M67400-22-RFI-04.pdf

Request for Information – RFI# M67400-22-RFI-04

Notice Type: Request for Information (RFI)

Opens:

10:00AM JST, Monday, April 25, 2022

Closes:

12:00PM JST, Friday, May 6, 2022

Title:

RFI for Media Monitoring Service

Description:

This is a request for information for Media Monitoring Services in support of III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT) Office in Okinawa, Japan.

Please reference the attached Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS).

INDUSTRY RESPONSES/SUBMISSIONS:

At a minimum, responses to this notice should include:

(1) An explanation whether the company is able to support the effort as stated in the Draft

Performance Work Statement. Include any questions that may arise.

(2) Submission of Past Performance may be required, if you have experience with the type of work requested, you could include that as part of your response.

(3) A primary point of contact, including phone number and e-mail address.

(4) Pricing, publicized price lists, and delivery method.

QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY:

Please provide answers to the following questions in your submission:

(1) Does the vendor's platform have access to the full Twitter Firehose?

(2) Can the vendor's platform translate foreign languages into English with the user interface? (i.e. no re-direction to a third party site?)

(3) How does the vendor identify and rank influential accounts?

(4) What metrics does the vendor's platform report?

(5) Is trainable AI integrated into the platform; can the end user train the AI?

(6) What onboarding training is available?

(7) Can end users input their own search criteria?

(8) Are social and traditional media databases integrated and displayed on a single interface?

(9) Are broadcast news clips and full-text printed (offline) articles available through the platform?

(10) Can the vendor provide a tool that identifies and displays underlying narrative trends in media coverage and social media activity?

(11) Can the vendor graphically display the propagation of a story or social media post across time, platforms, and geography?

NOTES:

(1) This RFI is for planning purposes only and is issued in accordance with FAR Clause 52.215-3.

No solicitation document exists at this time. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or to issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government is under no obligation to pay for information submitted in response to this RFI, and responses to this notice cannot be accepted as offers.

(2) Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such.

INDUSTRY QUESTIONS/SUBMISSIONS:

No phone calls will be accepted regarding this notice. Contractors shall email all industry questions, capability packages, questionnaires, and suggestions to jennifer.vedsted@usmc.mil and cc:

krissia.avelares@usmc.mil.

Reference title and document number RFI# M67400-22-RFI-04

DRAFT

Statement of Work

1. Background

1.1. The III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT) Office is the primary interface between III MEF and the public. The primary mission of the COMMSTRAT Office is to provide timely and accurate information regarding III MEF activities to our internal and external publics using various media. Concurrent with our occupational mission, is the execution of the Commanding General’s strategic-communication mission, which requires the integration of all information-related functions. In order to streamline information dissemination, consistent with III MEF policies and objectives an in-depth audience analysis is needed to discern the best method of content delivery and to understand the ongoing conversations/narratives extant with in the information environment. Lastly, to achieve III MEF’s communication objectives, COMMSTRAT requires objective analysis to measure the effects of our engagement and communication across a spectrum of media that include, but are not limited to, print, broadcast, social media, radio and online publications in both English and regional languages.

1.2. Marine Corps Essential Task 5.6.1 (Conduct Public Affairs Research) requires COMMSTRAT Officer(s) “to conduct research and analyze findings in order to develop a deep understanding of the information environment, key publics, and communication problems and opportunities.” Complimentary to this specified task is the necessity to effectively analyze, assess and communicate the effectiveness of our public outreach efforts as cited in the July 2011 appendix to the 2007 Joint Requirements Oversight Council, signed Joint Public Affairs (JPA) Initial Capabilities

Document (ICD); (Ref: MROCSM 21-2011). The purchase of a premier-media-monitoring subscription will equip the COMMSTRAT Office with the necessary capability to gain vital insight not otherwise available on open source networks. Moreover, a media monitoring service will fill the current void in media analysis caused by the lack of standardization across the MOS as well as by the failure of the Public Affairs Systems Program Office and other

DoD Public Affairs entities to provide an enterprise solution. If we fail to procure a media monitoring service, we will dedicate numerous hours collecting inconsistent data and knowingly put ourselves at a disadvantage in today’s media saturated world.

2. Scope

2.1. Media monitoring services will provide a platform to give III MEF COMMSTRAT the ability to track hyper-local, local, regional, national and international media events across various media platforms, including print, broadcast, web-based, and social media. The service will provide close to real-time, relevant feedback to our

Commanding General and other internal stakeholders. Additionally, it will provide in-depth analysis based on content from across various media platforms, while making comprehensive reports readily available to share and archive via download. Market-based value and demographic data (to include sentiment) are critical components in the measurement, analysis and conveyance of the effectiveness of strategic communication efforts. No delivery or installation address is required as this is an online service.

3. Tasks

3.1. Provide access to unlimited users, who will be able to be simultaneously logged in from various locations throughout the globe, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Outages shall be compensated by the vendor. User permissions should be manageable by III MEF COMMSTRAT designated personnel.

3.2. Print, broadcast, web-based, and social media monitoring and analysis within local, national and international outlets and platforms. This must include native-language Japanese, Philippine, Australian, Thai, Russian and

Chinese media, as well as applicable social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Sina

Weibo and Vkontakte.

3.3. Allow users with appropriate permissions to input search criteria using Boolean logic. End users must be able to control this in order to respond to emergent or unexpected events.

3.4. Provide metrics that at a minimum include: the amount of content that satisfies a given search criteria

(“mentions”/”results”); the amount of activity in response to a given piece of content (“engagement” – e.g. likes, comments, shares, retweets, etc.); the potential reach of content based on potential impressions/followership

(“reach”); source data, to include geographic origin (down to the local/city level), language, and media type.

3.5. Translation capabilities (host language to English) for all outlets and platforms monitored.

3.6. Broadcast news clips from local affiliates, independent stations, major cable stations, online news and radio networks shall be available to download, save and have a unique link to the content at a time period of no more than one (1) hour after being aired and or published. Digital print content shall be available from newspapers, magazines, blogs, press releases, newsletters, academic journals and trade journals et al.

3.7. Customizable dashboards that can be manipulated/customized by users and that are visible to non-users.

3.8. The ability to identify key influencers in the information environment based on potential reach and followership, actual engagement on the content those influencers produce.

3.9. Tracking and mapping the propagation of a story, post, or topic as it progresses through both social and traditional reporting. Should be able to visually depict this process for easy comprehension, to include across media types and geography.

3.10. Graphically display network structures in the information environment to identify thematic or narrative clusters/nodes in order to facilitate the understanding of dominant or underlying trends in coverage and social conversations. N-gram based “themes” do not meet this requirement. Graphically display influencer networks on social media.

3.11. Integrate with unlimited organizational social media platforms, to include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and others. Access to LINE is highly desirable.

3.12. Customizable reports that can be downloaded in both Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe PDF format. Real-time email alerts shall be available in order to notify unit representatives to media activity and coverage relevant to commanders.

3.13. Ability to export data and graphs into Excel, Word, PowerPoint and other formats

3.14. Trainable/customizable artificial intelligence to facilitate categorizing data based on user-generated criteria.

4. Place of Performance

4.1. No delivery or installation address is required as this is an online service. Contract is for a web based program which will be accessed via government computers at various locations.

5. Period of Performance

5.1. Base contract is for 30 Sep 2022 – 29 Sep 2023 and 4 Option Years.

6. Technical Point of Contact (TPOC).

6.1. LtCol Brian Block, Deputy COMMSTRAT Director, 315-622-6009, brian.block@usmc.mil

6.2. The TPOC will provide technical clarification and assistance in support of the contract requirements. The

TPOC DOES NOT have the authority to make changes and/or give direction under this contract.

Note: The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to direct changes in any of the requirements under this contract, and, notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer (Reference Block 31 on the SF1449). In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and solely at the risk of the contractor.

mailto:brian.block@usmc.mil

7. Other Requirements

7.1. There are no special materials required for this contract

7.2. There is no travel requirements associated with this contract.

7.3. No Government-furnished property is required. Contract is for access to a web based program.