America250 Marketing and Communications Strategy, Creative Development, and Campaign Execution Support Services

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Request for Quotations (RFQ) is for America250 Marketing and Communications Strategy, Creative Development, and Campaign Execution Support Services for the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Japan. The U.S. Government intends to award a Purchase Order to the responsible company submitting an acceptable quote at the lowest price.

• Integrated marketing and communications strategy, creative development, and campaign execution support for Mission Japan's America250 public diplomacy programming throughout calendar year 2026.

• Services include campaign strategy, creative asset production, bilingual content development, ongoing campaign management, and performance measurement.

• All work must align with Mission Japan priorities, be culturally appropriate for Japanese audiences, and comply with U.S. Government standards.

• Final approval authority for all public-facing materials rests with the U.S. Government.

• The campaign aims to unify messaging, branding, and outreach across multiple events and platforms, including at least one key signature event per month.

• Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price Purchase Order.

• Period of Performance: Approximately March 2026 to January 2027 (11 months).

• Questions due: Tuesday, February 3, 2026, by 10:00 a.m. JST via email to OgawaraAX@state.gov. Responses will be posted on SAM.gov.

• Quotations due: Thursday, February 12, 2026, by 10:00 a.m. JST.

• Quotations must be submitted electronically to OgawaraAX@state.gov. E-mail size must not exceed 15MB per email.

• Award will be made to the lowest priced, technically acceptable, responsible offeror.

• Evaluation will assess quotation completeness, price, technical acceptability, and offeror responsibility (financial resources, experience, integrity, organization, equipment, and eligibility).

• Unrestricted acquisition.

• Quoters must be registered in the SAM (System for Award Management) database prior to contract award.

• U.S. firms are eligible for payment in U.S. dollars; other firms will be paid in Japanese Yen.

• No payment will be made for quotation preparation and submission.

• The document includes extensive Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Department of State Acquisition Regulation (DOSAR) clauses incorporated by reference and in full text, covering various aspects of the contract, including representations, certifications, and specific requirements related to telecommunications, supply chain security, foreign procurements, and labor standards.

Amendment / Modification

This amendment (0003) to the solicitation provides:

• Responses to Questions & Answers (Q&As) from potential bidders.

• Incorporates "A250 Digital Media Production Slide" as Attachment B of the Request for Quotations (RFQ). This attachment may be requested directly from Ayaka Ogawara at OgawaraAX@state.gov.

• The Q&A section addresses numerous aspects of the solicitation, including:

  • Content creation (images, illustrations, historical photos)
  • Copyright and licensing responsibilities
  • Feedback and revision processes
  • Optional jingle/theme song requirements
  • File transfer and security protocols
  • Payment schedules and invoicing
  • Currency and tax exemption
  • Intellectual property and usage rights
  • Quality assurance and acceptance criteria
  • Timeline flexibility
  • Deliverable formats and specifications (Spark character, animated logo, milestone graphics, video)
  • Language and translation requirements
  • Campaign strategy and objectives
  • Business location and project manager clarifications
  • Administrative details

• Attachment B (A250 Digital Media Production Slide) is added.

• Bidders should review the Q&As carefully as they provide significant clarification on requirements, deliverables, and evaluation criteria.

• The inclusion of Attachment B may impact proposal preparation.