Why We Still Respond to Government RFPs — #HMATurns40
Over the course of the last four decades, HMA Public Relations has become adept at government contracting.
We have worked with governments at the municipal, county, state and tribal levels, as well as a number of public/private partnerships. And we are often asked to partner with other professional services firms, serving as a sub-contractor to provide communications services.
The commitment of time and money to obtain government work can be overwhelming. The RFP process is not for everyone, and often the most-qualified firms do not win the business – for unexplainable reasons.
With that said, we will always participate in government RFPs – because public sector clients get great value from their PR agencies and we like being able to deliver that value.
Our experience shows that public sector agencies that hire outside communications counsel are typically more successful in accomplishing their important business objectives when they utilize these professionals to implement a host of communications duties. Duties such as media relations, social media and digital content, collateral development, web development, event-planning, among others, can be done in cooperation with an in-house communications team or independently with a direct report to senior government leadership, such as an agency director.
A public relations agency has a committed and objective focus on one thing – implementing a strategic plan designed to reach the client’s important communications goals. Success comes from long-term and persistent attention; this sustained focus is crucial to success.
When you study what effective and well-defined client/agency partnerships can achieve together, it opens up new possibilities for results that better serve communications objectives.
PR agencies approach clients’ news with valuable perspective. We’ll ask the tough questions about what makes something newsworthy and understand whether the media or other influencers will find it notable. The PR agency team will always provide counsel on how to make something as newsworthy as possible and offer guidance on the best way to communicate the news for the most return.
PR agencies have more brainpower to tap into for the most creative ideas. From seasoned professionals to new college graduates, PR agency staffers can combine experience with out-of-the-box ideas to get a solution that works for public sector agencies and departments.
