Project Information

Bid Title

Marketing Services for Velocity Broadband

Issuing Agency

City of Hudson

Location

Ohio

Published Date

Mar 16, 2026

Closing Date

Mar 30, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Bid Title:	Marketing Services for Velocity Broadband
Category:	Marketing Services
Status:	Open

Description: The City of Hudson is seeking proposals from qualified marketing firms to support the continued growth and community adoption of Velocity Broadband, the City’s municipally owned fiber internet service. Velocity Broadband currently delivers high speed, reliable fiber connectivity to more than 500 customers and has become a critical component of Hudson’s modern infrastructure. Building on this success, the City is now expanding the network to serve all non-fibered residential areas over the next three years, bringing Fiber to the Home (FttH) service to the entire community. To ensure the success of this expansion and to strengthen Velocity Broadband’s brand presence across both business and residential markets, the City of Hudson (City) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) for comprehensive marketing services. The goal of this RFP is to identify an experienced marketing partner capable of developing and executing strategies that increase awareness, support customer acquisition, and promote the value of our city-owned fiber network. The selected Consultant will help shape messaging, outreach, and engagement efforts as we extend this critical service to every corner of Hudson. The scope of this RFP includes the development and execution of a comprehensive marketing strategy to support the continued growth of Velocity Broadband and its expansion into Hudson’s residential market. The selected Consultant will work closely with City staff to evaluate current branding, messaging, outreach efforts, and customer engagement practices. This includes reviewing existing materials, identifying opportunities to strengthen market presence, and shaping unified messaging that resonates with both business and residential audiences. The Consultant will be responsible for creating a cohesive marketing plan that may include brand refinement, campaign development, digital and print advertising strategies, social media engagement, website content recommendations, and community-focused outreach initiatives. Additional activities may involve market research, competitive analysis, audience segmentation, and the creation of promotional assets to drive awareness and adoption as the network expands citywide. The engagement will conclude with a comprehensive marketing strategy and implementation roadmap, including recommended campaign timelines, messaging frameworks, creative concepts, performance metrics, and guidance for ongoing communication efforts as Velocity Broadband extends fiber service to every home and business in Hudson. Publication Date/Time: 3/16/2026 12:00 AM Closing Date/Time: 3/30/2026 4:00 PM Contact Person: One (1) electronic version of the Consultants Proposal (PDF Format) shall be submitted to the City, Attn: Mr. Paul Leedham, CIO - IT Director at: pleedham@hudson.oh.us by 4:00 P.M. local time, Monday, March 30, 2026. No proposals will be accepted after the above date and time. Related Documents: VBB Marketing Services - RFP - 3-13-2026

Attachment Preview

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ● 1140 Terex Road ● Hudson, Ohio 44236 ● (330) 342-9541

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

For

Marketing Services for Velocity Broadband

For the City of Hudson

Summit County, Ohio

Proposals accepted until Monday, March 30, 2026, at 4:00 PM Local Time

Contents:

• General Proposal Information and Requirements

• Proposal Format

• Example of the Valuation and Selection Criteria

• Appendix A – Scope of Services

• Appendix B – Standard Consultant Agreement

Prepared by: City of Hudson

Dated: March 13, 2026

General Proposal Information and Requirements

A.

Project Introduction

The City of Hudson is seeking proposals from qualified marketing firms to support the continued growth

and community adoption of Velocity Broadband, the City’s municipally owned fiber internet service.

Velocity Broadband currently delivers high speed, reliable fiber connectivity to more than 500 customers

and has become a critical component of Hudson’s modern infrastructure. Building on this success, the City

is now expanding the network to serve all non-fibered residential areas over the next three years, bringing

Fiber to the Home (FttH) service to the entire community.

To ensure the success of this expansion and to strengthen Velocity Broadband’s brand presence across both

business and residential markets, the City of Hudson (City) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) for

comprehensive marketing services. The goal of this RFP is to identify an experienced marketing partner

capable of developing and executing strategies that increase awareness, support customer acquisition, and

promote the value of our city-owned fiber network. The selected Consultant will help shape messaging,

outreach, and engagement efforts as we extend this critical service to every corner of Hudson.

B.

Background

The City of Hudson is a full-service municipality located in northern Summit County, Ohio, encompassing

approximately 25 square miles with a population of roughly 22,500 residents. While primarily a residential

community, Hudson also includes a diverse mix of commercial, retail, office, and light industrial areas.

In addition to operating its own electric, water, and fiber utilities, the City maintains a dedicated

Communications Department responsible for citywide messaging, branding, and public engagement. The

selected Consultant will work closely with both the Communications team and Velocity Broadband staff to

support coordinated marketing, outreach, and promotional activities that align with City standards and

effectively advance the objectives of the Velocity Broadband program.

C.

Issuing Department

The City of Hudson IT Department prepared the RFP for this project. Questions relating to its contents or

requirements shall be addressed to Mr. Paul Leedham, CIO - IT Director; at pleedham@hudson.oh.us or

(330) 342-9541.

D.

Consultant Qualifications

All prospective consultants must clearly demonstrate and document the following minimum criteria:

The Consultant and sub-consultants must have at least ten years of professional experience in conducting

marketing services for organizations like the City of Hudson. Preference will be given to those with

experience in Fiber to the Home (FttH) or other public utilities.

E.

Consultant Responsibilities

The Consultant shall be capable of providing all the professional services as described under the Scope of

Services in Appendix- A and maintaining those capabilities until the project is successfully finished.

F.

Completeness of the Proposal

The contents and commitments in the proposal shall remain firm for one year from the submittal due date.

G. Scope of RFP

The scope of this RFP includes the development and execution of a comprehensive marketing strategy to

support the continued growth of Velocity Broadband and its expansion into Hudson’s residential market.

The selected Consultant will work closely with City staff to evaluate current branding, messaging, outreach

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efforts, and customer engagement practices. This includes reviewing existing materials, identifying

opportunities to strengthen market presence, and shaping unified messaging that resonates with both

business and residential audiences.

The Consultant will be responsible for creating a cohesive marketing plan that may include brand

refinement, campaign development, digital and print advertising strategies, social media engagement,

website content recommendations, and community-focused outreach initiatives. Additional activities may

involve market research, competitive analysis, audience segmentation, and the creation of promotional

assets to drive awareness and adoption as the network expands citywide.

The engagement will conclude with a comprehensive marketing strategy and implementation roadmap,

including recommended campaign timelines, messaging frameworks, creative concepts, performance

metrics, and guidance for ongoing communication efforts as Velocity Broadband extends fiber service to

every home and business in Hudson.

H. Scope of Services

The expected work to be performed by the Consultant is described in Appendix-A under Scope of

Services.

I.

Project Schedule

The anticipated duration of this project is approximately 3 to 4 years, depending on scheduling, resource

availability, and coordination requirements. For the purposes of this RFP, the City is seeking a Consultant

to provide marketing services on an annual basis for the duration of the Fiber-to-the-Home (FttH) project.

J.

Responses

One (1) electronic version of the Consultants Proposal (PDF Format) shall be submitted to the City, Attn:

Mr. Paul Leedham, CIO - IT Director at: pleedham@hudson.oh.us by 4:00 P.M. local time, Monday,

March 30th, 2026.

No proposals will be accepted after the above date and time.

K. Acceptance of Proposal Content

The completeness and content of the proposal will be the basis for the initial evaluation. Further

information, as required, including the possible interview of one or more of the Consultants, the

thoroughness of the consultant’s proposals may serve in the final decision of the recommended Consultant.

L.

Contract

A formal contract will be entered into with the recommended Consultant and the City once City Council

has approved the selection. The approved Consultant will be required to sign the City of Hudson -

Standard Consultant Agreement. (See attached – Appendix B)

M. Consultant Compensation Reimbursement

After the execution of the contract with the selected Consultant, the City of Hudson will conduct the

compensation reimbursements in accordance with the following guidelines:

1.

The Consultant shall keep records of the hours spent on this project by task and by employee

classification, dates and along with all direct expenses. These records shall be made available for

audit by the City of Hudson at the time of each invoice submittal during the course of the project.

2.

Invoices submitted by the Consultant shall be in a format approved by the City of Hudson and

consistent with the present policies of the City. The City will not be subject to any type of late

fees or penalties associated with any invoice submitted as part of this project. Failure to comply

with this provision will serve as cause for termination of the contract. The approved purchase

order number shall be on all invoices. Note that billing on a percent complete basis is NOT

acceptable. Only actual hours worked, agreed billable unit of measure, and reimbursable

expenses shall be valid costs incurred.

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3.

The type of compensation for this project shall be in accordance with the information found in the

section identified as Fee in Part II, Proposal Format.

N.

Rejection of Proposals

The City of Hudson reserves the right to reject any and all proposals received as a result of this RFP, or to

negotiate separately with any source whatsoever, to serve the best interests of the City. Failure to provide

all requested information in the format stated below may serve as cause for rejection of the proposal.

O. Incurred Costs

The City of Hudson will not be liable for any cost incurred by the Consultant for any work performed

during this proposal process and including the executing of a contract, prior to the execution of a contract

for professional services.

Proposal Format

A.

The proposal shall be simple to follow and understand and in an 8 ½ " by 11" PDF format. The text shall be

concise, complete, and clearly written. All responses shall be the property of the City and will not be

returned. During the evaluation process, the City reserves the right to request additional information or

clarification from the consultant if needed.

B.

Consultants shall be evaluated based on the following submitted information:

1.

Cover Page and Background

Provide a brief and concise history of the consulting firm listing corporate officers, total years in

business, general experience and specific capabilities that relate to this project. State the location

of the office in which each component of work for this project will be accomplished. This shall

include engineering, consulting, design, specification development, project supervision and any

other services necessary to complete this project. If different offices will be utilized for different

components, that must be clearly stated within the proposal. Include the name, address, phone

numbers and email address of the consultant(s) offices. (1 page maximum)

2.

Insurance

Provide proof that the Consultant currently has the following insurance: (a) Workmen’s

Compensation Insurance, (b) Professional Liability Insurance (Errors and Omissions) of not less

than $1,000,000 and (c) Comprehensive Public Liability Insurance of not less than $2,000,000.

The consultant shall maintain during the course of the project, until acceptance by the City, the

insurance components noted above. (1 page maximum)

3.

Related Project Experience

Provide descriptions of at least three (3), but no more than five (5), current or previous marketing

projects your firm—or the individuals proposed for this engagement—have completed that are

comparable in scope, scale, and complexity to this project. Projects involving broadband services,

telecommunications, municipal utilities, or large-scale community outreach initiatives are

preferred. Ideally, the referenced projects should be located within 125 miles of the City of

Hudson, Ohio.

For each project, the Consultant shall provide a client contact who can speak to the firm’s

performance. Please include the contact’s name, organization, mailing address, email address, and

phone number.

4.

Understanding of the Project

The statement of understanding shall be concise, complete and shall be based upon the

requirements of the RFP. The Consultant shall include the nature of services your firm is

proposing for the project and any concerns or innovative resources which may be anticipated. Any

tasks the Consultant listed in the Understanding of the Project that the Consultant feels are

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missing in this RFP, but required for the completeness of the project, shall be detailed in a separate

fee schedule. (3 pages maximum)

5.

Schedule

The Consultant will provide marketing services on an annual basis for the duration of the 3- to

4-year Fiber-to-the-Home (FttH) project. Throughout the engagement, the Consultant will

collaborate regularly with City staff to support ongoing marketing needs, campaign execution, and

community outreach activities. Standing check-ins will be held at a mutually agreed-upon

frequency—typically monthly or bi-weekly—while active work is underway. During periods with

limited assigned activity, periodic email updates will be sufficient. At times, and with advance

notice, the Consultant may be requested to present campaign concepts, progress updates, or

completed work to project stakeholders.

6.

Fee

Provide a per unit Not-to-Exceed fee represented as per hour for each item in the Scope of

Services shall be provided as a part of the Proposal. Note: The name of each sub-consultant

proposed for this project shall be listed separately under the direct expense section along with the

proposed Not-to-Exceed fee for that sub-consultant. All project invoices shall ONLY be submitted

from the Lead Consultant that the City enters into an agreement with. All mileage reimbursements

to and from the project site or project meeting location within the City of Hudson shall be limited

to 25 miles each way. (2 pages maximum)

7.

Management Summary

Briefly address the Consultant’s project management, innovative methods, and previous

experience with similar projects. The proposal shall include previous marketing experience,

technical capabilities, staffing capabilities, staff availability, quality control, and assurance, project

costs and performance on previous projects listed change orders, and meeting the attached project

schedule. (1 page maximum)

8.

Additional Information

The submission of additional pertinent information beyond the requirements of this RFP is

acceptable but shall be limited to one (1) 8 1/2" by 11" page. This makes the maximum number of

pages to be submitted including the cover letter to be no more than twelve (12) total pages.

C.

The Proposal shall designate a prime contact or Project Manager for the Consultant on this RFP and

project, who shall have intimate knowledge of the project details, through whom the City of Hudson may

communicate through the course of the project. This shall include questions concerning all aspects of the

project, including the Consultant’s invoices and the status on all design items in the project.

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Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
• NAICS 541613Marketing Consulting Services

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