Picturelab and our sister company, Transvideo, have a long history of producing videos for government organizations. Going back 20+ years, we were the in-house production support team at NASA in Mountain View, CA. More recently, we produced over a dozen videos for both State and City-level campaigns.
Each organization and campaign have specific requirements, but there are a few common things to keep in mind when working with government organizations.
The RFP Process
The Request for Proposal (RFP) is a requirement for most government organizations. Basically, when the RFP is posted, interested vendors sign up as a prospective bidder, download all documents, attend an event (if available), post question and answers, assemble the material and submit the bids by the due date specified on the RFP.
Most organizations use PlanetBids and it’s worthwhile to sign up at Vendorline to receive relevant opportunities.
Assembling the proposal is no simple task. They often require several pages of material including organizational charts, qualifications, references, pricing, project approach, detailed scope of work, and forms to complete. It typically takes us about three to four hours to complete the proposal.
Once the RFP is processed, there may be an interview session with a select group of bidders. In the interviews in which we participated, there was a panel of 3-5 interviewers asking several rounds of questions. There were no trick questions and it was all relevant to the work, but we always find them to be a bit more formal than perhaps they should be.
After the interview, we are generally notified in one or two weeks.
Keep in mind, the chances of landing the interview are not high. On average, there are about 40 bidders per RFP and they choose only a handful for the interviews.
And we suspect many of the RFPs are more or less a formality. There’s already a vendor that is high on the short list, but government entities are required to initiate the process.
Layers and Steps
Once awarded, things don’t always get moving right away. There’s quite a bit of paperwork that needs to be processed. Government organizations usually have several different layers of approvers and stakeholders. So really, patience is key.
There also needs to be an understanding that significant changes can happen at any point in the video making journey. Most managers and directors at these organizations do not see the cuts of the video until at later stages. This means that there may be significant re-edits even after the fine cut.
To account for this, it helps to have a nimble team that can work within different stages. Since we have an in-house salaried editor, we’re able to make changes without having to count revisions.
If you don’t have that level of flexibility, be sure to account for that in your original budget.
At times, we have requested additional funds for major changes that completely altered the scope. Though it was necessary, it was not ideal since the process to review and approve budgets often take weeks at these organizations; and of course, we don’t have that kind of time to wait when there are deadlines.
Full-service and Range
It also helps that we are a full-service video production company. When working with government organizations and on campaigns that require a wide range of different types of videos, it’s beneficial that your team can do it all from start to finish. As mentioned above, due to the nature of the government organizations, the process is often fractured. If you’re working with sub-contractors, there may be delays and additional challenges if there are changes late in the process.
Having a wide range of different skills is also helpful. For example, for a campaign we supported for a State entity, we had to work on several different types of videos, from live action to 2D animation, to character animation, to drone videography. Rather than farming out different parts of the campaign, it was significantly more efficient to be able to do everything within.
Patience, Patience, Patience
Finally, one of the most important traits to have is patience. From the RFP process to getting a final approval on a video…every step takes time…sometimes months. You definitely need to be able to work on other projects and be financially sound since you may not be paid right away. You also need to be nimble and keep a cool head at all times.
So is it worth working with government organizations? Definitely, yes. Though they often require discounts and bundle pricing, there’s a steady cash flow that may result in a government contract with more prospects in the future.
Also, you’re often doing worthwhile work for a good cause. For example, we’ve produced videos that helped minorities get jobs, entire communities to stay healthy, informed neighborhoods about a new safety ordinance, and develop new ways to keep the environment safe and clean.
So next time you see an RFP posted, go for it!
Picturelab is a full-service video production company that helps government organizations leverage videos to connect with their communities.
To learn more, contact us at info@picturelab.com.