The US Forest Service, which fended off a federal government bid to put all Department of Agriculture agencies under "One Brand" last year, has released an RFP for a firm to advise it on outreach, brand identity and engagement across the $5B administrator of 193M acres.

The Forest Service, with a strong grassroots push from retirees, last year fought off inclusion in the "One Brand" plan to re-brand the 20 Dept. of Agriculture units under the USDA logo. The USDA's push to drop the Forest Service's iconic pine tree logo was widely condemned before Uncle Sam exempted the service from its plan last April.

The RFP released Nov. 25 calls for a firm to support the Forest Service's "organizational transformation, identity clarification and social purpose branding and branding management."

Metropolitan Group, a Portland, Ore.-based communications and social change firm with a Washington, D.C., office, has worked with the Forest Service on a localized effort that started in the Pacific Northwest, which the agency plans to move nationally. It currently holds a $527K pact through Feb. 2, 2015.

Proposals are due Dec. 26. Details are at fbo.gov.