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Keystone council clears release of $127,000 tourism marketing RFP with attorney review and committee oversight
Summary
The Keystone Town Council agreed to allow a consultant-drafted RFP for a year-1 tourism marketing program — estimated at $127,000 — to be issued, with council members requiring attorney review, edits to the package, and that the town's marketing committee evaluate proposals and deliverables.
Keystone’s council on Monday reviewed a consultant-prepared request for proposals for a year-1 tourism marketing program that outlines six workstreams and an anticipated first-year cost of $127,000, and agreed to let staff release the RFP with legal review and selection safeguards in place.
The Town Manager (speaking as S2) summarized the scope as brand development, website and events calendar work, four-season content production, social media launch and management, a pilot fall marketing campaign and public-relations/media visits. "This is an RFP. This is not contracts," the Town Manager said, adding that firms may bid on the full package or any single element.
Why it matters: Councilors said the town needs to target shoulder seasons and activities that Vail Resorts and other large partners do not market, directing visitor spending to Keystone restaurants and shops rather than duplicating existing winter-focused campaigns. Several members emphasized that internal staff capacity and oversight of vendor deliverables will determine whether the program succeeds.
Council members raised questions about available funding and staffing. One lawmaker asked how much of the $100,000 currently budgeted for marketing remains available; staff said about $96,000 has been expended or allocated to prior marketing work and domain purchases. Councilors repeatedly warned that the $127,000 figure does not capture staff time and other implementation costs. "We don't have the staff," one councilor said, noting that much of the execution would fall to Gabby, a town staff member who will lead initial work while the marketing committee evaluates acceptability.
Procurement and conflict concerns surfaced when a councilor asked whether Dave Santucci, the consultant who drafted the RFP, planned to bid. Council members said there had been no indication Santucci intended to respond and noted the town can disqualify proposals that fail to meet the RFP's criteria. The council asked that attorneys review the RFP before decisions are made; the Chair said he would request counsel to "assist" with an attorney review.
Members also pressed for practical RFP language requiring vendors to state expected town effort and staffing needs for each component, so the town can account for internal workload. One councilor noted skepticism about earlier ROI claims in the consultant's presentation and asked that projected returns be scrutinized and tracked if the program proceeds.
On branding and community input, several councilors urged a community-sourced approach to logos and messaging rather than a quick contest, and suggested outreach to schools and community engagement sessions to ensure the brand reflects Keystone.
Outcome: Without a formal roll-call vote the council signaled by consensus that staff may issue the RFP prior to the next council meeting, subject to attorney review, removal or amendment of a specified paragraph and a change in a required element (section e), and with the marketing committee and council participation in proposal evaluation. The Chair said staff should not execute any contract until proposals and legal feedback are reviewed.
Next steps: Staff will circulate the revised RFP to council members for additional review before it is posted; the council directed that the RFP include explicit vendor estimates of town staffing needs and that any legal issues be resolved before award. The work session was adjourned and the regular council meeting began.
