The Vendor is required to provide a strategic plan that provides focus and direction for all the district’s efforts moving forward, including the development and growth of effective communication practices.
- It is the district’s desire to develop a comprehensive, cohesive and district-wide strategic communications plan to help share its story and increase engagement with its customers, communities, employees, elected officials and other stakeholders.
- Planning
• Meet and work with staff to identify and evaluate current communications pathways including social media, press releases, newsletters, website content, and community outreach collateral.
• Review recent customer sentiment survey to assess perceptions of the district.
- Stakeholder and audience analysis
• Identify and categorize key audiences, including customers, elected officials, employees, media, and community partners.
• Develop audience personas or profiles to inform targeted messaging and outreach strategies.
- Strategic communications plan development
• Review and refine the district’s existing brand identity, tone, and key messaging themes.
• Develop a message framework that is guided by the district’s strategic plan and that supports transparency, trust, and stakeholder engagement.
- Digital and social media strategy
• Assess the district’s current digital presence, including website and social media platforms.
• Develop a social media strategy that outlines platform-specific goals, posting frequency and content categories.
• Identify analytics tools to measure engagement.
- Crisis communications
• Develop a crisis communications plan that includes escalation procedures, key contacts, approval workflows, and message templates. Plan must include the following:
o Clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making pathways for emergency situations.
o Media notification workflow, including spokesperson designations
• Prepare pre-approved statements and media responses for likely scenarios (e.g., water quality incidents, service interruptions, or rate adjustments).
- Internal communications and employee engagement
• Assess the effectiveness of internal communication methods and employee engagement initiatives.
• Develop strategies and tools to improve internal information sharing and alignment with organizational goals.
• Develop recommendations for improved cross-department communication and collaboration, including standardized practices for disseminating updates.
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: January 12, 2026
