RFP: Broadcast (Shortcode) SMS Platform

Project begins on or after: Award of contract, with any necessary migration complete by July 1, 2025.

Submission: Submit to proposals@moveon.org and put "MoveOn Broadcast SMS Platform" in the subject line. Proposals accepted on a rolling basis until: March 15, 2025.

MoveOn Overview: MoveOn is one of the largest independent progressive advocacy groups in the United States. MoveOn is where millions mobilize for a better society—one in which everyone can thrive. Whether it's supporting a candidate, passing legislation, or changing our national culture, MoveOn members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future. We envision a world marked by equality, sustainability, and justice. And we mobilize together to achieve it.

Project Overview: MoveOn seeks a broadcast SMS platform capable of sending at least 300,000 SMS/hr and 200,000 MMS/hr, with volumes of approximately 60 million SMS segments and 36 million MMS segments annually.

Scope of work:

• Platform meets or exceeds volume, throughput, deliverability, and uptime guarantees
• 24/7 tech support
• Account, strategic, and tactical support
• Training
• Migration support
• Features as described below

Reports to: Mobile Campaigns Director. The vendor may also work with key staff, including other members of MoveOn’s digital team, MoveOn’s tech team, and potentially with other vendors on a limited basis in support of cross-platform integrations.

Proposal submissions: To be considered for this role, please submit a proposal which includes the following information:

Background: Name, title and contact information.

Experience: Tell us about your relevant clients or projects of similar scope and size.

Approach: Explain how you would approach this work. See below for technical proposals.

Equity: Please explain whether and how your firm has advanced the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the firm, and state how that is reflected in the leadership, ownership, and work of the firm. Please share how you will center equity in your work for this project.

Cost and availability: Please speak to costing for services per the criteria described below.

Source: Where did you hear about this RFP?

References: Past clients that MoveOn may reach out to as references, with contact info.

Work Plan: Include all requirements of the scope of work and the proposed vendor’s tasks, services, activities, etc. necessary to accomplish the scope of work defined in this request for proposal.

Project Schedule: Include a project schedule, including migration, indicating when each element of the vendor’s work will be initiated. Project schedule must ensure that any deliverables requested are met.

Criteria for selection: Please speak to any gaps you see in your ability to meet the criteria below. All applicants will be evaluated on the basis of criteria including:

• API, knowledge base, and documentation
• Vanity shortcode support
• Performance: SMS & MMS volume and throughput, uptime, and deliverability
• Cost: Set up fees, ongoing fees, per-segment costing
• Data: metadata management, usage and performance analytics, reporting, dynamic message content, A/B testing support, ETL configuration for data warehousing
• Opt-ins: keyword, web form, API, and manual upload; customizable opt-in flows
• Audiences: manual and dynamic audience segmentation, geo-targeting, targeting by congressional district and by political party
• Messaging: Scheduling with time zone management, incoming message management, conversational logic, surveys/voting/multiple choice, ensuring quiet hours
• Calling: Routing by legislator, redirecting to specific number(s), custom recordings, call tracking, follow-up text messages
• Links: Vanity URL short link integration, click tracking
• Improvements: Plans to include RCS, integrations with different vendors, Google Civic API sync to pull polling locations, etc.

Risks: The vendor must identify potential risks that are considered significant to the success of the project. Include how the vendor would propose to effectively monitor and manage these risks, including reporting of risks to the Mobile Campaigns Director.

Assurance: Fully describe how MoveOn’s financial data and programmatic activity will remain secure. Assurances should include any processes that will be put in place to ensure MoveOn’s financial data is secure and not shared with other organizations, and programmatic activities are not shared without permission.

Most-favorable terms:

• MoveOn reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposal submitted. Therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the vendor could propose. There will be no best-and-final-offer procedure. MoveOn does reserve the right to contact a vendor for clarification of its proposal.
• The vendor should be prepared to accept this request for proposal for incorporation into a contract resulting from this request for proposal. Contract negotiations may incorporate some or the vendor’s entire proposal. It is understood that the proposal will become a part of the official procurement file on this matter without obligation to MoveOn.

No obligation to contract

This request for proposal does not obligate MoveOn to contract for services specified herein.

Rejection of proposals

MoveOn reserves the right at its sole discretion to reject any and all proposals received without penalty and not to issue a contract as a result of this request for proposal.

Nondiscrimination

The vendor will adopt and disseminate a policy that the vendor, in employment, recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, sex, national origin, ethnic identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, economic status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected basis.