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WSP-Branding, Public Relations & Strategic Communications Services Contract Award
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DESCRIPTION: Authorize the Interim CEO to execute a contract for Brand Shoring services |
AGENDA NO: Click or tap here to enter text. |
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ACTION REQUEST: Approval |
RECOMMENDATION:
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Authorize the Interim Chief Executive Officer to execute a contract with WSP for Brand Shoring, Public Relations, and Strategic Communications Services. The contract amount is not to exceed $236,510 for a twenty-four (24) month term ($118,255 annually). WSP's original proposal included a separate $75,000 advertising expenditure that is not part of the negotiated scope of work and is not included in the contract amount.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) seeks professional Brand Shoring, Public Relations, and Strategic Communications Services to strengthen public trust and confidence in the agency while supporting customer experience, wayfinding, project communications, and agency-wide branding initiatives including those associated with capital improvements projects.
The selected consultant will work collaboratively with the RTA’s Marketing and Communications team to develop and implement strategic communications initiatives that reinforce the value of public transit, promote transparency and accountability, and strengthen the agency’s public image through community-informed messaging and stakeholder engagement.
The contract will support the RTA’s ongoing efforts to:
• Reinforce public confidence in publicly controlled transit systems.
• Position the RTA as a transparent, community-driven organization.
• Strengthen the agency’s reputation and increase rider confidence and loyalty.
• Support public outreach and storytelling related to transit services, capital projects, and infrastructure improvements.
• Utilize public perception data and customer surveys to improve communications and customer engagement.
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DISCUSSION:
A solicitation request was submitted to the Procurement Department on October 31, 2025. Request for Proposals (RFP) 2025-045 for Brand Shoring, Public Relations, and Strategic Communications Services was publicly advertised on December 4, 2025, with proposals due on January 14, 2026.
The RFP sought a qualified firm capable of providing comprehensive communications and public relations services, including:
A solicitation request was submitted to the Procurement Department on October 31, 2025. Request for Proposals (RFP) 2025-045 for Brand Shoring, Public Relations, and Strategic Communications Services was publicly advertised on December 4, 2025, with proposals due on January 14, 2026.
The RFP sought a qualified firm capable of providing comprehensive communications and public relations services, including:
• Strategic narrative development and messaging.
• Earned media relations and executive communications.
• Crisis communications planning and media response training.
• Community engagement, public perception surveys, and stakeholder listening sessions.
• Strategic visibility campaigns and leadership positioning.
• Ongoing collaboration with the RTA Marketing and Communications Division through biweekly coordination meetings.
This procurement supports the RTA's 2026 strategic goal of strengthening public trust, improving rider communications, and enhancing stakeholder engagement. As the agency advances service initiatives, major capital improvements, and customer experience enhancements, RTA requires specialized support to develop strategic communications, assess public perception, and provide brand shoring services to reinforce public confidence.
The contract’s focus is the biannual rider perception surveys which will help the agency better understand customer sentiment beyond complaints, compliments, and service inquiries. These statistically valid surveys will provide actionable insights to inform service improvements, communications strategies, and performance measurement over time and will help us more effectively assess and respond to the needs of riders.
RTA's External Affairs staff will continue to manage the agency's day-to-day marketing, communications, sales, customer experience, public information, branding, website, mobile app, and community outreach functions. However, this contract procures specialized professional research and strategic communications services that require expertise beyond the scope of the department's routine operational responsibilities.
Specifically, the contract provides professional survey design, administration, sampling methodology, statistical analysis, public opinion research, and strategic communications support. Designing and administering statistically valid public opinion research requires specialized expertise in survey methodology, sampling, data collection, weighting, and statistical analysis to ensure results accurately reflect the perspectives of RTA riders and the broader community. This level of research produces credible, defensible data that leadership can rely on to make informed decisions, establish performance benchmarks, evaluate customer sentiment over time, and measure the effectiveness of agency initiatives.
Outsourcing these specialized services also enables RTA's existing staff to remain focused on delivering the agency's core communications and customer engagement responsibilities, including:
• Daily customer communications and public information.
• Service alerts and service disruption communications.
• Marketing campaigns and customer outreach.
• Sales and fare media programs.
• Charter and film sales programs.
• Transit advertising program and contract management.
• Brand management and graphic design.
• Website, digital media, and mobile app management.
• Signage and printed passenger information.
• Communications supporting agency initiatives and operational priorities.
By leveraging specialized research expertise while allowing internal staff to focus on core operational responsibilities, RTA gains access to statistically valid, actionable customer insights without diverting limited internal resources from the agency's critical day-to-day communications, customer service, and marketing functions.
RTA has retained consultants to support marketing campaigns, advertising, media planning, public outreach, and project-specific communications. These engagements have helped increase rider awareness, improve customer communications, and support major agency initiatives. Specifically, RTA’s advertising and paid media campaigns have resulted in year-over-year increases in LePass app downloads, conversions, and mobile ticket sales. This procurement expands upon those efforts by establishing recurring rider perception surveys to establish baseline public sentiment and feedback and conduct research and provide reporting to better inform agency decision-making.
WSP was selected through the RTA's competitive procurement process. Following Procurement's administrative review, the Selection Committee determined that WSP received the highest overall technical score based on the evaluation criteria established in the solicitation. WSP demonstrated strong qualifications and experience in customer perception research, survey administration and tracking, strategic communications, engagement, branding, and transportation-related research, representing the best overall value to the agency. WSP’s proposal is attached. Relative to their cost estimate, the vendor included $75k in media placement costs which will not apply. RTA already contracts with Spears Consulting for media placements. That amount will be redlined in the overall cost estimate from WSP and will not be included in the contract per the scope of work
The contract provides professional research, survey administration, analysis, and strategic communications services that require specialized expertise in survey design, sampling methodology, statistical analysis, and public opinion research. These services establish a reliable, data-driven foundation for evaluating customer experience, measuring public perception, and informing strategic decision-making.
Key deliverables include:
• Biannual statistically valid customer sentiment and satisfaction surveys.
• Survey methodology, administration, sampling, and data collection.
• Survey analysis, reporting, and executive presentations.
• Customer experience benchmarking and performance measurement.
• Rider, stakeholder, and community perception research.
• Strategic communications planning and brand shoring services.
• Public relations and stakeholder engagement support.
• Actionable implementation tools and recommendations to improve customer experience and communications.
The surveys and research will provide RTA with:
• Statistically valid, unbiased data to establish baseline customer satisfaction and perception benchmarks.
• Reliable trend analysis through recurring biannual surveys, allowing RTA to measure changes in customer sentiment and evaluate the effectiveness of agency initiatives over time.
• Data-driven communications and customer experience strategies based on measurable research rather than anecdotal feedback.
• Improved understanding of rider, stakeholder, and community perceptions to inform service planning, communications, and public engagement.
• Enhanced public confidence and trust through informed communications and responsive customer experience improvements.
• Performance metrics that enable leadership to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing, communications, and customer engagement efforts and support strategic and operational decision-making.
The engagement is intended to establish baseline performance metrics, customer sentiment metrics, repeatable processes, and strategic communications tools that will strengthen the agency's long-term communications capabilities. While the consultant will provide specialized expertise during the contract term, the work products and recommendations are intended to support ongoing internal decision-making and continuous improvement.
Future contracted services will be evaluated based on agency priorities, available resources, performance outcomes, and organizational needs.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding is available through the applicable RTA Operating Budget, Account 01-7600-02-7070-163-00-00-00000-00000. The contract amount is not to exceed $236,510 for a twenty-four (24) month term ($118,255 annually). WSP's original proposal included a separate $75,000 advertising spend that is not part of the negotiated scope of work and is not included in the contract amount.
NEXT STEPS:
Upon RTA Board approval, staff will finalize contract negotiations and execute an agreement with WSP.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Brand Shoring Board Report
2. Board Resolution
3. Brand Shoring RFP
4. Procurement Summary RFP
5. Administrative Review Form RFP
6. Brand Shoring Scope of Work
7. Brand Shoring WSP Proposal and WSP Cost Proposal/Fee Estimate
Prepared By: Angele Young
Title: Director of Marketing
Reviewed By: Kelder Summers
Title: Chief of External Affairs
Reviewed By: Gizelle Banks
Title: Chief Financial Officer
9/1/2026
Ronald G. Baptiste Date
Interim Chief Executive Officer