Section C. Statement of Work.docx

Solicitation: AG-63PX-S-10-0002 Publication Production Services Page 1 of 20

Solicitation: AG-63PX-S-10-0002 Publication Production Services Page 20 of 20

SECTION C – PERFORMANCE STATEMENT OF WORK

A. INTRODUCTION

The Contractor shall provide publication production services, including editing, page layout and formatting, electronic publishing, graphic production (e.g., drawing, tracing, inking or computer generation of artwork), and proofreading and other quality control.

Under this contract, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA Forest Service), Northern Research Station (NRS) Office of Communications and Science Delivery, Production Services group will order publication production services for all NRS Staff.

In general, documents and publications covered by this contract will be prepared with the reader in mind and, generally, within the following parameters:

1. Subject Matter. Topics include technical/scientific, administrative and management, morale and incentive, professional development and recruiting support, and budget and program planning.

2. Audience. The type of audience may be specified on the Task Order and may range from high school graduate and general public to top-level management in administrative, technical, and scientific fields or to Congressional Committees and Executive Staff.

3. Methods. The format and style, techniques, and method of presentation shall be consonant with Forest Service standards, guides, styles, practices, type of production planned, and with the particular audience identified.

B. BACKGROUND

We will be relying on contracting services to supplement NRS publication staff in developing administrative documents and publications. Administrative documents related to Forest Service technical areas are produced to inform Forest Service employees of new business processes and technical findings. Publications inform the general public, other government agencies, Congress, and/or cooperators of Forest Service programs.

Under the direction of the USDA Forest Service, the Contractor will edit, prepare and deliver electronic files for printing and/or electronic publishing. Working through the USDA Printing Division and the Government Printing Office (GPO), the USDA Forest Service will print the administrative documents and publications from the electronic files provided.

C. SCOPE

Period of Performance: The Contractor shall furnish service in support of USDA Forest Service publications programs from date of award through 12 months, or until the maximum delivery orders have been reached.

Under this procurement, the total value of task orders issued will be a minimum of $3,000, and a maximum of $500,000 (includes base and option years).

The USDA Forest Service NRS may purchase from any source deemed appropriate for services or supplies that the Contracting Officer (CO) determines are not normally available through the Contractor or those the Forest Service is required to procure through USDA. Examples might include videography, electronic recording, or special graphics.

Prices include all costs for or derived from administration, consultation, contract program planning (that may or may not result in a Task Order), or for review of work in progress or deliverables, or for negotiating specific approaches and schedules and work levels; supervision and control; facilities and equipment; common materials and supplies; overhead, services, and labor; and for pickup and delivery as may be necessary for satisfactory performance.

Hand delivery or express, tracked delivery service is required on all Task Orders and deliverables. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, email and ftp sites may be used for the delivery of draft documents. Email is NOT an acceptable delivery method for final files or product.

All materials identified in each Task Order shall be delivered by the Contractor - FOB Destination to the Forest Service facilities cited in the Task Order.

Projected work requests for a twelve (12) month period for the Office of Communications and Science Deliver.

The following number of orders, pages, pieces, or other items cited herein are ESTIMATES ONLY; such estimates are based upon the previous experience and averages during the period FY07 – FY09. NO GUARANTEE IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED THAT THE NUMBERS CITED HEREIN ARE EITHER THE MAXIMUM OR THE MINIMUM QUANTITIES THAT MAY BE ORDERED DURING THE TERM OF THIS CONTRACT.

(for 12 months) Estimated Pages/Pieces per Order

Forest Service Research Series:

Resource Bulletins

120 pages

D. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

The Contractor shall use the following MANDATORY STANDARDS, GUIDES, REFERENCES, AND AUTHORITIES in the production of all deliverables unless specific written instructions to the contrary are issued by the ordering office.

1. Primary Documents

a. Department Regulation (DR) 1410-1, Publishing Policies. USDA. (Available on the following website: http://www.usda.gov:80/ocio/directives/DR/DR1410-001.html)

b. Desktop Publishing—Disk Information Form (GPO Form 952). (Available from GPO.)

c. Forest Service Manual (FSM) 1600, Information Services. USDA Forest Service. (Available on the following website: www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/dughtml/fsm1000.html)

d. Forest Service Handbook (FSH) 1609.11, Manuscript Preparation. USDA Forest Service. (Available on the following website: www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/dughtml/fsh1000.html)

e. How to Submit Charts and Graphics for Design and Production to the USDA Design Center (current edition). USDA Office of Communications Design Center. (Available on the following website: http://www.usda.gov/agency/oc/design)

f. Visual Management Manual, Volume 1, Graphic Design (AD-791). USDA Office of Communications Design Center. (Available through NRS Publishing Section, Contracting Officer’s Representative.)

g. Rocky Mountain Research Station Guide for Citing Bibliographic References (current edition). Rocky Mountain Research Station. (Available through NRS Production Services, Contracting Officer’s Representative.)

h. PNW Writers Guide for Literature Cited (current edition). Pacific Northwest Research Station. (Available through NRS Production Services, Contracting Officer’s Representative.)

2. Additional Documents

a. American National Metric Council Metric Editorial Guide (5th Edition, 1995). Bethesda, MD: National Metric Council.

b. The New York Public Library Writer’s Guide to Style and Usage (1st Edition, 1994). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

c. Standard Practice for Use of the International System of Units (The Modernized Metric System) (E-380-93). Philadelphia, PA: American Society for Testing and Materials.

d. Style Guide to the Use of the Metric System (current edition). Northridge, CA: U.S. Metric Association.

e. Webster’s New International Dictionary (current edition). Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Co.

f. Other References cited in FSH 1609.11, Manuscript Preparation Handbook (Item 3, above) shall be used as appropriate.

E. KEY PERSONNEL

1. Contractor.

The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel:

a. Project Manager. The standards for the Project Manager are defined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Handbook X-118, Qualification Standards for Positions under the General Schedules, GS-1082-13, Writing and Editing Series (available at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-III/A/num-NDX.HTM). In addition to writing and editing experience, the project manager should have a working knowledge of all publication processes.

b. Senior Writer/Editor. The standards for Senior Writer/Editor are defined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Handbook X-118, Qualification Standards for Positions under the General Schedules, GS-1082-12, Writing and Editing Series (available at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-III/A/num-NDX.HTM).

c. Senior Graphics Designer. The standards for Senior Graphics Designer are defined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Handbook X-118, Qualification Standards for Positions under the General Schedules, GS-1084-12, Visual Information Specialist Series (available at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-III/A/num-NDX.HTM).

During the first 60 days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the CO within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by the following paragraph. After the initial 60-day period, the Contractor shall submit the information required by the following paragraph to the CO at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions.

The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the CO. Proposed substitutes should have comparable qualifications to those of the person being replaced. The CO will notify the Contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.

2. Government.

The CO will appoint by letter a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), who will have the responsibility of ensuring that the work conforms to the requirement of the contract and such other responsibilities and authorities as may be specified in the letter of authorization. The resultant Contractor is hereby forewarned that— absent the requisite authority of the COR to make any such changes—it may be held fully responsible for any changes not authorized in advance, in writing, by the CO; may be denied compensation or other relief for any additional work performed that is not so authorized; and may also be required—at no additional cost to the Government—to take all corrective action necessitated by reason of the unauthorized changes.

F. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

1. General

All materials and data produced by the Contractor in performance under this contract, or in work in support thereof, are and shall be the sole property of the U.S. Government. Unlimited rights in ownership, usage, and equity for such materials and data are and shall be transferred without reservation to the U.S. Government.

For all items deliverable to the U.S. Government under this contract, the Contractor shall identify the source of all material used in production or preparation of those items for which the source is not the original output and work of the Contractor and Contractor’s employees. Such material includes, but is not limited to, writing, artwork, photography, tables, graphs, logos, and symbols.

The Contractor shall exclude from the deliverable items all material for which the Contractor does not have full, exclusive, and unlimited rights in usage, and in the transfer of such rights of ownership and usage to the U.S. Government, except as provided:

a. Releases. For all material that previously was published, used, or developed by sources other than the Contractor and the Contractor’s employees, the Contractor shall obtain, prior to inclusion of that material in the deliverable items, all necessary releases, permission, and rights for unrestricted usage by the U.S. Government of such material, whether or not the material was copyrighted.

b. Document. The documents containing releases, permission, and rights for usage shall be delivered to the U.S. Government with the materials.

2. Task Items

The following describes specific requirements, methods, and technical controls for the performance of work under this contract. Categories of work are listed as Task Items with levels within each item. Task Items, and levels within each item, may be ordered separately or in addition to other Task Items.

Page counts for any Task Item are based on the following formats.

(a) Format I. A page (8-1/2 x 11”) having a standardized image area that accommodates an average of 550 terms of typed or display-set material, or combinations of illustrations and typed material (10 to 12 point type) with a proportional reduction in the number of TERMS in the image area.

(b) Format II. A similar page (8-1/2” x 11”) having an average of 650 terms (8 or 9 point type) in the image area.

(c) Format III. A page (5-1/2” x 8-1/2”) having a standardized image area that accommodates an average of 400 terms (9 to 10 point type) of typed or display-set material, or combinations of illustrations and typed material with a proportional reduction in the number of terms in the image area.

(d) Format IV. A page (4 x 9”) having a standardized image area that accommodates an average of 300 terms (8 or 9 point type) of typed or display-set material, or combinations of illustrations and typed material with a proportional reduction in the number of terms in the image area.

(e) Format V. A page (9 x 12”) having a standardized image area that accommodates an average of 550 terms of typed or display-set material, or combinations of illustrations and typed material (10 to 12 point type) with a proportional reduction in the number of TERMS in the image area. (Follow layout of General Technical Report NC-228, The Status of Timber Resources in the North Central United States.)

Detailed instructions covering basic, standard grammatical rules, spelling, abbreviation, or writing style, or detailed instructions on the preparation of related drafting, illustrating, or other art and graphic services may not be included in all orders for services.

a. Editing

(1) Description. Editing includes revising and reorganizing text to improve readability and precision and correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style. Editing may also include developing abstracts, indexes, tables, captions, references, and citations and footnotes.

Editing shall be performed to—

· Develop material in a format consistent with approved outline and style as shown in guides and instructions on Task Orders; this includes both hard and soft metric conversion, as required.

· Segment subject matter to present related data within sections and subsections and to avoid overlapping and duplication.

· Make contents, lists, appendices, indexes, and other data consistent with text, guides, and with continuity so that work appears to be that of one person.

· Eliminate use of passive construction and, wherever possible, use the active present construction.

· Maintain consistency in use of subjunctive construction.

(2) Contract Management Requirements.

(a) Staff Qualifications. Editing shall be performed by the Contractor’s professional staff. The senior writer/editor must meet standards as defined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Handbook X-118 Qualification Standards for Positions Under the General Schedules, GS-1082-12 Writing and Editorial Series (available at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-III/A/num-NDX.HTM). The standard for the journey-level editor is GS-1082-9.

(b) Deliverables. All material produced by the Contractor for which only EDITING has been requested shall be delivered as a double-spaced typed manuscript that reflects the editor’s work OR in a Word document using the track-edit function.

The manuscript may include minor and infrequent editor’s marks that indicate additional corrections made after the Contractor’s typed manuscript was prepared.

The manuscript shall be suitable for reading and technical review by the Forest Service authors or management staff, who are NOT trained or knowledgeable in editorial marking.

The typed manuscript shall be reviewed and corrected by the Contractor’s quality control personnel prior to delivery. THE PRODUCTION (INCORPORATION OF CONTRACTOR EDITOR’S MARKS), QUALITY CONTROL, CORRECTION, AND SINGLE FACSIMILE COPY OF THE DOUBLE-SPACED TYPED MANUSCRIPT ARE NOT SEPARATE ITEMS CHARGEABLE UNDER “PROOFREADING,” OR “MATERIALS.”

In addition to or instead of a double-spaced typed manuscript, the Government may order a red-line edit directly on Government furnished manuscripts. Contractor keyboarding may not be required.

The contract editor should query any obscure or confusing statements in Government-furnished material and maintain notes concerning resolution of queries with Government technical and editorial staff. The contract editor shall avoid confusing or distorting the intent of the material.

(3) Levels of Work

(a) Editing, Level A. Comprehensive review of Government-furnished material, including:

· Ensuring accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

· Checking completeness, accuracy, consistency, and format of tables, bibliographies, references, and footnotes.

· Eliminating wordiness and reviewing the content for logic.

· Ensuring manuscript adheres to chosen style (in most cases, GPO style).

· Ensuring that acronyms are defined on first use and used consistently throughout the manuscript.

· Checking construction of verbs, nouns, etc., for parallel construction, consistency, and correct style.

· Querying, as appropriate, external text references to Forest Service publications and directives.

· Verifying cross-references, text citations, and callouts.

· Maintaining consistency in subjunctive construction.

· Querying use of jargon, clichés, and redundancies.

· Querying text written in the passive voice and suggesting rewrites.

· Identifying and eliminating bias (e.g., gender, race, ethnic) in text.

Editors qualified at or above the journey level shall perform work.

LEVEL A EDITING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF “MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION.”

(b) Editing, Level B. Includes restructuring up to one-third of the Government-furnished material to ensure that it is well organized, clearly written, and communicates with its audiences. In addition to including queries in the manuscript as appropriate, Level B includes reorganizing and rewriting text that—

· Is unclear or redundant.

· Has unsupported conclusions or gaps in logic.

· Contains jargon and clichés.

· Is written in the passive voice.

· Does not contain parallel construction.

· Contains biased language.

· Is not written with a natural rhythm.

Work shall be performed by writers or editors qualified at the Senior Level.

LEVEL B EDITING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF LEVEL A.

(c) Editing, Level C. Includes restructuring of up to two-thirds, but more than one-third of Government-furnished material to ensure that it is well organized, clearly written, and communicates with its audiences.

Work shall be performed by writers or editors qualified at the Senior Level.

LEVEL C EDITING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF LEVELS A AND B.

b. Page Layout and Formatting

(1) Description Page layout and formatting includes the use of desktop publishing software to format the text and for the placement of photos and illustrations to create a digital file that can be printed on a typical desktop printer. In most cases, the layout will follow the guidelines identified in the Visual Management Manual plus design guides developed for Northern Research Station and consist of one of the page formats described above under F. Technical Requirements, 2. Task Items.

Page layout also includes the formatting of text in a tabular form. Tabular material is the equivalent of twice the units of text copy (that is, tables consisting of 25 words or terms are equivalent to 50 words or terms of text material), regardless of style or size. Tabular material is comprised of data arranged in columns, with or without vertical or horizontal lines separating the columns, or outline box and caption separating material from text.

For special work requirements that do not include usual format and style for text, illustration, or presentation items, and DO include unusual and complicated systems of preparation and indention, the CO or (COR) MAY CONSIDER such requirements as being equivalent to and chargeable as TABULAR material. However, the decision of the CO as to determination of the chargeable task item shall be final.

Special Latin or Greek terms in lists, tables, or text; mathematical and scientific formulae; or equations comprised of data separated from the text are the equivalent of three times the units of text copy (that is, formulae consisting of 25 words or terms are equivalent to 75 words or terms of text material) regardless of style or size.

(2) Contract Management Requirements

(a) Staff Qualifications. Except for Level D, the Contractor’s professional staff shall perform page layout and formatting. The senior graphic designer must meet standards as defined in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Handbook X-118 Qualification Standards for Positions Under the General Schedules, GS-1084-12 Visual Information Specialist Series. The standard for the journey-level graphic designer is GS-1084-9. For editorial qualifications, see Editing.

(b) Deliverables. All work performed under this procurement shall be in accordance with the current and applicable Government Printing and Binding regulations published by the Joint Committee on Printing, Congress of the United States, as that document may be amended by the Congress or the Public Printer; and as the constraints of that document are pertinent to the performance of work under this contract. The Government shall advise the Contractor of changes in the content or the application or the interpretation of the provisions of the regulations cited herein, as necessary to perform the work.

Work shall be performed on either the Macintosh or Microsoft’s Windows operating systems (OS) platform. Standard professional publishing and graphic applications software must be used. Current versions of OS and software should be used.

Material may be required in single-, double-, or triple-column format, single- or double-spaced lines, with justified or unjustified margins, and with electronic materials saved in appropriate application or Postscript or ASCII text file as cited on the work order and in pertinent standards and guides.

Prepare all copy and lettering that is internal to illustrations, charts, graphs, and tables in SANS SERIF faces or fonts unless otherwise specified on Task Order. Internal copy shall not be smaller than 8 point in the reproduced publication image, unless discussed with and acceptable to the COR.

The following items shall be delivered to the Government:

· Draft copies printed out on one side of white paper and arranged as required in the Task Order.

· Two final laser print-outs on one side of white paper.

· Electronic file copy submitted on CD or DVD. Electronic file mjedia subject to change with new technological advances

THE FACSIMILE COPY AND THE ELECTRONIC FILE COPY ARE NOT CHARGEABLE UNDER MATERIALS. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL NOT ERASE ELECTRONIC MEDIA USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF ANY FOREST SERVICE WORK UNTIL 1 YEAR AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE OF THIS CONTRACT.

(3) Levels of Work.

(a) Page Layout and Formatting, Level A. Consists of marking manuscript pages, illustrations, reproducible copy, and other related material so that proper instructions are available to typists, graphic designers, printers, and collators or binders. Prior to formatting the text, it includes marking all text material, captions, tables, headings, callouts, indicators or symbols, legends and keys, and data for typing or graphic work.

Includes sizing, cropping, and paste-up of art and photos, developing the printer’s dummy, and marking laser print-outs for printing, including marking:

· To indicate the color system used (when applicable) or spot color

· To indicate perforations, folds, die-cuts, etc.

Work shall be performed by graphic designers or editors qualified at or above the journey level.

ALL FINAL REPRODUCIBLE COPY PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNMENT FOR PRINTING SHALL BE CORRECTLY MARKED WITH PRINTER’S INSTRUCTIONS (e.g., RING FOLIO AND ILLUSTRATION SIZING). PAYMENT FOR PRODUCTION OF MORE THAN ONE COPY OF THE PRINTER’S DUMMY IS PROVIDED UNDER “MATERIALS, LEVEL A” OR “LEVEL B” AS APPROPRIATE. ILLUSTRATION BOARDS AND OVERLAY SHEETS USED FOR PASTE-UP AND FLAPPING ON FINAL CAMERA COPY PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT CHARGEABLE UNDER MATERIALS.

(b) Page Layout and Formatting, Level B. Preparation of digital files that require using desktop publishing software to format text in final form based on one of the identified formats, using one or more type faces or fonts, justified or unjustified margins, and single- or multiple columns.

Work shall be performed by graphic designers or editors qualified at or above the journey level.

LEVEL B PAGE LAYOUT AND FORMATTING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF LEVEL A.

(c) Page Layout and Formatting, Level C. Preparation digital files that require using desktop publishing software to format text and related material (e.g., illustrations and photographs) in final form based on one of the identified formats, using one or more type faces or fonts, justified or unjustified margins, and single- or multiple columns. Photographs and illustrations may be in electronic or hard copy form.

Work shall be performed by graphic designers or editors qualified at or above the journey level.

LEVEL C PAGE LAYOUT AND FORMATTING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF LEVELS A AND B.

(d) Page Layout and Formatting, Level D. Includes the typing and reworking of previously formatted text, incorporating Forest Service changes, modifications, and corrections thereto into the base copy when such changes and modifications will alter more than one-third of the layout of the document.

Clerical personnel may perform work. However, the Contractor’s professional staff must perform quality control.

LEVEL D PAGE LAYOUT AND FORMATTING INCLUDES ALL APPLICABLE ELEMENTS OF COPY TYPING AS DEFINED BELOW.

d. Electronic Publishing

(1) Description. Electronic publishing includes formatting copy into electronic file formats, including Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF), HyperText Markup Language (HTML), and Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

(2) Contract Management Requirements.

(a) Deliverables. Material may be required in basic electronic file formats with minimal links or in interactive searchable-text files. Final electronic file should be delivered using commercially established media or email, when appropriate. Media may include CD or DVD.

The following items shall be delivered to the Government:

· Final copy printed on one side of white paper.

· Electronic file copy on appropriate media.

THE FINAL COPY AND THE ELECTRONIC FILE COPY ARE NOT CHARGEABLE UNDER MATERIALS. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL NOT ERASE ELECTRONIC MEDIA USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF ANY FOREST SERVICE WORK UNTIL 1 YEAR AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE OF THIS CONTRACT.

(3) Levels of Work.

(a) Electronic Publishing, Level A. Consists of developing HTML, SGML, or other language as identified on the Task Order from text document. The number of links and searchable items developed will be less than one-third of total text.

LEVEL A MAY BE REQUIRED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL WORK ORDERED PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY AT OTHER LEVELS.

(b) Electronic Publishing, Level B. Consists of developing HTML, SGML, or other language as identified on the Task Order from text document. The number of links and searchable items developed will be more than one-third of total text.

LEVEL B MAY BE REQUIRED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL WORK ORDERED PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY AT OTHER LEVELS.

(c) Electronic Publishing, Level C. Consists of developing PDF or other page description language format as identified on the Task Order from a document that has been formatted in desktop publishing software. The number of links developed will be less than one-third of total text.

LEVEL C MAY BE REQUIRED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL WORK ORDERED PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY AT OTHER LEVELS.

(d) Electronic Publishing, Level D. Consists of developing PDF or other page description language format as identified on the Task Order from a document that has been formatted in desktop publishing software. The number of links developed will be more than one-third of total text.

LEVEL D MAY BE REQUIRED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL WORK ORDERED PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY AT OTHER LEVELS.

e. Graphics

(1) Description. Graphic services consists of a full range of illustration services: line drawing, computer generated artwork, calligraphy, sketching, scribing, airbrushing, redrawing, retouching, copying, photography, and developing original artwork required to illustrate publications and administrative documents, audiovisual presentations (PowerPoint), exhibits, reports, and posters.

Graphic services may require creative ability; the work does presume a complete understanding of techniques and processes required by and related to preparation of publications, printing, display, and audiovisual presentations.

Services may be ordered to include original design, comprehensives, illustrations, interpretive sketches, drawings, publication cover and typographic layout, and airbrushing.

(2) Contract Management Requirements.

(a) Staff Qualifications. The Contractor’s professional staff shall perform electronic publishing. For qualifications for graphic personnel, see Page Layout and Formatting.

(b) Deliverables. Graphic services must be in accordance with applicable standards, style guides, and related instructions. Such services may be ordered in various levels of complexity, talent, and states of production—from original rough copy through finished art.

General art may be ordered that includes original drafting, charts, graphs, and creating new art items from rough sketches or layouts provided.

Internal copy in posters, slides, vu-graphs, or similar presentation material shall be readable at a distance of no less than 15 feet, or as may be specified on the Task Order.

Unless ordered otherwise, deliverables shall include one facsimile copy of work delivered at each stage of review (Concept, First Draft, Final Approval).

THE FACSIMILE COPY IS NOT CHARGEABLE UNDER MATERIALS.

(3) Levels of Work.

(a) Graphics, Level A. Requires production of or improvement to simple line art, including, but not limited to, graphs, tables, diagrams, plane and perspective views of items, photographs, call-out labels and arrows or other symbols in line or continuous-tone art, or clip art. Requires review submittals. Methods include, but are not limited to, pen-and-ink, pencil, and computer-generated copy. Work is based on Government-supplied drawings, photographs, diagrams, etc.

Graphic designers qualified at or above the journey level shall perform work.

LEVEL A MAY BE REQUIRED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL WORK ORDERED PREVIOUSLY OR SUBSEQUENTLY AT OTHER LEVELS.

(b) Graphics, Level B. Requires planning, preparation, and production of special perspectives; cutaway and exploded views of plans and three-dimensional items and concepts, and overlays or flaps or windows for multiple-exposure copy. May require preparatory or review submittals. Methods include, but are not limited to, pen-and-ink, pencil or crayon, water-based color, minor retouching, and original computer-generated renderings. Work is based upon Government-supplied rough sketches, photographs, diagrams, drawings, or descriptions.

Graphic designers qualified at or above the journey level shall perform work.

LEVEL B GRAPHICS INCLUDES ALL ELEMENTS OF LEVEL A.

(c) Graphics, Level C. Requires design, development, and production of original artwork illustrating and interpreting scientific and technical subjects and concepts that are based on the Government’s description of purpose, audience, technical level, and presentation medium. May require preparatory or review submittals. Methods include, but are not limited to, pen-and-ink, pencil or crayon, water- or oil-based color, photography, airbrushing and extensive hand brush retouching, and multi-layer overlays.

Graphic designers qualified at the senior level shall perform work.

LEVEL C GRAPHICS INCLUDES ALL ELEMENTS OF LEVELS A AND B.

f. Proofreading

(1) Description. Consists of cross-reading and proper marking of errors and queries of Government-furnished manuscripts, drafts, and final copy.

Proofreading may be ordered for ONLY COMPARISON of manuscript and composition (a FOL LIT reading of the output against the copy input).

QUALITY CONTROL OF CONTRACTOR-PRODUCED MATERIAL IS NOT CHARGEABLE UNDER THIS ITEM. ALL MATERIALS PRODUCED BY THE CONTRACTOR MUST BE DELIVERED CORRECTED AND IN THE PROPER AND CONSISTENT STYLE.

(2) Contract Management Requirements.

(a) Staff Qualifications. Two qualified proofreaders or editors shall perform work.

(b) Deliverables. Proofreaders shall mark the copy to indicate discrepancies in style, format, or internal consistency. Unless otherwise noted on the Task Order, proofreading shall ensure that copy is prepared in accordance with the technical specifications herein or internal standards provided by the Task Order.

g. Materials

The Government does not anticipate ordering the items described below under LEVEL A, LEVEL B, and LEVEL C paragraphs 1, 2, and 3, separately from publications material to be prepared under this contract.

(1) Levels of Work.

(a) Materials, Level A. Includes all the black-and-white electrostatic copies (Xerox, Cannon, or equivalent) of line copy, up to 8-1/2 x 11”.

(b) Materials, Level B. Includes all the black-and-white electrostatic copies (Xerox, Cannon, or equivalent) of line copy over 8-1/2” and up to 11 x 17.”

(c) Materials , Level C. Includes color electrostatic copies (Xerox, Cannon, or equivalent) of line or half-tone or continuous-tone copy up to 11 x 17.”

G. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL TASK ITEMS

1. Liaison and Response Time

The Government may notify the Contractor of the need for services by telephone or email. Within twelve (12) hours after the Government notifies the Contractor of the need for services, the Contractor shall pick up materials and Request for Estimate from the identified Government facility or setup a consultation meeting with the Government at the Government’s discretion of location. At the Government’s discretion, the government will send materials to the contractor.

a. Normal/Routine Schedule. All such requests and the Contractor’s response time shall be within the hours beginning at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding official Government nonwork days.

b. Critical Schedule. The Contractor’s response time shall be within eight (8) hours after the Government notifies the Contractor of the Government’s need for such services.

2. Procedures for Estimating/Ordering

a. Request for Estimate. For each job, the Government will provide the source data and/or a Request for Estimate that contains all the information necessary for making an estimate and performing the work. The Request for Estimate will include the specific Task Items requested and respective levels thereof.

b. Contract Estimate.

(1) Response Time.

(a) For routine work on normal schedule, the Contractor shall provide an informal estimate of the cost and time of performance within 24 working hours (3 days) after receiving Government’s oral or written Request for Estimate. Written confirmation of such estimates shall be provided to the Government within 48 working hours after receiving the Government’s Request for Estimate. Use of telefax or email are acceptable methods for providing estimates to the Government.

(b) For critical schedule work and short time allowances (e.g., “rush job,” “short delivery time,” “overtime work”), the Contractor shall provide an informal estimate of costs and time within 3 hour after receiving Government’s oral or written Request for Estimate. Written confirmation shall be provided to the Government within 8 hours after receiving the Government’s oral or written Request for Estimate.

(2) Estimating Procedures. The Contractor shall include sufficient information with the Estimate to show a complete understanding of the task and of the requirements of costs and time for performance of the work:

(a) As necessary to prepare an Estimate based on a thorough understanding of work requirements, the Contractor shall request clarification of information provided on the Request for Estimate.

(b) The cost cited on the Contractor’s estimate shall include all costs for completion of the work as described in the Request for Estimate and will be based on the current year pricing for each Task Item as defined in the Schedule of Items. Pricing for Task Items on the Schedule of Items should include overhead costs, such as consultation of Contractor with Government employees.

(c) The time requirements cited on the Contractor’s Estimate shall include the number of working days required to deliver the completed work to the facilities cited by the Government. If the time exceeds the due date specified by the Government on the Request for Estimate, the Contractor must negotiate a new deadline with the COR.

(d) As may be required by changes in directions, increased quantities, or inaccurate estimate of costs or time, the Contractor shall prepare an Amended Estimate, as described under Amendment to the Task Order.

(3) Task Order. The estimated units of labor and quantity of materials will be negotiated on an individual job basis and will be ordered by the CO or COR issuing a formal Task Order specifying services, instructions, and delivery requirements.

(a) The Contractor should not begin work until a Task Order is received. The Government will not pay for work performed without the issuance of a Task Order.

(b) The Contractor shall not perform work in excess of the total value cited on the pertinent Task Order and formal amendments thereto. The Government is not obligated to pay for work performed in excess of the Task Order or formal amendments.

(c) The number of calendar days for delivery is established by the CO or COR on the basis of Government need and is not to exceed the work capacity of the Contractor as set forth in the Minimum Daily Productivity Standards, unless the Contractor accepts the excess of work without overtime charges or overtime work is authorized.

(4) Amendment to Task Order. Amendments based on changes in directions, increased quantities, or inaccurate estimate of costs or time will be negotiated on an individual job basis. Amendments to Task Orders are required for any change in the original Task Order prior to doing the excess work.

(a) PRIOR TO DOING EXCESS WORK, the Contractor shall prepare an Amended Estimate of Costs and Time that would be required to perform the excess work.

(b) If acceptable to the Government, the Government will authorize the additional work and costs thereof by issuing an Amendment to the Task Order.

(c) AFTER COMPLETION OF A JOB, the Contractor shall not SUBMIT AN AMENDMENT FOR WORK PERFORMED in excess of the total value cited on the pertinent Task Order and formal amendments thereto. The Government is not obligated to pay for work performed in excess of the Task Order or formal amendments.

(5) Delivery. The proper delivery of a final product or service shall be made by no later than 1:00 p.m. on the date specified on the Task Order.

(6) Invoice. After delivery of an acceptable final product or service to the Government, the Contractor may submit an invoice for payment based on the value cited in the original Task Order or formal amendment.

The Contractor shall be paid for units worked or delivered and accepted on such orders up to the value cited in the original Task Order or in a formal Amendment to the Task Order. No additional payment will be authorized beyond the value specified in the original Task Order or formal amendment.

3. Minimum Daily Productivity Standards

The following table sets forth the schedule of minimum daily productivity standards required on Task Orders issued by the Forest Service. It will also be used as the basis for establishing schedules for completion of work and delivery thereof on each Task Order issued under this contract.

Editing

Page Layout and Formatting

Electronic Publishing

Graphics

Proofreading

Writing

Materials

4. Inspection, Acceptance, Qualifications and Quality Control

a. The Contractor shall provide and maintain an internal quality control system acceptable to the Government and covering all services under this contract. Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be maintained and made available to the Government during contract performance.

b. Unless specifically accepted by the Government, final work submitted by the Contractor shall be inspected by the Government for both technical- and publication-related matters. The Government shall perform inspection in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

(1) Subsequent reviews may be required when Contractor’s work is corrected or rejected because of errors or unacceptable work by the Contractor, as described in Performance.

(2) Rework caused by errors or unacceptable quality made by the Contractor is “CORRECTION,” and is NOT chargeable to the Government, and NO INCREASE WILL BE ALLOWED IN PRICE OR TIME for completion and delivery of the work.

(3) Rework caused by any changes made by the Government is “CHANGING,” or “AUTHOR’S ALTERATIONS,” and such rework is chargeable to the Government when such rework and resulting estimates of additional cost and time are approved PRIOR TO DOING SUCH ADDITIONAL WORK (as evidenced by an amended Task Order).

c. The Contractor shall advise the COR of any need to have cognizant Government Staff personnel review technical validity of subject matter BEFORE the Contractor contacts the cognizant Government Staff personnel. The Contractor shall review publication-related matters with the COR who issued the applicable Task Order.

5. Quality Assurance

The Government shall monitor and evaluate Contractor’s performance by examining a random sample of each LOT delivered.

a. LOT. Includes all deliverables resulting from work cited in the single Task Order.

(1) For publication material, a LOT includes all deliverables of text and related illustrations and tables cited in the Task Order. The number of PAGES in the SAMPLE is based on the number of PAGES in the Lot for each specified FORMAT.

(2) For “stand-alone” Graphic Units, a LOT includes all finished artwork cited in the Task Order. The SAMPLE is the total work in the LOT.

b. SAMPLE. The size or portion of the LOT examined for determination of acceptability is based on the number of units in the LOT. The Government shall review the SAMPLE to determine Contractor’s compliance with specific requirements:

(1) DIRECTIONS in the Task Orders (including descriptions, notes, samples, etc., attached thereto).

(2) APPLICABLE SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS, GUIDES.

(3) LEVEL of ACCURACY in work.

(4) TIMELINESS of Contractor’s delivery.

c. The objective of PERFORMANCE EVALUATION is to maintain a quality level in which the error rate does not exceed .00025 (.025 percent) across all projects. The PERFORMANCE EVALUATION shall determine ACCEPTABILITY of the LOT, based on the maximum number of allowable ERRORS in the SAMPLE.

d. ERROR. Presentation of material that is contrary to the guides, standards, or directions that are pertinent to the deliverables or to the tasks cited in the Request for Estimate, Estimate, Task Order, or other instructions provided to the Contractor.

e. The MAXIMUM NUMBER of ERRORS that are allowable in the SAMPLE, and the resulting PERCENTAGE of ERROR RATE are provided in tables 3a through 3d, herein.

(1) Each defect/mistake is counted as one ERROR only, and is included in the total number of ERRORS in the SAMPLE, regardless of the category or level of work in which any error may have occurred.

(2) The Government shall return to the Contractor any LOT for which ERRORS are noted in the SAMPLE; the Contractor shall review the LOT and correct ALL ERRORS in the LOT, including those not identified by the Government.

(3) The Government shall make subsequent reviews for any LOT in which the ERRORS noted in the SAMPLE exceed the number allowed; the Contractor shall correct ALL ERRORS in the LOT. This process shall be repeated and payment on the applicable invoice shall be withheld until the SAMPLE reflects acceptable work as described herein. Payment for work that is delivered late will depend solely on the Government’s determination of usability of any LOT that is delivered late. Determination of usability shall be made by the CO and shall be final.

Table 3a. Measurement of Acceptable Quality—Format I & Format V

Table 3b. Measurement of Acceptable Quality—Format II

Table 3c. Measurement of Acceptable Quality—Format III

Table 3d. Measurement of Acceptable Quality—Format IV