Amendment 0003_sf30.doc

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

PAGE OF PAGES

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

COMMANDER (fcp-3)

MAINTENANCE AND LOGISTICS COMMAND ATLANTIC

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

15 April 2009

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE:

FACILITY CODE:

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

XX The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers ( is extended, XX is not extended.

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning 1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; of (c) By separate letter of telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

IN ITEM 10A.

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor ( is not, ( is required to sign this document and return copies to the issuing office.

14. DECRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

RFP – HSCG84-09-R-AAS156

The purpose of this amendment is to:

1. Provide answers to contractor questions associated with RFQ Number HSCG84-09-R-AAS156. Contractor Question and answers are provided on attached page 2 through 6 of 6.

2. Due date for proposals remains 4:30 P.M. EST 1 May 2009.

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

WANDA T. CORTESINI, CONTRACTING OFFICER

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

STANDARD FROM 30 (REV. 10-83)

PREVIOUS EDITION UNUSABLE

Prescribed by GSA

HSCG84-09-R-AAS156

QUESTIONS RECEIVED AND ANSWERS

U. S. Coast Guard Higher Education Marketing and Communication Services

QUESTION 1

Does the $350,000 budget number on Page 5 of the RFQ account for outside costs including but not limited to printing, media spends, mailing lists, postage, technologies (specialty software/licensing)?

ANSWER: The $350,000 budget number did not account for outside costs. As a result Amendment 0001 raised the estimated yearly ceiling costs and the overall contract ceiling The cost of print costs, media buys, mailing lists and technology are included in the revised estimated yearly ceiling and overall contract ceiling issued under Amendment 0001, revised solicitation.

QUESTION 2

Are Word and PowerPoint proposals both due at the same time, or is just a Word proposal required for the initial submission and then a PowerPoint prepared for a candidate screening if we advance past the first round?

ANSWER: Proposal and PowerPoint presentation are both due by 4:30 p.m. EST, 1 May 2009

QUESTION 3

Would we need to develop the new site using the Ektron Content Management system (Attachment 1/Statement of Work, page 9)?

ANSWER: The ELTRON Content Management system is the system of choice for the Coast Guard Academy and there are no plans at present time to migrate to another system.

QUESTION 4

Will the Coast Guard Academy be hosting the live site as well as the development site?

ANSWER: The Admissions Division of the Coast Guard Academy site is hosted external to the Academy's IS Division that includes the active site and the development server. The rest of the Academy's site is hosted on-site.

QUESTION 5

Can the site be programmed using php or mrsql?

ANSWER: In consultation with the Information Services Division, it would be difficult to program the site using php or mrsql using the existing Academy IT staff.

QUESTION 6

Page 8 of the RFQ states that the U.S. Coast Guard will set a minimum guarantee of $25,000 for the first year. What if the level of service exceeds this?

ANSWER: The minimum guarantee of $25,000.00 guarantees the awarded contractor at least $25,000.00 under the contract should no task orders be issued. Individual Task Orders are funded when they are awarded.

QUESTION 7

Are Past Performance documents required by sub-contractors as well?

ANSWER: The Solicitation does not require Past Performance on sub-contractors.

QUESTION 8

Are there specific enrollment goals that the U.S. Coast Guard Academy hopes to achieve (i.e. a specific number of new enrollments per year, percentage increase per year, etc.)?

ANSWER: Each year, the US Coast Guard Academy seeks to enroll 2900 US citizens and up to 8 International applicants to the incoming class. The Academy strives to have a diverse group of Cadets in every class and seek to meet internal goals to field our 23 DIII athlete teams. This year the Academy saw a growth in the number of applications received. This year we had about 1400 applicants complete the process out of over 4,200 students who began the process. We are seeking to grow that number to about 2,000 completed and well qualified applicants.

QUESTION 9

What is the current Cost Per Enrollment structure or target?

ANSWER: Cannot respond this question.

QUESTION 10

What percentage of new enrollments is expected to be achieved by the online component of this initiative (based on previous history vs. more traditional methods)?

ANSWER: The Academy is striving to have our web presence fully integrated in all of our recruiting and marketing efforts.

QUESTION 11

Is there a specific ethnicity/diversity enrollment goal?

ANSWER: The Coast Guard Academy cannot factor race or ethnicity into our admissions decision process; however, the Academy is working to create a more diverse applicant pool to in term have a more diverse Corp of Cadets.

QUESTION 12

Can I get the specific shipping instructions and timing for RFQ USCGA Marketing and Communications HSCG84-09-R-AAS156

ANSWER: Shipping address is Commander (fcp-3) Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic, 300 Each Main Street, Suite 965, Norfolk, VA 23510-9113. ATTN: Wendy Culbreth. Proposals are due by 4:30 p.m. EST, 1 May 2009.

QUESTION 13

Solicitation Page: 21

Solicitation Clause Number: n/a

Paragraph Number: iv

Question: Can the offerer submit a PDF file on CD ROM, rather than a Microsoft Word document? We do not produce our proposals in Microsoft Word, so to be consistent with the printed copy in the binder; we would like to submit a PDF file. PDF files are viewable and printable on virtually any platform.

ANSWER: Microsoft Word is preferred; however PDF format will be accepted.

QUESTION 14

Solicitation Page: 24

Solicitation Clause Number: n/a

Paragraph Number: d

Question: Would you like the offeror to provide a representative set of samples that correspond to the related experience outlined within the proposal?

ANSWER: No, print samples are not accepted in addition to the proposal unless they are included in the RFP's page count.

QUESTION 15

Would you please clarify if you are looking for just hourly rates vs. total number of hours? Without specific scope it may be difficult to accurately determine the total number of hours.

ANSWER: Hourly Rates only.

QUESTION 16

Would you please clarify what you are looking for with the electronic copy of the PowerPoint.

ANSWER: The PowerPoint presentation is your choice. You are trying to present your company as the best choice for this contract. As stated in the solicitation if oral presentations are required you will have one hour to present.

QUESTION 17

Would you please define “facilitating” in more detail? Will the vendor be required to create a new system for this function or will an existing function be used within the new design that should be taken into account?

ANSWER: Currently, the Academy utilizes a software package called i2e and it has been customized for the Academy by the current contractor. The Academy is not limiting the new contractor from providing suggestions for another software package that may provide a dynamic experience for prospective students when registration for campus based programs or if they are seeking additional information about the Academy.

QUESTION 18

Would you please provide detailed specification on what the volunteer website would need to include?

ANSWER: The Partner Portal currently provides the Academy Admissions Partners to register as a Partner, learn more about the current happenings at the Academy, participate in online learning opportunities, download spreadsheet and documents, submit event and interview summaries, update contact information. Additional functionality needed would include the ability to access to applicant information, HS information by state/geographic locations; a way to enter information regarding the contacts Partners have with parents; a way to submit student data gathered during an event on/through the Portal.

QUESTION 19

Is the Partner Portal already under development or will the chosen vendor be required to develop this aspect of the site as well?

ANSWER: The Partner Portal currently provides the Academy Admissions Partners to register as a Partner, learn more about the current happenings at the Academy, participate in online learning opportunities, download spreadsheet and documents, submit event and interview summaries, update contact information. Additional functionality needed would include the ability to access to applicant information, HS information by state/geographic locations; a way to enter information regarding the contacts Partners have with parents; a way to submit student data gathered during an event on/through the Portal.

QUESTION 20

Do you currently have content management software, and if so, are you asking for the selected partner to improve upon it?

ANSWER: The Partner Portal currently provides the Academy Admissions Partners to register as a Partner, learn more about the current happenings at the Academy, participate in online learning opportunities, download spreadsheet and documents, submit event and interview summaries, update contact information. Additional functionality needed would include the ability to access to applicant information, HS information by state/geographic locations; a way to enter information regarding the contacts Partners have with parents; a way to submit student data gathered during an event on/through the Portal.

QUESTION 21

We would be delighted to respond to the solicitation if: 1) we were able to present pricing in alternative formats; 2) we were permitted to provide our response by May 8 2009.

ANSWER: I’m sorry but the proposal closes on 1 May 2009 at 4:30 P.M. EST and the pricing must be presented in the format stipulated in the Solicitation.

OPTIONAL FORM 336A (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110