80HQTR21Q0001 QA Final.pdf

80HQTR21Q00001

Media Monitoring, Analytics, and Distribution Services

Questions and Answers

1. The government omits some detailed instructions required for offerors to successfully submit a bid. Would the government please provide clarity around the 1) number of volumes for the solicitation, 2) the page limitations for each volume, and 3) the number of past performance citations desired and the page limitations for each citation (if any)?

A: The page limitation for the technical response is 25 pages; however, we are looking for one volume that provides a streamlined response to the solicitation. Please see Amendment 2. For past performance, there is no desired number of past performance information. Refer to 52.212-1, Offerors are requested to provide past performance information that is relevant and recent within the last 3 years.

2. Would the government please provide a sample of the current daily report product(s)?

A: The government will not provide samples of the daily report product(s).

3. Would the government please provide a screenshot of the current media monitoring and analysis dashboard?

A: The media monitoring and analysis dashboard is contractor proprietary.

4. Given the smaller total dollar amount of this contract, would the government consider setting this aside for Small Business?

A: The Government completed market research and determined that this acquisition will not be set aside for small business.

5. Would the government please provide the total number of NASA employees who will receive products under this contract for each of the following deliverables?

• Executive News Brief / Portal

A: Currently about 3,000 are subscribed; however, the SOW states capacity is needed for all agency employees, roughly 18,000

• Media Tracking & Monitoring platform

A: Currently 152 have access

• Press Release Distribution platform

A: Currently 42 have access

• Social Media Influencer Database

A: Currently 152 have access

6. Would the government please provide the total number of NASA communications enterprise users who will be able to access the monitoring, measurement, and analytics dashboard and data under this contract?

A: About 160

7. Enclosure 4 references a pricing schedule, but that schedule does not appear to be attached. Was there any documentation omitted in the beta.sam.gov posting?

A: An amendment will be issued that removes Enclosure 4.

8. In Enclosure 4, the government provides instructions for converting the "pricing exhibits" in the RFQ to a Microsoft Excel workbook. Could the government please confirm whether or not the price quote needs to be submitted in Microsoft Excel format or if offerors are to simply fill out boxes 21-24 in the SF1449 for each period?

A: Please submit price quotes in Microsoft Excel format.

9. Could the government please confirm whether or not the 30-day phase-in period is included in the 12-month Base Period?

A: The 30-day phase-in period will not be included in the 12-month base period. The phase-in period will have a period of performance of March 11, 2021 through April 9, 2021. The 12-month base period will have an effective date of April 10, 2021. The 30-day phase-in period will be accomplished through the issuance of a separate firm fixed price purchase order. Amendment 2 revises FAR 52.212-2 to include the phase-in period of performance.

10. Will all users be NASA HQ Office of Communications or will users also be distributed amongst various NASA centers/facilities?

A: Users will be distributed around the NASA communications enterprise, which includes HQ and other NASA centers/facilities.

11. We note that the scope requests the ability to provide NASA with “relationship management (Media Contact and social influencer databases)” however, there is no further explanation of this requirement in the 5.0 Deliverables and Delivery Schedule.

• Is NASA requiring end users to have access to a database solution for both traditional journalist list building as well as social influencer relationship management?

A: Yes.

• Will NASA be looking to manage social influencer outreach through this portal?

A: NASA does not anticipate performing any social media distribution through this portal. NASA has a separate vendor providing social media customer experience management.

• How many influencers does NASA anticipate managing relationships with?

A: NASA does not anticipate managing relationships with any influencers.

12. Leading from the previous question, how does NASA anticipate “relationship management” be accounted for in the deliverables?

A: The capability to perform relationship management is the deliverable. NASA users will be responsible for managing the relationships.

13. Do all users that require access to the traditional media database also require access to the social influencer database?

14. Would the government please provide the average total number of stories captured for each daily Executive News briefing?

A: On Dec. 11, 2020, the daily Executive News Briefing captured a total of 44 stories from discrete sources. On Dec. 12, 2020, the total was 70. On busier news days the total could be considerably higher.

15. Would the government please provide the topic areas, if any, that are included in the current Executive News briefing?

A: The current Executive News briefing covers any and all topics of interest to NASA.

Articles are organized generally under the categories of Top Stories, Flight, Earth, Humans in Space, Moon to Mars, Solar System and Beyond, Space Tech, Various and Other.

16. How many “key personnel” are anticipated to receive a “permanent, non-expiring password” to the website?

A: The number is to be determined based on preferences of the incoming administration, but most likely less than 30.

17. Section 5.1 indicates that the Contractor is required to provide 24/7 customer service with a manager and team across all task areas, however section 5.5.3 indicates a customer service manager is only required 7a.m. to 7p.m. with 24/7 support only required for the News Wire Dissemination. Can the government please clarify the extent of customer service support that is required 24/7, and what is required 7a.m. to 7p.m.?

5.1: “NASA shall have access to a designated director of client relations and communications with the product team around the clock for questions, guidance and changes to delivery lists, deadlines, topics, sources and other elements of the service.”

5.5.3: “The contractor shall provide an account manager or dedicated customer service representative who is readily available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.”

A: Customer service support must be available or on call around the clock for assistance with news release distribution. Distribution outside regular business hours is infrequent but does occur periodically in times of breaking news and mission-related events such as rocket launches.

18. Can NASA further clarify what it means by “Unlimited Private Data Groups”? As much context as you can provide will be helpful in compiling a thorough response.

A: The ability to gather a subset of users in a user group, such as NASA Headquarters or a field center, with exclusive permission to a subset of data of interest to the particular group.

19. Can NASA provide an upper limit on the potential total number of NASA users to this portal/dashboard?

A: Please see response to question 6 above.

20. Do all users require the ability to conduct ad-hoc searches for coverage across all mediums regardless if that topic was previously being monitored?

21. Can NASA confirm that this requirement is to be filled by a self-serve software using the

COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) platform provided by the vendor? (Rather than a service-driven deliverable?)

A: The vendor provides the platform with the capability for tailored report generation, i.e., a report can be produced and downloaded/exported from any search.

22. Does the solicitation differentiate between email press releases sent directly to journalists

vs. Newswire press releases that go to a broad segment of media outlets?

A: The vendor will perform newswire distribution. The context of “releases sent directly to journalists” is not clear, but in general, any releases sent directly to journalists will be sent by NASA users.

23. Assuming for the purposes of this question that the term in the solicitation “newswires” refers to press releases and not newswire content, how many “Newswires” (e.g. press releases to journalists) does NASA anticipate sending on a weekly or monthly basis?

• Is this the “average of 6” referenced in 5.4.1?

• Can NASA confirm the time period for that average?

A: An average of 6 per week.

• Are we correct in assuming that is an average of six per-week for an annual estimated total of ~300 wires?

24. Does NASA currently maintain a LexisNexis subscription? If not, is the Contractor required to purchase one as part of this contract in order to archive news releases?

A: The Office of Communications does not maintain a LexisNexis subscription.

LexisNexis is referenced in the Statement of Work as an example.

25. What is the extent of editorial assistance expected for the news dissemination editing?

Simple copy edits, grammar errors seem clear but is the vendor responsible for structure, formatting or any graphic design elements?

A: Proofreading and simply copy edits, to be made only after notifying NASA and obtaining permission.

26. Can the government provide an estimate on how many trainings took place, on average, in a single year during the incumbent scope of work?

• If not, does the government expect it to exceed five, ten, or twenty annually?

A: 20 annually is possible.

• Is there a minimum threshold of attendees for trainings (i.e. 3 or more staff) or are trainings intended to be readily available to any NASA staff member at any time requested?

A: Training is expected to be readily available on days/times that are mutually convenient for trainers and attendees.

27. The government specifies that a minimum average annual contract value of $239,000 is require for any Prime past performance used in the proposal. However, the data available for the incumbent contract shows that it is below this minimum dollar value annually. In light of this, would the government please consider changing the Past Performance dollar value to total contract value of $900,000 (or greater) to more accurately represent the size and scope of the current requirement?

A: We have taken this into consideration, and will revise the average annual contract value to $175,000.

28. Would the government consider a one-week extension for this proposal?

A: The Government will extend the due date for proposals to January 8, 2021. Please see Amendment 1.

29. Would the government consider answering any clarifying questions that result from the answers received during the first round of Questions and Answers?

A: The Government will take into consideration any questions received as a result from the first round of questions and answers.

30. Is there an incumbent for this requirement? If yes, please provide the company name and current contract number.

A: The incumbent is Cision and the contract number is NNH16PA58P.

31. Can the government provide further guidance on what should be included in the technical response?

A: In accordance with 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Items (JUN 2020) paragraph (b)(4), a technical description of the items being offered in sufficient detail to evaluate compliance with the requirements in the solicitation. This may include product literature, or other documents, if necessary. The phase-in plan shall be included as part of the technical response.

32. The instructions state “The Offeror shall provide a detailed phase-in plan that addresses, at a minimum, the Offeror's approach to phase-in sufficient to ensure continuity and a smooth transition with the incumbent contractor during the 30-day phase-in period.” Are vendors required to submit this phase-in plan as part of the proposal response?

A: Yes, vendors are required to submit a phase-in plan as part of their proposal response.

33. Will the government be providing a Small Business Subcontracting Plan template (Attachment C) to be completed by offerors? If so, should small business prime contractors do anything different in completing this template?

A: The Government will not be providing a Small Business Subcontracting Plan template. Small business prime contractors are not required to submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan. Offerors shall refer to FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (incorporated by reference).

34. Please provide additional details on the evaluation criteria for the required technical approach.

A: Please refer to provision 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items (OCT 2014). An Offeror’s quote will be deemed technically unacceptable and removed from further consideration for award if the Offeror’s quote does not demonstrate that all of the requirements listed in this solicitation can be met in a satisfactory manner.

35. Does the government have a preference for contracting directly with a software company that provides a media monitoring platform as opposed to a separate professional services firm who subcontracts with such a software company?

A: The Government will evaluate the Offeror’s approach for reasonableness and effectiveness in demonstrating their ability to meet the requirements.

36. What is the government’s annual budget for this requirement?

A: The Government will not disclose the in-house cost estimate. This will be a firm fixed price requirement based on the successful offeror.

37. Section 5.1 states “The contractor may limit news stories selected for inclusion to English-language articles and broadcasts focused on a prioritized list of sources provided by NASA.” Will the government share the referenced list of prioritized sources?

A: The government will share a list of prioritized sources with the successful offeror.

38. This enclosure states “The Pricing Exhibits provided in the RFQ are in Portable Document Format (PDF). Prior to completing the Pricing Exhibits, you must convert the .PDF file to Microsoft Office Excel either using Adobe Acrobat DC or manually recreate each individual exhibit.” Can the government confirm specifically where the pricing exhibits are located in the RFQ documents, including specific Enclosure, section and page number? Alternatively, can the government provide a separate pricing schedule or template as a new Enclosure?

A: A template will not be provided. Pricing shall be submitted in Excel format in accordance with the RFQ instructions. Please see the amendment for revised instructions.

The pricing should be provided in a monthly breakout for the base and each individual option period.

39. In sections 5.1 and 5.6 there are references to email delivery of the daily Executive News Briefing with minimal detail about what is to be included. Can the government confirm what specific content should be included in the briefing email messages as opposed to on the contractor’s platform accessed via secure link?

A: The Executive News Briefing distributed via email includes digest of any and all stories of interest to NASA, with links to the actual content summarized in the briefing.