030ADV22R0041 - IIR - BAA.pdf

The Library of Congress

Innovator in Residence Program Broad Agency Announcement

3-30-2022

BAA Number: 030ADV22R0041

3/30/2022 1

1. INTRODUCTION

The Library of Congress is issuing a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to seek participants for its Innovator in Residence Program.

1.1 Background

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

One of the missions of Library of Congress’ Labs (Labs) at the Library of Congress (Library) is to enable transformational experiences that connect the Library’s digital collections with the American people.

Labs established an Innovator in Residence Program (IIR) in 2017 to invite creative people with diverse perspectives and expertise to enable these transformational experiences, developing work inspired by the Library’s collections that demonstrate possibilities of how the Library relates to and enriches the work, life and imagination of the American people.

The residency serves the Library’s Digital Strategy by encouraging creative re-imaginings of how to bring the Library to users, inspire lifelong relationships, and support creativity in emerging styles of research.

Residents are required to do research with Library collections, create a unique digital work that may be hosted on the LC Labs website, host a public program, and serve as an ambassador for the Library during their tenure. The Labs team seeks proposals for research and work that promote insight and inspiration, discovery of Library items, connecting to new or diverse audiences and/or creative remixing and reuse. The selected resident will have access to both publicly available and on-site only Library collections, and will be given program and research support. The work(s) will be displayed on the Library’s websites and/or in public spaces at the discretion of the Library.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this BAA is to solicit digital projects that will support the objectives of Labs, enabling transformational experiences between the Library’s collections and the American people. As described below, project selection under this BAA is a two-step process beginning with the submission of a brief, 3-page (including the cover page) concept paper.

After review, the Library will invite some applicants to submit full proposals based on their concepts as described below. Selected residents will spend a minimum of 12 months, beginning in September 2022, engaging in research, producing creative work, and sharing that work with community. The award amount of up to $80,000 each year for no more than 2 years, will be paid based on the deliverables and timeline proposed. The residency may be extended for a second year pending Library approval and funding availability. This option year should be spent promoting and connecting the resident’s work and Library resources with communities, continuing research and refinements, additions, or variations on the original concept or work, and creating scaffolding materials for their work to https://www.loc.gov/digital-strategy/ https://labs.loc.gov/

3/30/2022 2 support community interaction. Applicants must include both years in the scope of the concept paper and full proposal to be eligible for a second residency year.

The selected resident will enter into a contract with the Library for the duration of the residency. The Library will only contract with individuals, not with organizations or teams.

A resident is allowed to sub-contract for supplemental labor and expertise. This BAA is limited to individuals who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

The majority of the residency can be remote, however the resident must spend at least 80 hours cumulatively on site at the Library’s offices in Washington, DC in year one. If the Library restricts access to Library buildings or the resident’s travel is limited due to COVID- 19, this requirement may be waived. Project funding is inclusive of all costs incurred during the residency, including production supplies, travel to and from the Library and lodging. The selected participant will consult with Labs and other Library staff to inform and give feedback on their work in progress. The selected resident will serve as an ambassador for the Library during their term, answering press requests and sharing their experience through social media and blog posts. The selected resident will articulate tasks with Labs and submit deliverables as defined by the project schedule.

The mission of the Library is to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. One of the Library’s primary purposes is to serve the United States Congress. The selected resident shall demonstrate a high degree of judgement in public communications.

The creative concept for the residency may represent, but is not limited to, the areas of interest outlined in section 2 below.

A. Federal Agency Name:

The Library of Congress (Library)

B. Opportunity Title:

Innovator in Residence Program

C. Broad Agency Announcement Number:

030ADV22R0041

D. Authority:

This BAA is issued under Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 35.016 (c).

This is not a FAR Part 15 Procurement. This BAA is intended to solicit concepts or ideas in accordance with FAR Part 35.016 for projects involving basic applied research to support state-of-the-art IT development (not related to the development of a system or hardware procurement) to increase Library or public knowledge or understanding of the Library collections.

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2. PROGRAM INTEREST AREAS

The following sections provide information about areas of interest for the Innovator in Residence program.

The digital works inspired by the Library’s collections and designated audience should tell an engaging story and prompt deeper inquiry, demonstrate a new method of discovering Library items, or present free-to-use items and tools to enable creative remixing and reuse.

Digital methods and mediums (such as applications, visualizations, AR, multimedia works) are required. The medium selected should enable the resident to achieve the greater purpose of the residency, allow the resulting work to encounter new uses of the Library’s collections from diverse perspectives, and support opportunities for radical new ideas, demonstrations, and opportunities for public service in the cultural heritage sector. The work or a digital derivative of the work may be hosted on the LC Labs website.

Library materials are available online and can be found on this page. Other Library resources include curated free to use image sets, researcher guides, the Library’s YouTube Channel, and API. For research support, applicants can submit a question about the Library’s collections using the Ask a Librarian service.

Please see the “LC Collection Ideas List” document available with this solicitation for a list of collections suggested by Library staff.

Program Area Definitions and Examples of Innovative Uses of the Library’s Collections

The following examples illustrate each program interest area using Library of Congress content. These examples are meant to suggest possibilities for, rather than limit, proposal concepts. Concepts must be designed with a particular user group or community in mind.

Consideration will be made to concept papers that identify non-traditional Library of Congress user groups, i.e. those less likely to encounter Library of Congress collection holdings, resources and services either online or in person.

2.1 Interpretation

The Library has long inspired artists to create engaging, thought-provoking and inspirational pieces from its collections through artistic mediums of all kinds, including music, theatrical performances, films, poems, paintings, sculpture, textile arts, applications and mixed-media works. The digital work proposed under the Interpretation program area would present a transformational interpretation of a Library of Congress item(s) or collection(s), and/or use research with Library collections to inspire the digital work. It is expected that concepts proposed under this area will represent the personal perspectives of the resident and will present an editorialized lens to raise awareness of relevant stories, insights and provocations for their designated audience.

https://loc.gov/ https://loc.gov/free-to-use/ https://guides.loc.gov/ https://www.youtube.com/c/loc/featured https://www.youtube.com/c/loc/featured https://www.loc.gov/apis/ https://ask.loc.gov/

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For example, as one deliverable during his residency, 2020 Innovator in Residence Brian Foo produced the album “Tracks from the Stacks” by remixing old phonograph records from the Library of Congress. Each song remixes a single item in the Library’s collection called Inventing Entertainment-The Early Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies, which contains early sound recordings on Edison Diamond Discs published between 1912 and 1929. The artist wanted to produce an album that “consistently evoke[s] the atmosphere and aesthetics of a specific era,” and, by having listeners encounter his work along with the original, alter the way they both are experienced.

2.2 Discovery

Concepts submitted for this program area shall demonstrate new digital paradigms for finding and using Library collections.

The following examples are digital applications that have been created by Library and LC Labs residents and fellows. They are shared as representative examples and are meant to neither influence nor limit resident concepts

Applications and visualizations in the LC Labs experiments gallery demonstrate varying attempts to use creative computing (i.e. a computation-aided creative practice) to activate digital collections at the Library of Congress. The suite of applications produced by 2018 IIR and data artist Jer Thorp, including “Library of Time” and “Library of Names”, demonstrate serendipitous ways to encounter Library of Congress collections at scale. All of these applications were made available for other users to remix and reuse for further creative personalization of Library content.

For example, computer scientist and 2020 Innovator in Residence in Residence Benjamin Lee used machine learning to enable discovery across images in historical newspapers at the Library of Congress. For decades, partners across the United States have collaborated to digitize newspapers through the Library’s Chronicling America website, a database of historical U.S. newspapers. The text of the newspapers is made searchable by character recognition technology, but users looking for specific images were required to page through the individual issues. Lee addressed this challenge with Newspaper Navigator, an application and dataset that allows users to search images in the newspapers by visual similarity and download datasets of images by format and year for research and reuse. Lee also published several white papers related to the project for computer science and library communities, including a data archeology that investigates how historical newspapers are “transmuted and decontextualized” during their digitization journey, resulting in erasure and algorithmic bias.

2.3 Reuse

Many Library patrons are interested in using images, video, and text from the collections for re-mixing and reuse. Concepts in this program area will design a work and/or https://labs.loc.gov/work/experiments/citizen-dj/tracks-from-stacks https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/about-this-collection/ https://www.loc.gov/collections/edison-company-motion-pictures-and-sound-recordings/about-this-collection/ https://labs.loc.gov/work/experiments/ https://labs.loc.gov/work/experiments/innovator-in-residence-jer-thorp/ https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ https://labs.loc.gov/work/experiments/newspaper-navigator/ https://labs.loc.gov/work/experiments/newspaper-navigator/ https://github.com/LibraryOfCongress/newspaper-navigator/blob/master/whitepapers/Newspaper_Navigator_Data_Archaeology.pdf

3/30/2022 5 workshop series that empowers and enables a user community to transform free to use digital collection(s) for their art, business, research and/or pleasure.

For example, Citizen DJ is an open-source web-browser application created by Library of Congress 2020 Innovator in Residence Brian Foo. Using some of the Library’s free-to-use audio and moving image collections, Citizen DJ enables users to select short samples to create their own beats and sound mixes. Foo created the work to give generations of artists and producers sounds from the Library’s collections to fuel their creative work and connect their listeners to materials that might otherwise go unremembered. The resident also created a guide to the laws and ethics of digital sampling with historic material.

Foo’s concept paper and full proposal are available with this selection on Sam.gov for reference.

Created by artist and 2021 Innovator in Residence Courtney McClellan, Speculative Annotation is an open-source dynamic web application and public art project. The app presents a unique mini collection of free-to-use items from the Library for students, teachers and learners to annotate through captions, drawings and other types of mark-making. As a special feature for Speculative Annotation users, the app includes a collection of informative, engaging annotations from Library experts and resources on the Library’s website. McClellan hopes educators will participate in national conversations about these items and their relevancy today by sharing what they create on social media with #annotateLOC.

2.4 Other

In the spirit of creativity, innovation, and transformational concepts, applicants can apply with a concept that does not meet one of the prepared program areas above. Concepts qualifying as “other” must still meet the requirements in this announcement, to include creating a transformational encounter with a Library item, collection, or inspired by a Library item or collection and supporting state of the art IT development. Concepts must be designed with a particular user group or community in mind.

3. Program Guidelines This announcement constitutes the public announcement, contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2), and no formal Request for Proposals or other solicitation regarding this announcement will be issued.

The Library reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Library to pay for any concept paper or proposal preparation costs.

The Library may modify the schedule or areas of interest by amending this BAA. The amendments will be posted on SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the applicant to be aware of the amendments by regularly checking SAM.gov website.

https://citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov/ https://citizen-dj.labs.loc.gov/guide/ https://annotation.labs.loc.gov/48038600 https://annotation.labs.loc.gov/48038600

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3.1 Schedule

Issuance Date: 03/30/2022

Informational Webinar Dates: 04/7/2022 3:00pm-4:00pm EST 04/13/2022 4:00pm-5:00pm EST

Please register for the webinars on the LC Labs website.

Project Concept Paper Due Dates: 12:00PM EST on 05/02/2022

Full Proposal Due Dates: By invitation only

Award announcement: Est. 06/2022

Contract Begins: 09/2022

A Proposal may be submitted only if the applicant received an invitation to submit a proposal based on their concept paper, and must be submitted by the Proposal due date identified in the invitation.

Questions Questions Due: 12:00PM EST on 04/18/2022

Email your questions to Loc-BAA@loc.gov. The email shall include this BAA number (030ADV22R0041) and “BAA Innovator in Residence” in the subject line. Questions received after the questions due date above may not be answered. The Library will provide answers to questions periodically by issuing amendments to this announcement, and will keep a running list of questions and answers on the LC Labs website.

3.2 The Project Selection Process

Project selection under this BAA is a two-step process beginning with the submission of a brief, 3-page (including the cover page) concept paper. After review, the Library will invite some applicants to submit full proposals based on their concepts. The amount of resources made available under this BAA will depend on the concepts received and the availability of funds.

An example of a concept paper and project proposal from former Innovator in Residence Brian Foo is available with this solicitation on SAM.gov. Keep in mind that the program areas have been updated in this round.

3.2.1. Step 1: Concept Papers

The first step of the process is the submission and evaluation of project concept papers. As detailed in Section 4 below, the concept paper provides a brief overview of the proposed https://labs.loc.gov/about/opportunities/innovator-in-residence-program https://labs.loc.gov/about/opportunities/innovator-in-residence-program

3/30/2022 7 effort. The Library will use the 3-page concept paper to gauge applicability and interest in the proposed effort. All applicants must submit a concept paper in order to be considered for award. Applicants may submit more than one concept paper.

Concept papers must address the content required and be delivered in the format described in Section 4. Concept papers will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria described in Section 5.1.1.

After the submission of the concept paper, the Library may discuss the paper with the applicant in order to develop or refine project concepts and avoid unnecessary work by either party on projects that are not suitable for this opportunity.

The Library may select for further consideration the concept papers that are determined to provide overall technical value as evaluated pursuant to Section 5.1.1. Some applicants who submit concept papers may not be invited to proceed to Step 2. The Library will notify applicants when a concept paper is not selected to proceed to Step 2.

3.2.2. Step 2: Invitation to Submit Project Proposal

Following the concept paper evaluation and discussion, the Library may invite the applicant to submit a detailed full proposal for award evaluation. Proposals must be prepared and submitted in accordance with Section 4 below. Submissions that are incomplete, materially lacking, or not responsive to the technical requirements of this BAA, may not be evaluated, or may be evaluated as is, without further opportunity for revision, at the Library’s discretion.

Full proposals must address the content required and be delivered in the format described in Section 4. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria described in Section 5.1.2.

3.2.3. Intellectual Property Rights

The Library’s intention in this solicitation is that the works created are of maximum benefit to the American people. To that end, the products created as a result of this BAA (to include the creative work, public event recordings, blog posts and other project documentation) must be made available on loc.gov properties (at the Libraries discretion) or through a publicly accessible URL for at least two (2) years after project completion and published under a CC0 1.0 universal license. The applicant must grant the Library and public an irrevocable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, non-exclusive worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, copy, display, create derivative works, and publicly post, link to, and share, the work(s) or parts thereof, for the purpose of promoting the residency, making it accessible to the American people and for any other purpose.

The applicant must describe any limitations on any intellectual property that will affect applicant’s performance of the contract or affect the Library’s (or the public’s) subsequent

3/30/2022 8 use of any deliverable under the contract. In particular, the applicant must: describe the intellectual property in sufficient detail, clearly state any limitations, and describe how the Library can use the work with the limitations described or proposed by the applicant. This information must be included in the Project’s Concept Paper and if invited to submit, the Project Proposal.

Applicant shall submit information describing intellectual property that will be used in the performance of the contract and any proposed restriction on use of the intellectual property.

Applicant must provide good faith representations, in writing, that they either own or possess appropriate licensing rights to the intellectual property that will be used for the project. If applicant is unable to make such representation concerning the intellectual property, applicant shall provide a list of the intellectual property needed, and explain how the applicant plans to obtain the rights.

3.3 Concept Paper and Proposal Submission Instructions

A. Applicant shall email project concept papers and, upon invitation, proposals to Loc-BAA@loc.gov. The email shall include this BAA number (030ADV22R0041) and “BAA Innovator in Residence” in the subject line no later than the due dates described in Section

3.1 above. The applicant must comply with the submission instructions in this BAA. If the concept paper and proposal does not comply materially with the submission instructions, the Library reserves the right at its discretion to determine the applicant is ineligible for award. Proposals submitted to SAM.gov will not be accepted. The maximum file size allowed through the Library’s email system is 20MB. If needed, applicant may send multiple emails but must ensure they are all clearly identified. Applicant must not submit zipped or locked files.

3.4 Project Funding

Awards resulting from this BAA will be made based on the evaluation results of a two-phased process. The Library reserves the right to fund all, some or none of the proposals submitted, and may elect to fund proposals in part. The Library anticipates funding proposals up to $80,000 per year, for two years. In addition, the Library reserves the right to create and maintain a list of proposals for potential funding.

Offers considered unresponsive to the Library’s requests for information in a timely manner, which is defined as meeting Library deadlines established and communicated with the request for information, may be removed from further consideration.

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4. Submittal Requirements

Concept papers and proposal must be in English, meet the specifications of this BAA and submitted on the dates described in Section 3.1 above.

4.1 Project Concept Paper

Project concept papers shall provide a concise description of the proposed project, organized as defined in the following sections. Concept papers must be no more than three pages in length, including the cover page. Concept paper submissions must not include promotional brochures, advertisements or extraneous material.

In case of multiple proposals from a single applicant, a separate concept paper is required for each project. A project will not be considered for award without an approved concept paper.

4.1.1 Cover Page

Concept Papers shall include a cover page containing the following information:

° Working title of proposed project ° Applicable Program Interest Area(s) ° Names, phone numbers, and applicant’s email address ° Date of submittal ° Intellectual property rights ° Proprietary data restrictions

4.1.2 Vision Statement

Concept Papers shall include a vision statement that describes the creative concept and the envisioned community, user type, and/or audience for the resulting work. Consideration will be given to concepts that serve non-traditional Library of Congress users, i.e. those less likely to encounter Library of Congress collection holdings, resources and services either online or in person. The vision statement should also describe how the concept is transformational for libraries and for the intended audience, as well as any pertinent influences (individuals, works, schools of thought, personal experiences) that underpin applicant’s concept.

A. Introduction: Applicant must briefly describe (1) the concept for their envisioned digital work, (2) the intended audience for that work, and (3) why it is transformational for both libraries and the intended audience. In addressing these

3/30/2022 10 three areas, applicants must provide a statement on how the proposed concept enhances the ability of the Library to meet its goals described in this BAA.

B. Approach and feasibility: Applicant must briefly describe (1) their research and artistic approach, (2) the resources that will be needed, dependencies, and possible risks, including to the communities that may encounter the work. The majority of research must be done with Library of Congress collections and staff.

C. Capability and Experience: Applicant shall briefly describe (1) their capability in providing the services described, such as those that support the exercise of good judgement in public communications, and (2) relevant past experience to the proposed project and connecting with the proposed audience of the public work.

4.1.3 Schedule and Price Estimates

Applicant shall provide a brief project schedule and an estimated price for the project, anticipated to be no more than $80,000 per year for a maximum of two years. The schedule should include when work is expected to occur on-site. The Library anticipates that at least 80 hours of on-site work will be needed cumulatively in year one. The unique work must be delivered within the first year.

In the second year, applicant will promote and connect their work and Library resources with communities, continue their research, and create scaffolding materials for their work to support community interaction. Work completed in year one cannot be dependent on a second year, which is optional as described above, subject to approval by the Library and availability of funds.

An example of an accepted price proposal from former Innovator in Residence Brian Foo is available with this Announcement on SAM.gov.

4.2 Project Proposal

Following the review, evaluation and discussions of the concept paper, the Library may invite the applicant to submit a formal full proposal for the project. The proposal builds upon the contents of the concept paper, as modified through discussions between the applicant and the Library. Additional content and more detailed information is required in the proposal document, as described in the sections that follow. Proposal documents must be organized in three (3) volumes. Submissions that are incomplete, materially lacking, or not responsive to the technical requirements of this BAA, may be rejected without evaluation, or evaluated as is, without further opportunity for revision, at the discretion of the Library.

The proposal shall be organized in three volumes as follows:

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Volume 1: Technical Proposal o Introduction o Technical Approach o Project Plan o Capabilities, Experience and Past Performance

Volume 2: Price Proposal

Volume 3: Supplemental Information o SAM Registration o Intellectual Property

Applicant is advised that the Library’s evaluation of a project for possible award is based solely on the content of the applicant’s project proposal document, a review of public communications by the applicant and applicant’s answers to any technical clarification questions provided to the Library.

Prior to making an award, the Library reserves the right to perform a review of past performance. Sources of past performance may include the sources provided in the proposal, Contract Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), the Federal Award Performance Integrity System (FAPIIS), and any other sources the Contracting Officer deems relevant.

4.2.1 Cover Page

Project Proposals shall include a cover page containing the following information:

° Working title of proposed project ° Program Interest area(s) ° Applicant’s name, phone number, mailing and email addresses ° Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number issued by SAM.gov after registration or TIN as applicable ° Date of submittal

4.2.2 Volume 1: Technical Proposal

4.2.2.1 Introduction

Applicant must explain how the proposed effort would help the Library meet its goals described in this BAA.

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In this section, applicant shall provide the following:

° Describe proposed concept and resulting work ° Describe the envisioned community, user type, and/or audience for the resulting work and the applicant’s expertise or experience in working with members of this community, user type, or audience. Consideration will be given to concepts that serve non-traditional Library of Congress users, i.e. those less likely to encounter Library of Congress collection holdings, resources and services either online or in person

° Describe how the project is transformational.

o How does the conceptual and technical nature of the work change the way the public encounters Library of Congress item(s), collection(s), and/or ideas and/or stories from Library of Congress item(s) and/or collections? How does it demonstrate new approaches for libraries and archives to engage with patrons?

o How is the concept and resulting work transformative for the envisioned audience?

° Anticipated requirements on Library staff time

The Library will provide a space for resident at the Library, as well as administrative and research support. The resident may receive a Library of Congress email address, laptop, and access to select staff-only platforms if required for their project.

4.2.2.2 Technical Approach

Applicant shall provide a narrative description of work to be performed, organized in the order it is expected to be performed. The technical approach shall include all activities necessary for the effort, describe all steps, tasks and activities necessary to achieve the desired project results. It must identify and describe deliverables, presentations, demonstrations and periodic reports. In addition, it must describe the quality requirements for the project and identify the processes and/or procedures that will be employed to ensure the requirements are satisfied.

A. Project Plan

The proposal shall contain a detailed project plan based on the following minimum requirements. All deliverables submitted over the course of the described in the project schedule are subject to the intellectual property rights requirements described in section 3.2.3.

of this solicitation.

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Project Schedule ° Applicant must sequence the project activities and deliverables into milestones, including estimated completion times (weeks from project start date) ° The schedule should include when work is expected to occur on-site, at least 80 hours cumulatively in year one.

° Applicant should include intermediate progress reviews, demonstrations, tests, and/or opportunities for feedback, and periodic reporting activities in the schedule.

° All project deliverables shall be clearly indicated on the project schedule. If applicant is submitting a plan for more than 12 months, deliverables for year one cannot be dependent on year two. Plans cannot exceed 24 months.

° Required deliverables for year one include:

o The unique digital work or a digital derivative of the work for stand-alone presentation on the LC Labs website, such as a digital image, screen recording, video recording, audio recording, or essay.

▪ Additionally, a link to the work IF it is hosted on a public URL. This could include a personal website, a third party platform that is publically accessible and approved by the Library, or hosting on Library systems (at the Library’s discretion) o Authored text and images for a blog post to be shared on Library of Congress web properties o Descriptions, biographical information and other related materials for two press releases announcing the opening of the residency and the publication of the public work.

o Agenda and supporting presentation materials for public engagement event o If applicant is proposing a second residency year, required deliverables include:

o Materials designed to increase awareness of the products of the residency and the Library, including agendas for promotional events and supporting presentation materials, text and images for publications, or scripts for Library of Congress videos and media interviews.

o Scaffolding materials that support engagement with the work designed for specific communities or activities such as lesson plans, essays, videos, FAQs, and visuals. Evidence of further research and iteration on the concept, such as refinements or additions to the original work, or further variations on the concept

4.2.2.3 Capabilities, Experience and Past Performance

Applicant shall identify and describe applicant’s capability and experience as it relates to this project. Describe any capabilities and experience that will demonstrate applicant’s ability to successfully conduct the proposed project, connect with the proposed audience for the work, and exercise a high degree of judgement in public communications. The proposal shall include up to 3 examples and references for past relevant efforts describing capabilities, work and significant accomplishments in areas directly associated with proposed interest area or in closely related areas.

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4.2.3 Volume 2: Price Proposal

See Attachment 1 for specific requirements for the pricing information and formatting requirements. The pricing proposal must conform to the requirements in Attachment 1 and below.

The pricing section of the project proposal shall contain a price estimate for the proposed effort to allow for meaningful evaluation and for the Library to determine that the price is reasonable. The price estimate is not expected to exceed $80,000 per year, for two years. If a future phase beyond 12 months is included, an estimate shall be provided as a separately labeled section in Volume 2 (Price Schedule). The price estimate shall account for the entire price of the project. The price estimate shall at a minimum include the following information:

A. Identify the time (weeks, months) projected for each milestone.

B. Travel and materials required to perform each milestone. This information must be included in the firm-fixed price per milestone. Applicant shall propose and implement a project consistent with this requirement. (i.e., the Library will not pay applicant for anything beyond the contract award for any additional items, such as, travel or supplies).

C. Sub-contracted labor or other costs required to perform each milestone, if appropriate.

4.2.4 Volume 3: Supplemental Information

4.2.4.1 SAM Registration:

To be eligible for award of a contract resulting from this BAA, applicant must be registered in the System for Award Management. Instructions can be found on https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. This process can take several weeks, so if you are not already registered, you should start that process immediately upon receiving an invitation to submit a full proposal. It is a free process and is necessary for any individual or organization that wants to receive any kind of federal grant or contract. Applicant shall provide confirmation of registration in Volume 3 of proposal.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

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5. Evaluation and Award Process

5.1 Evaluation Criteria

5.1.1 Project Concept Paper

The Library will conduct a peer review of each concept paper consisting of either solely internal parties (Library Experts) or a combination of internal and external experts. The Peer Review Board will recommend whether to move forward with the project, as well as revisions or additions to the project. There is no predetermined number of times the Peer Review Board will review each Concept Paper. However, in general all concept papers received prior to the specified due date and that have not yet been awarded or rejected will be evaluated by the Peer Review Board. The Peer Review Board is not obligated to recommend a Concept Paper to move forward to Step 2 and the Contracting Officer is not obligated to extend an invitation to every applicant recommended by the Peer Review Board. The Library reserves the right to limit the number of Concept Papers selected to move forward solely based on efficiencies.

Applicants not selected to move forward to Step 2 will be notified, however due to the number of Concept Papers received, the Library may be unable to provide details on why the Concept Paper was not selected.

Project concept papers will be evaluated for overall technical importance to the Library’s area(s) of interest. Concept papers will not be evaluated against other concept papers.

Rather, concept papers will be evaluated independently pursuant to the following criteria:

° Responsiveness to BAA Objectives and Requirements The Library will evaluate the degree to which the proposed concept and resulting work meets the program objectives of the BAA and is responsive to the requirements published in this announcement.

° Vision Statement

The Library will evaluate the degree to which the proposed project presents a convincing, transformative, and thoughtful approach to connecting Library of Congress item(s) and/or collections to a specified user group, community, or audience. Consideration will be made to concept papers that identify non-traditional Library of Congress user groups, i.e. those less likely to encounter Library of Congress collection holdings, resources and services either online or in person.

° Capability and Experience

The Library will evaluate the degree to which the qualifications and experience support successful execution of the proposed project.

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5.1.2 Project Proposals

Project proposals should be submitted only by invitation from the Library of Congress.

Proposals will be evaluated solely on the following criteria, as published in this announcement:

° Technical Approach

Approach and feasibility: The Library will evaluate the degree to which the proposal provides reasonable and logical approach to the project, integrates the Library’s area(s) of interest, provides appropriate reports and deliverables to document progress and outcomes, quality controls and realistic project risk assessment. The Library will assess the reasonableness of the proposed labor hours in relation to projects of similar scope and complexity for the deliverables identified. The Library will assess whether the proposed approach (including cost) reflects a clear understanding of the project goals and Library requirements. The Library will also evaluate the extent to which the proposal will require Library staff time to accomplish and the availability of those resources.

° Project Plan

The Library will evaluate the completeness of the project plan in terms of required elements.

° Capability, Experience, and Past Performance

The Library will evaluate the degree of experience and capability demonstrated by applicant as these elements relate to the project work and influence the project’s potential for a successful outcome.

The Library may contact any references listed to help with this evaluation.

As the IIR is expected to speak publicly about his or her work on behalf of the Library, the Library will also evaluate the extent to which the applicant has demonstrated a high degree of judgement in public communications.

° Price

Project proposals evaluated favorably from a technical perspective, have no outstanding issues or areas of clarification, and are determined to be consistent with the objectives of the BAA and of interest to the Library, will be evaluated for price and the availability of funding.

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Price data submitted will be evaluated for reasonableness. The Library will assess the reasonableness of the proposed labor rates and other costs in relation to projects of similar scope and complexity for the deliverables identified.

5.2 Award Process

A proposal must be acceptable under all evaluation factors to be considered eligible for award. Each proposal will be evaluated independently based on the following factors, listed in descending order of importance.

A. Technical Approach B. Capabilities and Experience C. Price

All non-price factors when combined are significantly more important than price.

5.2.1 Award Terms and Conditions

The Library will provide the terms when the award is identified.

5.2.2 Specific Rights Reserved for the Library under this BAA The Library reserves specific rights, in addition to rights described elsewhere in this document or by law or regulation, including:

A. The right to select for negotiation and award all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this BAA.

B. The right to make award without discussions, or conduct discussions and/or negotiations, whichever is determined to be in the Library’s interest.

C. The right to accept proposals in their entirety or select only portions of the proposals for award.

D. The right to select for award a contract type that is appropriate for the specific proposal selected for award. The right to select for award the instrument type that is appropriate for the specific proposal selected for award. Instrument types include standard commercial contracts and Library contracts for technical or professional services. In addition, the Library may create a new instrument type to meet the needs of a specific relationship.

E. The right to request any additional, necessary documentation upon initial review.

Such additional information may include, a further detailed concept paper, budget, and representations and certifications.

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F. The right to fund concept papers in phases, with options for continued work at the end or one or more of the phases.

G. The right to remove an applicant from award consideration, should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, and price within reasonable time, the applicant fails to provide requested additional information in a timely manner, or the Library believes it is in its best interest.

H. By participating in the BAA, the applicant agrees that if awarded a Firm-Fixed-Price type contract with milestone payments, the Library’s liability for any effort performed shall not exceed the amount obligated under the contract and payments will be made only for accepted deliverables or milestones. The applicant shall propose and implement a program consistent with this requirement.

C. Capability and Experience: Applicant shall briefly describe (1) their capability in providing the services described, such as those that support the exercise of good judgement in public communications, and (2) relevant past experience to the propos...