Response to questions: RFP – Social Media Strategy Development

The following questions were submitted by Prospective Proponents for the Health Unit’s Request for Proposal – Social Media Strategy Development. Answers provided to each Prospective Proponent can be found below.s, but create a strategy that will help SDHU staff develop future social media content. The strategy should include various components as outlined in Section 2.3 of the RFP – Social Media Strategy Development.

1. Appendices do not appear to be attached to the proposal. Where can these be obtained?

SDHU response: The RFP Registration and Reference forms and complete details about the RFP – Social Media Strategy Development can be found on the Sudbury & District Health Unit’s website: https://www.phsd.ca/contact/purchasing/request-proposal-social-media-strategy-development

2. Has SDHU prepared any existing reports or analysis of social media that may be shared in advance of the proposal submission date in order to better understand the current environment?

SDHU response: The Successful Proponent will have access to Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics. No existing report or analysis is available in advance of the submission.

3. How is the scoring calculated for the “Fees & Costs” section of the evaluation calculated? Further, is this purely based on total project costs or a detailed breakdown of these costs and hourly rates?

SDHU response: The scoring for the “Fees & Costs” section will be based on the total cost of the project, but will take into consideration the breakdown of costs and hourly rate. The weight of the “Fees & Costs” in the evaluation criteria is 20 out of 100. Further details about the evaluation can be found in Section 4.2 of the RFP – Social Media Strategy Development.

4. Will SDHU be willing to make staff available for interviews in the data collection process for the environmental audit? Would SDHU also be willing to identify external stakeholders (for example, members of the public) who would also be available for interviews in the data collection process?

SDHU response: The SDHU will have some staff available for interviews in the data collection process. Furthermore, the Successful Proponent will directly liaise with the SDHU’s Communications team for the length of the project. The SDHU may identify external stakeholders as necessary but cannot guarantee availability or willingness for interviews.

5. We noticed the RFP said submissions could be made either digitally or with a physical bid. Do you have a preference?

SDHU response: It is the SDHU’s requirement to receive both a physical Proposal and an electronic Proposal as stated in Section 5.3.1 of the RFP – Social Media Strategy Development. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between the hard copy and the electronic copy of the Proposal, the hard copy of the Proposal shall prevail.

6. I had a few questions regarding the requirements to received the RFP submission forms from the Sudbury and District Health Unit. I am a little confused on how the “bidding” process works to acquire the submission forms. Could you please elaborate more on how to acquire the RFP submission forms?

7. Hypothetically, if you were to hire us we would be building a social media strategy by December 15, 2017 for you and your team to use and we would not produce any social media content for your team year round?

or

You hire our firm to build a social media strategy and help manage the content that goes out to the public? While also training your staff how to better use the social media platforms and understand how to promote the content we would produce for SDHU.

SDHU response: The purpose of this project is to develop of an agency-wide, robust and comprehensive social media strategy. The project will focus on creating a strategy that will outline and provide strategic direction for social media use at SDHU. The goal of creating this strategy is to increase engagement and growth of the SDHU social media channels, and to formalize, shape and provide direction on how the Health Unit uses social media.

The Successful Proponent will not be expected to develop social media content or manage SDHU social media platforms, but create a strategy that will help SDHU staff develop future social media content. The strategy should include various components as outlined in Section 2.3 of the RFP – Social Media Strategy Development.

7. Under the heading “project management” when you request how the deliverables will be provided, are you asking how we are going to provide you with the content to help you manage your social media platform?

SDHU response: The Project Management section should outline details such as: the proposed timeline for the project and the delivery of the deliverables listed in Section 2.3, management of work, work plans, delegation of responsibility, reporting and quality control, subcontracting arrangements, etc.

8. Is there a known budget limitation or range the SDHU is considering for this piece of work? Does SDHU have a specific video creation budget and does this fall within or outside the social strategy budget?

SDHU response: The SDHU is committed to a competitive bidding process for this project. The budget is not being disclosed. The creation of video falls outside of scope of this project. However, the Health Unit has created videos to support its social media efforts in the past and views videos as an important role in future social media endeavours.

9. Can you share further details on the current team structure for managing your social media accounts and content strategy? Is there a central governing body or team?

SDHU response: Currently, the SDHU’s Communications Team manages the corporate social media accounts. The SDHU does not have a staff member solely dedicated to social media. The SDHU’s Alcohol, Let’s Get Real social media accounts are managed by the SDHU’s Substance Misuse Prevention Team, with support from the Communications Team.

The SDHU’s corporate accounts are managed through Hootsuite’s Professional Plan and Tweetdeck for monitoring activity, scheduling posts and analytics. Some social media posts are scheduled in advance, while others are posted on-the-go due to the instantaneous nature of social media.

10. Do you currently operate under the guidance of key strategic content pillars for your social strategy? If yes, can you share these at this time? For example, is mental health a content pillar?

SDHU response: No formal key strategic content pillars exist. However, content pillars would include topics from SDHU programs, including, for example, parenting and family health, breastfeeding, vaccinations, food safety, healthy eating, school health, oral health, health equity, mental health, tobacco control, alcohol misuse, sexual health, environmental health. A complete list of health topics can be found on the Health Unit’s website: https://www.phsd.ca/health-topics-programs

11. Do you have key audience segments / targets that guide your social efforts? If yes, can you share these? For example, are Indigenous peoples a primary audience for you?

SDHU response: Our current audience target is the general public, local to the SDHU’s catchment area (Greater Sudbury, Manitoulin Island, Sudbury East, Espanola and Chapleau) as well as public health agencies, community partners and health care agencies.

No specific key audience segments have been formally identified by the SDHU; however, key audiences to consider for the development of the social media strategy would include SDHU priority populations, including Indigenous People, members of the LQBTQ+ community, families with low socio-economic status and community partners. Priority populations are often program-specific and audiences will shift based on the program.

12. Do you have any existing partnerships with external organizations or charitable foundations that we should consider as part of an overall social strategy? For example, Laurentian University.

SDHU response: The Health Unit has strong partnerships with many community agencies and collaborates with them through sharing and promoting each other’s content to leverage respective social media messaging. Examples include Health Sciences North, City of Greater Sudbury and local school boards.

13. How many programming areas will be integrated into the newly developed social strategy? Can you quantify the use of “multiple” throughout the RFP document.

SDHU response: The Health Unit has many programming areas that will be included in the social media strategy; however, the exact number will vary for reasons such as topics that will generate high-value engagement, seasonal messaging and team-specific capacity. Consideration will need to be given to identify topic areas that will lend better to social media and have significant impact and engagement.

While the exact number of programming areas will vary, 12 to 15 program-specific teams is an approximate estimate.

For your reference, the Health Unit’s organization chart can be found here: https://www.phsd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Program_Accountability_Chart_EN_2020-08-24.pdf

14. There is no mention of using paid social media tactics to help further reach and build awareness. Does SDHU have an advertising budget for social media that we should be aware of? If no budget, can we propose a paid strategy budget?

SDHU response: At the moment, there is no budget solely dedicated for social media advertising. SDHU teams have media advertising budgets that are program-specific which are often used for paid social media advertising. The SDHU would be open to considering a paid promotions strategy budget.

15. How frequently would the SDHU team like to meet with their agency in-person for meetings, presentations and training sessions? Is SDHU open to participating via online webinars and live meetings?

SDHU response: Yes, the SDHU is open to live meetings, webinars and online project management team communication software throughout this project. However, the SDHU will require an in-person meeting for the final presentation of the strategy to SDHU key internal stakeholders.

This item was last modified on June 29, 2020