National Communications, Marketing, and Media Support

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an operating administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation whose mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and to reduce traffic-related deaths and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA accomplishes its mission by: Researching and demonstrating promising strategies to influence positive traffic safety behaviors; Planning and executing strategic communications campaigns to support program activity; Providing grants to State and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs; and Setting and enforcing national safety performance standards for motor vehicles and equipment. Disciplined Communications Approach NHTSA's communications strategy uses a disciplined approach to develop and implement its communications programs. NHTSA communications activities are rooted in policy which provides the foundation for its messaging. Once policy has been established, program offices develop program initiatives and countermeasures to tackle the issues facing the various facets of traffic safety. Finally, communications activities based in research and using sound, effective messaging support NHTSA's policy and program efforts. This disciplined approach includes reviewing traffic data, conducting and evaluating market research data, developing TV, radio, and digital creative materials, placing and negotiating advertising, conducting media relations, developing collateral materials, and developing partnerships. While highly visible enforcement activity continues to be the anchor for the national communications program, other integrated communications activity must continue throughout the year to keep the message fresh and in front of the American public. Consistent and continual reminders of the horrific human and economic costs of motor vehicle crashes must be developed. Effective communication must be maintained not only with the target audience, but policymakers must also be made aware of the potential lifesaving actions that can be taken to alleviate these problems. Research demonstrates that preventing impaired and distracted driving and increasing belt use will have the most significant impact on meeting NHTSA's mission with traffic safety campaigns for all of the American driving public including the Hispanic population. NHTSA's priority programs are designed to prevent impaired driving (including motorcycle riding), increase seat belt use, and decrease distracted driving. Other NHTSA campaigns include promoting child passenger safety; drowsy driving, heatstroke, speed, teen driver safety, pedestrian safety, bicycles, school buses, and older drivers. Drunk driving is one of the most often committed crimes in America. Drunk driving deaths accounted for 29 percent of all traffic fatalities annually in 2015. Affecting 1 in 3 Americans annually, drunk driving resulted in 1 fatality every 51 minutes and 28 deaths every day in 2015. Over 10,000 people lost their lives in 2015 in crashes involving drivers with blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 and above. Seat belt use has proven to be a lifesaving countermeasure. Seat belt use can reduce fatalities by up to 45 percent for front seat passenger car occupants and 60 percent for front seat light truck occupants. Every increase in seat belt use translates to lives saved and injuries prevented. NHTSA estimates that every one percentage-point increase represents 2.8 million more Americans buckling up, 250 additional lives saved, and 4,000 fewer serious injuries annually. For children age 1 through 12, traffic crashes are one of the leading causes of death. Every day in 2015, on average nearly 2 children age 12 and younger were killed in traffic crashes and an average of 319 were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes as occupants of passenger vehicles. NHTSA is committed to working closely with partners, safety advocates, and directly with consumers to help those who transport children make the kind of choices to keep them alive and safe. Motorcycle crash-related fatalities have become a challenge to NHTSA's progress in increasing highway safety. Crash-related motorcycle fatalities increased by 8 percent in 2015 compared to 2014. In 2015, 976 motorcyclists were killed and an additional 88,000 motorcyclists were injured. Traffic crashes are among the leading causes of death among Latinos from the ages of 1 to 34years. As the Hispanic population continues to increase in the United States, their exposure to traffic crashes and resultant injuries and fatalities has the potential to increase. Therefore, it is clear that specialized public information efforts designed to change traffic safety behaviors positively and demonstrably among the Hispanic population are required. To meet its mission of decreasing fatalities and injuries, NHTSA must continue to develop culturally appropriate messaging and national behavior based communication initiatives. The objective of the action is to acquire integrated media, marketing, and advertising services to enhance NHTSA's behavioral safety programs through NHTSA's Office of Communications and Consumer Information (OCCI). NHTSA awarded a Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, under which Firm Fixed Price (FFP) or Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Task Orders may be awarded. An IDIQ contract provides great flexibility and allows for the expedited ordering of services by reducing procurement lead times and simplifying the ordering process. In addition, an IDIQ contract allows for different types of task orders (e.g., FFP or CPFF) to be issued under the same IDIQ vehicle, as requirements are definitized. Some task orders will involve new or significantly revised advertising campaign materials or subjects, which are more amenable to a CPFF structure. Performance uncertainties exist for this type of work because the extent of the advertising campaign and effort required for the development of the campaign materials do not permit costs/prices to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to award task orders on a fixed-price basis.