BID2025 RFI SOO_DC and ATL_final.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Washington, D.C. 20201

AGENCY: Health and Human Services (HHS)/Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR)/Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)

ACTION: Draft Statement of Objectives BID2025

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Nonetheless, vendors should properly mark their responses if the information is confidential or proprietary.

Furthermore, those who respond to this RFI should not anticipate feedback regarding their submission other than acknowledgment of receipt, should the vendor request an acknowledgement. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned. Vendors are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

I. INTRODUCTION

BARDA is seeking vendors to provide a venue and audiovisual services to support the production of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Strategic National Stockpile’s (SNS) Industry Day conferences, a 3-day event slated to take place on consecutive weekdays between March 01 – June 30, 2025. BARDA and SNS are proposing to conduct these conferences in either Washington D.C. or Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the RFI is to gather information from potential vendors about venue availability, services, capabilities, and technical expertise to help inform BARDA’s planning efforts. The information gathered from the RFI will be used to refine event requirements, which will be reflected in the Request for Proposal.

BARDA’s mission is to provide an integrated, systematic approach to the development of the necessary vaccines, drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear accidents, incidents, and attacks, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases. The SNS’s mission is to prepare and support its partners and provide the right resources at the right time to secure the nation’s health by supplementing state and local supplies during public health emergencies.

BARDA and SNS are program offices within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquartered in Washington, D.C. HHS also has an office located in Atlanta, Georgia.

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II. BACKGROUND

Since 2011, BARDA has hosted its Industry Day conference, BID, to publicly share its evolving program goals and objectives, increase awareness of U.S. government medical countermeasures (MCM) priorities, and facilitate coordination and collaboration between public and private sectors within the health security space. BID is typically attended by ~ 3,000 representatives (~2,000 in person and ~1,000 virtually) from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, U.S. government partners, philanthropic and not-for-profit organizations, trade institutions, academia, and interested media outlets.

Historically, this event has solely been facilitated by BARDA. In 2025, BID will be a collaborative 3-day event with SNS, who facilitates occasional engagement conferences, typically attended by ~ 600 industry representatives. SNS events focus on public-private networking with potential industry partners to discuss efforts to stockpile drugs, vaccines, medical products, and ancillary supplies for the U.S. government.

III. REQUIREMENTS

i. VENUE

a. General Venue Requirements:

Availability: Event space must be available to host a 3-day conference ideally between

March 1 – June 30, 2025 Accessibility: Must allow U.S. and non-U.S. Citizens on premises Location Options o Washington, D.C:

Preference will be given to venues located within a 45-mile driving radius of the Constitution Center (400 7th Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20024).

Preference will be given to venues within 1-mile walking distance of a

WMATA rail station or offers a shuttle service.

o Atlanta, Georgia: Preference will be given to venues in the Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead areas.

Parking: Location should offer ample on-site parking or be within two blocks of a public parking facility.

Dining Options: Either provide on-site food and beverage options or be within two blocks walking distance of food services such as restaurants, food courts, and/or coffee shops.

Storage: Provide access to secure overnight storage for equipment and supplies up to 5 days prior to event and through its duration.

b. Venue Space Requirements by Day (Venue required to make rooms available for equipment set-up and rehearsals 1 to 2 days before the event date).

Day 1 (General Session): Attendees will receive remarks/presentations from HHS senior executives, BARDA’s interagency and industry partners, and Division Directors.

Administration for Strategic o Space must accommodate 1,500-2,000 attendees. The main room for general session shall be in theater-style seating to accommodate most attendees, with rooms in proximity for attendee overflow as needed. The main room for general session must have all required AV equipment to livestream and record the sessions, with overflow room(s) set up with all required AV equipment to stream and project the event from the main room.

o Stage must have space for a podium with microphone, projector screen(s), confidence monitor(s), and space to accommodate various on-stage presentation layouts such as panel discussions (with tables, chairs, and microphones).

o Preference will be given to vendors who can provide stage furnishings or refer a preferred contractor to provide appropriate furniture (such as armchairs, sofas, coffee tables and/or side tables, and floral/plant arrangements) to support alternate session approaches (e.g., round-table discussion or fireside chats).

Day 2 (Breakout Rooms): Attendees will participate in breakout sessions hosted by BARDA Divisions.

o Preference will be given to venues that have 8 - 10 breakout rooms that can accommodate between 50-200 people per room.

o Conference rooms must be able to accommodate a panel table with seating for 3-6 people, microphones, projection screen(s), an LCD projector, and space for other AV equipment, including camera set-up to broadcast and record the sessions.

Engagement Suite Space o Available for in-person attendees to visit throughout the day to explore how to work with BARDA, including opportunities through various vehicles, consortia, and the TechWatch Program.

o Preference will be given to venues that have space to accommodate up to 50 attendees with 5 tables and seating for program staff.

o Arrange space in reception style to encourage flow and continuous networking.

Appointment Space o Provided for brief one-to-one meetings to occur simultaneously o Preference will be given to venues that have space to accommodate ~8 high-top tables with up to 48 participants standing.

Day 3 (General Session + Breakout Rooms): Attendees will receive remarks/presentations from HHS senior executives, SNS interagency and industry partners, and division directors and participate in breakouts hosted by SNS.

o Preference will be given to venues that have a main conference room for general session that can accommodate a minimum of 600 attendees in theater-style seating and all required AV equipment to livestream and record the sessions.

o Stage must have space for a podium with microphone, projector screen(s), confidence monitor(s), and space to accommodate various on-stage presentation layouts such as panel discussions (with tables, chairs, and microphones).

o Preference will be given to venues that have 3 breakout rooms that accommodate between 50-200 people per room.

Administration for Strategic o Conference rooms must accommodate table seating for 3-6 people, microphones, projection screen(s), an LCD projector, and space for other AV equipment, including camera set-up to broadcast and record the sessions.

Days 1, 2, & 3: Additional space needed to facilitate the event.

o Greenroom: Private space designated as a waiting room for speakers before they present.

Preference will be given to venues that are able to provide a designated greenroom.

Space should be able to accommodate up to 20 people.

Space must have several outlets and include a table and chairs for a speaker(s) to review presentations if needed.

o Event Team Office: Private office space designated for BARDA Event

Management Team.

Preference will be given to venues able to provide a room for the

BARDA/SNS Event Team to use for coordination.

Room should accommodate 12-15 people.

Room must have several outlets and be able to accommodate a table(s), chairs, and other equipment needed for computer/office set-up.

Room must be able to be secured with a locking door.

o Executive Boardroom: Meeting space for BARDA Senior Management.

Preference will be given to venues able to provide a meeting room that can be designated as an executive boardroom.

Room should be able to accommodate up to 10 people.

Room must have basic AV (e.g., to plug in a computer and project a presentation) and a conference phone.

Room must have several outlets and include a table and chairs.

Room must be able to be secured with a locking door.

o Registration Space: Space for registration/check-in and attendee socialization before and after event sessions.

Space must be able to accommodate 2 tables and seating for support staff.

Space must be within proximity of power outlets.

Preference will be given to venues offering registration space within proximity to coat check.

o Networking/Exhibition Space: Preference will be given to venues with space to exhibit and provide an open forum for attendee networking.

Space should accommodate up to 1000 people.

Space should be able to accommodate 8 high-top tables for networking and 8-12 posters displayed on easels.

o Ad Hoc Meeting Rooms: Preference will be given to venues able to provide up to two (2) small meeting rooms that accommodate 6-10 people in each room for ad hoc meetings with BARDA staff and in-person stakeholders throughout BID.

Administration for Strategic o Lactation Room: Preference will be given to venues able to provide private space for nursing mothers.

Space must be able to be locked from the inside.

Space must have a chair and small table.

This table summarizes venue room requirements.

Space Description Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

General Session Capacity 1,500-2,000 people

3 rooms, Capacity 50-

200 people per room

Breakout Rooms

8-10 rooms, Capacity

50-200 people per room

(Total 1,500-2000)

Executive Board Room (up to 10 people) X X X

Event Team Office (12-15 people) X X

Registration Space X X X

Ad-hoc Meeting Space two rooms

(6-10 people per room) X X X

Networking Exhibition Space (up to 1000 people) X X X

Engagement Suite (up to 50 people) X

Appointment Space (may be multiple rooms, up to 48 people) X

Lactation Room X X X

ii. AUDIO VISUAL SERVICES

a. General AV Requirements: BARDA is soliciting a venue with adequate in-house AV, or a preferred onsite contractor to provide live AV and production support. This requires simulcast connection between on-site presentations and attendees participating via a virtual events platform. The virtual events platform will be provided by BARDA. AV support services must meet the criteria listed below.

Have proven experience in the field of video production support and project management. This requires a detail-oriented, organized, and proactive team with strong problem-solving skills, who can work both independently and collaboratively.

Have knowledge of video and audio production techniques, adequate equipment for production and editing, and experience with supporting large-scale hybrid events through virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom, WebEx, Teams).

Provide all labor services, audio, lighting, projections, staging, and necessary equipment needed to enable presenters to project briefing slides in-person and virtually.

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Be available for on-site equipment set-up and participate in pre-event set-up and rehearsals.

Provide contracted services established in the project plan during the event dates.

Complete all post-production rendered services by the dates established in the project plan.

b. AV Requirements by Day (AV equipment required to be available for set-up and rehearsals 1-2 days before the event date):

Day 1, 2, and 3: 12 radios with in-ear speaker for Event Management Team coordination.

Day 1 (General Session Conference Room):

o Lighting package - stage wash and spot for main room, o Sound system and mixer, o LCD projector and screen, o 2 cameras set up to live stream for virtual audience, o 1 podium with mic on platform, o 5 table mics, o 5 lavalier mics, o 2 confidence monitors, o 1 Remote clicker for advancing slides and laser pointer, o 2 show laptops, and o Stage Decor Options (e.g., pipe and drape, screens, up-lighting).

Day 2 & 3 (Breakout Rooms):

o 1 podium with microphone, o 3-6 handheld microphones, o LCD projector and screen, o Confidence monitor, and o Camera set-up (with lighting) to broadcast, simulcast and record sessions.

c. Wi-Fi: Vendor must provide or refer preferred contractor to provide:

High speed internet package with unique, secure, private, and password protected Wi- Fi connections to:

o Maximize bandwidth to broadcast live-stream, o Dedicated Wi-Fi for BARDA and SNS staff, and o Provide in-person attendees seamless connection to the virtual events platform.

Wi-Fi must be accessible from all areas of the event facility, including the auditorium/main theatre, conference rooms, hallways, breakrooms, and speaker greenroom.

d. Closed Captioning: Preference will be given to vendor that can provide (or contract through preferred vendor) closed captioning services to provide:

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Automated live captioning during the event, Post-event transcripts, 508 compliant transcripts, and RT subtitle delivery for YouTube.

iii. EVENT MANAGEMENT TEAM

a. Team Venue – must assign a dedicated events manager to assist BARDA staff with customer service needs before, during, and after the event.

AV – must assign a dedicated production/communications manager to assist BARDA staff with developing the project outline and confirm equipment/software/systems capabilities needed to meet AV requirements.

Closed Captioning (if separate from AV team) – must assign a dedicated team lead to assist BARDA staff with planning for captioning services and to establish a process to produce transcripts for recorded sessions.

b. Duties: The Event Management Team must:

Participate in a kick-off meeting held within 15 business days following contract award, Attend planning meetings (which will begin following the kick-off meeting), Have the flexibility to be available for ad-hoc inquiries and meetings as needed, and Coordinate with BARDA and SNS PMs to develop a Project Plan within 10 business days after the kick-off meeting (including, contact lists, deliverable schedules and key pre-production, event, and post-production milestones).