Request for Proposals Behavioral Safety Messaging Campaign: Ready Set Slow
Posted
Nov 10, 2026
Dec 11, 2026
Agency Overview The Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO) serves as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Transportation Management Area (TMA) for the greater Wichita, Kansas metropolitan area. MPOs are federally required regional policy bodies in urbanized areas with populations over 50,000. MPOs recognize the critical links between transportation and other societal goals, such as economic health, air quality, environmental resource management, and overall quality of life. WAMPO is responsible, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and Wichita Transit, for carrying out the metropolitan transportation planning process. Safety is a central priority in transportation planning, and WAMPO works to ensure that all transportation users can travel as safely as possible. WAMPO facilitates regional discussions for transportation improvements for the twenty-two municipalities and three counties that are in the WAMPO region. Background Each day, transportation users travel tens of millions of vehicle miles on roadways in the WAMPO region. With this level of roadway activity, crashes occur, and an unacceptable number result in serious injuries or fatalities. WAMPO and its local and state partners prioritize transportation safety and continually seek effective strategies to reduce severe injury and fatal crashes. Behavioral factors, particularly speeding, are an area of focus. An analysis of fatal and serious-injury crashes with "EXCEEDED SPEED LIMIT" identified as a contributing circumstance found that crashes involving male drivers ages 15-34 account for over two-thirds (67.3%) of those crashes from 2020 - 2024, despite only representing 14.1% of WAMPO's approximately 550,000 residents. WAMPO has identified speeding among male drivers ages 15 to 34 as a regional safety concern and a priority focus for safety messaging and outreach. Scope of Services WAMPO is inviting proposals from qualified consultants to plan, implement, and evaluate a region-wide, multi-channel behavioral transportation safety messaging campaign aimed at reducing speed-related crashes and excessive speeding. Services will include project management, a strategic messaging plan, creative materials, media placement and purchasing, campaign implementation, and performance measurement and monitoring during the period of January 2027 through September 2027. The selected consultant will provide these services as a single engagement in accordance with applicable city, state, and federal requirements for governmental entities. The total contract amount shall not exceed $230,000. The Scope of Services includes, but is not limited to, the following tasks: - Task 1 Project Coordination and Management Plan: draft and final project management plan including schedule/calendar of deliverables, check-in meetings, roles and responsibilities, and procedures for coordination and communication among consultant team, WAMPO staff, WAMPO's Media Campaign Advisory Committee, and WAMPO boards and committees; regular check-in meetings and updates to WAMPO committees; interim written reports. - Task 2 Research & Strategic Planning: develop a strategic communication plan (market research and target audience identification; data-driven approaches; localized/geofenced strategies; paid advertising strategies; public relations outreach strategy executed by WAMPO; strategies to reach Limited-English Proficiency populations primarily Spanish and Vietnamese; alignment with NHTSA Traffic Safety Marketing plan; partnership opportunities; research into behavior modification; recommendations for interactive technologies; influencer vetting; traffic safety culture and social norming strategies). - Task 3 Creative Services: provide turn-key creative services including multiple creative options, editorial services, plain-language translations, transcreation for cultural resonance, revisions for multiple platforms, original creative/designs, layout and design, typography, illustrations, photography, shareable digital assets (Section 508 compliance), video production (pre-production, production, post-production), focus group pre-testing, talent rights management, cloud-based dashboard of assets and rights, educational materials, social media content recommendations, electronic versions of all assets, and a Joint Content Calendar. - Task 4 Media Purchase/Placement: research and negotiate paid media and outreach opportunities, maximize exposure to target audience, negotiate placements and rates to reach up to 80% of identified target audience, review affidavits of performance, use varied mix of paid media and grassroots outreach, use local and state platforms where applicable, and demonstrate financial capacity to purchase media without advance payment by WAMPO. - Task 5 Media Campaign Performance Measurement: create KPI metrics (reach, engagement, conversions, digital analytics, demographics), track brand lift and message recall via digital surveys, execute and evaluate analytics, and provide progress reports accompanying reimbursement requests including KPI status, timelines, and percentage of budget used. - Task 6 Social Media Services: monitor social media sentiment, provide mitigation strategy within four (4) hours of awareness and execute approved strategy within four (4) hours after WAMPO approval when negative feedback or viral moments occur. - Task 7 Collaboration: collaborate with WAMPO jurisdictions, traffic safety advocates, professionals, organizations, and partners to maximize campaign impact, promote enforcement mobilizations and events, and facilitate sharing of best practices. Proposal Content Proposals must demonstrate qualifications, competence, capacity, and proposed approach addressing each service specification. Required proposal information includes: detailed task list and milestones; timeline; list of similar projects; key personnel and resumes; subcontractor details; client references; ability to meet schedules; detailed cost structure by Task Group (including man-hours, rates, supplies, travel, subconsultants, overhead); and completion of RFP attachment regarding Use of NHTSA Highway Safety Grant Funds. Submission of Proposals Submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of the sealed proposal, and a copy of the proposal saved on a USB flash drive or CD as a PDF document, mailed to the contact and address below. All copies of the proposal must include all required attachments. Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM CDT on December 11, 2026. Proposals should be mailed to: Chad Parasa, Executive Director Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 271 W 3rd St., Suite 208 Wichita, KS 67202 Proprietary business information included in the response should be marked clearly as such. WAMPO reserves the right to refuse proposals not providing the information requested or not submitted by the time requested. All proposals, including supporting documentation, shall become the property of WAMPO. WAMPO and the Consultant Screening and Selection Committee reserve the right to reject any and all proposals. Proposal Evaluation and Selection Process Proposals will be evaluated by a Consultant Screening and Selection Committee. Top-ranked firms may be requested to make oral presentations. The Committee will recommend selection to the WAMPO Transportation Policy Body (TPB) or its designee. No agreement exists until formal approval by the TPB or its authorized designee. Evaluation Criteria Selection will be based on: Proposed Approach (40%); Consultant Experience, Competence, and Available Resources (40%); Cost (20%). The final decision is at WAMPO's discretion and not necessarily tied to highest score or lowest cost. Tentative Project Schedule (subject to change) - Request for Proposals issued: November 10, 2026 - Pre-proposal conference: November 18, 2026, 2:30 PM CST - Deadline to submit questions to WAMPO: November 25, 2026 - WAMPO responses to questions issued no later than: December 3, 2026 - Proposals due: December 11, 2026, at 5:00 PM CST - Selection Committee meetings: December 2026 - Consultants notified: January 2027 - Consultant contract approval: January 2027 - Project start: January 2027 - Project end: September 30, 2027 Pre-Proposal Conference A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on November 18, 2026, 2:30 PM CST, at 271 W 3rd Street, Room 210, Wichita, Kansas 67202. Participants also may join via Zoom or by conference call (conference call number: 1-669-444-9171, Meeting ID: 891 8681 6223). Questions Questions regarding this RFP should be submitted in writing or by electronic mail by the deadline outlined above. Questions and answers will be included as amendments to the RFP if deemed relevant and/or important. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted. Questions should be addressed to: Chad Parasa Executive Director 271 W 3rd Street, Suite 208 Wichita, Kansas 67202 chad.parasa@wampo.org
