Request for Proposals: Visitor Information Services for Port Townsend

Summary

The City of Port Townsend is seeking a local, non-profit organization to provide Visitor Information Services in 2025. The organization will work closely with City staff, members of LTAC, the City’s Marketing Workgroup, and other stakeholders to serve visitors and residents and continuously improve upon the visitor experience in Port Townsend. This includes providing excellent customer service, reporting on program success and data, exploring opportunities to collaborate regionally, and being an ambassador for the City’s destination brand. The detailed scope of work is outlined below.  Proposals are due no later than Noon on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Background

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce was the City’s Destination Marketing Organization and hosted the Port Townsend Visitor Center for many years. Upon the closure of the Chamber in early 2024, the City began working with Fort Worden Hospitality for Visitor Information Services from June to December 2024. With the closure of Fort Worden Hospitality, the City is again seeking an organization to serve in this role. Visitor services are a foundational element to supporting a thriving local economy that serves visitors and residents. Many local organizations and small businesses offer products, events, and programs to visitors year-round, and lodging establishments are in need of a central hub for resources as they serve as concierge for a high proportion of visitors.

Timeline

RFP Release: April 7, 2025

Response Submission Deadline: April 22, 2025, 5:00pm

Estimated Dates of Follow Up (if needed): April 23 - 30, 2025

Announcement of Successful Proposal: No later than May 5, 2025

Desired Start Date for Services: June 1, 2025
 

Questions & Submissions
All questions and proposals shall be submitted electronically, in Adobe PDF format, to:

Shelly Leavens, Director of Communications & Marketing
sleavens@cityofpt.us

All emails and documents submitted to the City become property of the City and part of the public record.
 

Scope of Work

The City of Port Townsend is initiating this Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify a qualified organization that will work collaboratively to provide Port Townsend’s Visitor Information Services. Visitor Information Services serve as a foundation for destination marketing programs, tourism stakeholder relationships, digital communications, and more.

The selected organization will serve visitors, residents, business owners, and many other stakeholders within the spirit of community hospitality. This work continues a history of providing essential services to travelers, provides an accurate, warm, and welcoming visitor experience, and builds on data collection systems that will serve the City of Port Townsend Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) and tourism collaborators in the future. The scope is also meant to serve residents, people who live and work in Port Townsend seasonally, and any other audience that is seeking information about Port Townsend’s events, programs, and businesses. Approximately 20% of visitors to Port Townsend are here visiting friends and family. Local residents’ access to information about their community is an important aspect of this work.
 

Scope should support: 
 

Visitor Information Materials: Acquire and distribute tourism-relevant materials, including but not limited to rack cards, maps, and brochures for visitor information services and tourism-based partners.

• Keep all relevant materials to visitors stocked and as a point for Main Street’s Mobile Greeter Program and local businesses to drop off and/or pick up relevant materials.
• Ensure that lodging businesses are informed on channels for visitor information services so they can provide up-to-date information for informing all visitors who request it. Serve as a hub for lodging business information.
• Utilize an outline for responding to visitor information requests, including how to provide warm, welcoming, and inclusive customer service, and continue development of a handbook on visitor services for use in future years for all those who work in and support the visitor experience in Port Townsend.

Visitor Services and Physical Facilities: Provide and maintain physical space for Port Townsend visitor information services, tourism-related information, and public access restrooms.

• Offer a hospitable visitor information space with regularly posted hours, at least 5 days a week, including Friday and weekends, year-round.*
• Provide public restrooms.
• Provide a warm and welcoming visitor experience in-person, including responding to walk-in inquiries and meetings with tourism stakeholders.
• Provide storage space for printed materials distributed through tourism partners and businesses, and a physical address where materials may be shipped.
• Respond to phone, email, website, and social media inquiries, and actively manage and update the destination website (currently enjoypt.com) and social media channels with new information.

*Note that the schedule could be impacted by staff availability, events, and weather, and notification should be posted onsite and online when regularly scheduled hours change.

Collaboration: Coordinate City Visitor Information Center efforts with related tourism entities.

• Connect, coordinate & collaborate with the Marketing WorkGroup, Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission, Jefferson County Tourism Coordinating Council, Port Townsend Main Street, Port Townsend Creative District, and others.
• Collaborate with City Marketing Director on strategy and goals for visitor services, destination brand, marketing campaigns, and (currently) EnjoyPT website and social.
• Be open to providing an interior digital display and Port Townsend event calendar as part of a future project.

Reporting: Actively collect data and provide reports for Port Townsend City LTAC meetings and OPTC reporting.

• Continue to build a foundation for data collection and reporting while maintaining best practices for consistent systems and a methods for reporting (ie. a data dashboard).
• Conduct visitor surveys and ask consistent questions to understand traveler demographics and experiences, aligned and coordinated with the Port Townsend Main Street Mobile Greeter Program.
• Compile data from the Main Street (and others as relevant) to include in reports.
• As available, provide information on occupancy trends and other available hotel data in collaboration with the Marketing Work Group. Depth of reporting will be dependent upon participation from key stakeholders, and building and maintaining these relationships is important.
• Listen to and connect with lodging businesses to understand current conditions and lean into future opportunities to collaborate on data collection.
• Attend and report at each LTAC meeting (held in odd months of the year) including visitor data, trends, activities, and other visitor information updates as related to visitor services and lodging. Reports will be provided the week prior to the LTAC meeting for inclusion in the LTAC packet.

Information Accuracy, Updates, and Brand Ambassador: Ensure accuracy in maintaining current tourism-related information and contact information, and serve as a hub for the City’s destination brand.

• Align information with other Olympic Peninsula visitor centers and providing data and brand assets to OPTC for their marketing and Peninsula-wide reporting.

• Provide website updates and social media activation on the City’s established destination marketing channels.
• Serve as a brand ambassador and share the brand widely with tourism stakeholders to help launch the new brand identity for Port Townsend as a destination.
• Assist the City in establishing our equity objectives/outcomes in Visitor Services, including providing a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all visitors to Port Townsend. 
• Respond to and identifying opportunities to connect Port Townsend to regional communities on the Olympic Peninsula.   

The project scope extends through the end of 2025 with the possibility for contract renewal in 2026 and beyond. Additional partnerships to implement Port Townsend marketing/advertising programs may be considered subsequently. The Marketing WorkGroup and LTAC will continue to evolve the City’s strategies and goals for destination stewardship, and will utilize data and insights from the selected organization for how the brand can best be used for target audiences, and how limited resources can best serve our community.

Proposals should describe an approach for destination stewardship that includes, but is not limited to:

• Provide a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all visitors;
• Willingness and experience in collaboration;
• An interest in the stabilization of Visitor Services with a multi-year approach;
• Understand the importance of utilizing the City’s visual identity (logo/mark/colors) and narrative/brand story in communications;
• Express an eagerness to openly collect and share data and information about the city, including the brand toolkit with tourism stakeholders.
   

Preference will be given to organizations that are familiar with Port Townsend’s tourism landscape and economy, along with Olympic Peninsula tourism and tourism marketing. The City aims to build off of existing plans and efforts in Olympic Peninsula tourism (see Olympic Peninsula Tourism Master Plan) and will give preference to organizations with an understanding of regional tourism efforts.
 

Budget

The City of Port Townsend has earmarked $73,000 of the LTAC budget for annual Visitor Information Services with the contract ending December 2025. Contract renewal is desired for 2026 and beyond, but is not guaranteed and is based on an evaluation of services performed. This budget is provided as a not-to-exceed amount with the expectation of consistent monthly billing for services.  This budget is expected to remain at this level for at least two to three years.  With a June start date in 2025, the additional budget headroom is provided for start-up costs. Subsequent years’ contracts will have a similar budget and scope, begin in January, and have stabilized systems and an efficient approach.

The City will not be responsible for any costs incurred by the organization in preparation of a response to this RFP, or in conduct of a presentation or other activities related to responding to this RFP. No costs chargeable for work under the proposed contract may be incurred before receipt of either a fully executed contract with the City or specific written authorization from the City.

Submission Requirements

Statements of Qualifications should include, as a minimum, the following information:

1. An introduction to your organization, and names and qualifications of key personnel who will be assigned to provide visitor services. Identify the person who will be responsible for this program and who will be your organization’s primary contact, including phone number and email contact information.

2. A brief narrative of your understanding of the Visitor Information Services scope outlined in this document and your unique approach to providing services. Include examples of how your organization prioritizes community-centered hospitality, and your experience with data collection and reporting.

3. A budget showing how your organization will be structured in providing the services requested in the scope of work. Show how the budget provided for this scope fits into the overall organization’s budget, including staff costs.

4. Images, renderings, or other descriptions of the physical space you will provide to visitors and residents as part of this program.

5. Statement of experience in destination brand stewardship, tourism marketing, and website and social media management. Include your understanding of how Lodging Tax funds may be used. Please include specific examples of collaboration with tourism stakeholders including lodging establishments and other businesses.

Right to Reject Submittals

The City reserves the right to reject any submittals at any time or to waive immaterial defects and minor irregularities in any submittal.

Submittal Disposition

All material submitted in response to this RFP shall become the property of the City and is open to public records requests. All submissions shall be submitted electronically only, via email, in Adobe PDF format as one document.

Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process:

The City expects to select a consultant based on the Statement of Qualifications submittals, and through a discussion-based decision making process. The City may, however, elect to conduct follow-up interviews with a smaller subset of consultants. The selection committee may consist of, but is not limited to, a subset of members of the City of Port Townsend Lodging Tax Advisory Committee that does not constitute a quorum of the body with other tourism stakeholders. 

The City of Port Townsend is committed to a program of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, nationality or disability.

Project Contract

The selected organization will be required to execute the City of Port Townsend Professional Services Agreement [Attachment A] within the not-to-exceed budget and accept all language contained within. The City reserves the right to make any changes to this agreement. Any organization that has significant reservations concerning using this agreement should not submit a proposal.

The selected organization will be notified in writing by the date outlined above and be asked to agree to the scope of services starting in June 2025.

Once an agreement is reached with a preferred organization, the City will provide a Professional Services Agreement for signatures and full execution and require proof of insurance to formally begin work.

Resources

Questions (until April 10, 5:00PM) can be directed to:

Shelly Leavens, Director of Communications & Marketing
sleavens@cityofpt.us

Olympic Peninsula Tourism

Port Townsend Main Street Program

Enjoy PT Website