Nevada census contract awarded to out-of-state firm

By Cy Ryan

Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 | 2:15 p.m.

CARSON CITY – Secretary of State Ross Miller has bypassed seven Nevada firms to award an $866,000 contract to a Minnesota company to help with getting a full count in next year’s census.

Miller says the Weber Shandwick public relations firm of Minneapolis has prior experience in working with the census.

Nine firms submitted bids to gain the contract with Weber Shandwick and a Sacramento company the only out-of-state bidders.

Miller, at a meeting of the state Board of Examiners Friday, said in the 1990 census, Nevada was the sixth worst in the nation in counting its residents. In the 2000 census, it made “significant progress” when it rose to 17th best nationally. In that census, R& R Partners of Las Vegas had the contract for advertising and publicity.

R & R Partners was one of the seven Nevada firms that submitted bids.

Miller said Weber Shandwick would be partnering with the Ferraro Group in Reno and a lot of the advertising money will remain in Nevada.

The secretary of state said there was a request for proposals and a committee, of which he was not a member, selected Weber Shandwick. But he says he stands by the committee in making the final decision.

Miller told the examiners board, which approved the contract, that for every person not counted, the state would lose $917 a year in federal funds. He said it could amount to $80 million not coming to the state in the upcoming decade.

He also said the count also determines how many seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and the number of electoral votes in presidential election.

Barb Iverson, president of financial services for Weber Shandwick said it worked for the U.S. Census Bureau in 2007 handling public relations, partnerships and social media for the 2010 count.

She said the knowledge of the firm would "bring added value to Nevada efforts.”

Immediately after the board of examiners, Miller was in Las Vegas meeting with representatives of Weber Shandwick and the Ferraro Group to plan strategy.

Other Las Vegas firms besides R & R that bid on the contract were Faiss Foley Warren and WG Communications Group. Reno companies that submitted proposals were CLM Design Advertising and Interactive, Greg Mason Advertising Arts, Media Directions and The Glen Group. The only other out of state company to submit a bid was Katz & Associates of Sacramento.