Amendment 0004_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 8 of 8.

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

CLARIFICATION OF QUESTION 1 FROM AMENDMENT 0003

QUESTION 1 AND ANSWER STATED

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.

Several contractors took this to mean that they would have to propose on these outside costs such as printing, media spends, mailing lists, postage, etc. They stated that they could not do this without knowing what the complete project was. It you look at the schedule the CLIN items that were added state TBD (to be determined) – Per Task Order. This proposal will not have any prices in these CLINS they were added to the package because without them the estimated ceilings were not accurate. This proposal should contain labor/task categories and their hourly rates. Example - Project Manager HR $1.00.

QUESTION 1

What is your current IQ to application rate?

ANSWER: The rate of inquires to applicants is 33%

QUESTION 2

Is this a renewable contract or is this new?

ANSWER: This is the second time that the Coast Guard Academy has sought bids on a contract for Marketing and Communication needs. The first contract will expire in June and there is no government mechanism to allow it to be renewed.

QUESTION 3

Are there special security requirements/considerations for contractor-hosted web application? Many of the functions requested can be administered with Recruitment PLUS, i.e. HTML email/newsletter/reminder templates, detailed reporting, staff access. What are the limitations of Recruitment PLUS that lead USCGA to seek additional products/solutions that are available?

ANSWER: Currently, the Academy utilizes Recruitment Plus as one of the main systems for internal use. There are a series of security requirements/considerations that have and will continue to be put in place by the Academy, the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Recruitment Plus does have a lot of capabilities and need further development and use for the Academy.

QUESTION 4

What are your top three business objectives right know? Why?

ANSWER: (1) Meet the admissions staffing FTE sufficiency gap – This is necessary to maximize recruitment effectiveness and staff/office well being. (2) Respond to/benefit from changing cultural and economic shifts – We need to remain relevant and appealing to prospective cadets in new concerns about paying for college and securing a meaningful career, and who have varying opinions of the role of the military. (3) Develop a keen insight into current youth culture/influencers to deliver meaningful communication messages and modalities – Needed to get our message through the clutter.

QUESTION 5

What will most hold you back from achieving those objectives?

ANSWER: (1) Coast Guard Billet Allocation, (2) Resources/Response Uncertainty, (3) Expertise

QUESTION 6

Why is the U.S. Coast Guard looking for a new agency? In the past, what you found missing in your agencies? What specifically are you looking for in an agency or communications firm?

ANSWER: It is wrong to assume that anything is lacking in our agencies. Unlike most organizations who seek change because they are dissatisfied with their current firm or are confident of doing better with a new firm, the Academy is required to solicit new contract bids on a scheduled basis. We are looking for a firm that has demonstrated success in assisting colleges and universities obtain enrolment objectives that embrace the mission of the United States Coast Guard Academy, that is responsive to client requests and that greatly understands the motivations and aspirations of our customers and other stakeholders.

QUESTION 7

Please define your specific decision criteria.

ANSWER: Please see Page 27-29 of 40 concerning Evaluation.

QUESTION 8

What campaign (for example, advertising, public relations, interactive or direct) out in the market do you most admire? Why?

ANSWER: This question is irrelevant. It’s not what “we like”, it’s “what works”.

QUESTION 9

Who are the decision makers during this process and how much communication will we have with them?

ANSWER: The decision makers are the Contracting Officer, Contract Specialist, Contracting Officers Technical Representative, and Technical Evaluation Team. Communication will probably be very limited, if oral presentations are held 1 hour will be allotted for presentation, clarifications may be needed, and discussions if negotiations are conducted.

QUESTION 10

How many work orders does the USCGA anticipate issuing each year?

ANSWER: The Academy cannot respond accurately to this question. Once the initial deliverable/assessment is completed and reviews a plan to execute the work will take place.

QUESTION 11

Is the incumbent firm bidding?

Answer: We will not know this until proposals are received.

QUESTION 12

There is discussion of a Partner Portal and an interface for Admissions staff to access information about Partners, can we learn more about the Partners referenced?

ANSWER: The Coast Guard Academy Admissions Division utilizes the Academy Admissions Partner Program which is comprised of about 650 Active Duty Coast Guard Officers, CG Auxiliarist, Alumni and Parents of current Coast Guard Academy Cadets. The Partners participate in college fairs, high school visits. Congressional events, appointment presentations and will interview applicants seeking appointments to the Academy. They are used as our force multipliers throughout the United States.

QUESTION 13

There is mention of providing Volunteers a web site to learn about the Academy Admissions Partner program and register as well as providing secure access to a Partner Portal. It would be helpful to know more about these volunteers, for example are they students, alumni or those with other affiliations to the Academy? What type of activities are the Volunteers are involved with?

ANSWER: The Academy does currently have a Portal for the Academy Admissions Partner Program. This portal currently provides the Partners with an opportunity to participate in only training, keep up to date on Admissions information. We are looking to expand the Portal to provide additional resources and information to the Partners using this tool

QUESTION 14

Is the USCGA satisfied with the service of the incumbent? Are they expected to bid for this new contract?

ANSWER: We won't know if they will propose until the proposals are due.

QUESTION 15

Was any non government organization involved in anyway with the development of this RFQ or SOW? If so, would that organization be considered eligible to bid for this contract?

ANSWER: No

QUESTION 16

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p.8

Solicitation Clause Number: H.1

Paragraph Number: H.1.5

Question: The SOW refers, in several of the bullet points, to changes to the existing website. Some of the changes mentioned could be fairly expensive to implement. Would all design, infrastructure redesign and coding work need to be accomplished under the estimated budget detailed in the RFQ or would there be other funding available for the actual implementation of this work?

ANSWER: The Academy would take into consideration the process and cost associated with the web site upgrade. It may be that the ongoing upgrades would need to be done, potentially over several fiscal years instead of all at once.

QUESTION 17

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p.11

Solicitation Clause Number: H.1

Paragraph Number: H.1.7 (bullet point #5)

Question: The SOW refers to “placement of print advertising.” Does the

Government expect to place advertisements as paid media? If so, would the purchase of media be included in the estimated budget detailed in the RFQ or would there be other funding available for media buys? Does the Government have any earned media in place?

ANSWER: The Coast Guard Academy has currently placed advertisement as paid media and plans are to continue and expand the scope of locations. The purchase of media would be included in the estimated budget detailed in the RFQ; however, there may be a possibility to add funding as necessary for media buys. As for earned media, the Coast Guard Academy has a Public Affairs Office that handles such media and the contractor would work in collaboration with the Public Affairs staff to execute proper messaging through earned media outlets

QUESTION 18

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p. 2

Solicitation Clause Number: A.1.

Paragraph Number: A.1.3.1.a.

Question: The SOW says a “comprehensive assessment has been done and new materials have been created….” How much of the existing materials, branding, and recruiting messages must be used and how much latitude will the Contractor have in updating these materials and messages based on its assessments, environmental scan, existing research, conversations with Academy representatives, etc?

ANSWER: The Coast Guard Academy Admissions Division has worked to develop the existing materials branding, and recruiting messages over the last five years. The contractor will have the latitude to assess all of our marketing/branding messaging and provide suggestions for edits, updates and the evolution of new items based upon its assessments, environmental scan, existing research, conversations with Academy representative, etc.

QUESTION 19

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p. 2

Solicitation Clause Number: A.1.

Paragraph Number: A.1.3.1.b.

Question: The SOW says the Academy last “overhauled and updated” its web site in 2006, but that it now lacks “energy” and a “wow factor.”

In addition to providing “advice” and “technical support,” how much latitude, if any, will the Contractor have in redesigning the site based on branding, restructuring the site’s elements based on best practices, etc? Further, is the Academy satisfied with the 2009

“Academy Web Site Assessment” (p. 6, G.1.3.4.) as a guide to providing the site with “energy” or is it looking to the Contractor to make a broader assessment?

ANSWER: The Academy would be looking for a broader assessment, open to redesign with branding factors in mind but changes will have to integrate with other print communication. The 2009 update will be for maintenance and usability. We will be looking for more “best practices”, more interactive content.

QUESTION 20

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p. 2

Solicitation Clause Number: A.1.

Paragraph Number: A.1.3.1.c.

Question: Which “prospect management system” is the Academy using?

ANSWER: The Academy Admissions Division is using the College Board Recruitment Plus system.

QUESTION 21

Solicitation Page: Attachment I/Statement of Work, p. 2

Solicitation Clause Number: A.1.

Paragraph Number: A.1.3.d.

Question: Is the turnover rate among active-duty admissions officers relatively constant throughout the year or is there a “mass migration” when a group of admissions officers have reached their “three or four years”?

ANSWER: The Active Duty Coast Guard Officers are usually on a three or four year tour. Turnover varies from year to year. Some years like this year over half of the officers will depart.

OPTIONAL FORM 336A (4-86)

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FAR (48 CFR) 53.110