Request for Proposals

Thank you for your interest in this work. The submission deadline has now passed.

Background

The PSEO Coalition is dedicated to fostering growth, sustainability, and the effective use of data to showcase the transformative power of higher education. By integrating nationwide postsecondary graduate outcomes data, the PSEO Coalition empowers informed decision-making and drives strategic enhancements across both educational and employment landscapes. In collaboration with the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program at the U.S. Census, the Coalition links postsecondary education data with national unemployment insurance wage data. This partnership supports its members and the broader postsecondary community in utilizing these data for informed decision-making. PSEO Coalition members play a crucial role in helping future employees understand potential earnings associated with specific degrees in various fields, equipping them with the tools to advocate for themselves as they enter the workforce.

In 2025, the PSEO Coalition facilitated a community of members focused on the implementation of the Postsecondary Value Framework (PVF). Community members developed and implemented action plans, attended monthly virtual meetings, and facilitated office hours to move their work forward on defining and measuring the value of postsecondary education in their settings. In addition to a report of the work (expected publication in spring 2026) and continued technical assistance, the PSEO Coalition plans to bring implementation community members together in advance of its annual Summit for a half-day workshop on September 22, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. The Coalition seeks a consultant to develop and facilitate this workshop, including development of supplemental materials to be used during the workshop and provided to others in the PSEO Coalition who are implementing aspects of the PVF in their own settings.

The purpose of this engagement is both to deliver a high-quality convening and to support the translation of the PVF into clear, compelling, and audience-specific messaging tools that can be used by PSEO Coalition members across a range of institutional and state contexts. The selected consultant will be responsible for helping the Coalition and its members move from a conceptual understanding of the PVF to practical, replicable communication strategies and materials that can be used beyond the September 2026 workshop.

Scope of Work

The ideal consultant will bring a combination of strategic communications expertise, instructional and workshop design experience, and familiarity with postsecondary education and workforce pathways. The consultant will play a central role in facilitating the translation of the PVF into actionable messaging strategies and tools that can be adapted by PSEO Coalition members for use with multiple audiences.

The ideal consultant has demonstrated expertise in:

• Professional workshop facilitation, with the ability to design and facilitate a hybrid workshop that supports applied learning and tangible outputs.
• Knowledge of communications and marketing strategies, particularly crafting audience-specific messaging and use of visuals to enhance understanding and impact.
• Knowledge of the field of education, particularly postsecondary education and/or the journey of individuals from education into employment.

The selected consultant will:

• Collaborate closely with a team of experts within the PSEO Coalition to design a half-day hybrid workshop focused on communicating the value of postsecondary education using the PVF, including identifying key messages, audiences, and communication challenges.
• Design the workshop structure, content, and activities to align with the stated learning outcomes and support participants’ hands-on application.
• Serve as lead facilitator(s) for the half-day hybrid workshop on September 22, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, effectively engaging both in-person and virtual participants.
• With input from the PSEO Coalition team, develop a suite of high-quality supplemental materials (e.g., participant workbook, messaging templates, worksheets, visual guidance) that will be used during the workshop and shared with other Coalition members for use in their own settings.
• Facilitate a 40-minute breakout session on September 23, 2026, as part of the PSEO Summit, adapting and distilling workshop content to introduce PVF communication concepts to a broader audience.

The workshop will include a combination of the following:

• Presentation of best practices in communicating and marketing the value of a postsecondary credential to prospective college students and their support networks (e.g., parents, family, counselors, mentors) with examples grounded in the PVF. 
• Structured small group and/or individual activities that guide attendees in drafting and refining audience-specific messages related to postsecondary value. 
• Use of facilitator-developed supplemental materials (e.g., workbook, template(s), worksheets) to support hands-on application during the workshop and continued use afterward. These materials will also be made available on the PSEO Coalition website for use by other Coalition members.

Learning outcomes for the workshop include:

• Participants will develop an “elevator pitch” to explain the Postsecondary Value Framework to critical audiences.
• Participants will develop at least one new method of messaging the value of a postsecondary credential.
• Participants will develop techniques to adapt messaging to varying audiences.
• Participants will develop techniques for utilizing visuals to enhance their communications and messaging.

Proposals should clearly describe how the consultant’s workshop design, facilitation approach, and proposed materials will enable participants to achieve each of these learning outcomes.

Expected Deliverables

Proposals should assume responsibility for the development of polished, reusable materials that reflect a level of effort commensurate with the project budget. Expected deliverables may include, but are not limited to:

• A detailed workshop agenda and facilitation plan, including learning objectives, activity descriptions, and timing.
• A participant workbook (print- and web-ready) that guides attendees through workshop activities and captures draft messaging developed during the session.
• Messaging templates or frameworks tailored to at least three distinct audiences (e.g., prospective students, families/support networks, college and university faculty and staff, policymakers, or employers).
• Guidance and examples for using visuals (e.g., charts, infographics, narrative visuals) to enhance communication of postsecondary value.
• A slide deck or presentation materials designed for reuse by the PSEO Coalition or its members.
• A brief post-workshop summary documenting key themes, challenges, and promising practices surfaced during the workshop.

Proposers may suggest alternative or additional deliverables that align with the workshop learning outcomes and the broader goals of the PSEO Coalition. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Interactive digital toolkits
• Short video explainers or microlearning modules
• Templates for ongoing peer-to-peer support
• Mechanisms for post-workshop follow-up and impact measurement

What Success Looks Like
At the conclusion of this engagement:

• Workshop participants will leave with draft messaging and communication strategies they can immediately refine and deploy in their own settings.
• The PSEO Coalition will have a set of reusable, openly-licensed,  high-quality materials that can be shared broadly with any members implementing the Postsecondary Value Framework.
• The pre-Summit workshop and Summit breakout session will reinforce a consistent and compelling narrative about the value of postsecondary education grounded in the PVF.

Timeline

Proposals due: February 18, 2026
Consultant selected: March 11, 2026
Project kickoff: March 30, 2026
Planning meetings: April-September 2026*
Delivery of supplemental materials: September 14, 2026
Facilitation of pre-Summit workshop: September 22, 2026
Facilitation of 40-minute Summit breakout session: September 23, 2026
Delivery of workshop summary and final versions of materials: October 9, 2026

*Note: Planning activities during April-September are expected to include discovery and design conversations (at minimum monthly), iterative review of draft materials, and refinement of workshop content and deliverables in collaboration with the PSEO Coalition team.

Budget

The budget range for this project is $60,000 to $75,000. This range reflects the anticipated level of effort required for workshop design, development of high-quality and reusable materials, facilitation, and post-workshop deliverables. Proposals should include a detailed budget breakdown, including time allocation and rates. (Travel costs need not be included in the budget. Travel for consultant(s) to Dallas, Texas, for the September event will be covered separately.)

Proposal Requirements

Please include the following in your proposal:

1. Narrative proposal summarizing your interest and approach (no more than four pages)
   • Description of relevant expertise in communications and marketing
   • Description of relevant experience in workshop development and facilitation, including preferred methods for engaging with workshop participants
   • Description of relevant experience working in/with postsecondary education, including its relationship to workforce development
   • Description of how proposed materials will be designed to be adaptable across diverse institutional or state contexts
2. Examples or descriptions of prior work products, such as toolkits, workbooks, messaging frameworks, or communications resources developed for similar audiences 
3. Bios of key team members
4. Contact information for two past or current client references
5. Proposed timeline and budget (including timeline highlights listed above)

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Experience in the field of communications and marketing
• Experience designing and facilitating professional workshops
• Experience working with professionals in the field of education, particularly postsecondary education
• Quality of examples or descriptions of prior work
• Clarity, strength, and innovation of the proposed approach
• Value for budget

Submission Instructions

The submission deadline has now passed. Thank you for your interest.