Susan Davis International has successfully defended a lucrative PR contract to handle the “America Supports You” campaign for the Department of Defense. Budget for the one-year contract, with four year-long options is capped at $3M.
A defense spokesman declined to name the other firms that pitched, but said there were three total proposals. He said the unsuccessful firms had not yet been "debriefed."
"Until unsuccessful offerors are debriefed, it would be premature, in the business judgment of the contracting officer, to disclose the identity of the firms that submitted offers," he told O'Dwyer's.
Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band perform in the Pentagon courtyard at an annual America Supports You event on May 16.
Photo: Defense Dept. |
During the question and answer period for the RFP process, two prospective bidders complained that the response time between the RFP issuance and the due date for proposals (March 28 and April 17, respectively) was “too aggressive” and favored the incumbent.
Contracting officials extended the deadline by five days, but countered that the RFP did not ask for a lot of details, called for pitches on work not previously performed by SDI, and said the evaluators had experience in the commercial PR field.
Wrote one bidder in the Q&A: “I’m absolutely flabbergasted that agencies … are being asked to put together well thought out proposals in a matter of a few weeks. As a veteran, I view this as a very important program for our men and women serving in the military. Why would you rush … to throw something together?”
The long-running campaign aims to communicate public support of the military to service members and their families. Among SDI’s assignments are developing a national media strategy, partnerships with businesses, celebrities and other entities, PSAs, internal communications, events, and a “robust” web and interactive campaign.
The relatively short turnaround for the RFP is not the only controversy surrounding the campaign, however. SDI’s work for the America Supports You campaign and ties between the campaign and the independent military-run paper Stars & Stripes have sparked a Pentagon probe. S&S reported earlier this year that SDI was awarded a $499K contract for the campaign by the paper, although a Pentagon official told O’Dwyer’s that SDI’s contract was with the Defense Department.
Last week, S&S reported that a former attorney for the Pentagon’s news bureau, the American Forces Information Service, has alleged “serious misconduct” by Pentagon and S&S officials, and accused an internal communications official of violations of how ASY funds were spent. The attorney noted that the official, Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison, is a friend of Susan Davis, and awarded the six-figure PR pact without a competitive process.
Susan Davis did not return a call. |