Centralized Problem Gambling Campaign and Access Portal for DBH

MISSION & GUIDING PRINCIPLES The mission of the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is to provide statewide leadership of a high-quality mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery system that is effective and valued by all Ohioans. DBH strives to be a national leader in implementing a comprehensive, accessible, and quality-focused system of addiction and mental health care and wellness for all Ohio citizens. PURPOSE The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to lead the strategic rebranding and redesign of Ohio’s statewide problem gambling public awareness messaging and to develop a unified, centralized “front door” to all prevention, treatment, recovery, workforce, and community-based gambling related resources across the state. The selected contractor will develop a cohesive brand and public-facing campaign that positions Ohio’s gambling efforts within a comprehensive public health framework, emphasizing prevention, early intervention, recovery support, reducing gambling harm, and systems coordination. The goal is to create a modern, inclusive, evidence-informed and responsive campaign that increases awareness, reduces stigma, improves help-seeking behaviors, and strengthens engagement with Ohio’s problem gambling infrastructure. As a result, the overall campaign messaging will aim to change people’s knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors. Examples of this include: increase risk perception; reinforce positive behaviors; influence social norms; increase availability of support and needed services; empower individuals to change or improve gambling behaviors. BACKGROUND Ohio has experienced significant growth in gambling participation in recent years, including the expansion of sports betting. Increased access and marketing have elevated risk factors for gambling related harm, particularly among young adults, college students, and historically underserved populations. Ohio currently supports multiple problem gambling initiatives across the continuum of care, but these initaitves are currently presented through multiple campaign identities and access points. DBH seeks to unify these efforts under one, clearly identifiable, statewide brand and public-facing access portal. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES The Contractor shall design, implement, and evaluate a statewide problem gambling awareness campaign and centralized access portal over a 12-month contract period. Work shall be completed in phased implementation as outlined below.All deliverables are subject to State review and written approval. Payment will be made upon completion of each of the phases below. Phase 1 Develop a project management plan. Detailed timeline Staff structure Governance and approval workflow Risk mitigation plan Media plan Conduct landscape and audience analysis that is culturally responsive and inclusive Review of existing problem gambling messaging Audience segmentation (minimum: general adult population, at-risk individuals, priority communities, youth/young adults, providers) Baseline awareness and perception survey Behavioral Strategy Framework Evidence-informed behavior-change model Stigma-reduction approach Message testing Community Engagement Plan Geographic strategy Minimum 6-event statewide schedule ADAMH Board coordination framework Event toolkit Engagement data tracking plan Phase 2 Brand development Campaign name and tagline Complete visual identity Brand standards guide Message testing Phase 3 Centralized access portal development Required capabilities WCAG 2.1 AA compliance Mobile responsive Searchable provider directory Helpline integration (988) SEO strategy Referral pathway tracking Deliverables UX strategy and wireframes Prototype Fully operational portal Portal must be live prior to full media deployment. Phase 4 Comprehensive Media Plan Broadcast, CTV, digital, social, radio, OOH mix Budget allocation Targeting strategy Minimum 25% of media budget allocated to priority populations Creative Production Minimum two 30-second TV/CTV spots Minimum two 30-second radio spots Digital/social campaign suite Print assets Two Major Media Flights Statewide saturation strategy Mid-flight optimization Monthly performance reporting Phase 5 Community Engagement Required minimums (15 events): Six in-person events statewide Three rural county events Three youth/young adult focused events Three events in high-prevalence counties Events must include: Branded activation Helpline promotion Portal promotion Interactive engagement and QR tracking Passive distribution does not qualify. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Awareness Metrics (Active Media Flights) 65–75% reach among Ohio adults Minimum 4–5 frequency exposure 8–12% increase in aided awareness post-flight Portal Performance Metrics ≥ 50,000 unique visits Bounce rate ≤ 60% Average session duration ≥ 1:30 12–18% engage with provider directory or helpline content ≥60% of traffic attributable to paid campaign placements Media Performance Metrics ≥0.3% Click-Through-Rate (display/social) ≥3% Click-Through-Rate (search) Helpline Impact Metrics During Active Media Flights: 12% increase in helpline contacts compared to previous year. Annually: 10% increase over baseline of 2025 contacts (9,600) Community Engagement Metrics Six qualifying activation events Minimum of 500 documented direct engagements statewide QR-linked portal visits tracked by geography Distribution consistent with approved plan. Performance Accountability State may reallocate media strategy or withhold up to 10% of final payment pending satisfactory performance, according to KPIs. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTOR Proposals must demonstrate: Public Health Campaign Experience Minimum 5 years of experience developing and implementing large-scale public awareness campaigns. Demonstrated completion of at least two statewide or multi-regional public health or behavioral health campaigns within the past 5 years. Experience working with a state agency, government entity, or publicly funded system. Large-Scale Media Management Capacity Demonstrated management of at least $1 million in annual paid media placement within the past 3 years. In-house or contracted media buying capability with documented optimization process. Digital Portal Development Experience Demonstrated experience designing and launching at least two public-facing digital portals within the past 5 years. Demonstrated ability to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. Experience integrating analytics and conversion tracking tools. Organizational Capacity Dedicated project manager assigned full-time or substantial allocation. Clear staffing plan with identified key personnel. Financial capacity to manage a contract of this size. Contractor shall not be subject to an “unresolved” finding for recovery under Section 9.24 of Ohio Revised Code.
Evaluation Process DBH’s evaluation process of responses submitted to this request may consist of up to four distinct phases: DBH’s initial review of all proposals for timely submission; An evaluation committee review of the proposals for defects and scoring; DBH’s request for more information (clarifications, interviews, presentations, and/or demonstrations); and, Negotiations or best offer requests. At its sole discretion, DBH will determine whether phases three and/or four are necessary under this RFP, reserving for itself the ability to eliminate or add phases three or four at any time during the evaluation process. DBH may add or remove sub-phases to phases 2 through 4 at any time if DBH believes doing so will improve the evaluation process. Proposal Evaluation Criteria In the proposal evaluation phase, DBH staff or reviewers selected by DBH (the committee) will rate the proposals submitted in response to this RFP based on the following criteria and weight assigned to each criterion.
Project administration or planning
Items I1_1 | Required Item | Centralized Problem Gambling Campaign and Access Portal Project Cost