, permits, or fees; and, any

associated costs with no additional or hidden fees.

1.14 Offeror Certification

is certification that Offeror will accept an award made to it as a result of the submission. Under

1.15 Registration with Mississippi’s Accountability System for Governmental Information

and Collaboration (MAGIC)

If the Offeror is not already registered as a supplier in MAGIC, the Offeror should register as a

businesses to register for upcoming opportunity notifications by the products they supply, search

the system for upcoming solicitations, respond to solicitations electronically, and receive purchase

orders via e-mail. The registration can be completed at the following link:

http://www.dfa.ms.gov/dfa-offices/mmrs/mississippi-suppliershttp://www.dfa.ms.gov/dfa-

offices/mmrs/mississippi-suppliers-vendors/supplier-self-service/vendors/supplier-self-service/.

Any questions regarding registration in MAGIC should be directed to the Mississippi Management

Discussions may be conducted with Offerors who submit qualifications determined to be reasonably

For these reasons, all parties are advised to propose their most favorable terms initially.

1.17 Solicitation Document

attachments to this RFQ are made a part of this RFQ as if copied herein in words and figures.

1.18 Acknowledgement of Amendments

acknowledgment should be received by the MSDH by the time and at the place specified for receipt

document(s), and/or Summary of Pre-Qualifications Conference, Tour, or Site Visit, if any were

It is the sole responsibility of the Offeror to monitor the MSDH website and the procurement portal

Failure to indicate any exception will be interpreted as the Offeror’s intent to comply fully with the

requirements as written. Conditional or qualified qualifications, unless specifically allowed, shall

acceptance of contract terms and conditions listed in Attachment I of this RFQ.

1.20 Informalities and Irregularities

process, even after negotiations have begun. MSDH reserves the right to reject any and all

qualifications if the Offeror takes exception to the terms and conditions of the RFQ and/or fails to

meet the terms and conditions and/or in any way attempts to limit the rights of MSDH and/or the

forth in this RFQ.

1.22 No Obligation to Contract

The release of this RFQ does not constitute an acceptance of any submitted qualifications, nor does

qualifications, and/or Offeror’s best and final offer (as applicable). Compensation for

1.22.2 Any work performed by the awarded Offeror prior to start date of a valid, executed contract

prior to contract start date.

exercise an option to renew the contract for one (1) successive year under the same prices,

If, in the opinion of the procurement team, you fail to prove that your company meets any of these

delays and/or non-responsive submissions may result in the disqualification being upheld without

3.4.1 Prior Experience: The Offeror must have ten (10) years as an established advertising firm

providing marketing, public information/educational, and communications campaigns.

vendors must have provided media/communication services for a state agency

ratings, a line of credit, or other financial arrangements sufficient to enable the Offeror to be

capable of meeting the requirements of this RFQ. Costs associated with MSDH campaigns

MSDH cannot prepay for services rendered or goods delivered. Therefore, all

Each letter should be on company letter head include the following information:

b. Dates of service;

d. Budget;

g. Whether they would use your services again

information for this purpose that may be requested. The Agency reserves the right to reject

3.4.4 Assigned Contact or Team Lead: Provide the name, position, and qualifications of the

person who will head MSDH campaigns.

3.4.5 Immediate Availability: The person listed above will need to be the same person who will

areas, and the stipulated MSDH campaign manager. Due to the nature of the work of the

3.4.6 Offeror must submit a signed acknowledgment of compensation/blended rate.

Qualifications must be typewritten on 8.5” x 11” paper (charts or graphs may be provided on legal-

sized paper) using Times New Roman font type, font size 12, with standard half-inch margins.

font and margin restriction. Qualifications must adhere to page limits were specified.

Responsive qualifications shall consist of two (2) separate sections: Management and Cost. Pursuant

to Mississippi Code Annotated §§ 27-104-7 and 31-7-401 through 31-7-423, the State of Mississippi

which would affect the blind evaluation of technical factors.

Although Cost is generally required to be submitted blind. Because the rate is set by MSDH, the

PPRB approved MSDH’s request to openly review Cost at the March 6, 2024, Board Meeting. As

responsive qualifications shall be comprised as listed below. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to

organize and separate the information into sections and tabs accordingly.

messages, call to action, marketing strategy, media strategy, target audience, budget, and

performance reports on each campaign.

campaign such as social media ads, billboards, television ads, etc.

specific attention to the requested scope of work,

MSDH projects (three (3) page limit),

SECTION 4: Evaluation and Award

contain fatal deficiencies to the extent that the likelihood of selection for contract negotiations is minimal,

Mississippi.

Minor Informalities/Errors: Qualifications with errors that do not alter the substance of the qualifications

can be accepted, and the Agency Chief Procurement Officer may allow the Offeror to correct the problem

as long as the irregularities are insignificant mistakes that can be waived or corrected without prejudice to

such additional information as it may deem necessary after the time set for receipt of qualifications,

provided that the information requested does not change the price, quality, quantity, delivery, or

Discussions: Discussions may be conducted with Offerors who submit qualifications determined to be

reasonably susceptible of being selected for the award, but qualifications may also be accepted without

such discussions. If any component received a Fail score (a “No” response) on any item or contains an

item which for some reason cannot be evaluated, it shall be deemed as non-responsive and/or non-

eliminated from further consideration. All qualifications which are determined to be responsive,

4.1 Step One: Compliance Phase: Determination of Responsive and Responsible Offerors

During this initial phase of the evaluation process, all qualifications received are reviewed to

determine if mandatory RFQ requirements have been satisfied, meaning whether

qualifications/Offeror is responsive, responsible, and/or acceptable. Compliance requirements are

not assigned a point percentage or score but are simply recorded as Pass or Fail.

Qualifications will be reviewed to determine whether the Offeror will be deemed responsive and

responsible.

to withdraw nonconforming terms and conditions from its qualifications response prior to a

determination by the MSDH of non-responsiveness based on the submission of

nonconforming terms and conditions.

Conditioning Qualifications Upon Other Awards: Any qualifications which is conditioned

upon receiving award of both the particular contract being solicited and another Mississippi

4.1.2 Responsible Respondent

committee to determine if the qualifications adequately meet the needs of MSDH. The evaluation

committee will award points using the factors listed below. There are a total of 100 points available.

4.2.3 Management Factors – 65 Points (65%)

Brief Statement of Relevant Company Background and Experience and Management

Summary (5 page limit total)

points)

equipment and other resources: (5 points)

4.3 Step Three: Finalize Contract

on factors evaluated in Step Two) and may attempt to negotiate an agreement that is deemed

acceptable to both parties.

4.3.1 Negotiating with Next-Ranked Offeror

both parties or the State ceases doing business with any Contractor selected through this

factors or criteria shall be used in the evaluation.

4.4.1 Notice of Intent to Award

The Notice of Intent to Award for this procurement will be made available to the public

through posting on the Mississippi Contract/Procurement Opportunity Search Portal website

and the agency website. All participating Offerors will be notified in writing of MSDH’s

intent to award a contract and identify the selected Offeror.

4.4.2 Notice of Contract Award

writing, by U.S. mail or electronic submission. The written request must be received by the Chief

of the contract award. A post-award debriefing is a meeting and not a hearing; therefore, legal

receipt of the request. If an Offeror/respondent prefers to have legal representation present, the

At a minimum, the debriefing information shall include the following:

1. The agency’s evaluation of significant weaknesses or deficiencies in the vendor’s bid,

2. The overall evaluated cost or price, and technical rating, if applicable, of the successful

3. The overall ranking of all vendors, when any ranking was developed by the agency

4. A summary of the rationale for award; and,

5. Reasonable responses to relevant questions about selection procedures contained in the

5.2 Protests

Protests are conducted in accordance with Section 7-112, Protests of Solicitations or Awards, of

initially with the office that issued the solicitation. Any actual or prospective offeror who is

aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or award of a contract may protest to Jennifer

Dotson, the Chief Procurement Officer of MSDH, and copy Amelia Gamble, Director of the

Office of Personal Service Contract Review at the Mississippi Department of Finance and

Administration.

The protest shall be submitted in writing within seven (7) calendar days of the Notice of Intent to

A protest is considered filed when received by the Chief Procurement Officer via either U.S. Postal

event later than within seven (7) calendar days of the solicitation posting or award.

To expedite handling of protests, the envelope should be labeled "Protest." The written protest

shall include as a minimum the following: (a) the name and address of the protestor; (b)

appropriate identification of the procurement and if a contract has been awarded, its number; (c)

availability date shall be indicated.

For additional information regarding the protest process, see Section 7-112 of the Public

Submission Deadline: Friday, April 19, 2024, by 10:00 AM CT

Attention: Jennifer Dotson, Qualifications Coordinator

570 E. Woodrow Wilson Ave.

11. REPRESENTATION REGARDING GRATUITIES: Contractor represents that it has not violated,

Company Name: _______________________________________________________________

www.sam.gov? YES; Registration Status? ACTIVE; Active Exclusions? NO.

___________________________________ ____________________

Signature of Authorized Official Date

Signature of Authorized Official Date

with the requirements as written. Conditional or qualified qualifications, unless specifically allowed, shall

be subject to rejection in whole or in part.

___________________________________ ____________________

Signature of Authorized Official Date

2. Purpose. The purpose of this contract is for MSDH to engage Contractor to provide certain

3. Period of Performance. This contract will become effective for the period beginning [Month Day,

4. General Terms and Conditions. This contract is hereby made subject to the terms and conditions

For the Contractor: [Name of Authorized Signer], [Title]

[Email Address]

[Phone Number]