News Clipping Service- 05GA0A22Q0016- Questions and Answers- Final.pdf

News Clipping Service

RFQ: 05GA0A22Q0016

Questions and Answers

Question 1: The sample needed for the week of February 28th to March 4th are you looking for

1 sample of the entire week of coverage or would you like 5 separate samples each day delivered at 7:30AM EST? Also, who should we deliver the samples to?

Answer 1: The vendor shall submit five separate samples as part of the quotations submitted to

GAO.

Question 2: Besides the two key initiatives for GAO what else would you like to see in the deliverable?

Answer 2: All requirements are set out in the Statement of Work.

Question 3: What is the total annual budget for these requirements?

Answer 3: The GAO does not share budget requirements with vendors.

Question 4: Who is the incumbent vendor supporting these requirements?

Answer 4: Burrelle’s Information Service, LLC doing business as BurrellesLuce is the incumbent vendor.

Question 5: What are the requirements for support outside of normal business hours?

Answer 5: There are no additional requirements outside normal business hours.

Question 6: Is there a page limit for the Technical response?

Answer 6: 10 pages double spaced.

Question 7: Does GAO require the ability to track non-English coverage including non-Latin characters such as Hindi, Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.?

Answer 7: No.

Question 8: Is there a need to access historical online news and social media coverage from previous years? If so, how far back is required?

Answer 8: No.

Question 9: Does GAO require the ability to listen on social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Review Sites, Comments, etc.)?

Answer 9: Sound is required if necessary to gain access to story. The only social media site

GAO is interested in is Twitter.

Question 10: Can GAO provide its existing media tracking Keywords/search terms?

Answer 10: Utilize a search-string strategy that includes all iterations of GAO's name and other appropriate terms, such as: Government Accountability Office, GAO, General Accountability

Office, General Accounting Office, Government Accounting Office, and Comptroller General.

Question 11: Can GAO provide a sample of their current news clipping product?

Answer 11: No.

Question 12: Is there a specific list of sources GAO would like vendors to use for Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 categories?

Answer 12: There is no specific list. The standard is based on circulation/readership statistics.

Question 13: How many articles per category/group are expected each day?

Answer 13: Up to thirty-five daily news items total including all tiers.

Question 14: Does the Daily News Clipping Service require social media content beyond

Twitter?

Answer 14: No.

Question 15: Does GAO expect the vendor to distribute the daily briefing to a smaller group for review/feedback prior to distribution to the larger GAO audience?

Answer 15: No.

Question 16: Does GAO require an executive summary of the entire day’s coverage (in addition to the per article/story summary)?

Answer 16: No. An executive summary is not required.

Question 17: Can GAO provide an example of the desired format for this deliverable or an example of what has historically been provided by the incumbent?

Answer 17: No.

Question 18: Based on our understanding of the SOW, is it correct to assume that GAO requires access to a web-based platform which will allow GAO employees to run ad-hoc and ongoing searches for the request metrics? If so, how many GAO employees will require access to this platform?

Answer 18: Yes, GAO requires access to a web-based platform which will allow three (3) GAO employees to run ad-hoc and ongoing searches for the request metrics.

Question 19: In addition to the portal access, does GAO require these media reports in any other human reviewed deliverable? If so, what is the reporting cadence (monthly, quarterly, weekly, etc.)?

Answer 19: GAO requires unlimited real-time access to a platform to run media measurement reports. See Answer 23. GAO staff must be able to download or export metrics reports in a readable format such as WORD, or Excel, or .pdf format.

Question 20: How many GAO users require access to the Vendor’s platform (to run searches, view reports etc.)?

Answer 20: See Answer 18.

Question 21: How often does GAO expect media analysis reports and what type of deliverable is GAO expecting here? As much information as you can provide will ensure we can provide an accurate quote.

Answer 21: In addition to the daily Clippings, GAO staff must be able to run media reports on a regular basis to assess trends in coverage.

Question 22: Given the nature of public affairs, will all GAO users with access to the portal require the ability to run searches on keywords and topics that are not included in the daily clips deliverable?

Answer 22: Yes.

Question 23: Is it correct to assume that GAO requires access to a SaaS based platform with unlimited real-time access to the desired metrics across Online, Print, Broadcast, and major social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Blogs, and

Forums?

Answer 23: Yes, it is correct to assume that GAO requires access to a SaaS based platform with unlimited real-time access, but GAO is only interested in the desired metrics from online, print, and broadcast journalism (not social media).

Question 24: Is March 21st (2 days after the contract award) the “drop dead” date for program launch?

Answer 24: Yes

Question 25: Is this a new procurement / program? If not, what company worked on this previously? (Please share the contract number / solicitation if possible) What is the budget value or current spend on the Program? If there is a current contractor in place, is the GAO willing to switch? If there is a current contractor in place, what are the gaps that your team is hoping to fill to get more value out of your news clippings program?

Answer 25: No, this is not a new program. Burrelle’s Information Service, LLC doing business as BurrellesLuce is the current contractor. The current contract number is GAO16CO0006. The

GAO does not share budget values with vendors. The GAO has posted this full and open Request for Quotations (RFQ) in order to select the best vendor for this service. There are currently no gaps in the service.

Question 26: Does the GAO have a preference on the length of the agreement?

Answer 26: The contract that results from this RFQ shall be awarded with one (1) base year and four (4) option years, totaling a (five) 5 year contract period.

Question 27: Please define “automated prominence”

Answer 27: The presence of news factors that affect a news stories length and the likelihood that it will be front page headlines.

Question 28: Will each of the 150 GAO staff / 3500 intranet employees have the same view of the data / user role in the portal?

Answer 28: Yes.

Question 29: Will GAO confirm all “top ten” sources for Tier 1/2/3?

Answer 29: The “top ten” sources for Tier 1/2/3 is based on circulation/readership statistics set by journalism industry standards.

Question 30: Is the expectation that the contractor will analyze and provide a summary state of the overall impact of mentions on a daily basis?

Answer 30: Not daily, but it is expected that the contractor run reports on a regular basis in order to stay abreast of industry trends.