Little Yellow Bird’s Request for Proposal
Summary
Little Yellow Bird issues a request for proposal so as to select and contract a company or vendor to create a new product line made of repurposed clothing in line with the green marketing and sustainability campaign. The new product line requires that the vendor understands the demands of young consumers in the current market, creates a highly attractive, yet sustainable design, and ensure that the new product is aligned to the green marketing approach that Little Yellow Bird uses to communicate its sustainability goals and corporate social responsibility to the consumers and other key stakeholders. Little Yellow Bird is seeking proposals from experienced and highly skilled startup companies in the clothing sector that focuses on repurposing and recycling materials and clothing in line with the demands of the circular economy to reduce the reliance and depletion of the environment. The chosen strategic vendor and partner will be a firm that has a similar drive to ensure sustainability and to see green marketing actualized in the clothing industry. The RFP does not obligate Little Yellow Bird to award the contract to any organization to complete the project. The company reserves every right to cancel any dealings and communications as long as they serve the best interests of the stakeholders.
Background of Company/Organization
Little Yellow Bird is one of the most sustainable business organizations in New Zealand. The company, founded in 2015, focuses on clothing items. Samantha Jones, the founder, saw an opportunity in the uniform distribution sector, partnering with more than 400 organizations to produce and sell employee uniforms. Little Yellow Bird is a social enterprise with a strong commitment to ethical manufacturing (Little Yellow Bird, 2021), and with the intention to transform the NZ fashion industry towards becoming a part of the circular economy. The company uses organic raw materials, including cotton and sisal, and promotes the benefits of the same to other players in the industry. As a huge part of its green marketing strategy, Little Yellow Bird educates entities in its supply chain to embrace organic processes in production and sourcing due to the elimination of the need to use chemical pesticides and reduced reliance on water (Little Yellow Bird, 2021). As a social startup in a competitive market in NZ, Little Yellow Bird has a bright revenue growth model focusing on green marketing and sustainable production and corporate social responsibility. One of the biggest selling points for the company is how it follows up on sustainability practices from sourcing of raw materials to production, and distribution. It provides ways for consumers to sustainably repurpose used clothing items, trade in unused apparel, and ensure that all products bought are organic and made in ways that are friendly to the environment. Little Yellow Bird is focused on tackling the biggest challenge in the 21st century relating to sustainability and showing how small home-grown firms can make an impact on the global scene, through green marketing a sustainable business model that is leading the way for future startups.
Statement of Objectives
Little Yellow Bird is looking to partner with suppliers in the repurposed clothes sector. Specifically, the company is looking for an established fir that repurposes used clothing items to add such in the product offering for Little Yellow Bird. In line with the green marketing approach and a focus on sustainability, Little Yellow Bird intends to expand its operations to include a repurposed products distribution line. As more organizations work towards improving their bottom line through sustainable businesses practices and models, the firm has identified a market gap that is a core part of the circular economy. According to Konuk (2018), young consumer groups have access to more information relating to products and therefore they attach more importance to issues regarding sustainable production and environmental protection. Green marketing and green practices are very attractive to such consumer groups. In line with the green marketing approach and a focus on sustainability, Little Yellow Bird aims to partner with other firms that will enable it to increase the awareness about green products and green marketing to different consumer groups and implement eco-advertising strategies to promote green products and practices with an intention of influencing the purchasing decisions of young consumers. Therefore, Little Yellow Bird’s overall intention is to see its products and processes come full circle through partnering with like-minded vendors to enable the firm realize its circular economy objectives through introducing a line of repurposed clothing and apparel. The award will be given to a partnering firm that meets these objectives. More specifically, the following objectives are the main guides for Little Yellow Bird:
Attracting partners who have already implemented the concept of green marketing
To demonstrate the need to include repurposed clothing items as part of the company’s sustainability and green marketing agenda
To reach young consumers through innovative ideas relevant to the current issues on sustainability and global environmental conservation efforts
Rationale/Importance of Research
Among the key objectives of a sustainable business model is to ensure business continuity and profit making in the long term. At Little Yellow Bird, the main idea is to have an exemplary business model and a marketing strategy that is aligned to the ultimate goal of ensuring sustainability and green production. For an organization to meet its long term objectives, there is a need for sound marketing strategies. Little Yellow Bird uses green marketing as a means to communicate its product offerings and value proposition to the consumers and other stakeholders. Green marketing allows the firm to be an active participant in the bid to change the current condition of the planet for the better and additionally support initiatives aligned to these goals (Chou et al., 2020). Green marketing is more than just the packaging to include creation of sustainable products, reducing the negative effect of waste products, and ensuring a business approach from sourcing to distribution that considers the impact of each stage on the environment (Harahap, Zuhriyah, & Rahmayanti, 2018). The major aim of green marketing is to help the target markets and consumers to understand the benefits of a sustainable product and processes and the commitment of an organization to the environment. Green marketing is also applauded by Martínez (2015) as an important platform to educate markets and consumers on sustainable consumption and the environment. In the current request for proposal, these objectives are merged to a need by the organization to partner with a vendor in the repurposing of clothes sector. One of the most efficient ways to ensure sustainability and to achieve the true aim of green marketing is to ensure that consumers are aware of the need to repurpose products and to reduce purchasing of one-time use products. By repurposing clothing items such as bed sheets, curtains, clothes, shoes, and other commonly used materials, consumers can help Little Yellow Bird to reduce production costs, reduce waste, and ensure that the environment is given enough time to recover.
To solve the issue of a lack of awareness on green marketing to consumers, it is important to partner with suppliers and organizations that have achieved what Little Yellow Bird wants to attain in terms of sustainability and efforts towards the same. In this research, the importance of green marketing to young consumers is explored in depth. The rationale for this selection is that more consumers are gaining information on the activities of a firm including sourcing and production details. A consumer is able to find out whether a brand actively uses sustainable business practices as well as environmental-friendly considerations in all of its processes. The young consumer groups are technology savvy and this allows them to have a lot of access to information. Therefore, the research wants to identify the effect of green marketing, specifically the use of repurposed products and green packaging, in influencing their buying behaviors.
Preferred Methodology
For this request for proposal a qualitative survey method will be applied for the vendor to survey key stakeholders and to use a data driven design approach to gather information to complete a comprehensive product for the required product. The overall aim for Little Yellow Bird is to collect information regarding the best ways to include repurposed clothing items in line with the companies green marketing and targeting young consumers with sustainable products. In this approach, structured interviews will be sent using online platforms for various organizations and vendors to get access. The interview questions will be guided, using a mix of both open and close ended questions. Questionnaires will be used to collect data from different participants. The open ended and the structured methodology used for the questionnaires is a critical element of qualitative surveys. It is preferred because it allows participants to be themselves and to answer questions from different perspectives. This affords the research with improved accuracy because the participants are not limited to a number of answers for the various questions presented. In marketing, a qualitative approach would be the best to use in order to collect and understand different attitudes of consumers in a way that would enable simultaneous presentation of individualized and a group-centred value propositions. The qualitative approach is also an efficient way to generate content because it gives rise to collection of genuine idea and sometimes new perspectives that would be important for research. For concepts relating to green marketing, qualitative interviews give insights that are specific to the sector. The open mindedness of the qualitative approach means that the method is always open to new data that participants are willing to provide. It benefits from the access of emotional data that is very crucial in the decision making process for various research participants.
Target of Population
Audiences targeted in the new product line include residents and visitors living or working in the urban areas in New Zealand, young consumers in universities and colleges, high school students in various programs that raise awareness on the environment, other clothing companies, all major companies that require uniforms for their employees, businesses in the distribution sector, non-profit agencies and government players that support local initiatives, appointed and elected officials, domestic and international media, and consumers in the fashion and clothing industry.
Geographic Scope
The geographic scope for this project is restricted to a national area where only New Zealand companies will be considered for the current project. The vendor will need to have a national reach, to at least all major cities and urban dwellings within the nation. This is in line with Little Yellow Bird’s aim for corporate social responsibility and to ensure that it partners with up and coming companies in the country to help in growth and development of the local industry.
Sample Source
The vendor will be required to attach a sample source as part of the RFP response in order for the company to try and test products that will be used for the upcoming marketing campaign.
Timeline and Milestones
The launch of the new product line (repurposed designs) will be the key note presentation in the next marketing phase in August of this year. The proposed green marketing and related ad campaigns will be all tailored towards ensuring the communication of a new brand in line with what Little Yellow Bird stands for in terms of sustainability and green practices in marketing and every other process. In the annual trade show held in August, the chosen vendor will be revealed as a part of the company’s future growth program in green marketing and related sustainability agendas that are not within the scope of the current RFP. Therefore, the RFP and every other related process must be ready before August 15, 2021. Completion of the RFP is scheduled to be before July 1, 2021 and the vendor selection process to begin immediately up to July 15, 2021. The launch of the product and the campaign will follow suit in the coming weeks before the main event in August 15, 2021.
Project Timeline Date
RFP Release May 30
Written Questions Due June 15
Responses to Vendor Questions June 20
Proposal Deadline June 25
Completion of Evaluations July 1
Presentations July 10
Final Selection July 15
Proposed Launch Date August 15
Deliverables
The deliverables for the RFP include a full financial report of the vendor, proposed design of the product line, design mapping, counter-designs relating to the main agenda, a sample competed project and product, statement of previous work, a breakdown of the budget, and the project governance plan. It is also recommended that a sample work organization structure or a partnership plan be provided as part of the proposal.
Criteria for Selection/Qualification Requirement
With the full knowledge that different proposals will be submitted back to the company, the different strengths, reputations or capabilities of the vendors will be weighed against a standard selection criteria. The main qualification requirements will be based on cost, quality, sustainability scoring, size and age of the company, industry, and ability to relate to the NZ domestic market. In the selected vendor, the company is looking for a firm that has been in operation for more than two years with a strong commitment to sustainable production, green marketing, and specifically in repurposing of clothing items for various uses. This criteria is the most important because it links to Little Yellow Bird’s value proposition and the next marketing campaign that will run for the foreseeable future. The next criterion is cost. Little Yellow Bird is looking for a partner who is aware of the need to reduce costs and to translate the same to consumers through a cost leadership structure. Thirdly, the company will be looking to partner with vendors with very high quality processes and products. While the repurposed clothing sector sounds like a bargain in terms of quality, the company does not compromise on its standards, whether on the freshly produced items or for the new category involving repurposed clothing. This requirements will be strictly enforced because it forms the basis of the entire green marketing idea, the provision of high quality products that are sustainable and always concerned of the environmental protection through processes and practices. The next criterion for selection is delivery and a distribution network that is localized for the NZ domestic market. Little Yellow Bird is looking for fast delivery and a reliable network of distribution. These four requirements will largely inform the company’s selection criteria, include other obvious selection standards such as registered firms, operational companies, and those that already have a footing in the NZ market. The following questions will be required for every proposer to include in their replies:
Examples of similar complex projects completed in the last 1.5 years
Client references relating to repurposed items of any form
Project timelines including main tasks and timelines
Project budget using line item
A plan for a responsive or mobile design
The above requirements will help in assessing the technical capacity of proposers, credibility, process, and to find out whether the proposers are familiar with current trends. It will help in gaining an insight into their technical expertise, communication, autonomy, flexibility, vision, and partnering to take the lead where necessary.
References
Chou, S. F., Horng, J. S., Liu, C. H. S., & Lin, J. Y. (2020). Identifying the critical factors of
customer behavior: An integration perspective of marketing strategy and components of attitudes. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102113.
Harahap, A., Zuhriyah, A., & Rahmayanti, H. (2018). Relationship between knowledge of green
product, social impact, and perceived value with green purchase behavior. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 74, p. 04002). EDP Sciences.
Konuk, F. A. (2018). The role of store image, perceived quality, trust, and perceived value in
Predicting consumers’ purchase intentions towards organic private label food. Journal ofRetailing and Consumer Services, 43, 304-310. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.04.011.
Little Yellow Bird. (2021). Available at https://littleyellowbird.com/
Martínez, P. (2015). Customer loyalty: exploring its antecedents from a green marketing
perspective. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.