19RC1126Q0004 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q AND A - Pt 2 of 2.pdf

19RC1126Q0004 — MEDIA MONITORING SERVICES

OFFICIAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Part 2 of 2

Section A: Administrative, SAM.gov, & Entity Eligibility

QUESTION 1: Is an active SAM.gov registration required at the time of quotation submission, or may it be completed prior to award?

ANSWER: Active SAM.gov registration (including an assigned Unique Entity

Identifier [UEI]) is not strictly required at the moment of quote submission, but must be fully active prior to contract award. Vendors currently navigating the registration process (including foreign entities securing NCAGE codes) may submit a quote, provided their SAM.gov registration is active before an award decision is executed.

QUESTION 2: Is a CAGE or NCAGE code required for SAM.gov registration?

ANSWER: Yes. SAM.gov registration automatically requires a CAGE code for

U.S.-based entities or an NCAGE code for foreign-based entities. As noted in

Amendment 0001, this solicitation is unrestricted under NAICS code 519290 and open to any interested, responsible vendor registered in SAM.gov

QUESTION 3: In a Joint Venture (JV) or subcontracting arrangement, must both entities be registered in SAM.gov?

ANSWER: Yes. Both the prime contractor and any major subcontractors or JV partners must maintain an active registration in SAM.gov.

QUESTION 4: May a general trading or diversified company submit a proposal if it hires qualified media analysts?

ANSWER: Yes. This acquisition is unrestricted and open to any responsible vendor capable of fulfilling the technical scope of work, regardless of primary commercial entity classification.

Section B: Personnel & Remote Delivery Scope

QUESTION 5: What team documentation (e.g., résumés, CVs, degrees) is required in the technical proposal?

ANSWER: Individual résumés, CVs, educational credentials, or biographies are not required unless explicitly requested in the solicitation instructions. Quotations will be evaluated based on the administrative submission requirements and the qualitative review of the 3–5 sample reports, as outlined in Section 3 and Section 4 of the amended solicitation

QUESTION 6: May a U.S.-based company use remote personnel located outside the U.S. (e.g., in Egypt) to perform the monitoring and analysis?

ANSWER: Yes. It is permissible for a contractor to utilize remote team members located anywhere, provided all electronic delivery standards, security requirements, and schedule constraints outlined in the solicitation are met.

Section C: Technical Scope & File Submission Guidelines

QUESTION 7: Is "on-the-ground" physical collection of print sources or broadcast media evaluated?

ANSWER: No. On-the-ground physical collection of print sources or non-streamed broadcast media is not part of the scope or evaluation criteria. All monitoring is conducted via accessible digital, online, and broadcast channels.

QUESTION 8: Are photos or images required in the daily media or social media reports?

ANSWER: No. Embedded photos or graphics are not required. Reports should consist of clear textual analysis, summaries, and direct hyperlinks to original source media.

QUESTION 9: How should large proposal files be submitted if they exceed email capacity?

ANSWER: Email attachments submitted to the Government must not exceed 30

MB per email. If a vendor’s total proposal package (including sample reports) exceeds 30 MB, the submission must be split into separate, clearly labeled files and transmitted across multiple emails, each under the 30 MB size limit.

Section D: Pricing Structure & Evaluation

QUESTION 10: How should pricing be structured across the base period, option periods, and individual CLINs, and how will price be evaluated?

ANSWER: Offerors must submit fixed pricing using the tables provided in

Section 1 (Prices) of the conformed solicitation:

• CLIN 001 (Daily Media Monitoring) & CLIN 002 (Daily Social Media

Monitoring): Quoted as a fixed monthly price for the 12-month base period and each 12-month option period. Monthly billing will be calculated based on the vendor's daily rate, excluding approved local holidays.

• CLIN 003 (Special Analytical Reports): Quoted as a firm-fixed unit price per report (for an estimated maximum quantity of 36 reports per year).

Payment will be made only for special reports actually ordered by the

Government.

• Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance: If applicable for overseas personnel, DBA premium costs must be factored into the overall pricing.

• Price Evaluation: The Government will evaluate total price by calculating the cumulative aggregate total across the base year and all four option years

(including CLIN 003 estimated quantities). While price is evaluated for fairness, reasonableness, and balanced pricing, it is secondary in importance to the qualitative evaluation of technical capability and sample reports under the Best-Value Tradeoff framework.

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