GRIT Public Education and Ongoing Engagement Campaign

The State of South Dakota, through the Department of the Military, is soliciting proposals for a qualified marketing and communications firm to develop and manage a statewide public-education campaign for the Governor's Resilient Infrastructure Task Force (GRIT). The primary objective is to translate complex infrastructure resilience topics into clear, actionable, and locally relevant information for citizens, communities, and businesses. The campaign will focus on practical preparations for disruptions to essential services, including power, energy, communications, water, wastewater, transportation, fuel, and healthcare. The selected contractor will be responsible for strategy, message development, content creation, distribution, audience testing, and regular campaign refinement, utilizing a simple and recognizable messaging model similar to the Call Before You Dig campaign. The initial contract term is twelve months with a total budget of 250,000 dollars, and the State may renew the agreement for up to two additional one-year option periods. Key deliverables include a project work plan within 15 business days of the notice to proceed, followed by research findings, campaign strategy, a twelve-month media plan, and a launch-ready content package within the first 75 days. Performance will be monitored through quarterly reviews and ongoing reporting. The contract is governed by South Dakota law, and the contractor must adhere to strict confidentiality and non-discrimination standards. Website design, hosting, and technical support are explicitly excluded from the scope of work. Proposals must be submitted electronically to Marshall Michels by October 26, 2026. The evaluation process will establish an overall ranking of offerors based on project management capabilities, locale knowledge, and organizational experience, with the highest-ranked offeror entering negotiations for final contract terms. Payment will be issued via itemized invoices upon the satisfactory completion of services. Offerors must certify they are not debarred from federal funds and are not in arrears with the State of South Dakota.