Water Development Board Wants to Beef Up Data Use

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is on trend by making public data transparent and searchable, but it is seeking a vendor to spread the word.

The agency last week issued request for qualifications (RFQ) No. 580-24-RFQ-0020 with the title “Development of Communications and Marketing Plan for the Texas Water Data Hub.” Submissions are due by 5 p.m. May 20, and questions are due by April 29.

The TWDB will award a highly qualified vendor an eight-month, $48,000 contract.

The data hub launched last year with the goal of creating an “intuitive system to index, document, search and access Texas water data,” according to its mission statement. The agency bases this work on FAIR principles — making data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

According to the RFQ, the state has more than 4,000 public water systems, 100 groundwater conservation districts and dozens of river authorities, among other users and creators of water data.

To reach these organizations, TWDB wants a qualified firm to create outreach planning that will increase participation, increase traffic, build a brand, bring event listings together and educate people about FAIR data principles.

The first step is human-centered research to create personas upon which a plan will be built.

Deliverables will include a social media toolkit, e-newsletter and blog templates, hard-copy collateral and display materials.

The TWDB posts opportunities on the Texas SmartBuy website and uses agency search number 580. This RFQ’s contact person is Veronica Holmes.