File #: 2021-0408   
Type: Contract Status: Consent Calendar
File created: 6/2/2021 In control: Board of Directors - Regular Board Meeting
On agenda: 7/22/2021 Final action:
Title: AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to award Contract No. PS74537000 to Sensis, Inc. to provide marketing research and branding services for a three-year base term in an amount not-to-exceed $1,126,200, and $375,400 for each of the two, one-year option terms, for a combined not-to-exceed amount of $1,877,000, effective August 1, 2021, subject to resolution of protest(s), if any.
Sponsors: Executive Management Committee
Indexes: Budgeting, Contracts, Metro Equity Platform, Minorities, Procurement, Research, Ridership, Small Business Enterprise, Small Business Prime Program, Surveys
Attachments: 1. Attachment A - Procurement Summary, 2. Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITEE
JULY 15, 2021

Subject
SUBJECT: MARKETING RESEARCH & BRANDING SERVICES

Action
ACTION: APPROVE CONTRACT AWARD

Heading
RECOMMENDATION

Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer to award Contract No. PS74537000 to Sensis, Inc. to provide marketing research and branding services for a three-year base term in an amount not-to-exceed $1,126,200, and $375,400 for each of the two, one-year option terms, for a combined not-to-exceed amount of $1,877,000, effective August 1, 2021, subject to resolution of protest(s), if any.

Background
BACKGROUND

Metro has been increasingly using consumer research (surveys and focus groups) to inform decision-making to achieve Vision 2028 objectives. Metro Marketing has been increasingly asked to lead important research projects, such as Line Naming, Station Naming, Microtransit Market and User Experience Evaluation, and Fareless Transit External Survey, among others. In addition, Metro Marketing has and will continue to conduct research to inform ridership growth marketing strategy, message development, digital user experience design, and more.

Issue
ISSUE

Historically, Metro Marketing has procured market research through our media buying agency as part of the media planning process[HE1]. However, as the number of research products have increased and the types of research have expanded beyond media related research, a dedicated research agency specializing in marketing research is needed to more skillfully and efficiently deliver high quality data. This contract will also allow our media planning agency to focus solely on media planning, protecting the contract authority for its primary purpose.

The marketing research and branding agency will be an extension of the Marketing department and help to perform research and inform communication messages and strategies to build support for Metro's agenda, to grow ridership, and to improve the customer experience, among other agenc...

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