Brand Development Services

Upstate Medical University (“Upstate”) intends to make an award under our discretionary authority, which is up to $500,000.00, to a New York State small business enterprise for brand development services, as set forth in Request for Quote S-1559, attached hereto, and issued pursuant to New York State (“NYS”) Education Law §355(5)(a) which authorizes purchases without a formal competitive process in certain circumstances, including purchases from NYS small businesses, from business certified pursuant to Article 15-A or Article 17-B of the NYS Executive Law, and if applicable, from businesses selling commodities or technology that are recycled or remanufactured. If you are interested in providing a proposal for the above commodity or service, you must contact the appropriately Designated Contact in this advertisement within fifteen (15) business days of this Advertised Notice. A sealed bid will not be held. Scope of Work The scope of work and deliverables are collectively referred to as the “Services.” Services shall be provided in accordance with state and federal regulations and the policies and procedures of Upstate. The selected Agency will provide professional brand development services by partnering closely with Upstate stakeholders to research, define, and implement a comprehensive brand strategy which enhances visibility, stakeholder engagement, and consistency across all communication platforms and media outlets. Seeking a refreshed, reenergized marketing program, the project will initially be completed in three (3) phases (the “Phases”). Phase I will identify any outstanding research needs and define a learning plan to help our organizations understand current brand metrics and benchmarks, including how Upstate is perceived by its audiences, and opportunities for optimal positioning going forward. Before engaging in any new research, the parties would leverage the recently completed executive interviews to help us frame our approach. Phase II will commence upon completing additional qualitative and quantitative research. Marketing will look for the development of the brand position and narrative, along with the visual ID and design system for the new organizational brand. This will include logo design options, color palette exploration (taking accessibility into account) and the development of high-level, initial brand guidelines. i. Brand Book: The key deliverable will be the development of a Brand Book that pulls together all the brand development work and begins the development of the updated Visual Identity for the organization. Visual Identity: Includes updates to logos, tagline logotype, logo lockups and brand hierarchy. Also includes color palette and typography updates and styling direction for photography (stock, original or AI produced), graphics devices or assets, patterns and social tags and direction integration of all organizations within Upstate Medical University. Phase III will address the launch, activation & implementation for promoting the new brand to the market and create a base creative execution. Upstate is requesting an anthemic video that launches the brand message and positions it for Upstate’s audiences. Upstate anticipates the video package to be run on platforms including linear TV, CTV, YouTube, social media, and other internal and external platforms. Post-Launch Support (e.g., the six [6] month renewal option) shall address the on-going needs of Upstate and Marketing after the new brand work has been launched publicly. Post-launch services may include brand performance evaluations (i.e., awareness or perception); benchmarking; brand optimization (i.e., adaptions based on feedback); media outlet strategy adjustments (i.e., budget reallocations); training sessions or workshops (i.e., toolkits to address pain points); and periodic brand audits, content/creative support and reputation management (e.g., crisis response toolkits). Minimum Qualifications & Requirements Upstate is seeking proposals from Agencies that can meet the Scope of Work outlined in Section 5, Scope of Work and Deliverables,of this RFQ. To be considered for an Agreement, Agency shall meet the following minimum requirements, and provide evidence of such with Agency’s proposal: Qualify as a New York State small business enterprise (New York residency, 100 or fewer employees, not dominant in its field). Possess at least seven (7) years of experience providing Services to clients in healthcare and higher education. Principal account manager must have at least five (5) years of relevant marketing experience. Provide contact information for at least three (3) references from clients using analogous Services. References should be of similar size and scope to Upstate. Preferably, at least one (1) reference will be a medical center with an academic affiliation (NOT including Upstate). The academic affiliation does not need to designate the reference as an academic medical center. Agency must provide a list of accounts where a contract was terminated by the client within the past five (5) years and explain the cause of termination. Agency agrees that Upstate shall retain all rights to creative works and materials produced by Agency on behalf of Upstate. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Interested firms must review the full scope of work and deliverables by obtaining a complete copy of Request for Quote S-1559 from the Attachments tab of this Contract Reporter advertisement. This procurement is subject to NYS Finance Law (“SFL”) §§139–j & –k, also known as the Lobbying Law, therefore, vendors are cautioned that the only permissible contact for this procurement is the individual(s) listed below. Contacting any other individuals at Upstate in connection with this advertisement may constitute a violation of SFL. Failure to comply with this requirement can range from no contract award to debarment from sales to any NYS agency. Please refer to the Office of General Services website at http://www.ogs.ny.gov/aboutOgs/regulations/defaultSFL_139j-k.asp for more information on the Lobbying Law. The successful contractor will be required to submit applicable documents related to Vendor Responsibility, NYS SFL §§139–j & –k and NYS Tax Law Section 5-a. The successful contractor will be required to submit valid and current NYS Workers’ Compensation and Disability forms. Due date:11/10/2025 12:00 PM ET (via email) Contract term: One (1) Year + Optional Six (6) Month Renewal County(ies): Onondaga Location: SUNY Upstate, 750 East Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210