19GE5023Q0007 0001.pdf

19GE5023Q0007

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

1. CONTRACT ID CODE RATING

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO.

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

01/20/2023

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

FRANKCODE

AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL FRANKFURT

GIESSENER STRASSE 30

ATTN: RPSO

60435, FRANKFURT

GERMANY

Katsiaryna Yarashevitsh

NAME

TEL.

YarashevitshK@state.gov

EMAIL

6. ISSUED BY OPEAQMCODE

RPSO Frankfurt OPE/AQM/IP/RPSO Frankfurt Office of Acquisition (AQM) Frankfurt

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

19GE5023Q0007

CONTACT: UEI:

CODE FACILITY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, country, state and ZIP Code) (X)

X 9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

12/23/2022

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

X XThe above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers is extended, is not extended, Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods: (a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning __1__copies of the amendment;(b)By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

This solicitation is herewith amended incorporate the following changes:

1.Incorporate solicitation questions and answers 1 through 64 and 2. Extend the offer submission date from February 1, 2023 to February 15, 2023.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Nicolas Wilhelm

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE SIGNED

By (Signature of Contracting Officer)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 16C. DATE SIGNED

01/20/2023

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

CGFS // CGFS

X

Line Item Summary

Solicitation Number:

19GE5023Q0007

Contract Number: Title: Promotion services for brand DelicioUS!

Date of Solicitation:

01/20/2023

Line Item No.

Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Cost

001 Promotion services for brand campaign DelicioUS!, Base year performance period

As described in the SoW Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

002 Value Added Tax (VAT) on CLIN 0001

(if applicable) Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

003 Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance for Base year

(if applicable) Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

004 Option for additional services, first option year

As described in the SoW Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

005 Value Added Tax (VAT) on CLIN 1001

(if applicable) Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

006 Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance for first option year

(if applicable) Type of Contract Pricing: FFP

Doc Ref No:

Delivery Date FOB:(Start to End) Date 03/15/2023 to 03/14/2024

1.00 0.00 1.00

LT

Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form Identifier Title Date Number of

Pages 3 19GE5023Q0007.pdf 12/23/2022 4 RQS 19GE5023Q0007.pdf 01/03/2023

Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form

Q&A - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Question #001: Who is your target growth audience(s) within the European market?

Answer #001: Please refer to objective 1 in the solicitation for the target audiences of this campaign.

Question #002: Who do you consider your main and adjacent competitors?

Answer #002: Other national food promotion campaigns active in Europe.

Question #003: What is the DelicioUS! current brand positioning?

Answer #003: Please refer to the objectives of the solicitation. The objective of DelicioUS! communication campaign is to enhance the positive image, increase sales and consumer awareness of high quality, sustainability, and delicious taste of U.S. food products available on the market, and build a community of consumers interested in U.S. food products, recipes, gastronomy, traditions, and culture.

Question #004: What inspired you to write this RFP? What do you think DelicioUS! could be doing better?

Answer #004: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #005: Are there brands that you admire in the social space?

Answer #005: SABOR USA, our counterpart in Latin America

Question #006: How would you describe success for the DelicioUS! brand in 2023 and beyond? Do you have specific brand KPIs you’re currently tracking?

Answer #006: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #007: Which organization sends the overall communications for the DelicioUS! brand and associated brands/products?

Answer #007: The Foreign Agricultural Service’s Office of Agricultural Affairs in Berlin is the primary point of contact for communications with the contractor.

Question #008: Is DelicioUS! also responsible for marketing food and beverage brands originating in the U.S. beyond trade associations?

Answer #008: Please see DelicioUS! Website and social media for examples of the products featured. DelicioUS! reflects the wide variety of food and agriculture products that the United States produces and exports.

Question #009: Are there specific consumer brands/products that you’d like to be the focus of and/or prioritize as part of the overall communications?

Answer #009: No, DelicioUS! reflects the wide variety of food and agriculture products from the United States. We do not give preference to specific brands/products. Please see DelicioUS! Website and social media for examples of the products featured.

Question #010: What brands/trade associations are already represented in upcoming 2023 trade fairs?

Answer #010: A list of current trade associations active with the program is found in the solicitation. We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #011: Based on previous promotional activities within the EU, what marketing activities did you find most successful? Any consumer learnings you could share with us?

Answer #011: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #012: You mention building engagement with European consumers; beyond Germany, how would you prioritize your top markets in the European Union (EU)?

Answer #012: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #013: Is there an expectation/requirement for any non-English community management or non-English assets development (i.e., "development of social campaigns for branded marketing events in Europe")?

Answer #013: The main language is English. Content and asset development is in English.

Question #014: Are there any existing mandatories and/or fixed core messages or content that have to be used?

Answer #014: The Media Content Development section of the scope of work gives an overview of the messaging and examples of content that should be used and developed by the vendor.

Question #015: What is DelicioUS! best known for in the EU?

Answer #015: Linking U.S. agriculture to European consumers and trade partners.

Question #016: What are DelicioUS! key reasons to believe?

Answer #016: Please see the DelicioUS! Website to see the key objectives and mission.

Question #017: Are your partner trade associations ever used/highlighted in consumer-facing communication?

Answer #017: Yes, they are.

Question #018: Should critical topics (e.g., genetically modified products) be addressed?

Answer #018: Please see the DelicioUS! Website and social media channels to see the kind of topics addressed.

Question #019: Have you conducted any consumer research and/or sentiment analysis with regard to European attitudes toward “American food”? Is so, could this be something you could share with us?

Answer #019: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded. We cannot share any research at this time.

Question #020: Could you share the response rates of current outreach in terms of lead completes of the online interest form?

Answer #020: We cannot share this information at this time.

Question #021: How is the audience experience at events connected to the DelicioUS! online experience? How are industry event leads managed?

Answer #021: This will be discussed with the vendor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #022: Is there a specific expectation around monthly social content volume per platform (outside of LinkedIn)?

Answer #022: This is to be determined by you in your proposal and will be finalized in a work plan with the selected vendor.

Question #023: What is the balance between paid and organic social content volume?

Answer #023: This is to be determined in a post award conversation.

Question #024: Is there a desire to expand to additional social platforms? If so, which?

Answer #024: Not at this moment.

Question #025: Are there any existing social strategies, influencer contracts or other resources we will be able to tap into?

Answer #025: Please see Acceptance Criteria in the solicitation for expertise that the vendor is expected to possess. The Partner Products list in the solicitation provides an overview of the organizations the platform collaborates with to develop content.

Question #026: Are there any major events or tentpoles that would require off-hours community management support, e.g., nights, holidays weekends?

Answer #026: Yes, the vendor may occasionally be required to provide off-hours community management support to specific events. This would be determined in a conversation between the COR and project manager in advance.

Question #027: Within community management, how do you plan to handle brand love versus customer service engagement? Is the expectation that the chosen vendor will handle all community management engagements (inclusive of both positive/engaging comments, as well as consumer affairs/customer service questions)?

Answer #027: Yes, the vendor will handle all community management.

Question #028: Do you currently utilize any tools to help with community management, social listening, or measurement (e.g., Sprinklr, Brandwatch)?

Answer #028: It is the responsibility of the vendor to determine which tools are needed, based on available budget, to successfully manage the community and meet the objectives of its workplan.

Question #029: What are the current support team roles and allocation percentages required to support website improvements?

Answer #029: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #030: Approximately how many content updates are made on the website per month?

Answer #030: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #031: Approximately how many functional updates are made on the website per month?

Answer #031: Functional updates are made when necessary.

Question #032: Is there any desire to move away from the current Wordpress platform hosting https://delicious-usa.com?

Answer #032: No

Question #033: Would the selected agency be responsible for maintaining the platform as well as the codebase for delicious-usa.com (e.g., deployment model, migrating to latest release)?

Answer #033: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #034: Do you currently utilize any tools (e.g., GA4, Adobe Analytics) to collect site analytics or user behavior across channels?

Answer #034: Yes

Question #035: Please confirm accessibility requirements for https://delicious-usa.com.

Answer #035: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #036: Are there any third-party products or libraries our team should be aware of to best support?

Answer #036: We will address this question with the contractor after the contract has been awarded.

Question #037: Are common goals established with current partners? How is progress currently communicated?

Answer #037: Yes. Please see the Reporting and the Quality Assurance and Surveillance Plan sections in the solicitation’s scope of work for reporting requirements for this contract.

Question #038: Would existing partners say that the current relationship with DelicioUS! is successful?

Answer #038: Yes.

Question #039: Is there an estimated budget you could share with us?

Answer #039: We cannot disclose a budget at this point.

Question #040: Would you be open to considering a pay-for-performance model?

Answer #040: Per the solicitation, this is a firm fixed price contract. See “Contract Type” section for more details.

Question #041: To confirm, if you have a U.S. firm bidding as prime [NS1] with an EU-branch office/division, you will need the W-9 for the U.S. office and the W-14 for the EU office, correct?

Answer #041: Payment will be made to the contracting party, the prime. Subcontractors do not have privity of contract. If the prime is a United States person, please be sure to complete the provision at FAR 52.229-11 accordingly and use the form W-9.

Question #042: Could you please specify if there are any formatting requirements for the RFP submission? Would a PDF featuring hyperlinks be acceptable?

Answer #042: No hyperlinks are acceptable.

Question #043: Could you please confirm that there is no page limit for Volume I and Volume II responses?

Answer #043: Page limit for Volume I and Volume II responses is set to a maximum amount of 50 pages.

Question #044: Is there a possibility for a 10 day extension from the submission date?

Answer #044: Proposals due date is extended from 2/1/2023 to 2/15/2023.

Question #045: When is the forecasted Award date?

Answer #045: Spring 2023. This is dependent on the length of the review process.

Question #046: Is DelicioUS! Focused on B2B or B2C?

Answer #046: Both. Please refer to objective 1 in the solicitation for the target audiences of this campaign.

Question #047: Can you provide budget for social media & advertising?

Answer #047: We cannot disclose the budget at this time.

Question #048: What would be the scope of recipe creation? Creation by chef in a cooking studio or adaptation of existing recipes?

Answer #048: Both are acceptable. See Media Content Development section of Solicitation for more details.

Question #049: To what extent should community management be covered in all social media platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram)? How many hours per month should be dedicated to it?

Answer #049: Contractor is responsible for community management of the platform. This is something you need to determine in your proposal. A post award discussion will be held with contractor to finalize the work plan.

Question #050: Can you disclose the vendor for the content for YouTube? Where do the mentioned 5 videos stem from? Reference page 8 bullet #6 Answer #050: No.

Question #051: Can you please provide clarity on “Maintaining the YouTube library”?

Answer #051: Contractor is responsible for maintaining the DelicioUS! You Tube channel, which is currently only used as a library for the videos.

Question #052: Please provide clarity in Content Development has minimal errors (maximum 3 errors)? Reference page 8 bullet #2 Answer #052: Content submitted to the COR for review should not require significant editing or adjustment. The COR should not have to go back to the vendor more than 3 times for content changes per asset.

Question #053: In account for pricing purposes, do we consider for paid social media activities in our proposal?

Answer #053: Yes.

Question #054: Influencer activities reach at least 5,000 consumers, should we collaborate with influencers over 5K followers, or should each influencer reach a minimum of 5,000 people?

Answer #054: The number 5,000 was meant for total activity reach.

Question #055: Are pitch topics, press releases in English, etc. supplied by the client?

Answer #055: Contractor is expected to pitch topics and draft press releases in English when needed.

Question #056: Is there a key media list in place? Which media outlets should we focus on?

Answer #056: There is not. Who to focus on would be on you to decide as the professional in the field of public relations and media interaction.

Question #057: Can you provide clarity on target audience for DelicioUS, is it all of European Union or just Germany or the surrounding region? The social media bios and the website don't mention Germany or the European Union so it would be difficult for users to immediately known if they are the right audience for the brand. If it's Germans, then should consider if ad copy should be in German instead of English, since only 56% of Germans speak English. Also need to consider the tone of the ad copies can be different for each European audience Answer #057: The Objectives section of the solicitation identify the target audience. Thank you for your observations.

Question #058: The SOW does not mention paid advertisements for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We want to confirm if DelicioUS is okay with advertising on these platforms to gain brand awareness and new followers. This can begin during the execution phase, after the planning phase.

Answer #058: We are okay with paid advertising.

Question #059: The SOW mentions that 30% of the engagement needs to be organic. How strict is this rule to DelicioUS? If we were running paid advertisements, it is very likely that over 90% of the engagement will come from paid advertisements instead of organic reach.

Answer #059: It is the responsibility of the contractor to determine how to meet this goal based on your expertise. Thank you for your observation.

Question #060: Is DelicioUS open to a new brand name? The word "Delicious" is not very SEO-friendly and difficult to search for new users in both Google and social media as it is a very common word.

Answer #060: No.

Question #061: Can we create custom created content with restaurants that use American ingredients to promote the cooperators' ingredients?

Answer #061: Yes, absolutely, we would highly encourage that.

Question #062: We also have an office location in London, U.K. Is this sufficient to meet the RFP's requirement to have an office in the EU? Regulations put in place after Brexit allow UK companies to operate in the EU, and provide services or investments, without having to have a physical presence there.

Answer #062: No, please refer to the “Place of Performance” section of the solicitation for vendor requirements.

Question #063: I am in the process of moving to Germany so within my proposal can I offer an acceptable plan to acquire the physical office to be in compliance with the solicitation requirements?

Answer #063: To answer your question below please see solicitation’s volume II (technical capability) section (D). Please note, that your proposal may be technically unacceptable, if you can’t provide evidence of an office presence in the European Union as per solicitation.

Question #064: Will a signed lease for an office space effective 1 February satisfy that specific requirement?

Answer #064: Please see the “Places of Performance” and “Acceptance Criteria” Sections of the solicitation to answer your question.