Seeking a Contractor with experience and expertise in communications planning, media relations, development and dissemination of information for publications, and evaluation of communications efforts? Missy Blankenship, Sales and Marketing

1. CONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVACY NOTICE –
The documents included in this transmission may contain
information that is confidential and/or legally privileged. If
you are not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent
responsible for delivering the information to the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying,
distribution, or action taken in reliance on the contents of these 801 Friendship Drive
documents is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802
document in error, please notify the sender immediately
Phone (540) 434-9586
to arrange for return or destruction of these documents.
ALL Documents are considered the proprietary property Fax (540) 434-1407
of Friendship Industries, Inc.
www.friendship-industries.com
Friendship Industries Request for Proposal (RFP)
Overview:
Within the scope of our current Comprehensive Marketing Plan and as part
of our 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, Friendship Industries (FI) seeks a qualified
public and/or media relations company to create, support and maintain key
aspects of our broad and varied public affairs and information dissemination
efforts for a consistent image. The selected Contractor would help research
and develop a Public Service Initiative to keep FI's Commercial Successes,
Rehabilitative Services and Mission in the public arena on a regular basis.
This Agency should already have or can quickly develop relationships with
and keep our organization updated with Public Relations Media Contacts,
local or otherwise as deemed relevant, for use by ALL Departments of FI.
Organization Overview:
Friendship Industries is a 501(c)(3) NonProfit Agency (NPA) and CARF-
accredited Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) in business in
Harrisonburg/ Rockingham County VA since 1964. We annually employ
approximately 150 persons with disabilities with a professional staff of 20.
Our annual budget is approximately $3.8 million.
Our Mission: Friendship Industries develops and maintains employment and
training opportunities for persons with disabilities in integrated work
environments.
Within the aforementioned Strategic Plan, the Critical Few Strategic Issues
that must be accomplished over the next few years in order for Friendship to
achieve Excellence are:
Employment for All Friendship Industries Clients with Disabilities
Training and Career Development
The Marketing of Friendship Industries
New Business Development
1

2. Please check our website for more detailed information About Us.
Scope of Work:
FI seeks a Contractor with experience and expertise in communications
planning, media relations, development and dissemination of information for
publication, and evaluation of our communications efforts. The contract will
require close coordination and cooperation between FI’s Director of Sales &
Marketing, Director of Development, Director of Rehabilitative Services and
our existing Branding Strategies. The public relations function has
historically been a part-time position without day-to-day requirements; it is
our intent to outsource a majority of the public relations function.
Our Major Goals are to educate the community of the contributions made
to the community by FI and to Improve and Increase our Public Image
within our three (3) distinct areas of influence:
Commercial/Sales & Marketing:
• To increase awareness of FI's commercial capabilities
• To increase amount of regular daily commercial work
• To increase amount of commercial work opportunities
• To educate current customers and prospects of commercial
capabilities, esp. equipment available and partnering opportunities,
such as government set-asides
Rehabilitative Services/Human Resources:
• To increase awareness of FI's rehab training capabilities, including
Work Assessments and Work Adjustments
• To increase amount of Supported Employment outcomes in
Community businesses
• To increase amount of work opportunities for ALL clients
• To educate the community AND persons with disabilities of the
capabilities of persons with disabilities
Development/Public Relations:
• To increase awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities to
increase stewardship
• To increase the amount of funds from donations, especially for
special projects and programs
• To increase amount of funding opportunities, including grants
• To educate the community of the needs of persons with disabilities
2

3. Objectives
The four (4) major objectives to be accomplished through this contract are:
On an ongoing basis, develop and implement media
1.
outreach strategies, making effective use of media
inquiries, PSAs, press releases, potentially video news
releases, Op-Ed pieces, interviews, stories (such as new
Contracts won), etc.
Develop, produce, and user-test information materials and
2.
educational campaigns for the following audiences: local
mass media; general public (including those with and
without disabilities and their significant others, friends and
family members); specific disabled populations (including
minority groups and low-literacy); disability service
providers; primary health care providers; business and
industry.
Market Friendship Industries’ materials through a wide
3.
variety of outlets and intermediaries, including the web,
conferences, meetings, advocacy groups, organizations
and associations, foundations, medical providers and
disability services agencies.
Place, evaluate, track, and monitor media placements and
4.
other outreach efforts.
Friendship Industries will NOT require a Contractor for these requirements:
• conducting programs or events
• developing materials for paid advertising
• branding or creating new marketing messages (but rather to
support the plan already in place)
• day-to-day work
• major publications or e-messaging
3

4. Friendship Industries WILL require a Contractor for these requirements:
• dealing with the nuances of public service advertising and
educational program opportunities
• identifying and communicating to a wide variety of
stakeholders, including government, press and the public
• applying the principles and practices of social marketing (e.g.,
understanding target audiences, designing communications
strategies based on their needs, and communicating messages
through multiple channels)
• managing the various activities that must be conducted
simultaneously to successfully accomplish the program
• developing innovative materials that can effectively compete
for a finite amount of air time and newspaper space with PSAs
• developing and implementing innovative—as well as
traditional—communications methods, marketing strategies, and
distribution channels, so that health care and mental health
professionals, as well as the general public, will become more
aware of the needs and contributions of persons with disabilities
• building media relations in our local community, outside of the
local community as deemed desireable, and on the world-wide
web
The successful Contractor will work with FI to establish agreed-upon goals
with milestones, deliverables, timelines and a report-back mechanism
whereby FI can quickly and easily ascertain whether or not key success
indicators are being met.
Anticipated Costs:
A flat-fee-paid per month, year-to-year contract is contemplated as actual
number of hours required per month will vary and are an unknown at this
point. This work has always previously been conducted in-house. The
proposed total of the Contract should range between $1,200 and $7,200 per
year.
4

5. Proposal Submissions and Evaluation:
The Proposal in response to this RFP should include:
1. Brief background of your organization.
2. Relevant experience on this type of request for proposal.
3. Statement/Scope of Work.
4. Suggested (or Sample) Public Relations Vehicles and Timelines.
5. Sample Performance-Based Standards and Measures.
6. Reporting Requirements or Technical Evaluation Criteria (if any).
7. Desired professional fees required. Fees may be stated in terms of
hourly rates with estimated hours per week, month and year.
8. References from similar engagements.
Additional information is available in the live links included in the body of
this RFP. If you are unable to access the links to the Friendship Industries
Proprietary Information or external websites for more information, please
contact FI immediately.
Just as all materials submitted herein and via links are considered Friendship
Proprietary information, all Proposals submitted will be considered
proprietary and not available for viewing by any competing Agency(s) that
may be awarded the Contract.
Evaluation of proposals will be made based on Clarity, Specificity and Outline
of how the Contractor will address the needs indicated here and Cost.
Following proposal submission and the initial review process, all RFP
respondents will be notified of the outcome. Face-to-face presentations
may be scheduled based on submission finalists. Not all submissions will
warrant a personal presentation.
Proposals must be received electronically (preferable) or via mail no
later than October 20, 2005. Plans are to award a Contract as soon as
possible.
For more information or to submit a RFP, please contact:
Missy Blankenship, Director of Sales & Marketing
MelissaBlankenship@Friendship-Industries.com
540.434.9586 or 540.325.3060 or 800.777.9586
All questions must be submitted in writing (preferably via e-mail).
5