Communications Support Services

The Vendor is required to provide communications support services for include:
- Strategic communications plan (15 hours monthly/180 hours annually)
•    Develop a strategic communication plan and state fiscal year calendar for all service activities that align with department requests, mission, and vision. 
•    The strategic communication plan shall be reviewed and approved by the department director’s office.
- Public media and community relations (35 hours’ monthly/420 hours annually)
1. Public media
•    Assess and plan for department -approved informational and educational campaigns to inform the public about government services, programs, policies, and activities 
•    Identify media production partners to submit department -approved storylines and public service announcements through various channels (print, TV, radio, online media, social media, exhibits, community events, press releases, website management, and speech writing). 
•    Assist in the development of public trust-building messages, speeches, opinion pieces, or video scripts, as requested by department.
•    Cultivate and maintain relationships with local media outlets, including those focused on neighbor island news and language and cultural coverage. 
•    Develop media training and interview preparation in support of department leadership, as requested by the department director. 
•    Monitor public sentiment and media coverage related to department and provide the department director's office with draft responses to misinformation or negative narratives, serving as a behind-the-scenes assistant in support of the department’s unified voice.
2. Community relations
•    Identify and pitch story ideas to the department that highlight efforts, success stories, and community partnerships, including but not limited to promoting awareness of department partnerships and community impact. 
•    Develop community outreach messaging and communication materials to assist the department with community communication processes to ensure a uniform message about agency initiatives to foster community cohesiveness and public trust. 
•    To include, but not limited to, approval of all marketing materials created by the department that will be disseminated and shared with the community.
- Communications management (40 hours’ monthly/480 hours annually)
1. Crisis communication support
•    Offer real-time and responsive communications guidance to the department during high-profile or sensitive incidents, as requested by department. 
•    Draft and refine crisis-related messaging and materials, press statements, talking points, frequently asked questions (FAQS), and internal communications, as requested by department.
2. Internal communications
•    Agency initiatives, policies, procedures, to foster a cohesive internal environment. 
•    To include, but not limited to, internal newsletters, training sessions, templates, and toolkits for department staff that emphasize effective internal communication methods
- Culturally informed branding and communications (20 hours monthly/240 annually)
•    Integrate native language translation and interpretative public relations services, as requested by the department
•    Include cultural knowledge that includes native families and rural communities, while reflecting an awareness of unique cultural and community landscape, as requested by the department. 
•    Provide culturally informed branding for communications programs that uphold unique cultural values, as requested by the department.