Bids and Proposals: Citywide Integrated Strategic Communications Plan

The City of Cathedral City is seeking proposals from qualified strategic communications consultants or firms to develop a comprehensive, citywide Integrated Strategic Communications Plan. The Plan will serve as a multi-year roadmap to align, prioritize, and elevate communications across all City departments; close documented community knowledge gaps identified in recent resident survey research; and ensure equitable, multilingual engagement with Cathedral City's residents, businesses, and visitors. The Proposals are due by Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) SCHEDULE/DEADLINES

• Deadline to receive unique questions from submitters - Wednesday, June 3, 2026
• Date the City will post answers to unique questions - Wednesday, June 10, 2026
• The proposals are due on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
• Anticipated City Council Award - Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Download the RFP

SCOPE OF PROJECT

This initiative was prioritized by the Cathedral City City Council at its most recent Strategic Planning Workshop, with Council direction to develop an integrated communications strategic plan that serves all City departments. The selected consultant will partner with the Director of Communications & Engagement and a cross-departmental staff team to deliver a finished plan within approximately six (6) months of contract execution. The City's project budget is not to exceed $100,000, with an anticipated range of $50,000 - $100,000.

Phase 1: Discovery, Research & Assessment

The first phase will include a communications audit of all City departments; a review of existing City research including the FM3 community survey, FlashVote scientific surveys, and the Five-Year Strategic Plan; stakeholder interviews with the City Manager, Department Heads, the Director of Communications & Engagement, all five Councilmembers, and key external partners; focus groups and community listening sessions with Spanish-speaking residents, LGBTQ+ residents, business owners, seniors, and youth; and benchmarking against comparable Coachella Valley and California cities.

Phase 2: Strategy Development

The consultant will draft a citywide communications vision, mission, brand voice, and guiding principles; define priority audiences and develop tailored engagement strategies for underserved communities; develop key message frameworks for the City overall and each major department; recommend a channel strategy across earned, owned, paid, and social media - including Spanish-language and LGBTQ+-targeted media partnerships; recommend a crisis communications framework; and recommend an organizational and staffing model, technology stack, and recurring budget framework necessary to execute the Plan.

Phase 3: Implementation Roadmap & Final Plan

The final phase will deliver a multi-year implementation roadmap with prioritized initiatives, timelines, owners, and success metrics; a KPI dashboard framework with baseline data tied to the FM3 survey; a measurement and evaluation plan including recommendations for a follow-up community survey to assess plan impact; and the final Plan document with a Spanish-language executive summary and an executive presentation suitable for City Council, the Executive Team, and the public.