R -- 2010 Census Communications Campaign - Market Research

The following announcement is issued solely for Market Research purposes in planning for the 2010 Census Communications Campaign. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment to issue a Request for Proposal by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau is not accepting offers at this time nor will the information provided be evaluated or considered as an offer. This Industry Day announcement does not commit the Census Bureau to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. The Census Bureau is not responsible for any administrative cost incurred by a contractor in response to this announcement. BACKGROUND Since 1790, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution in Article I, Section II, a head count of the population has been conducted once a decade for the purposes of reapportioning the U.S. Congress. The Census Bureau has been responsible since 1903 for conducting a complete enumeration of the resident population of the United States and its territories in an efficient and cost-effective manner. For Census 2000, some key challenges were to increase the mail response rate (it had been on the decline for two decades) and to improve the coverage of all population groups. The Census 2000 Partnership and Marketing Program (PMP), an initiative that combined promotion and marketing campaigns with an expanded outreach program, was implemented to reduce the declining response rate. The Census 2000 program included four components: a paid advertising campaign; community outreach (partnerships); promotions and special events; and media relations. The direct mail package (questionnaire, advance letter, and reminder card) was also designed to increase self-response. 2010 CENSUS COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN For the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau again intends to support decennial operations with a comprehensive, nationwide communications campaign designed to reach diverse audiences, which could include some or all of the components of the Census 2000 Communications Program (advertising, media relations, special events, among others). The decennial census has been significantly re-engineered, including the implementation of the American Community Survey beginning in 2005. The 2010 Census will focus on counting all residents living in the United States and its territories. It is anticipated that the communications contractor will develop, test, implement, monitor and maintain all program components covered by the contract for the period of time determined to be most appropriate for achieving the goals of the Census Bureau. WEB SITE The official Web site for the 2010 Census Communications Campaign has been created and can be accessed at www.census.gov/procur/www/2010communications. Industry representatives are encouraged to register on the Web site to receive updated information. The Web site provides access to reference materials related to this project. In particular, attention is directed to the - Evaluation of the Census 2000 Partnership and Marketing Program (PMP), which can be found under the - Reference Library link. This document provides insight into the results from evaluations, experiments, and other assessments of the Census 2000 outreach effort, and makes recommendations for planning the 2010 Census Communications Campaign. This Web site also serves as the central point for interested parties to access information and to track the acquisition process for the 2010 Census Communications Campaign. This site will be updated regularly. Should the Census Bureau decide to solicit proposals for this project, a draft RFP would be posted for comment on this Web site. Due to the early stages of this process, no bidder list is currently being created nor maintained. INDUSTRY DAY - February 17, 2006 The U.S. Census Bureau is currently in the Market Research / Industry Engagement stage for developing requirements for the national 2010 Census Communications Campaign. As part of this process, the Census Bureau invites all members of the marketing, public relations and advertising community to participate in the 2010 Census Communications Campaign Industry Day to be held at the Department of Commerce Auditorium, (1401 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington D.C.) on Friday, February 17, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. This event will give interested vendors a glimpse of the campaign's possible objectives. The Census Bureau is holding this Industry Day to kick-off the acquisition process and market research with clear and open communication with the industry. The Census Bureau is seeking input from public relations, advertising and communications-related agencies to obtain an understanding of current best practices in the industry regarding media usage, strategies, tactics, audience segmentation, acquisition process, evaluation, and contract administration, among others, in order to develop our acquisition strategy and plans. To register for this event, please access the Registration Form link found on the 2010 Communications website. The last day for registration is Monday, February 13, 2006, at 4:00 PM EST. Please note the entire presentation will be made available on the 2010 Communications Web site soon after the conference takes place.