UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO PROFILE
In just half a century, the University of Waterloo, located at the heart of Canada’s technology hub, has become a leading comprehensive university with more than 40,000 full- and part-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Waterloo goes beyond the classroom, to a place where experience is the teacher. Beyond problems to solutions that address social, technical and economic needs. Beyond the laboratory, to the research that propels industries, organizations and society.
Waterloo is at the forefront of innovation and is home to transformational research and inspired learning. Located in the heart of Canada's technology hub, we are growing a network of global partnerships that will shape the future by working beyond disciplines and building bridges with industry, institutions and communities.
Our incredible people and partners take us beyond the lives we're living today, to find solutions to the global challenges that lie ahead. Creating change that goes beyond the status quo and is felt around the world.
Waterloo goes beyond—to challenge, connect and propel our world.
Find out more about the University of Waterloo at https://uwaterloo.ca/about/who-we-are/waterloo-facts.
RFP BACKGROUND
The University of Waterloo’s central communications team leads the development and delivery of stories, messages and materials designed to engage, inform and deliver on Waterloo’s central goal — to be recognized as one of the world’s top innovation universities.
Media Relations
The University of Waterloo media relations team is Waterloo's primary contact for local, regional, national and international media organizations. The media relations team works closely with communicators across campus and with the staff of the department of University Communications in the office of the vice president, university relations.
The media relations team is responsible for:
- Issuing press releases, media advisories and expert advisories
- Arranging and facilitating media coverage of Waterloo
- Promoting Waterloo experts to the media
- Assisting Waterloo faculty, students and staff with interactions with the media
- Monitoring and reporting Waterloo's news coverage and production of the Waterloo NewsWatch
Current state
We have in place software that provides us a suite of services related to media relations, public relations reporting, crisis communications and brand management. We primarily use this software to distribute news of our research, which is core to the university’s strengths and priorities on a global scale. As sharing that content is so vital to our strategy, we work closely with our partners to ensure data is accurate, clear and accessible for our leadership, central communications teams as well as our many faculty communicators.
Future state
We seek robust software that can continue to support and guide us through the above media outreach and relations, data and reporting, crisis communications and reputation management. As the world moves into an ecosystem where the lines between traditional and social media blur, it is becoming ever-more crucial for us that we understand not just trends in media but audience behaviour in general. We are a small but nimble group that depends on effective and modern distribution channels and robust feedback in guiding our decision-making at all levels of our organization. In short, we are looking for one solution for our many basic needs that can also give us the data we need to do our jobs in a fast-changing world.
Questions regarding this Request for Proposal may be submitted in writing (via email) to the RFP Contact Person:
Christine Wagner, Procurement and Contract Services
200 University Avenue West
University of Waterloo, East Campus 2
Waterloo ON N2L 5Z5
Email: cpwagner@uwaterloo.ca or, procure@uwaterloo.ca
