Public Education & Community Outreach Services

The primary purpose of this RFP is to secure the services of a qualified firm to plan, develop, and execute a public education and community outreach campaign for the 2026 Beaufort County Transportation Sales & Use Tax Referendum. The campaign must be factual and educational, with the goal of ensuring that Beaufort County voters are fully informed about:

• The nature, rate, and duration of the proposed one-cent sales tax
• The transportation projects and improvements that would be funded
• Who pays the tax, including the role of tourists and visitors in sharing the burden
• What is and is not subject to the tax under South Carolina law 
• The County's track record since 1998 on prior sales tax commitments and current project status
• The timeline and process leading to the November 3, 2026 vote
• How to access additional information and participate in the process

Secondary objectives of the campaign include:

• Building broad community awareness across all geographic areas and demographics of Beaufort County
• Engaging underrepresented communities, including Gullah/Geechee communities, non-English speakers, and rural residents
• Mobilizing civic, business, and neighborhood organizations as trusted messengers
• Maintaining consistent and transparent messaging through all channels
• Generating measurable increases in awareness and understanding of the referendum

Background

Beaufort County, South Carolina is one of the fastest-growing counties in the southeastern United States, facing unprecedented population growth and associated pressure on its transportation infrastructure. To address critical mobility needs, Beaufort County is preparing to place a Transportation Sales and Use Tax Referendum on the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot.

The proposed one-cent (1%) transportation sales tax would generate dedicated funding for road widenings, intersection improvements, resurfacing, paving, safety enhancements, and connectivity projects throughout the County. If approved by voters, the tax would be collected for a defined period and governed by the project list adopted by County Council.

In January 2026, County Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2025/70, establishing a 15-member citizen-led Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) representing all 11 County Council districts and the County's four municipalities — the City of Beaufort, Town of Port Royal, Town of Bluffton, and Town of Hilton Head Island. The TAC is tasked with recommending a project list, collection amount, and duration to County Council by May 2026.

Beaufort County seeks to engage an experienced public communications and outreach firm to develop and execute a comprehensive public education campaign designed to inform residents and stakeholders about the referendum, its purpose, and its potential benefits.

Beaufort County has implemented four one cent referendums since 1998, three of which were transportation referendums. The previous 2018 Penny Referendum funded a range of transportation improvements, with all projects committed for completion by 2028 (US 278 Corridor by 2031).

Project Details

• Reference ID: 051326
• Department: Administration
• Department Head: John Robinson (ACA Public Safety)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-05T21:00:00.000Z
• Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2026-04-30T18:00:00.000Z — Please email Gillian Murray at gmurray@bcgov.net for TEAMS invitation

Evaluation Criteria

• Relevant Experience (25 pts) —

  Prior work on ballot measure education, government outreach, or comparable public information campaigns

• Technical Approach & Strategy (25 pts) —

  Quality, creativity, and feasibility of the proposed campaign approach and work plan

• Team Qualifications (20 pts) —

  Experience and availability of the assigned project team

• Understanding of Local Context (15 pts) —

  Demonstrated knowledge of Beaufort County's communities, growth challenges, and transportation needs

• Pricing (15 pts) —

  Reasonableness of the proposed budget relative to scope; overall cost-effectiveness

Submission Requirements

• Proposer confirms the proposal is firm for a period of at least 90 days from the closing date for submission of proposal. (required)
• Please Provide Licenses and Certificate of Insurance. (required)
• Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary exclusion (required) —

  The contractor certifies, by submission of this qualification statement or acceptance of a contract, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any State, Federal department, or agency.

  It further agrees by submitting this qualification statement that it will include this clause without modification in all lower tier transactions, solicitations, proposals, contracts, and subcontracts. Where the bidder/contractor or any lower tier participant is unable to certify to this statement, it shall attach an explanation to this solicitation/bid.

• State whether your company has been involved in any litigation within the past five (5) years, arising out of your performance. (required)
• Explain fully any litigation involving performance. (required)
• Non-Segregated Facilities (required) —

  CERTIFICATION BY CONTRACTOR

  Regarding

  NON-SEGREGATED FACILITIES

  The Bidder certifies that he does not, and will not, provide and maintain segregated facilities for his employees at his establishments and, further that he does not, and will not, permit his employees to perform their services at those locations, under his control, where segregated facilities are provided and maintained. Segregated fountains, transportation, parking, entertainment, recreation, ad housing facilities; waiting, rest, wash, dressing, and locker room, and time clock, work, storage, restaurant, and other eating areas which are set apart in fact, or by explicit directive, habit, local custom, or otherwise, based on color, creed, national origin, and race. The Bidder agrees that, except where he has obtained identical certifications from proposed subcontractors for specific time periods, he will obtain identical certifications from proposed subcontractors prior to the award of subcontractors exceeding $10,000.00 which are not exempt from the provisions of the Equal Opportunity clause, and that he will retain such certifications in his files.

  The Bidder agrees that a breach of this certification is a violation of the Equal Opportunity clause in this Contract. The penalty for making false statements is prescribed in 18 U.S.C. 1001.

• Please upload any relevant certifications and/or licenses
• Proposal (pricing to be uploaded in section 8) (required) —

  To achieve a uniform review process and allow for adequate comparability, the information is to be organized in the manner specified below and the entire package must not exceed 15 double-sided printed pages excluding cover pages. Please include a cover page at the start of each section.

  1. Cover Letter & Executive Summary
  •    Signed by an authorized representative of the firm
  • Briefly summarize the firm's qualifications, approach, and understanding of the County's needs
  • Confirm the firm's ability to meet the project timeline and provide services within Beaufort County

  2. Firm Qualifications & Experience
  •    Describe the firm's background, size, structure, and years of operation
  •    Demonstrate experience with public education campaigns for ballot measures, bond referenda, or similar government-related initiatives
  •    Provide a minimum of three (3) relevant project references with client contact information, project description, timeline, and budget
  •    Identify any subcontractors or partner firms and describe their roles and qualifications
  •    Disclose any conflicts of interest, including work for any political campaigns, PACs, or advocacy organizations related to Beaufort County or South Carolina transportation issues

  3  Project Team
  •    Identify the proposed project manager and all key team members who will serve on this engagement
  •    Provide resumes or biographical summaries for key team members, highlighting relevant experience
  •    Describe each team member's role and estimated hours committed to this project
  •    Identify the primary point of contact and their availability to County staff

  4  Technical Approach & Work Plan
  •    Provide a detailed narrative of the firm's proposed approach to each element of the Scope of Services 
  •    Describe how the firm will tailor messaging and outreach to Beaufort County's diverse geographic areas and communities
  •    Identify creative concepts, channel strategies, or campaign themes the firm would propose (preliminary only)
  •    Provide a proposed work plan with phases, activities, and milestones aligned to the campaign timeline
  •    Describe the firm's approach to measurement, reporting, and campaign optimization

  5  Cost Proposal
  •    Provide an itemized budget broken down by service category (strategy, creative, digital, PR, paid media, events, reporting, etc.)
  •    Note: Paid media buys may be presented as a separate, estimated budget line, with the understanding that actual expenditures will be based on County-approved media plans
  •    Identify all anticipated reimbursable expenses
  •    Provide an hourly rate schedule for all team members for any out-of-scope work
  •    The County reserves the right to negotiate scope and budget with the selected firm

  6. List any exceptions, qualifications, or exclusions to this RFP

• Pricing (required) —

  Please provide your complete pricing proposal.

• Will your Pre-Proposal Meeting be Mandatory or Non-Mandatory? (required)
• Will your Pre-Proposal Meeting be In-Person or Online? (required)
• Pricing (required)