The City of College Park is seeking proposals from qualified entities to serve as its Destination Marketing Organization (DMO). The selected DMO will be responsible for comprehensive tourism, convention, and trade show marketing services to promote the city and increase visitor spending and economic activity. Key responsibilities include developing and implementing marketing strategies, digital advertising, public relations, content creation, convention and group sales outreach, and promoting local assets. The DMO must manage city funds exclusively for College Park-related activities, provide detailed financial and performance reporting, and adhere to strict compliance and audit requirements. The contract will be awarded to the most responsive and responsible bidder, not necessarily the lowest cost. Bidders are required to submit proposals electronically by May 29, 2026. A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held virtually on May 22, 2026. Minority, woman-owned, and small business owners are strongly encouraged to apply. Additional required documents include a bid bond, performance bond, and payment bond for the successful bidder.
The bid notice states that proposals must be received no later than Friday, May 29th, 2026, at 3:00 PM EST.
The bid notice indicates that sellers shall be paid upon submission of properly prepared invoices in accordance with the buyer's invoicing instructions for materials and supplies delivered to and accepted by the buyer. Discount periods shall commence ten (10) days after the latest of scheduled delivery, actual delivery, or receipt of invoice.
The bid notice states that sellers warrant that goods ordered to specifications will conform thereto and to any drawings, samples, or other description furnished or adopted by the buyer, and will be fit and sufficient for the purpose intended, and that all goods are merchantable, of good material and workmanship, and free from defect. For services, sellers warrant they are qualified, possess all required licenses, and that their workmanship will conform to specifications.
The contract will be awarded to the most responsive and responsible offeror, which may not be the lowest responder. The evaluation criteria include marketing strategy, innovation, and performance measurement; experience and qualifications; relevant experience and past performance; performance measurement, innovation, and reporting; and cost proposal.
The vendor must be fully qualified and capable of providing all services described in the RFP and must possess all necessary licenses, permits, certifications, and approvals required to perform the work in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. The vendor shall demonstrate experience providing destination marketing or similar services for comparable municipalities or tourism districts.
The bid notice mentions that an unreasonable delivery proposal may be cause for disqualification of a bid. It also states that if seller fails to meet its scheduled delivery dates and buyer elects to call for expedited shipments, seller will pay the difference between the method of shipping specified and the actual expedited rate incurred. If seller fails to make delivery promptly and regularly, buyer may terminate the contract.
A non-mandatory pre-bid conference will be held virtually by the City's staff and responsible persons on May 22nd, 2026, at 10:00 AM EST.
The timeline for questions, answers, and clarification deadline is May 25th, 2026, with questions to be submitted via the bidnet platform by 12:00 PM EST.
The bid notice states that an unreasonable delivery proposal may be cause for disqualification of a bid. It also mentions that the City reserves the right to reject any or all bids based on past performance and to waive technicalities and informalities.
