DRAFT RFI - Music Procurement Services.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

MUSIC PROCUREMENT AND DISTRIBUTION SERVICE

RFI Tracking Number: HQ0516-FY21-0013

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS:

Defense Media Activity - Riverside

23755 Z Street

Riverside, CA 92518

The Defense Media Activity (DMA) is posting this RFI to gain information on the agency’s requirement for new music procurement and distribution service to support the American

Forces Network (AFN) mission. The responses provided may be used by DMA to assist in budgetary planning, developing an acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, salient characteristics, and performance requirements. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response.

Specific support is required to ascertain industry’s ability to furnish new music procurement and distribution service at DMA locations worldwide.

DMA representatives may choose to meet with respondents and others who express interest and hold one-on-one discussions. Such discussions would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and implementation risks.

The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess availability of the anticipated requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Respondents are encouraged to provide the following:

1. A summary of the respondent’s capabilities relating to DMA’s requirements.

2. Questions related to the RFI’s Required Capabilities. Any questions received and subsequent answers will be posted to https://beta.sam.gov/ for the benefit of all interested parties.

3. An itemized budgetary estimate for a system capable of satisfying the RFI’s Required

Capabilities. Itemized estimates are preferred should DMA need to adjust system specifications.

BACKGROUND

https://beta.sam.gov/

The new music procurement and distribution service to be purchased will enable the Defense Media Activity (DMA) AFN-BC to meet and support the AFN mission. This mission is to provide a balanced representative selection of popular radio and television information and entertainment programs of particular interest to both the primary AFN audience of DoD personnel stationed overseas and their family members. The new music procurement and distribution service is also required to ensure the accomplishment of the AFN mission to effectively communicate command information to Department of Defense (DoD) personnel stationed overseas and their family members, while simultaneously providing the level of entertainment needed to make a positive impact on their morale. It will also provide the most efficient medium to ensure the effective communication of information messages inserted within the program as spot announcements in support of DoD internal information themes, goals and objectives. DMA AFN-BC mission tasking per DoD Instruction 5120.20 is to support the

Internal Communications mission of the Department of Defense by providing a broad range of information and entertainment programming to DoD personnel and their family members overseas, thus attracting an audience for Internal Communications messages placed within AFN programming. The AFN BC Contracting Office has purchased programs of a similar nature repeatedly over the past 30 years. The rates paid by the Government do not vary, regardless of the popularity or commercial value of a particular music format.

The recordings are broadcast outside the continental United States via the U.S. military's land-based radio outlets, Navy ships at sea, and closed-circuit facilities of the DoD. Distribution of all programming is non-commercial, non-reporting, non-profit, and royalty-free. The service is intended strictly for use by DoD personnel and their dependents.

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES:

The objective of this requirement is to acquire new music and the broadcast distribution rights to allow DMA AFN-BC to distribute and transmit via secure satellite, internet, and terrestrial FM transmitter.

The Contractor shall provide access to newly released music, in uncompressed .wav and/or 320K

.mp3 format, via internet download. Music shall include rich metadata such as song title, artist, genre, release date, album, and album art. It is preferable that the service have the capability for automatic download by AudioVAULT radio automation system.

The Contractor shall be prepared to provide proof of possession to necessary rights and licenses to duplicate and distribute all recordings provided.

Contractor shall music selections in at least the following five major music formats and the major subgroupings commonly associated with those major formats:

(1) Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR), including Top 40, Contemporary Hits-Pop and

Contemporary Hits-Rhythmic

(2) Adult Contemporary, including Hot Adult Contemporary

(3) Rock, including Active Rock, Alternative, Adult Album Alternative

(4) Country

(5) Urban, including Urban Adult Contemporary, Rap, and Hip-Hop.

In all of the formats noted, the Contractor shall assure that AFN receives timely availability to, at a minimum, the current top 30 songs based upon American radio industry music airplay and research programs, trade publications, and/or airplay research.

Songs provided to AFN shall conform to FCC broadcast standards. Contractor shall provide special warnings and radio edited versions to accompany selections which contain language or concepts that have a likelihood of being interpreted as indecent, profane, explicit, defamatory, racially insensitive or otherwise objectionable by reasonable listeners.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES

The Government shall provide equipment racks, cooling and redundant UPS power per the

Contractor provided space, heat load and power requirements.

REQUESTED INFORMATION:

a. Company’s Name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, company’s website, and e-mail of designated point(s) of contact.

b. Business Type: Based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. i.e.: 512250 - Record Production and Distribution.

Identify the type of entity (large business, small business, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, 8(a), HUBZone, service disabled veteran-owned, etc.).

c. Cage Code:

d. Contractor’s past performance in meeting stated objectives/requirements, statement of qualifications to include information that clearly demonstrates the respondent’s capabilities, expertise and experience to perform the specific requirements contained in this RFI.

e. Contract vehicles that would be available to the Government for the procurement of the product and service, to include General Service Administration (GSA), GSA MOBIS, NIH, NASA SEWP, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), or any other Government Agency contract vehicle. (This information is for market research only and does not preclude your company from responding to this notice.)

RESPONSE GUIDELINES:

Vendors who wish to respond to this should send responses via email NLT 25 Febrary 2021, 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to DMA-R Contracting Officer Jessie Feliciano, jesus.feliciano3.civ@mail.mil and AFN-BC Chief of Radio Thomas Arnholt, thomas.r.arnholt.civ@mail.mil. Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 10 pages, single-spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size, not including any manufacturer cut sheets or system mailto:jesus.feliciano3.civ@mail.mil mailto:thomas.r.arnholt.civ@mail.mil block diagrams. Responses must specifically describe the contractor’s capability to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI.

QUESTIONS:

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted by e-mail to DMA-R Contracting

Officer Jessie Feliciano, jesus.feliciano3.civ@mail.mil and AFN-BC Chief of Radio Thomas

Arnholt, thomas.r.arnholt.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. The

Government does not guarantee that questions received after 4:00 PM (Pacific), 24 Febrarty

2021, will be answered. The Government will not reimburse companies for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses.

DISCLAIMER:

This RFI is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the

Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals nor will any award be made as a result of this synopsis.

All information contained in the RFI is preliminary, as well as, subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. FAR clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or

Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference in this RFI. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This

RFI will be the basis for collecting information on capabilities available. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked

“Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become

Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. In accordance with

FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

PARTICIPATION IN THIS RFI IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY AND FOR PLANNING

PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE

GOVERNMENT TO PROCURE ANY ITEMS/SERVICES OR FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO

PAY FOR THE INFORMATION RECEIVED. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT BE

RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ASSOCIATED COSTS AS A RESULT OF PROSPECTIVE

OFFERORS INTEREST, RESPONSE OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS RFI. ANY FORMAL

SOLICITATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE. THE GOVERNMENT

RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS REQUIREMENT AT ANY TIME DURING

THE ACQUISITION PROCESS.

ANY SOLICITATION RESULTING FROM THE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION

OBTAINED WILL BE POSTED TO THE PUBLIC IN FEDERAL BUSINESS

OPPORTUNITIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FAR PART 5. HOWEVER, RESPONSES

TO THIS NOTICE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED RESPONSES TO A SOLICITATION.

mailto:jesus.feliciano3.civ@mail.mil mailto:thomas.r.arnholt.civ@mail.mil