California has commenced an agency search to promote its health insurance exchange as the Obama administration’s healthcare reform law approaches full deployment in January 2014.

The California Health Benefit Exchange, under the state’s Dept. of Health Care Service and Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, issued an RFP Dec. 27 for an agency to provide communications support and develop an outreach and education campaign.

Budget is set at $900K over 20 months from March 2012 to October 2013.

The RFP notes the outreach effort will be “highly technical and complex” in a state with a large and diverse population.

“The exchange as a new institution needs to develop an identity in the public’s mind where it is seen, together with the DHCS and MRMIB, as a trusted source of information about health coverage and a convenient place to compare offerings and purchase coverage,” the state notes.

Proposals are due Jan. 30. View the RFP at odwyerpr.com/rfps.