12-233-SOL-00361.docx

To provide design and layout service for Public Health Reports (PHR), the official Journal of the U.S. Public Health Service, published six times per year. Final products will include formatted materials on appropriate media, complete with specifications for the publisher, to permit timely and quality conversion of text and graphics into print and Internet posting.

PHR is the official journal of the U.S. Public Health Service, and has been published continually since 1878. It is believed to be the oldest public health journal in the world and serves as an informative and accessible resource for practitioners, researchers, policy makers, and students of public health. It is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed Journal and is published by the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH).

In addition to the six regular issues per year, PHR publishes up to six special supplements each year that provide in-depth discussion on specific public health topics. The regular issues and supplements are prepped concurrently, i.e., Tasks 1–5 as shown below are conducted on the same schedule. The only difference between supplements and regular issues is that the Contractor will be paid by ASPH for services provided for Supplements. Editorial content for Supplements will be provided by and controlled by the Government.

PHR is perfect bound, measures approximately 8.5” x 11”, with one-color text in black plus preselected PMS metallic colors on covers 1–4. The average issue length is about 100-130 pages. Throughout the Journal, photographs, tables, figures, and other graphics must be fit into the text.

Writing for PHR

Each column has an individual logo and there are title, header, and formatting differences. These columns might contain artwork, photographs, graphics, tables, and figures. Specific design features are noted below:

Feature and Commentary articles: Requires individual design of the opening spread and customized layout of the remaining pages. There may be 1–5 feature or commentary articles per issue.

Research articles: These articles follow a strict format. They include a structured abstract that appears on one page before the body of the article along with authors and their affiliations. There will often be tables, graphs, and other statistical figures as necessary. There can be 1–10 Research articles per issue.

Practice articles: These articles follow a standard format. These articles include a narrative abstract that appears on one page before the body of the article along with authors and their affiliations, and may include graphics and figures as necessary.

Photo essays: Photo essays require creative presentation and space-conserving layout. Photo essays are rare occurrences in PHR.

Covers 1 through 4: The front cover follows a strict format, including wording using standard fonts, a four-color photo, and the display of logos. Covers 2–4 require standard wording using standard fonts, two-color printing, and formatting, with occasional updating.

Specification of Tasks The Contractor shall provide the necessary personnel, materials, equipment, support, and supplies to complete the tasks listed below. All work done under this task order contract will be performed under the guidance of the Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR) and is subject to approval.

The Contractor will be responsible for keeping abreast of current and cost-efficient technologies for graphics and layout, and proposing use of those to the Government as appropriate.

Six times per year, the Contractor will be responsible for the design and layout of PHR issues, adhering to the established format. The deliverable will be the formatted materials on appropriate media, complete with specifications for the publisher, to permit timely and quality conversion of text and graphics into print and Internet posting.

Supplements will be published concurrent with regular issues. Although they are paid for from a different source, the tasks noted below for regular issues will also be completed for supplements. The Contractor is required to produce both regular issues and special Supplements within the agreed-upon time frame.

The Contractor is responsible for the following:

Task 1:

1. Receive copy electronically from the Government.

1. Format tables into PHR style, using data provided electronically.

1. Create charts and graphs in accordance with style, graphs, and data points provided on hard copy.

1. Process scientific characters (e.g., greater than or equal to signs).

1. Crop, size, and scan in all photographs and illustrations for high-resolution placement in electronic files.

1. Run full-size laser galley proofs for review by authors.

1. Submit electronic galley proofs to COTR.

Task 2:

1. Make all edits and changes as marked on galley proofs by Editors of PHR.

1. Locate and supply stock photo images suitable for the front cover as requested. Cover images to be approved by Editor.

Task 3:

1. Design and lay out entire Journal, incorporating photographs and illustrations, tables, and figures, as necessary. Maintain current design style and tone, making suggestions for improvement as necessary.

1. Provide complete paginated set of laser proofs in page spreads and send to the Editor for review.

Task 4:

1. Make edits and/or layout changes as requested by Editor, and send revised pages back to the Editor for approval.

1. Send one set of color proofs (electronic) of the entire issue to the Editor for approval before sending electronic files to printer.

Task 5:

1. Send compact disc to PHR with a copy of the files sent to the printer.

1. Send XML copy to the printer that is suitable for publishing in PubMed Central.

1. Make minor improvements to design template and style at the request of the Editor.

Time Frame The Government will establish a production schedule for each Volume year of PHR and provide it to the Contractor one year in advance. The production schedule is broken down by each issue within the Volume and shows the dates the Contractor should expect to receive materials from the Government (e.g., manuscripts, galleys). The production schedule also indicates when the Contractor is expected to return completed materials to the Government and when the issue is scheduled to go to the printer. See Attachment 1 for tentative Production Schedule for PHR Volume 128.

Government Responsibilities For each issue of PHR, the Editor shall provide the Contractor with the following materials and responses:

1. Manuscripts in Microsoft Word or other agreed-upon word-processing program electronically with accompanying hard copy.

1. Data for figures with accompanying hard copy.

1. Photographs and illustrations.

1. Editor instructions for each issue.

1. Proofread material.

1. Corrected galley proofs reviewed by the authors and Editorial staff.

1. Reviewed and corrected layout pages and color proofs, with final sign-off.

Technical Evaluation Criteria The Government shall evaluate proposals in accordance with the evaluation criteria shown below.

The proposal submission shall include a technical proposal and a business cost proposal. The following will be used to evaluate the technical proposals submitted and are listed in descending order of importance.

The Contractor should clearly address the criteria for the Government to evaluate its offer.

MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL APPROACH (45 points)

1. The degree to which the proposal demonstrates an understanding of the work, including creativity, and thoroughness shown in understanding the objectives of the Statement of Work, specific tasks, and planned execution of the project.

1. The degree to which the proposal demonstrates an understanding of design and layout production for print and Internet publishing.

1. The evidence of specific methods and techniques for completing each discrete task, to include such items as quality assurance and customer service.

1. The ability to address anticipated potential problem areas and come up with creative, feasible solutions to problems.

1. The degree to which the proposal demonstrates an understanding of logistics, schedule, and any other issues the Government should be aware of from a management or technical standpoint.

1. The ability to keep up with changes in graphics and publishing technology.

ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH (25 points)

1. Evidence that the organization has current capabilities for assuring performance of this requirement. Evidence of supporting subcontractors, consultants, and business partners will be considered.

1. The appropriate mix and balance of education and training of team members.

1. The organizational experience with projects producing high-quality reports and other deliverables.

PERSONNEL EXPERIENCE (30 points)

1. The currency, quality, and depth of experience of individual personnel in working on similar projects. Similar projects must convey similarity in topic, dollar value, workload, duration, and complexity.

1. The staff qualifications demonstrate an appropriate range of relevant academic and/or applied experience in the following areas:

1. Principles of design, computerized design, commercial graphics production, printing techniques, and website design;

1. Experience in layout and design, desktop publishing, and use of specialized computer software packages;

1. Familiarity with various fonts used in publishing, as well as common problems engendered by those fonts; and

1. Good communication skills, customer service skills, and computational knowledge.

AWARD

The technical proposal will receive paramount consideration in the selection of the contractor for this acquisition. If the technical evaluation reveals that two or more offerors are approximately equal in technical ability, then the estimated cost of performance will be the deciding factor. The Government reserves the right to make an award to the best advantage to the Government, with cost and other factors considered, and reserves the right to make an award without further discussion of the proposals received. Therefore, the offeror’s initial offer should contain its best terms from a price and technical standpoint.

MAXIMUM TECHNICAL SCORE = 100 POINTS

The proposed simplified acquisition is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of Far 13.501. Interested persons may identify their interest by responding to the requirement within 10 days after the date of publication of this notice. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed simplified acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

For further information, please contact Nora Tyson on 301-443-5229.