Public relations and outreach for the Virtual Court Access Project
Overview
The Virtual Court Access Project (“VCAP”) is a project of the Texas Legal Services Center (“TLSC”) to design, develop, and deploy Virtual Court Kiosks at community centers, public libraries, law libraries, community colleges, and more. The kiosks enable low-income Texans to access legal information and assistance, and safely and reliably attend their online court hearings. Learn more about the project at: tlsc.org/kiosks.
For the purposes of this project, ‘public relations and outreach’ refer to: developing, managing, and executing a strategic communications plan with specific and measurable deliverables and action items.
This document serves as a formal listing of requirements to develop an estimate of the costs, time, and completion date for a public relations and outreach for the Texas Legal Services Center’s Virtual Court Access Project.
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Who We Are
A. Introduction
TLSC is accepting proposals for the design, development, and execution of an outreach and public relations plan that must be operational and complete by August 31, 2023.
B. Organization Background
Founded in 1981, TLSC is a statewide non-profit organization that provides legal advice, advocacy, representation, and education to underserved people across Texas. With more than a dozen practice areas, our work touches almost every aspect of civil law that impacts low-income Texans.
TLSC’s mission is to ensure equal justice for all Texans by educating, empowering, and representing vulnerable people while reshaping the greater legal system that impacts us all.
C. Project Contacts
Elliott F. Fontenette
Special Projects Managing Attorney
512-477-6000 Ext. 109
Efontenette@tlsc.org
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Staci Maloney
Communications Manager
512-477-6000 Ext. 120
smaloney@tlsc.org
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TLSC Mailing Address
1920 E. Riverside Dr.
Suite A-120, #501
Austin, TX 78741
Project Overview
A. Current State
We have designed and installed a network of 25 virtual court kiosks across the state. At the time of this writing, we are finishing up the installation phase of the project and are now ready to move to the outreach phase. At the Virtual Court Kiosks, users can attend their virtual court hearings, meet with legal aid attorneys online, find legal resources, conduct legal research, and more.
It is our hope that these virtual court kiosks will serve as a gateway to legal aid for many users throughout the State.
Once this plan is implemented, it is of paramount importance that TLSC be able to maintain outreach/public relations activities ongoing with limited staff and resources.
B. Problem Statements
Many of our target audiences do not know that virtual court kiosks exist and are available to use.
Kiosks are currently positioned for attending virtual court – though there is much more that can be done at a kiosk – and many courts are going back to in-person hearings.
We have a relatively short timeline and limited staff to implement the plan. We will also need a sustainable relationship-building strategy to continually promote the kiosks once this contract has ended.
Kiosks are installed throughout Texas, making it a time-consuming task for our small team to execute outreach.
C. Target Audience
Aid/Community
Community Centers
Legal Aid Organizations
For example, TLSC wants to ensure that legal aid organizations know they can also use the Virtual Court Kiosks to meet with their clients.
We would like legal aid organizations to mention the Virtual Court Kiosks in their letters to clients when the organization does not accept the case as another option for assistance.
Non-Profit Organizations
Direct Users
Immigrant Populations
Spanish Speakers
Vietnamese Speakers
Low-Income Texans
Institutional
Clerks
County
District
Justice Court
Court Coordinators
Judges
For example: Of paramount importance is placing a notice about the Virtual Court Kiosks in relevant courts’/jurisdictions’ Notice of Remote Proceedings document that goes out to all litigants when there is a remote proceeding.
Government Officials
Local
State
Federal (where relevant)
D. Scope of Work
Messaging and positioning strategy
Vendor will create a positioning and messaging strategy for all target audiences that is consistent with Texas Legal Service Center’s brand and mission.
A strategic outreach plan that includes two parts: (phase 1) an initial awareness campaign plan and (phase 2) a strategic, sustainable plan to maintain awareness.
Vendor will develop a complete, comprehensive strategy that creates awareness of the Virtual Court Kiosks and the Virtual Court Access Project.
Vendor will identify organizations or institutions that foster a pipeline of the target audience to the kiosks; the vendor will generate a contact list and coordinate outreach to the list.
Vendor will include an action plan for the campaign.
The vendor will create measurable goals to define the success of the plan. Please note that we cannot track the number of kiosk users directly.
Campaign plan implementation
Vendor will create copy for all platforms and outlets included in the campaign.
All visual assets will be created by the TLSC Communications Manager. Vendor will collaborate with the Communications Manager to ensure the campaign is in line with Texas Legal Services Center’s brand.
Perform outreach and public relation activities in line with the developed campaign. Vendor will coordinate activities and leverage resources with other organizations to spread awareness of the virtual court kiosks.
D. Project Requirements
The project requirements define the expectations that we need the vendor to meet to achieve the project goals, and do not reflect what is required in response to this RFP.
Vendor will manage and/or execute the initial campaign and public relations activities in line with the developed plan/strategy.
The vendor would do this work in consultation and with the assistance of relevant Texas Legal Services Center staff.
The completion date is August 31, 2023.
A requirement of this RFP is to strategize and develop a plan. Though the deliverables will be determined by the resulting plan, they may include items such as:
Implementation of digital ads (social, google, etc.)
Materials necessary to execute the overall plan/strategy, such as Virtual Court Kiosk notices to insert into court documents
Positioning and messaging guide
Contact list tracking document
Develop a timeline for the project.
The Vendor will create a detailed timeline for each phase of the work. The timeline will indicate what is needed from TLSC staff and the responsibilities of the Vendor.
F. Goals
Create awareness of the kiosks to increase their use through a strategic awareness campaign.
Building a cohesive and mutually beneficial pipeline of users initiated from non-profit and institutional organizations (ex: courts) to the Virtual Court Kiosks.
Building a positive reputation for the Virtual Court Kiosks and the Virtual Court Access Project in the community.
G. Budget
The current budget available for this project is estimated at approximately $30,000, including all planning and implementation of the plan.
RFP Process and Deadline
How to Submit Your Response Please email a response to efontenette@tlsc.org and smaloney@tlsc.org by June 2, 2023. If an extension is needed, please email us.
Selection Process Vendors’ responses will be reviewed by TLSC staff. If you are selected as a finalist, a remote presentation and meeting will be required for each finalist before selection. Once selected a Memorandum of Understanding will be negotiated.
Requested Information
Please include the following information in your email:
A. Vendor Information
Please list and specify:
Your full company name and any alternate company names.
Your full company mailing address
Your full company physical address
Your full company website address.
Your company phone number
Any social media accounts for your company
A minimum of one case study or example of similar work
Please specify who would work on the project and which phases of the project each team member will work on.
Will you work with contractors and other vendors?
What is the size of your team?
Does your business fall into any of the following categories: small business, minority-owned business, or women’s business enterprise?
B. Primary Contact
Please provide the following information for the designated Project Contact
Name
Title
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Email Address
C. Cost
Please provide total estimated costs for all items related to the response to this RFP.
Please specify the cost for the development of the outreach/public relations plan/strategy.
Please specify the estimated cost of execution of outreach/public relations activities in line with the developed plan/strategy through the end of August 2023.
Please specify the cost for all other items.
Please add the costs from a, b, and c together and provide the total estimated costs for all items related to the response to this RFP.
D. Other
What project management tools do you use to guide the design, development, and deployment process?
Provide an estimated timeline for the project. Identify each phase of the project and the approximate amount of days or weeks to complete each phase.
Identify potential measurable outcomes and deliverables.
Please describe TLSC’s responsibilities for successful project completion.
Terms and Conditions
Contract terms and conditions will be negotiated upon selection of the winning bidder for this RFP. All contractual terms and conditions will be subject to review by TLSC attorneys and will include scope, budget, deliverables, schedule, and other necessary items pertaining to the project.