Covered California, the Golden State's successful health insurance exchange, is reviewing its PR and advertising accounts through an RFP process.
Ogilvy PR and Weber Shandwick work with the exchange.
A dozen firms attended a voluntary pre-bid conference on March 24.
Covered California said it has enrolled more than 1.4M since its inception. The exchange wants to hear from firms that can build on its success and introduce "fresh, innovative ideas" to move it forward.
PR firms must have a California office since 2010 with billings of at least $1.3M and at least 15 staffers for the account. The review is being conducted in stages; a certification stage started on April 2.
The PR account is valued at $2M per year with a five-year contract expected.
RFPs have been posted to Covered California's website.
Lo Isidro, senior director at Real Chemistry with more than a decade of strategic communications and PA experience, has joined Narrative Strategies.
Nelson Fernandez, former North American chair of APCO Worldwide and managing director of Burson-Marsteller, has joined Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires as director of communications and PA.
Lilit Bargar, who was most recently an EVP in the healthcare practice at Weber Shandwick, comes on board at GCI Health as EVP, corporate practice lead.
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