News & Blog

Request For Proposals

The UIDP is a recognized leader in addressing issues impacting academic-corporate collaboration, providing a unique forum for our member representatives to find better ways to partner.  We are a project-oriented organization, meaning our member representatives identify issues impacting university-industry (U-I) relations. Together, we find practical solutions to shared challenges impeding success, irrespective of who we are or where we work.

Webinar Support Services

As part of its activities in support of UIDP members and for the betterment of the general academic, corporate, government, and non-profit sectors, the UIDP regularly offers webinars on topical areas of interest. These webinars broadly fall into these categories:

• Technology Showcase Webinars: These webinars provide an opportunity for members to showcase opportunities for partnership and new technologies they are developing.
• Educational Program Webinars: This set of webinars discusses the content from UIDP learnings, including outputs from UIDP projects which can be found here. These can be a single event or a series.  This is an effective training resource.
• UIDP Project Webinars: UIDP Project webinars take two forms. (1) Project webinars can feature the outcomes of a UIDP project. This is an opportunity for members and non-members alike to learn about how to address the barriers to U-I collaboration that have been addressed by a UIDP project. (2) Project Update webinars are interactive webinars exclusively for members. These webinars give members an overview of either an active UIDP project or the entire UIDP Project Portfolio.  There are opportunities to engage with project working groups, to ask questions, and to provide further insight into the topics that UIDP projects address.
• On-demand/Opportunity Webinars: The UIDP works with its members and partners to promote new initiatives, programs or timely events that may require immediate exposure.

PROJECT SCOPE

The UIDP is soliciting the UIDP community and other possible vendors for a logistics partner who can provide strategic support for the creation, delivery, and management of high-quality webinar offerings desired by the UIDP.  The number of webinars will vary (we estimate approximately 25 for the next twelve months) and most webinars run 60-90 minutes in length.

The UIDP’s goal is to ensure that it can produce cost-effective, user-friendly webinars that will become a primary vehicle for the organization to communicate the UIDP’s offerings that address many of the contemporary issues faced by its members.

The successful webinar partner organization will manage the webinar management issues, including:

Registration:  Registration should be an easy, straightforward process. UIDP offers webinars that are both paid and unpaid. UIDP also would like the option to offer our webinars at a cost to non-members and free to member organizations.  Registration services should include the following:

• Set up registration pages with the ability to access check and credit cards
• Registration confirmation email with call-in details
• Post-event correspondence
• Tracking of user activity
• Access to reports

Hosting:  Work with UIDP and presenters and using vendor’s webinar system, host webinars with up to 1000 attendees (although most webinars will be closer to 100). Normally, the UIDP will provide a moderator and identify the presenters for each event. The identified partner will be responsible for:

• providing technical support before and during the event for attendees;
• coordinating presenter training and practice sessions;
• facilitating live production with speakers, moderators, and attendees ensuring problem-free event;
• organizing videos for more than 1 presenter;
• possessing an event backup teleconference line;
• providing a dedicated Manager before, during, and after the event;
• coordinating real-time webinar activities including live Q&A; live chat;
• file sharing and
• managing post-event services which include providing an audio-balanced, edited, customized recording with event-specific branding, participation reporting, and event engagement metrics.

Archiving:  Provide UIDP video content that can be archived in Vimeo format on the UIDP website. All webinar materials and related videos will be retained by the UIDP as its intellectual property.

Communication and Marketing:  Smooth production and marketing are vital to the success of webinars.  The selected vendor will coordinate with UIDP staff to:

• develop the messaging and communication to publish via emails, web pages, flyers and social media outlets in which UIDP has accounts.
• send reminders, follow-up survey, and webinar attendee list and video link to attendees via promotional schedule
• send thank you email to presenters

PROJECT TIMEFRAME

• October 22 Release of RFP
• November 9 Responses due
• November 23 Selection of vendor

SELECTION CRITERIA

Respondents should address each of the following criteria, in order of importance (without weighting):

1. Demonstrated success in hosting and delivering high-quality webinar events
2. A proven approach utilized by your organization to produce successful webinars
3. Proven ability to easily register attendees
4. Plan for reducing registration burden for repeat registrants
5. A cost-effective approach that is clear and consistent
6. Strong references who can support your application

BUDGET

The UIDP will pay the selected vendor on a cost-reimbursement or fixed price budget.  Submitting vendors should include their financial needs through any response.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

• In no case shall verbal communication govern over written communication.
• Please submit your proposal by email to info@uidp.net by Friday, November 9, 2018

Contact info@uidp.net with questions.