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Pre-Proposal Conference
Prior and Post Questions AFRS National Advertising, Randolph AFB
28 Aug 2007 Additional questions before and after the Pre-Proposal Conference.
| ITEM REFERENCE |
| QUESTIONS/COMMENTS |
| RESPONSE |
| 1 |
| PRICE |
| Since the incumbent agency will require no mobilization phase and won't have mobilization costs, how will you create a level playing field in evaluating this component? |
| This is a “best value” acquisition and price is the least important of the factors. |
| 2 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| In the RFP it says that there are 3000 USAF recruiters. But at the pre-proposal conference you cited 1300 going down to 1100. Which is correct? |
| There are approximately 3,000 total recruiters working in the enlisted, officer, health professions, AFROTC, the Air Force Academy programs, and the various headquarters staffs. The AF marketing program supports all these recruiters. The 1300 to 1100 refers to the total number of recruiters in the field dedicated to enlisted accessions, the bulk of total accessions. There are approximately 200 other recruiters in the field focused on officers, health professionals and other special categories of recruits. |
| 3 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| On your website the USAF cites "air, space and cyberspace" as the places where the USAF's mission is played out. Can you elaborate on how the mission is applied to cyberspace? |
| Cyberspace refers to the aspect of the Air Force’s mission that uses technology to find a better way to win. Specifically, Airmen are protecting our computer networks and seek out the enemy on those networks; searching for the enemy from platforms thousands of miles above the earth; and, developing ways to dominate a battlefield that knows no boundaries. |
| 4 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| Can you tell us the approximate length of time you have been participating in your various sports marketing associations? |
| Approximately six years. |
| 5 |
| SCHEDULED DUE DATES |
| When will you make a decision on the proposal due date? |
| Due dates are listed in the solicitation and are now expected to remain the same. |
| 6 |
| PROPOSAL |
| Can you confirm that we can use “storyboards” to show any type (e.g. television, print, digital, etc) of creative sample, and that the term is not limited to just television commercials. |
| Yes…storyboards may show any type such as television, print, or digital, etc. and is not limited to just television. |
| 7 |
| PROPOSAL |
| Can we include videos in our proposal submission? |
| Yes. |
| Regarding your request for the oral presentation PowerPoint slides to be in notes format – do you want to see our notes, or is this to leave a blank space for you and your team to write note? |
| We would like to see your notes. It will assist us in understanding what you said during the oral presentation. |
| 9 |
| SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN |
| Finally, we look forward to understanding the small business subcontracting goals, whether they are based on total contract dollars or total subcontractable dollars. |
| Your small business subcontracting goals should be based on the estimated annual total contract value which is $50M per year. It’s important to the Air Force that you maximize your subcontracting to small business. You should be able to identify the percentages and dollars for subcontracting to small business under the “total dollars” as well as the percentages and dollars of “subcontracting opportunities”. For example, if you expect to subcontract $20M of the total $50M contract, and you expect $5M of the $20M to go to small businesses, you are subcontracting 10% of the total contract to small businesses, and 25% of the subcontracted opportunities to small businesses. |
| 10 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| Can you outline by segment (Enlisted, Officer and Professional) the recruiting process and pathway to enlistment training and ultimately securing a job? |
| We provided this information at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “OPS Brief Pre-Proposal Conf.ppt”. |
| 11 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| Has recruitment success changed over time by geography? |
| We provided this information at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “OPS Brief Pre-Proposal Conf.ppt”. |
| 12 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| How has the wartime environment affected recruiting overall: success, difficulties, changing motivators, qualifications, needs, etc.? |
| The wartime environment appears to have affected recruiting by reducing the propensity of primary influencers (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.) to recommend military service. However, the Air Force continues to meet its overall recruiting goals. We continue to demand the same high quality standards in our recruits as we have for the past several years. |
| 13 |
| RECRUITMENT |
| How many inquiries does the Air Force get per year? Please respond for each segment (Enlisted, Officer and Professional), and through each channel (Web, phone, Recruiting Office, etc.). |
| The AF marketing program generates approximately 270,000 leads/inquires per year; 200,000 for enlisted; 37,000 for officer; 8,000 for health professional; and the remainder are for other smaller programs. A representative sample of sources for leads was presented at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “AFRISS Sytems.ppt” and in the file “Pre-Proposal Conf Marketing.ppt”. |
| 14 |
| MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING |
| We have noticed that the top spot markets are markets such as Dallas, Savannah, Waco, Charleston, SC, Bakersfield, Little Rock, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque and San Diego. Are these markets where the most recruits are drawn from, or are there other factors driving this? |
| We provided this information at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “OPS Brief Pre-Proposal Conf.ppt”. |
| 15 |
| MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING |
| The bulk of dollars seem to be spent between January – April, with lighter spend October – December. Virtually nothing is spent May – September. Is this spending timed around key decision-making times for high school students, either when they are making initial college decisions, or after they may have deferred going, or have not gotten into college, and they are figuring out what they want to do? |
| Timing is obviously critical to the marketing program and decision- making times for prospective recruits, like the ones mentioned, are important as are other factors. We provided information on this issue at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “Pre-Proposal Conf Marketing.ppt”. |
| 16 |
| MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING |
| Does the in-house agency do any media planning and buying? What are their roles and responsibilities for media planning and buying relative to the agency? |
| We provided information on this issue at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “Pre-Proposal Conf Marketing.ppt”. |
| 17 |
| MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING |
| Does the Air Force have any programming requirements and/or station requirements in planning and buying media? |
| Yes as outlined in the RFP. For example, Howard Stern-like programming is not acceptable to the Air Force. The Air Force image must be protected in all cases. |
| 18 |
| U.S. AIR FORCE ORGANIZATION |
| Is there a Technical contact for the operation of the contract? How is the Air Force Recruiting Marketing team organized to work with the agency and its subcontractors? |
| The Contracting Officers are assigned to this program to support this contract. In addition, there are several AF Recruiting Service technical representatives who work in the AF advertising, creative, and event marketing branches. They will work with your account executives developing policies and for advertising and event marketing activities that support recruiting programs. The agency builds all media and event marketing plans, purchases all media and events, and develops most of the creative. We provided information on this issue at the Pre-Proposal Conference and the information is available on FedBizOpps in the file “Pre-Proposal Conf Marketing.ppt”. |
| 19 |
| U.S. AIR FORCE ORGANIZATION |
| What internal communication channels exist? How do you use them? What role does the agency play relative to the planning and creation of materials for these channels? |
| We use all available communications channels from telephone, to Blackberry, to fax, to e-mail to face-to-face. Most occur on a daily basis. The AF and Agency staffs work together to develop coordinated, synergistic local and national marketing and advertising programs. The agency builds all media and event marketing plans, purchases all media and events, and develops most of the creative. |
| 20 |
| PROPOSAL |
| In Section 4.4.2, you mention “include details on specific locations…” Can you explain what you mean by this? |
| The phrase, “specific locations” refers to the geographical locations of the offices of the primary contractor as well as the subcontractos that will service the account. |
| 21 |
| PROPOSAL |
| If the Air Force is contemplating the issuance of CPFF task orders, why (beyond the mobilization task) are there FFP line items? |
| The bulk of the task orders are anticipated CPFF, however there may be some FFP task orders when properly identified as suitable as FFP. |
| 22 |
| PROPOSAL |
| In the previous round of questions and answers, there was a question about the government-wide goals for subcontracting identified in Section L 6.4. The Air Force replied that the numbers identified in that section represented goals based on both total contract dollars and subcontractable dollars. This is mathematically impossible. For a given contract amount, the goal based on subcontractable dollars will always be higher than the goal based on total contract dollars. Please clarify your response to this question. |
| The goals are based on total contract dollars. |
| 23 |
| PROPOSAL |
| Please confirm that we can use "storyboards" to show any type (e.g. television, print, digital, etc.) of creative example, and that the term is not limited to just television commercials. |
| Yes, that is what we mean as long as you stay within the size and quantity requirements as stated in the RFP. |
End
//SIGNED//
BRYAN F. SPARKS
Contracting Officer
