Strategic Communications

The USDA Rural Development (RD) Office of External Affairs (OEA) requires Procurement Management Office assistance to award a 1-year base plus 4 option years contract. However, due to the nature of the requirement and expiration of the original BPA, this will require a short-term bridge requirement to ensure no break in services. The mission critical support services related to this requirement support the following programs: - Strategic communications consultancy services to assist in the execution of a communications pilot project. This pilot will demonstrate how OEA’s new strategic tools can be employed to generate awareness of RD’s priority programs and promote understanding and consideration among its high priority and hard to reach stakeholders. The pilot will provide a proof of concept (and enable subsequent execution of additional campaigns) that will give RD programs a strategic advantage in accomplishing the mission to drive prosperity in rural communities of all colors across the country. OEA seeks to identify, prioritize, and effectively communicate with new, underserved, loan and grant recipients to bring critical resources to bear against the toughest rural challenges. For example, through this initiative, OEA will develop customized communications products and targeted outreach capability. These critical tools will help deliver RD capability, including broadband to small, rural schools and healthcare facilities; assist in economic resilience; improve rural infrastructure in rural communities; ensure safe drinking water and wastewater systems; and, create jobs, opportunities, and equity in rural communities. As a result, RD will help improve opportunity and equity in rural communities. - Production of effective communications products that use RD’s new strategic framework and toolset to engage specific rural audiences. Communication products and campaign execution need to cut through the clutter to reach their intended audiences (e.g., socially and economically disadvantaged rural individuals, families, and communities) and motivate them to apply to RD programs.