Q&A_19AQMM19R0118.docx

Questions and Answers for News Briefing Services Solicitation 19AQMM19R0118

Understanding that DOS requires delivery of full-text news clips and that providing links in lieu of the full-text is not acceptable, can DOS provide information about current media subscriptions? This may impact the cost of the contract.

Answer: The Department of State does not hold subscriptions for use by external vendors to meet the requirements described in the SOW. The current vendor has appropriate licenses / subscriptions to provide the full-text news articles as required under the current contract.

Does DOS contract with any news aggregator services/news databases, such as LexisNexis Newsdesk, Dow Jones Factiva, or Bloomberg Law?

Answer: No. If so, which one? N/A.

And how many DOS employees are considered “authorized readers” (i.e. they have log-in credentials to access the database)?

Answer: Currently, approximately 1,000 Department employees receive the news products via e-mail distribution or access them via the Department of State’s web portal INFOCENTRAL on a daily basis under the current contract. These products should be available through either means for all Department of State employees worldwide.

What publications/news websites does DOS subscribe to (New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, etc.)?

Answer: I am not aware of a Department of State-wide subscription service for publications or news websites.

How many DOS employees are authorized to access content on these publisher’s websites (i.e. have log-in credentials)? N/A

Can the contractor use DOS subscriptions to publications/news websites (i.e. can the contractor obtain log-in credentials to Foreign Policy, etc. under DOS account)?

Answer: No.

What is the time period that the Secretary’s Briefing and News Clips should cover? 6:00am-6:00am (24 hours)? Or 9:00pm-6:00am (the period since last State Dept. briefing and clips)?

Answer: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

Similarly, what is the time period that Press Highlights should cover?

Answer: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

I was wondering if the incumbent Contract ID: SAQMMA13C0228 held by BULLETIN NEWS, LLC (CISION US INC.) has been extended and for how long or if it expired on 12/10/2018? If the contract expired, was a bridge contract awarded? If yes, could you please provide the bridge Contract ID and the Contractor's name?

Answer: The current contract SAQMMA13C0228 was extended three months from 12/11/2018 to 03/10/2019.

It is our impression that it will take a period of time to respond to vendor questions (answers to which are vital to the Phase 1 portion). Would the government consider extending the proposal deadlines for Phase 1 and 2 an additional week?

Answer: No

What is the anticipated start date?

Answer: The current contract expires on March 10, 2019. There will be a sixty day transition period occurring, with this to be fully operational by May 11, 2019. The start date will be May 11, 2019. The Department of State will expect the company that receives this contract to begin the work to produce and deliver the products required in the SOW 60 days after the contract is awarded.

Is the incumbent currently performing this service or has the contract expired?

Answer: The incumbent company is currently performing this service. The current contract expires on March 10, 2019.

The pricing table identifies the following line item numbers: 001, 002, 003, 004, 005. However, section B-002 calls out the following line items: 001, 1001, 2001, 3001, 4001. Which set of line item numbers should we reference in our pricing table?

Answer: Please reference the following in the pricing table: 001 (Base Year); 1001 (Option Year One); 2001 (Option Year Two); 3001 (Option Year Three); 4001 (Option Year Four)

Approximately how many stories are expected in each of the following packages?

Secretary of State News Clips package

Answer: 25-50 (the number will vary depending on the news of the day)

Department of State News Clips

Answer: 100 (the number will vary depending on news of the day)

Regarding “Contractor Qualifications,” (3)-iv: “Characterize the coverage such that Department officials can quickly get a sense of how widely various story elements were run and also for the general tonality of the coverage.” Does the government indeed want tonality for each article? This requirements adds cost. Would the government consider eliminating this requirement?

Answer: The Department of State is looking for analysis / tonality of the overall coverage of a particular issue, not every single article.

Regarding “Contractor Qualifications,” 3-v: “Include summary listing of all headlines from major papers and newscasts nationwide as well as a Washington schedule and relevant policy-related comments from late-night comedians.” We want to make certain we understand the requirement to monitor late-night comedians. Can you elaborate?

Answer: It is a very rare instance that one of the late night shows discusses foreign policy issues or the Secretary of State. If, however, one of these shows or comedians does bring up one of our issues or something pertaining to the Secretary, we want to ensure that the issue is included in this service. The COR will provide additional guidance as needed on a case-by-case basis.

Regarding “Contractor Qualifications,” 11: “Ability to provide statistics on product usage upon request.” This requirements adds significant complexity and cost. Would the government consider eliminating this requirement?

Answer: No. Any company that is awarded this contract should be able to provide statistics on specific products accessed by Department employees either via e-mail or the Department’s INFORCENTRAL portal.

Can you estimate the number of recipients for each of the following products?

· Secretary of State Daily News Briefing Answer: 50

· Secretary of State news Clips Package Answer: 50

· Department of State Daily News Briefing Answer: approximately 1,000

· Department of State News Clips Answer: approximately 1,000

· Press Highlights Answer: 20

· Sunday Shows Briefing Answer: approximately 200

· Special Projects Answer: TBD, as this is a new requirement

Would the government consider limiting the Phase 1 samples to just the 5:00 A.M. State Department news summary briefing and full-text clips package?

Answer: No

The Statement of Work requires inclusion of full text clips within the Secretary’s Daily Briefing, State Department Briefing and News Clips (5 a.m., 9 p.m., and Press Highlights) and Special Projects. The following questions pertain to the full text requirements:

Does the Government require that offerors have licenses to redistribute full-text content to the Department of State? If so, must vendors explain their approach to licensing in their responses?

Answer: Yes, offerors must have the appropriate licenses to redistribute full-text content to the Department of State. Offerors can provide a brief description of their approach to licenses.

All aggregators of licensed full text articles have significant holes in coverage, either because certain sources aren’t under license, or because the aggregator receives the articles hours or even days after they were originally published. When licensed full-text content cannot be delivered on deadline or at all, does the Government require (a) these articles be omitted or delayed or (b) that the offeror deliver the full text without a license?

Answer: The vendor must be able to provide full-text news articles for the majority of U.S. media organizations described in the SOW that have been published, posted or broadcast within a few hours of inclusion in the appropriate briefing. It is the vendor’s responsibility to determine what is required to fulfill this request. When full-text content cannot be delivered on deadline or at all, the vendor should either omit the article or provide the title, byline and link to the article. That said, a package consisting of links to full-text news articles instead of the actual full-text news articles is not acceptable.

As no offeror has access to licensed full text of all the sources listed in the draft SOW, should offerors list the sources for which they will not be able to provide full text?

Answer: Yes.

As pricing for licenses for full text by most providers are based on the potential number of users, can the Government provide the number of users for:

Secretary’s Daily Briefing Answer: 50 State Department Briefing and News Clips – 5 a.m. Answer: approximately 1,000 State Department Briefing and News Clips – 9 p.m. Answer: approximately 1,000 State Department Briefing and News Clips – Press Highlights Answer: 20 Special Reports Answer: TBD, as this is a new requirement

Will the deliverables that include full text articles be hosted onto INFOCENTRAL? If so, how many users would have access to these clips when loaded onto the portal?

Answer: These deliverables should be hosted on a secure Department-specific, Contractor-hosted website that can be accessed by employees via the State Department’s INFOCENTRAL site. All State Department employees (approximately 70,000) would have access to these products via INFOCENTRAL. However, currently there are about 250 employees who access these products daily. The Department of State will work with the vendor on all technical arrangements to ensure that the secure Department-specific, Contractor-hosted website can be accessed via INFOCENTRAL.

Would the Government be willing to sign multiple contracts to fulfill the requirements? For example: an agreement with an offeror as well as an aggregator (or multiple aggregators) of licensed full text?

Answer: No.

Since the Secretary’s travel schedule can change on a dime, and sometimes even hours before a deadline, should offerors provide a timeline of how quickly they can adjust delivery deadlines to the Secretary’s travel schedule?

Answer: Yes.

Does State require expanded coverage of the Department and topics of interest during times on national emergencies and other similar situations? On what turnaround time will offerors need to be able to provide such coverage?

Answer: The State Department will request that the vendor include expanded coverage of specific issues. Most of the time, the expanded coverage pertains to the Secretary of State’s international travel, major speeches, international conferences or important bilateral meetings. Sometimes, the State Department will request expanded coverage during crises, or similar situations. Sometimes, requests come directly from the Secretary’s staff. For the turnaround time, the vendor should be able to begin fulfilling this request for expanded coverage within 24 hours.

Are vendors required to provide deliverables to the emails and Contractor hosted website to Section 508 compliance standards?

Answer: Yes.

If so, how should vendors demonstrate compliance?

Answer: Vendors should ensure that all products submitted in response to Phase 1 of this RFP are Section 508 compliant.

As this is a small business solicitation, should a small business choose to subcontract the execution of some of the requirements to a large business is the standard for the small business to perform 51% of the work or are they are responsible for receiving 51% of the revenue?

Answer: Since this is a 100% Small Business Set-Aside, small businesses should perform majority of work (51%) and receive 51% of the revenue.

Could the government please provide the historical level of effort to execute the tasks in this scope of work?

Answer: No, it is up to the vendor to determine what is needed to fulfill the requirements as described in the SOW.

What is the current value of this work?

Answer: Approximately $2.2M

Is this an existing contract or new work? What is the contract number? What is the company performing services?

Answer: The current contract SAQMMA13C0228 was extended three months from 12/11/2018 to 03/10/2019. The company performing the services is Bulletin Intelligence LLC.

Would the government please provide the total number of Department of State Employees who are to receive products under this contract?

Answer: Approximately 1,000, but the products are available to all Department of State employees globally.

How much notice will the government give the contractor in advance of requesting Special Projects?

Answer: We try to give as much advance notice as possible, but often these requests are urgent. We would need the vendor to begin to provide the special project service within 24 hours of the request.

Can the government share examples of the current products with vendors?

Answer: No

Will the government provide instruction on what is required for the contractor to send the news clips via secure transmission to the Department's password portal, INFOCENTRAL?

Answer: Yes. Once the contract is awarded, we will work with the vendor and the Department’s technical staff to ensure access to INFOCENTRAL.

Will the cover page, table of contents, and acronyms tables be counted against the 25 page limit?

Answer: No

Should the offerer restrict all graphic and table font to 12 point Times New Roman or is 10 point font be allowed for tables and graphics?

Answer: 12 point Times New Roman

In the instructions for Phase I product samples, the government requests (1) The 5:00 A.M. State Department news summary briefing and full-text clips package; (2) The 6:00 A.M. news summary briefing for the Secretary; (3) the Secretary's Daily Briefing; (4) The 6:00 A.M. full-text News Clips package for the Secretary; and (5) The 6:00 A.M. full-text Press Highlights package.

Can the government confirm that the 5:00 A.M. State Department news summary briefing and full-text clips package are sent as one product, but the Secretary's Daily Briefing and News Clips package are sent as two separate products?

Answer: Vendors should send the 5:00 am State Department News Summary Briefing and full-text clips package together in one (1) e-mail. Companies should send the Secretary’s Daily Briefing and full-text clips package together in one (1) e-mail. Companies should send the Press Highlights in one (1) e-mail. So three (3) e-mails total.

Additionally, would the government confirm the vendor will deliver (5) products separate products total?

Answer: That is correct. The 5:00 am State Department News Briefing and full-text clips package should be sent together in one (1) e-mail. The Secretary’s daily briefing and full-text clips package should be sent together in one (1) e-mail. The Press Highlights should be sent in one (1) e-mail. Three e-mails total with the five products.

Would the government please specify number of past performance citations and citation page length to include in this proposal to ensure an equitable review of all contractors?

The government cites 24/7 access to the contractor in order “to permit last minute changes to topics, deadlines, and specific guidance from the Department”.

Could the government provide an approximate timeframe in which they will request these changes (24 hours, 48 hours, 1 hour, etc)?

Answer: Normally, changes will be requested during normal business hours. That said, there are times when the COR will contact the vendor late at night or on weekends to request a change in topic or provide new guidance. These changes should be implemented as soon as possible, normally by the next day. Last minute changes for the delivery of the Secretary’s briefings should be enacted immediately. In most cases, we have provided the vendor with a few days notice, but there have been instances where the notice has been less than 9 hours notice due to last minute or urgent travel.

Would the government please specify number of past performance citations and citation page length to include in this proposal to ensure an equitable review of all contractors?

Answer: Up to, but not exceeding three past performance citations of recent and relevant work performed within the last three years.

The government cites 24/7 access to the contractor in order “to permit last minute changes to topics, deadlines, and specific guidance from the Department”.

Could the government provide an approximate timeframe in which they will request these changes (24 hours, 48 hours, 1 hour, etc)?

Answer: Normally, changes are requested during normal business hours. That said, there are times when the COR will contact the vendor late at night or on weekends to request a change in topic or provide new guidance. These changes should be implemented as soon as possible, normally by the next day. Last minute changes for the delivery of the Secretary’s briefings should be enacted immediately. In most cases, we provided the vendor with a few days notice, but there have been instances where the notice has been only a few hours due to last minute or urgent travel.

Would the government consider including an Other Direct Costs line to account for software and outlet purchases?

Answer: No

What elements of the SOW are new or different than the previous SOW? Are there new requirements that did not exist in the incumbent SOW?

Answer: Yes. New products in this SOW include the Press Highlights, Special Projects, and the 9:00 p.m. State Department News Summary Briefing and Full-Text Clips package (which is actually a change in delivery time from the current SOW).

Given the resources required to successfully deliver all required products and the proposal itself, would the government consider granting offerers a 2-day extension for the technical/price submissions (27 FEB)?

Answer: No.

Does the incumbent contract have a transition plan that will coordinate with the incoming contractor?

Answer: The Department is working with the incumbent contractor to obtain a transition out plan. It is anticipated there will be a sixty day transition period. The Department will work closely with the new vendor on all aspects of all products and delivery to ensure a smooth transition. The Department of State will expect the company that receives this contract to be fully operational 60 days after the contract is awarded.

What is the projected start date for this contract?

Answer: The current contract expires on March 10, 2019. The follow-on contract will be awarded 03/11/2019. There will be a sixty day transition period. The Department of State will expect the company that receives this contract to be fully operational 60 days after the contract is awarded. The start date will be May 11, 2019.