[Public Offering Proposal] Outsourcing of Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal

[Public Offering Proposal] Outsourcing of Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal
Public Relations No. 84 July 10, Reiwa 8 (2026). The following public announcement is hereby made for the implementation of procedures by public offering proposal method.
Kazufumi Onishi, Mayor of Kumamoto City 1. Business Overview (1) Outsourcing Name: Outsourcing of Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal (2) Purpose and Overview: In light of the current situation where sufficient verification of the utilization and effectiveness of various media has not been conducted, this project will analyze the operational status of public relations media, organize issues, and propose improvements.
In addition, by conducting training for staff members to improve their public relations knowledge and skills, we aim to build an effective and sustainable information dissemination system. This will create an environment where city policy information reaches those who need it, promote understanding and empathy for the city's policies and attractions, and lead to the improvement of citizens' civic pride and the creation and expansion of related populations.
*Please refer to the Basic Specifications (Appendix 1) for details. Unless otherwise specified in the Basic Specifications, the contents described in these Basic Specifications are mandatory regardless of the proposed content.
(3) Place of Performance: Designated locations within the city. (4) Period of Performance: From the contract date until Wednesday, March 31, Reiwa 9 (2027). (5) Maximum Proposal Amount: 7,000,000 yen (including consumption tax and local consumption tax). *Proposals exceeding this maximum amount will be considered invalid, regardless of the proposed content.
2. Department in Charge: 1-1-1 Tedori Honcho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, 860-8601, Kumamoto City Policy Bureau, Secretariat Department, Public Relations Division, Phone: 096-328-2043 (Direct), Email: kouhou@city.kumamoto.lg.jp 3. Participation Qualifications: All of the following conditions must be met.
(1) Must have submitted the Kumamoto City Business Consignment Contract, etc. Competitive Bidding Qualification Application Form and be registered in the list of qualified bidders stipulated in Article 5 of the Guidelines on Qualifications for Competitive Bidders, etc. for Kumamoto City Business Consignment Contracts, etc. (2008 Notice No. 731).
(2) Must not fall under any of the provisions of Article 167-4, Paragraph 1 of the Local Autonomy Act (1947 Cabinet Order No. 16).
(3) If an application for commencement of rehabilitation proceedings under Article 17 of the Corporate Reorganization Act (2002 Law No. 154) or an application for commencement of rehabilitation proceedings under Article 21 of the Civil Rehabilitation Act (1999 Law No. 225) has been filed, a decision to approve the rehabilitation plan or the rehabilitation plan must have been made, respectively.
(4) Must not fall under Article 3, Item 1 of the Measures for Exclusion of Violent Groups, etc. from Contracts Concluded with Kumamoto City (2006 Notice No. 105).
(5) Must not be within the period of suspension of designation based on the Kumamoto City Goods Purchase Contract and Business Consignment Contract, etc. Designation Suspension Measures Guidelines (2009 Notice No. 199; hereinafter referred to as "Designation Suspension Guidelines").
(6) Must not be in arrears with consumption tax, local consumption tax, or city taxes.
(7) Must be engaged in the business related to the contract subject to this proposal as a business.
(8) Must not be a person who has committed a breach of contract or an act of dishonesty in contracts with the City within the past three years, and whom the Mayor deems unsuitable as a contract party.
(9) Must comply with the Kumamoto City Public Contract Ordinance (2025 Ordinance No. 54), such as by submitting a letter of commitment based on Article 8 of the ordinance.
(10) If a business cooperative (a business cooperative as defined in Article 3 of the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives Act (1949 Law No. 181); hereinafter the same) submits an application for participation in this proposal, its members cannot submit an application for participation as individual entities.
If participating in this proposal as a business cooperative, the member responsible for the work must also meet the requirements of item (5).
4. Application Procedures, etc. (1) Application Period and Method for Submission of Expression of Interest Forms, Basic Specifications, etc.: From Friday, July 10, Reiwa 8 (2026) to Friday, July 24, Reiwa 8 (2026). These will be posted on the Kumamoto City website. They will also be distributed at the department in charge (see 2) upon request (distribution at the department in charge excludes city holidays as defined in Article 1 of the Ordinance on Special Provisions for City Holidays and Deadlines (1989 Ordinance No. 32); hereinafter referred to as "holidays").
Delivery by mail or electronic transmission (fax, email, etc.) will not be provided.
Distribution at the department in charge will be from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Downloads are available on the Kumamoto City website during its operating hours.
Basic Specifications, etc. will be available for viewing at the department in charge (see 2) until Friday, July 24, Reiwa 8 (2026).
(2) Application Procedures, etc.: Applicants wishing to participate in this proposal must submit an expression of interest form and other necessary documents (hereinafter referred to as "Expression of Interest Forms, etc.") and obtain confirmation from the Mayor regarding their eligibility.
The submission methods, etc. shall be as follows:
a. Documents to be Submitted and Submission Method: Submit in person, by mail, or by email, etc. If submitting by mail, use a method that leaves a delivery record, such as registered mail or certified mail. Submissions by mail that do not provide a delivery record will not be accepted. If submitting by email, etc., confirm receipt by phone.
(i) Expression of Interest Form (Form No. 1)
(ii) Qualification Review Statement (Form No. 2)
b. Submission Deadline: Friday, July 24, Reiwa 8 (2026), by 5:00 PM. If submitting by mail, it must arrive by Friday, July 24, Reiwa 8 (2026). Lost or delayed mail due to unforeseen accidents will not be considered. If submitting by email, etc., confirm receipt by the deadline.
c. Number of Copies: 1 copy.
d. Submission Address:
(i) For in-person submission or by email, etc.: Department in charge (see 2).
(ii) For mail submission: To the Mayor of Kumamoto City (Public Relations Division, Secretariat Department, Policy Bureau), 1-1-1 Tedori Honcho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, 860-8601. Please clearly indicate "Outsourcing Name" and "Expression of Interest Form Enclosed" on the surface of the envelope.
e. Precautions:
(i) Fill out the forms as of the date of submission of Expression of Interest Forms, etc.
(ii) If participating in this proposal as a business cooperative, fill in the section for "Name of Member Responsible for Work" in the Qualification Review Statement (Form No. 2). If it is difficult to identify the member responsible for the work, multiple candidate members may be listed. If even one of these members does not meet the requirements stipulated in 3(10), the participation qualification will not be recognized.
(3) Confirmation of Participation Qualifications: Confirmation of participation qualifications will be made as of the submission deadline for Expression of Interest Forms, etc. The results (including reasons if participation qualifications are not recognized) will be notified in writing.
5. Explanation of Reasons for Disqualification: (1) A person who has received notification of disqualification may request an explanation of the reasons for disqualification from the Mayor in writing (free format) within 7 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the notification date.
(2) If an explanation is requested, the Mayor shall respond in writing to the requester within 5 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the last day on which an explanation can be requested.
6. Briefing Session: No briefing session will be held.
7. Questions Regarding Basic Specifications, etc.: (1) If there are any questions regarding the Basic Specifications, etc., submit a question form as follows:
a. Submission Method: Submit in writing (free format) in person or by email. However, if submitting by email, confirm receipt by phone.
b. Submission Period: From Friday, July 10, Reiwa 8 (2026) to Friday, July 31, Reiwa 8 (2026) (excluding holidays), from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
c. Submission Address: Department in charge (see 2).
(2) Answers to the question forms in (1) will be made available for viewing as follows. They will also be posted on the Kumamoto City website.
a. Viewing Period: Starting Monday, July 13, Reiwa 8 (2026), until Monday, August 10, Reiwa 8 (2026) (excluding holidays).
b. Viewing Location: Department in charge (see 2).
8. Measures When There is Only One Proposer: If there is only one proposer, a new announcement will be made and the submission deadline for Expression of Interest Forms, etc. will be extended. In this case, the participation qualifications or performance period for the project may be changed as necessary.
9. Submission of Proposal Documents, etc.: Those who have been confirmed to have participation qualifications by the notification in 4(3) shall submit their proposal documents, etc. in accordance with "Appendix 2: Guidelines for Preparing Proposal Documents, etc. for Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal Outsourcing".
(1) Documents to be Submitted and Submission Method: Submit in person or by mail. If submitting by mail, use a method that leaves a delivery record, such as registered mail or certified mail. Submissions by mail that do not provide a delivery record will not be accepted.
a. Proposal Submission Form (Form No. 3)
b. Work Execution System Statement (Form No. 4)
c. Work Experience Statement (Form No. 5)
d. Proposal Document
e. Reference Quotation and Breakdown
The proposal document shall be A4 size (portrait), bound on the left, landscape orientation, and double-sided. If there are documents larger than A4 size, fold them to A4 size. The proposal document, including the cover page, shall not exceed 12 pages (24 sides) and shall be paginated.
(2) Submission Deadline: Monday, August 10, Reiwa 8 (2026), by 5:00 PM. If submitting by mail, it must arrive by Monday, August 10, Reiwa 8 (2026). Lost or delayed mail due to unforeseen accidents will not be considered.
(3) Number of Copies: 8 copies.
(4) Submission Address:
a. For in-person submission: Department in charge (see 2).
b. For mail submission: To the Mayor of Kumamoto City (Public Relations Division, Secretariat Department, Policy Bureau), 1-1-1 Tedori Honcho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City, 860-8601. Please clearly indicate "Outsourcing Name" and "Proposal Document Enclosed" on the surface of the envelope.
10. Selection Method of Contractor: (1) First Screening (Document Review): If there are more than 5 proposers, a first screening will be conducted by reviewing the content described in the proposal documents to select approximately 5 proposals that are expected to have high implementation effectiveness (scheduled for mid-August Reiwa 8 (2026)). Interviews may be conducted via email, etc., as necessary. The selection results will be notified to the proposers by mail, etc. If there are 5 or fewer proposers, the first screening will not be conducted, and all will proceed to the final screening (presentation screening).
(2) Final Screening (Presentation Screening):
a. Date and Time: Scheduled for late August Reiwa 8 (2026).
b. Location: Kumamoto City Hall, Main Building, 1-1-1 Tedori Honcho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City. *Detailed location, time, and attendees will be instructed separately.
c. Method: Face-to-face question-and-answer format.
d. Interviews regarding proposal documents, etc., will be conducted for the following evaluation items (hereinafter referred to as "Interview Implementation Items") among the evaluation items indicated in the screening criteria:
i. Evaluation Item 1: "Proposal Capability"
ii. Evaluation Item 2: "Work Execution Capability"
e. Only the submitted proposal documents, etc., shall be used for the presentation during the interview. Additional materials will not be accepted during the interview.
f. If the interview is missed without a valid reason, the proposal will be invalidated. However, if the Mayor deems it unavoidable due to reasons such as bad weather or an accident of the scheduled attendee, and if the interview can be conducted without disrupting the proposal procedure, the interview will be rescheduled for a date and time designated by the Mayor. If it is deemed difficult to conduct interviews, etc., without disrupting the proposal procedure, the interview implementation items for this proposer will be scored as 0 points.
11. Screening Method, etc.: (1) Screening Authority: The "Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal Outsourcing Contractor Selection Committee" will conduct the screening based on the "Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal Outsourcing Contractor Selection Committee Establishment Guidelines".
(2) Screening Criteria: Based on the "Kumamoto City Public Relations Effectiveness Verification and Strategic Utilization Proposal Outsourcing Contractor Selection Committee Screening Criteria" (Appendix 3).
(3) Screening Method: Screening will be conducted based on the proposal documents, etc., and the interview. The proposer with the highest score will be determined as the contract candidate, and the next highest scorer as the secondary contract candidate. If multiple proposers have the same score, the one with the higher total score for "Proposal Capability" will be ranked higher. If the total score for "Proposal Capability" is also the same, the successful candidate will be determined by lottery.
(4) Notification of Screening Results: The screening results will be notified in writing.
12. Disclosure of Proposal Screening Results: If a contract candidate is selected, the following information will be publicly disclosed at the department in charge and on the Kumamoto City website.
(1) Name of the proposer (however, if there were two proposers, only the name of the contract candidate will be displayed).
(2) Evaluation score of the proposer (only the name of the contract candidate will be displayed).
13. Explanation of Reasons for Not Being Selected as Contract Candidate: (1) A proposer who was not selected as a contract candidate may request an explanation of the reasons for not being selected from the Mayor in writing (free format) within 5 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the public announcement of the contract candidate.
(2) If an explanation is requested, the Mayor shall respond in writing to the requester within 7 days (excluding holidays) from the day after the last day on which an explanation can be requested.
14. Consultation on Specification Details: (1) The details of the specifications for this outsourcing will be determined by the City through consultation with the contract candidate, based on the proposed content described in the contract candidate's proposal documents. In this case, changes to the content described in the proposal documents by the contract candidate will generally not be permitted. However, this does not apply to changes that are not disadvantageous to the City and that the City deems do not affect the fairness, transparency, and competitiveness of the proposal process.