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City council approves $91,095 branding contract after debate over scope and cost
Summary
After lengthy debate about scope, optional logo work and hours, Plantation Council approved a not-to-exceed municipal branding and communications contract with Conceptual Communications; council members pressed staff for tighter cost controls and greater internal involvement.
Plantation's City Council on Tuesday approved a professional services contract to revise the city's branding, templates and public-facing communications in a plan intended to unify message and improve resident engagement.
The council approved the contract for Conceptual Communications after discussion about the not-to-exceed amount and optional design work. Council members expressed concern that the $91,095 pricetag was higher than expected for a branding refresh; one council member moved an amendment to reduce the not-to-exceed cap to $80,000 but the amendment failed on roll call. The final motion to approve the contract as advertised passed on second motion.
Assistant City Administrator Laura Curpovichuda told the council the budget line is a "not to exceed" figure and that actual billing would reflect hours worked. She said the consultant's scope goes beyond a logo change and includes stakeholder engagement, a brand assessment, templates, and a brand activation plan intended to help the city tell a consistent story across departments. Curpovichuda said a portion of the fee is optional (logo redesign) and contingency was included to cover additional engagement if the council requested it.
Conceptual Communications principal Laurie Earnest Jones said the firm has municipal experience across Broward County and that the vendor's process centers on stakeholder interviews, testing messages with residents and producing a unified voice and materials that fit the city's quality-of-life goals. City Council members said they preferred to keep the optional logo redesign available but pressed staff to reduce estimated hours in some phases; one council member asked staff to ensure the agreement be amended if necessary to cap the vendor cost at a lower figure.
Ending: The final contract will move forward with the vendor. Council asked for tighter contract language and staff authority to limit optional tasks; staff and the vendor said they would seek ways to keep work within the not-to-exceed range and report back as the project progresses.
