Attachment J-5 - 030ADV23R0048 - QA - COVID-19 - 06122023 - (pp. 6 ).pdf

Attachment J-5 - 030ADV23R0048 – 6/12/2023 - 6 pages Responses to Questions – COVID-19 Oral History Project

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# Question Answer

1 Where can I access the links to the webinars? The link to the first recorded webinar can be found in Amendment 0002. The link to the second recorded webinar can be found in Amendment 0003.

2 Do these interviews need to be across the entire United States or can they be localized by region?

Geographic scope can be determined by the offeror, and can be at the national level down to a specific city or town.

3 The COVID19 American History Project Act (FY23) Appropriations Bill specifically states that the focus of this documentation should be on “frontline health care workers.” But, Section C., pp 5-6 indicates that it’s open to “frontline workers in a range of sectors across the United States.” My question is:

are the proposals limited to health care workers or more broadly, frontline workers in general?

Submissions should relate to frontline workers in general and do not need to be limited only to healthcare workers.

4 Are there any specific people groups and/or demographics from which the library is most interested in hearing from?

The Library is interested in proposals focused on frontline workers in general, meaning those whose work is public-facing or involves interacting with the public and was directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 When will the 30 day clock for the final plan submission start?

The thirty-day clock will start on the first day of the period of performance of the contract.

6 When do you expect to make the award? The Library anticipates awarding contracts before September 30. Most likely in mid- September 2023

7 I am representing a team of university researchers, can we use the data for our research?

Per the solicitation (see LC52.227-3), intellectual property rights (including copyright) remain with the contractor.

8 The criteria for the final results assume that the interviewees would not mind being public (not anonymous) — however, part of the dilemma of Covid medical workers is that they often do not feel they can be public about their feelings. Does this project allow for the interviewee to be anonymous? (This is key. I know as I am already doing this work)

Anonymous interviews are not acceptable as the solicitation is intended to support oral history interview projects that enhance the public record.

Attachment J-5 - 030ADV23R0048 – 6/12/2023 - 5 pages

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9 Can offerors use the interview transcripts for analysis and publication?

Per the solicitation (see LC52.227-3), intellectual property rights (including copyright) remain with the contractor.

10 Also a seemingly naive query: Is the three page concept paper to be single or double-spaced.

The Library does not have a preference for either single or double spaced concept papers.

11 For the 3 page concept paper, may the page be provided via pdf. format?

The Library will accept concept papers in PDF format.

12 How much consideration is prior experience weighed in selecting an awardee?

The technical proposal factors are of equal importance as stated on p. 14 of the solicitation.

13 Can you indicate to us the website where we can find the answers to these additional questions on Friday?

Responses to questions will be posted to the same page where the solicitation is posted.

14 Have there been prior solicitations similar to this one that we can research to better form our concepts/document our interviews?

The Library has not posted a solicitation similar to this one.

15 Are we allowed to incentivize interviewees via any form of compensation?

We encourage incentivization for interview participation, especially in instances where interviewees are being asked to allocate time for the project that may impact their work schedule.

16 Can you say more about Storycorps’ involvement in this project — given that there are already many nonprofits and project who are collecting and gathering Covid stories.

StoryCorps is not involved in this solicitation at all, but may have a role in the larger three-part project that AFC has designed in response to the COVID-19 American History Act.

17 Is 30 the maximum number of interview transcripts we can submit? Would interviewing more help our submission?

The solicitation suggests 20-30 interviews as a range. Proposing more interviews will not increase a proposal’s chances of success during the evaluation process.

18 Will interlocuters/interviewees be able to request to be anonymous in the interviews?

No, the Library will not accept anonymous interviews as the solicitation is intended to support oral history interview projects that enhance the public record.

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19 May we interview members of frontline workers’ families to better contextualize our submissions?

Oral history interviews must be limited to frontline workers themselves.

20 Would the interviewees need to be still currently employed in the job they were doing during the past few years? This would seem to be key since many medical workers left their jobs, citing Covid.

Interviewees need not be in the same job as they were during the time period under consideration through interviews. Leaving a job may have been an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and would be eligible for discussion during an oral history interview.

21 The initial appropriations Bill (FY23) indicated that this oral history initiative was to focus centrally on "frontline health care workers who tirelessly worked to eradicate the virus." CAHP, as described in the call for proposals, however, includes all frontline workers. Does this mean frontline workers beyond those in healthcare?

The reason I ask is that I'm interested in proposing an oral history project that specifically targets public school teachers and administrators. Would this population of workers be appropriate for CAHP or is this project focused primarily on health care workers/associates?

The Library is interested in proposals focused on frontline workers in general, meaning those whose work is public-facing or involves interacting with the public and was directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 On Section C page 6 under the "Recorded Interview Packet" section, it states that for audio recording specs the content must be recorded using "professional or semi-professional equipment." What is exactly meant by this distinction of "professional"?

Would Zoom be an appropriate recording tool with the proper audio and visual settings along with professional microphones and headphones?

The Library intends for the solicitation to support high quality audio/video recordings that will enable researchers and the general public to accurately and effectively listen to the life experience narratives of frontline workers.

As such, the equipment used should be of a quality that produces clear and precise audio.

23 My team already has a running podcast which details the various experiences of essential workers and community members about their time throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We just began the podcast and as of today, we have 13 episodes out. Would

No, the Library intends this solicitation to support fieldwork during the period of performance for an award. Previously recorded interviews would not be counted toward the requirements.

6/12/2023 Page 4 of 6 these already pre-published episodes be able to be counted towards the wanted 20-30 interviews for the project or would we be starting fresh?

24 My team has a pre-established podcast.

Would we be able to use the interviews conducted for the Oral History Project for our own podcast and publish them separately just noting a partnership with the Library of Congress?

Contractors may use the interviews funded with this award for other projects. However, receiving this oral history award does not constitute a partnership with the Library of Congress. The Library’s name may only be used with the Library’s explicit legal consent.

25 For the concept proposal would you prefer the 3-page document to be single or double-spaced?

Either a single-spaced or double-spaced document is acceptable.

26 Does Attachment J-4 which is the Detailed Price Schedule need to be submitted with the concept paper?

No. The detailed price schedule must be submitted with complete project proposals.

27 Do the audio/videos need to be edited by contractor or is “raw” footage submittable?

Audio/videos can be submitted as they are recorded. Audio/videos do not need to be edited by the contractor before submission.

Do workers have to be American Citizens or documented migrants? Can interviewees be undocumented migrants living in the US?

The Library does not have an official stance on this question, but anticipates that the interviewer will proceed in accordance with the best practices, including informed consent and risk minimization for the interviewee.

Must transcripts be submitted in English only? May transcripts can be transcribed into both original language and English?

In order to support access to the collection items generated through projects supported by this solicitation, the Library would like to have English-language transcripts (or logs) for interviews conducted in languages other than English. The Library will accept audio or video recordings of interviews conducted in languages other than English.

Can the Offeror be an individual person and/or organization (any type) registered in

SAM?

The offeror may be any entity with a UEI, preferably, also registered with SAM.gov.

Will you have to pay taxes on the value of the award?

Offerors are responsible for determining the applicability and relevance of tax regulations and for handling their taxes independently.

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Do American first responders who were working abroad count as possible interview subjects?

American first responders working abroad can be possible interview subjects, if their frontline experience was with COVID-19.

Do the demographics workers count all types in general or first responder workers only (healthcare, police, etc).

The purpose of the project is to collect the experiences of frontline workers – broadly defined – with the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than only first responders.

Can you propose to focus on one region, such as metro NY area, or must interviewees be spread nationally?

Geographic scope can be determined by the offeror, and can be from the national level down to a specific city or town.

Grant disbursement schedule (all at once, upon milestones, etc)?

This is not a grant. This is a solicitation which may result in contracts. The payment schedule is available on page 32 and 33 of the solicitation document. Offerors will receive payment upon submission and Library acceptance of the final package. This is not a grant.

Can grant funds be used to purchase equipment? Cloud storage?

Award funding can be used for the purchase of equipment necessary for the proposed project, including cloud storage.

Will there be periodic reports that must submit intermittently?

Contractors must submit a detailed project proposal thirty days from the start of the performance period on the contract.

Contractors must also submit a complete interview package between 180 and 320 days from the start of the performance period. See attachment J-3 in the solicitation for more information.

What kind of financial and or M&E records/documentation will we be required to keep and/or submit?

Offerors selected to submit full project proposals will be required to submit a price proposal. Details on the price proposal are available in section L of the solicitation document.

39 Is the use of AI transcription applications (ex https://otter.ai) acceptable or forbidden?

You may use AI transcription applications for oral history interviews, assuming the technology provides accurate transcriptions of your oral history work.

40 May we submit multiple concept papers (and down the line, multiple contract proposals)?

For example, we have at least two specific locales in mind. Each one would be its own

The Library will only accept one concept paper from each offeror. Any concept paper should address all potential geographic locales or other factors comprising a given project. The https://otter.ai/

6/12/2023 Page 6 of 6 project, therefore require its own contract budget

Library intends to invite only one full proposal from any offeror following the process outlined in the solicitation.

41 I am still waiting for confirmation of my SAM registration, but I am hoping to have it completed soon. I do have my entity number.

Is it okay that I apply for this position if I'm not officially registered? Also, how do I submit my application?

Offerors who have at least a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) are eligible to submit a concept paper, and if selected, a proposal.

42 Where do I find the application? This is a solicitation which may result in a contract. The solicitation contains all of the requirements and instructions for submission.

There is not an application.

43 Is the pricing/project schedule for the concept paper to be attached as a separate excel file?

Please attach the Excel file separately.