RFI: Marketing Services

This is a Request for Information (RFI) notice only. This RFI is for informational planning purposes only and should not to be construed as a commitment by the Government for any actual procurement of materials, machinery, or services. This notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding parties' expense. Respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and clearly identifying any proprietary information or trade secrets contained within their response. The Government will not be liable for, or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly marked and clearly identified. Proprietary information received in response to this sources sought will be safeguarded and handled in accordance with applicable Government regulations. Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. The US Peace Corps will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative as a result of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if one is issued. Background Information: President Kennedy formed the Peace Corps with an executive order on March 1, 1961, and Congress authorized it on September 22, 1961, with passage of the Peace Corps Act. Since its founding, more than 240,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in 141 developing countries that request assistance. The office performing this market research is the Office of Communications, which is located within the Office of External Affairs (EA). The Office of Communications has two primary objectives: To expand the public's awareness and understanding of the Peace Corps and the work of Volunteers overseas; and to support the efforts of the Office of Volunteer Recruitment and Selection and the regional recruiting offices in their efforts to build our pipeline of candidates and recruit new Peace Corps Volunteers. The Office of Communications offers advice and assistance to overseas posts on their communications needs, as well as, works with them to acquire information and assets about country and Volunteer projects to improve the content for our external communications programs. The Peace Corps reaches out to the media and marketing industries from time to time to understand changes in the marketplace, research and advertising trends that helps us continue to evolve our brand, communications and relevancy to our target audiences. We are looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads and drive Volunteer applications from the best qualified Americans reflecting the diversity of our nation. The Peace Corps is in a position where we need to recruit a new generation (Generation Z, born 1997-2009) as they enter our core audience age range (college students/recent graduates) for Volunteer service. We would appreciate your time and help to respond to the questions we have related to your experience helping other brands face new challenges. See attachment for RFI questions. Responses to the RFI should be emailed to [email protected].