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San Antonio plans citywide on‑call marketing contracts to consolidate 143 departmental agreements
Summary
The city will seek multiple on‑call marketing, advertising and communications vendors to replace dozens of fragmented contracts; the RFP is valued at about $4.6 million annually with a proposed three‑year term and two one‑year renewals.
Alana Reed, director of Communications and Engagement for the city of San Antonio, briefed the Audit Committee on May 13 on a proposed, citywide solicitation to establish multiple on‑call marketing and communications contracts.
Reed said the program is designed to replace a fragmented set of departmental contracts: "Currently, 77 unique vendors support a 143 departmental contracts for advertising, marketing, communications, design, and video production." The request for proposals is framed as a three‑year contract with two one‑year renewal options and an estimated value of $4,600,000 annually.
The RFP will target firms offering advertising, marketing, public relations, design, community engagement and video production. Vendors will be selected through a competitive RFP process and work will be assigned on an equitable rotation model that considers vendor size, past usage and departmental budget availability, Reed said.
Reed described outreach and procurement details: the RFP will be advertised across the city's bidding portal and partner channels, and the city will notify vendors registered under about 20 relevant commodity codes. The procurement includes affirmative procurement incentives: points for SBE and MWBE prime contractors, a 12% MWBE subcontracting program, a local preference (10 points) and a veteran‑owned preference (5 points). Reed said funding for individual assignments will come from the requesting department's budget.
Reed provided a project timeline: the city plans to release the RFP on June 10, hold a presubmittal conference on June 25, set a submission deadline of July 25, evaluate proposals in August, negotiate contracts in September and present recommendations to city council in October.
Council members asked about the number of vendors the city expects to select and which departments would be excluded from the citywide contracts. Reed said staff are targeting up to 15 firms covering large and small agencies across specialties and that some departments—examples included 311, aviation (airside marketing), the city attorney and the auditor—would be excluded because their funding structures or functions do not align with the on‑call program.
Reed said the city expects this approach to reduce duplication, improve turnaround times and produce more consistent branding and bilingual materials when required.
This briefing was for information only; no committee action was taken.
