OBSSR podcast questions_ with responses_.pdf

(RFQ) 75N97022R00012 - The Behavioral and Social Science Side of Health Podcast

Creation

Questions and Answers – 8/19/2022

1. Will the government please extend the due date to one week after the answers to the questions are received? The government shall extend the due day to August 29, 2022, 3:00 p.m. est.

2. Since this is a new venture for OBSSR, would the government consider making this a time and materials contract? This will remain a FFP contract.

3. In the pre-production and planning phase, how many brainstorming sessions does the government anticipate needing to identify podcast goals and strategies? We see this as an iterative process and think that at least 3-5 brainstorming sessions would be needed. We are open to holding more or less sessions depending on the contractor’s experience and contribution to this part of the planning process.

4. Does OBSSR expect the contractor or an OBSSR staff member to host the proposed nine podcast episodes during the period of performance? If it will be an OBSSR staff member, has that staff member been identified? OBSSR would prefer to have the contractor train an OBSSR staff member to be the host. Although the particular staff member has not yet been determined, there are several possible candidates that are able and willing. OBSSR is open to feedback from the contractor regarding the staff member selected, based upon the contractor’s experience with successful hosts they have worked with on previous podcasts.

5. Could you please elaborate on the type and length of training you envision for the

OBSSR podcast host (e.g., how many sessions, voice training, interview coaching)?

OBSSR would like to be trained on the principles and techniques of running a successful podcast so that we can eventually do a lot of the legwork in-house. This would include voice training, interviewing coaching, and guidance on best practices. OBSSR anticipates, at minimum, (5) 1-hour training sessions, which should include reference materials, such as PowerPoint slides, word documents, or audio/video files that OBSSR can retain as reference materials.

6. The RFP indicates three rounds of feedback related to the pilot episode.

a. Will there be three rounds of review for each of the subsequent eight episodes?

Yes, given that this is a government product, there are many layers of review that will be needed on the OBSSR side.

b. When will these rounds occur (e.g., after script drafting, after the episode is recorded, etc.)? There will be more up-front review for the first one or two episodes to ensure that we hit the right tone and content. After that, OBSSR envisions that review would be more streamlined and would mostly happen after the episode is recorded.

7. The RFP mentions verifying guest credibility and veracity. At what point in the process do you expect this factchecking to take place? OBSSR expects that reviewing the credibility and authenticity of community-based guests (or non-researchers) and fact-check their stories would take place prior to recording the episode in which the guest would appear.

8. Could you describe the podcast format you envision (e.g., an edited interview between a host and guests; a host voiceover stitched together with separately recorded guest interviews — i.e., a nonfiction narrative storytelling approach.)? OBSSR envisions that each episode will include an edited discussion with a relevant community member

(dependent upon the episode’s topic), and an interview with a researcher whose work helps illuminate some of the behavioral and/or social science behind the health-related issue introduced by the community member. OBSSR would like each podcast to successfully tell a nuanced story about a topic or issue that may otherwise be misunderstood or misinterpreted by the general public. Although not health-related, Choiceology, hosted by Dr. Katy Milkman is an excellent example of this type of science woven together with storytelling.

9. What degree of episode scoring do you envision (e.g., simple intro/outro music, or additional sound effects throughout each episode)? OBSSR would like to have consistent intro/outro music and we would consider other recommendations for sound effects depending on the topic being discussed.

10. How long do you anticipate the virtual training (in podcasting best practices, promotional strategies, etc.) for OBSSR staff to be? There is no set time allotted for this but the goal would be to convey principles and best practices for running a successful podcast. We would except now fewer than (5) 1-hour sessions, with materials (e.g., powerpoint slide decks, word documents) that OBSSR could retain for reference.

11. The delivery schedule (on page 7) mentions a “success metrics analysis plan” that is not described in the scope of work. Please clarify if the contractor is expected to develop a success metrics analysis plan and if so, what that plan should entail. Yes, the expectation is that the contractor would help OBSSR to develop a plan that allows us to measure the success of a podcast. This should be developed using the contractor’s knowledge of other successful podcasts in the behavioral and/or social science space (or other related fields). OBSSR would like to include metrics that assess the reach of the podcast, listening time, engagement and any other metrics typical for determining success.

12. The RFP lists “Experience in podcasting on behavioral health topics” as a mandatory criterion. Would the government revise that to “public health topics”? We can revise this to “Experience in podcasting on public health topics with a strong preference for expertise in behavioral health and/or social science topics.”

13. Would it be possible to get access to the most current version of the NIH OBSSR strategic plan? .

OBSSR is currently working on our next strategic plan and expect to have it available online by the end of this calendar year. https://obssr.od.nih.gov/about/strategic-plan.

https://obssr.od.nih.gov/about/strategic-plan