OC Streetcar Ridership Marketing and Customer Communications Program

The Orange County Transportation Authority (Authority) invites proposals from qualified consultants to provide OC Streetcar Ridership Marketing and Customer Communications Program. The budget for this project is **$450,000** for an eighteen (18)-month term.

Consultant shall help develop and implement a strategic, result-driven ridership marketing and customer engagement program in support of OC Streetcar operations. Consultant shall act under the direction of the Program Manager for OC Streetcar Marketing and Communications.

The overarching goal of the program is to develop and implement a strategic and effective marketing and customer engagement program to create high-level awareness about OC Streetcar and its benefits to a variety of target audiences and to encourage ridership. The multifaceted, phased program will include research, planning and message development as well as campaign execution for pre-launch, opening and post-launch phases [...].

Although the key focus is ridership marketing, a parallel goal of the program is to educate the public about OC Streetcar. The public will need to know how OC Streetcar operates, the value it provides, how to use the service and essential safety guidelines to prepare them for the ultimate riding experience to help sustain and grow ridership for OC Streetcar. Consultant shall tailor customer information and messages to cater to a diverse group of target audiences and translate messaging into multiple languages as needed.

Deliverables

• Create awareness, positive perception, interest, acceptance, excitement and anticipation through innovative and effective marketing strategies and tactics
• Conduct cost-effective research such as focus groups to gather input/feedback from existing and potential riders to assist with creating customer-oriented messaging and design concepts
• Solidify a strong brand equity for OCTA through articulating the brand vision, brand values, brand tone and visualization
• Identify, develop and execute a targeted, culturally-relevant plan to reach out to and communicate with the disadvantaged and diverse communities along the OC Streetcar corridor
• Establish partnerships and sponsorships with community organizations and merchants to optimize market penetration
• Engage public and potential riders of OC Streetcar through in-person outreach and a robust social media/influencer campaign
• Create and execute effective and exciting pre-opening and opening events to announce the coming/arriving of OC Streetcar and entice event attendance
• Develop top-notch, branded online and offline collateral including pre-launch branded video; how-to-ride interactive video/infographics, website; social posts, advertising, and printed collateral, etc.
• Generate and implement a phase-in paid and organic media/expenditure plan including targeted venues to reach a wide variety of audiences of OC Streetcar
• Establish program/campaign metrics and provide "Return-on-Investment" reports in a timely manner
• Provide translation in Spanish and Vietnamese and other languages as needed

Proposals submitted in response to "RFP 260630" must be provided, **electronically**, through the Authority's OpenGov Procurement portal, at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/octa/projects/319437 before the deadline of **2:00 pm on Wednesday, November 18, 2026**. Authority will not accept hard copy proposals for this RFP.

The Authority has established December 10, 2026, as the date(s) to conduct interviews. All prospective Offerors will be asked to keep this date available.

It is anticipated that the Agreement resulting from this solicitation, if awarded, will be with fully burdened labor rates and anticipated expenses for work specified in the scope of work, included in the RFP as Exhibit A. The Agreement will have an eighteen (18)-month term.

A statement to the effect that the proposal shall remain valid for a period of not less than 120 days from the date of submittal is **required** in the *Letter of Transmittal*.