MarComm Procurement Practice

Contracting a Marketing Agency

1. Submit a Proposal to MarComm

   All marketing projects involving hiring an agency must be approved by the UWM’s chief marketing officer before the agency is contracted. Projects that involve communications work also must be approved by MarComm’s strategic communications director. Approval must be obtained before a purchasing request is submitted.

   Start by sending a proposal to Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Johnson. The proposal should address the following questions:

   • Which agency would the unit like to hire? You should choose an agency that has an existing contract. Contact UWM’s chief marketing officer if you need a list of options.
   • What is the goal? The more specific, the better. For example, “create a Spanish-language video to air on Telemundo and raise visibility in the Spanish-speaking community” is better than “create a video that appeals to diverse audiences.”
   • What services are needed to achieve this goal?
   • Are these services that MarComm can provide? If MarComm can provide some, but not all of the services, which ones can it provide? Which ones can’t it provide?
   • What added value would the agency bring? For example, it may have experience and expertise working with certain audiences. Be as specific and detailed as possible in outlining the added value. 
   • How much funding is available?
   • What is the timeline for the project?
   • How will success be measured?
     • What are the KPIs?
   • Include an agency proposal if one is available.

   MarComm may approve the request, deny the request, or send it back for revision. Once the proposal has been approved, you can move on to Step 2.

2. Request a Requisition

   Upon receiving project approval from MarComm, request a contract from the agency and send the contract to your divisional finance officer to create a requisition.

3. Requisition Created

   The divisional finance officer creates a requisition in ShopUW+. The requisition will go to a purchasing specialist in Procurement.

4. Verification

   The purchasing specialist will send a comment via ShopUW+ to the chief marketing officer, who will reply with approval of the purchase. (If the project liaison has skipped Step 1, that process will begin at this point.)

5. Contract Signed

   The purchasing specialist will vet and sign the contract.

6. Work Completed & Payment Made

   The vendor will invoice UWM, including the requisition number (PO number). Invoices are sent to Accounts Payable at ap-invoices@uwm.edu. Your divisional finance officer should work with Accounts Payable to ensure payment is made.

Buying Traditional & Digital Advertising

1. Submit a Proposal to MarComm

   All marketing projects involving buying advertising must be approved by the UWM’s chief marketing officer, Michelle Johnson, before a purchase is made. Send a proposal to that addresses the following questions:

   • What is the goal? The more specific, the better. For example, “increasing the number of applicants from the Chicago DMA to the bachelor’s program in psychology” is a better, more achievable goal than “grow enrollment.”
     • Provide market data to support this goal.
   • How will success be measured?
     • What are the KPIs?
   • If the goal is to generate leads (usually defined as someone who has filled out a request for information form), how will those leads be followed up on, and by who? For example, is there a recruiter who will personally email people who submitted RFI forms to see if they have questions?
   • How much money is available for the purchase? Does it need to be spent in a certain timeframe?
   • What tactics/vendors do you want to use? Examples: Billboards, radio, streaming video, geofencing, digital display.
   • Have ads already been created or does money need to be allocated for ad creation? Keep in mind that video ads cost several thousand dollars to create. Other ad types are much less expensive.
   • Ads should direct people to a special type of web page called a landing page. Has one already been created? If so, does it need to be updated? If not, has money been allocated to create a landing page?
     • If a landing page has already been created, include the URL in the project summary.

   MarComm may approve the request, deny the request, or send it back for revision. Once the proposal has been approved, you can move on to Step 2.

2. Request a Requisition

   Upon receiving project approval from MarComm, request a contract from the advertising representative and send the contract to your divisional finance officer to create a requisition.

3. Requisition Created

   The divisional finance officer creates a requisition in ShopUW+. The requisition will go to a purchasing specialist in Procurement.

4. Verification

   The purchasing specialist will send a comment via ShopUW+ to the chief marketing officer, who will reply with approval of the purchase. (If the project liaison has skipped Step 1, that process will begin at this point.)

5. Contract Signed

   The purchasing specialist will vet and sign the contract.

6. Contract Fulfilled & Payment Made

   The vendor will invoice UWM, including the requisition number (PO number). Invoices are sent to Accounts Payable at ap-invoices@uwm.edu. Your divisional finance officer should work with Accounts Payable to ensure payment is made.

Buying Paid Social (Facebook, Linkedin, etc.)

1. Submit a Proposal to MarComm

   The first step is the same as for buying traditional and digital advertising. Send a proposal to Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Johnson that addresses the following questions:

   • What is the goal? The more specific, the better. For example, “increasing the number of applicants from the Chicago DMA to the bachelor’s program in psychology” is a better, more achievable goal than “grow enrollment.”
     • Provide market data to support this goal.
   • How will success be measured?
     • What are the KPIs?
   • If the goal is to generate leads (usually defined as someone who has filled out a request for information form), how will those leads be followed up on, and by who? For example, is there a recruiter who will personally email people who submitted RFI forms to see if they have questions?
   • How much money is available for the purchase? Does it need to be spent in a certain timeframe?
   • What channels/vendors do you want to use? Examples: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify.
   • Have ads already been created or does money need to be allocated for ad creation? Keep in mind that video ads cost several thousand dollars to create. Other ad types are much less expensive.
   • Ads should direct people to a special type of web page called a landing page. Has one already been created? If so, does it need to be updated? If not, has money been allocated to create a landing page?
     • If a landing page has already been created, include the URL in the project summary.

   MarComm may approve the request, deny the request, or send it back for revision. Once the proposal has been approved, you can move on to Step 2.

2. Secure Purchasing Approval

   MarComm’s chief marketing officer will send the approved proposal to the director of procurement, or their designee, with a recommendation on how long the p-card may be used for payment. For example, a recommendation might be, “Jane Smith should use her p-card to pay Meta for Facebook and Instagram advertising from July 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2023.” You will be copied on the email.

3. Pay for Advertising

   Your p-card may then be used to purchase the advertising. When you upload your p-card statements and receipts to the UWM Purchasing Card Approval and Storage Submission Form (Streamline), the email with approval from the Director of Procurement or their designee must also be uploaded. Advertising purchases that do not include pre-approval from the Director of Procurement or their designee may be flagged during an audit.