Questions_and_Answers.pdf

WRITER SERVICES - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

QUESTION: Will the government consider extending the due date for this solicitation?

ANSWER: Yes, the government has extended the RFQ due date to August 25, 2016.

QUESTION 1: Synopsis.

Is this to be a single or multiple award?

ANSWER: As stated in the synopsis posted on August 4, 2016, “It is the Government’s intent to award a single purchase order as a result of this Request for Quote.”

QUESTION 2:

Are there incumbent vendors currently providing these services? If so, are they also eligible to submit proposals?

ANSWER: Yes, there are incumbents currently providing these services. The incumbents are eligible to submit a proposal since it is a competitive requirement.

QUESTION 3:

Should the SF 1449 (3 copies) be submitted with the proposal?

ANSWER: Yes, 3 signed copies of the SF 1449 should be included in the Quotation

(Offer) Volume of the quotation.

QUESTION 4:

Can you clarify what time period would be considered normal if prompt payment terms were proposed?

ANSWER: In accordance with 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial

Items (MAY 2015), prompt payment terms are specified in the Prompt Payment Act at 5

CFR Part 1315.

QUESTION 5:

Is this a new solicitation, or is ARMD adding new resources to an existing pool of contractors?

ANSWER: This solicitation is a follow-on to a current ARMD services contract. ARMD is not adding new resources to an existing pool of contractors.

QUESTION 6: Is there an incumbent or is this a new requirement? If there is an incumbent, can you identify?

ANSWER: Yes, there are 2 incumbents – James Schultz and Mila Solutions, Inc.

QUESTION 7: Enclosure 2 – Instructions to Offerors and GSFC 52.215-205 Quotation

Marking and Delivery. (SEPT 2014)

Can you clarify which submission mechanism we should use?

ANSWER: Quotations should be submitted in accordance with the instructions in

Enclosure 2 - GSFC 52.215-205 Quotation Marking and Delivery. (SEPT 2014)

QUESTION 8: Enclosure 2 – Instructions to Offerors.

Is Volume 1, Quote Volume, essentially a technical approach? Is this where we should demonstrate our understanding of the tasks and how we would execute? Can you confirm that there are no required sections and no page limit to this volume?

ANSWER: No technical approach is required. The solicitation will be amended to clarify this and remove references to a technical approach.

Question 9: Enclosure 2 – Instructions to Offerors.

On page 5 of Enclosure 2, INSTRUCTION TO OFFERORS, under the PAST PERFORMANCE

VOLUME/INFORMATION FROM THE OFFEROR section there is a bulleted list of information requested that matches many of the same questions asked in the Past Performance

Questionnaire. My question is to confirm that we also are to provide this information in our bid, essentially offering our own assessment of our performance in conducting related work on the previous contract.

ANSWER: Yes. Your assessment is correct in which you will offer your own assessment of performance in conducting related work on a previous contract.

QUESTION 10: Enclosure 3 – Evaluation Criteria.

Is there a minimum required number of relevant and recent past performance contracts?

ANSWER: No, there is no minimum number of past performance references; however

Offerors may submit no more than 3 past performance references in accordance with

Enclosure 2 paragraph (e)(a).

QUESTION 11: Enclosure 4 – Pricing Exhibits.

Does the Government anticipate the Writer Services will be performed by 1 dedicated FTE?

ANSWER: See Enclosure 4 Pricing Exhibit. The exhibit states: “For purposes of pricing this exhibit and the option periods, Offerors shall assume 2 (two) Full Time Employees

(FTE)."

QUESTION 12: Enclosure 4 – Pricing Exhibits.

May the offeror be a sole proprietor? Could any company, joint venture, partnership, etc. submit a response to the RFQ, but that response *must* contain provisions for *two* writers on *one quote*.

ANSWER: Yes. A company that is a sole proprietorship may submit an offer for this requirement; however that company must satisfy all of the requirements of the statement of work, which the government estimates will require approximately 2 FTEs. Only one award will be made for the entire requirement.

QUESTION 13: Enclosure 4 – Pricing Exhibits.

Would the $15,000 for travel and $3,000 for materials cost apply to each individual writer?

ANSWER: No. The $15k for travel and $3k for materials is a combined NTE cost per year for both writers.

QUESTION 14: Enclosure 4 – Pricing Exhibits.

Can you please confirm that ARMD expects two full time equivalent people to provide the services for this contract?

ANSWER: Per the Pricing Exhibit, “for purposes of pricing this exhibit and the option periods, Offerors shall assume 2 (two) Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employees.”

QUESTION 15: Enclosure 7 – Intention to Submit a Quotation.

Should Enclosure 7 be executed and e-mailed to you immediately?

ANSWER: Yes, Enclosure 7 should be executed and emailed to me.

QUESTION 16: Attachment C - IT SECURITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

Can you provide any additional information on the IT Security Management Plan, especially expectations for the scope and complexity of this work product? If there is a sample document or template, that would be very helpful.

ANSWER: The solicitation will be amended to add an IT Security Management Plan template as an Enclosure to the RFQ.

STATEMENT OF WORK

QUESTION 17: What is the average length of a NASA web story?

ANSWER: The average word count for a web story is 1200 words. The following link provides an example of an average NASA web story.

http://www.nasa.gov/aero/five-new-ideas-to-be-explored-by-nasa-aeronautics-teams

QUESTION 18: What type of elements constitute "other web content"?

Other web content includes, but is not limited to web page content and program or project page content as exemplified in the following links.

General web pages such as http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/

All the content on the NASA Aeronautics page in general is provided by

ARMD http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/index.html

Program or project pages such as http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/programs-iasp.htm

QUESTION 19: What is the average page length of the twenty (20) government documents requiring developed content or editing?

The average page length is approximately 60 pages

An example document is the ARMD Strategic Implementation

Plan http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/strategic-plan.htm http://www.nasa.gov/aero/five-new-ideas-to-be-explored-by-nasa-aeronautics-teams http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/ http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/index.html http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/programs-iasp.htm http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/armd-strategic-implementation-plan.pdf http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/armd-strategic-implementation-plan.pdf http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/strategic-plan.htm

Or the NASA Aeronautics 10-Year Research Acceleration Plan View PDF from page http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/

QUESTION 20: What is the average page length of developed content for brochures or exhibits?

Exhibits normally involve little text, such as distilling concepts into short items of a few sentences as exemplified in the following:

An example lithograph, which is short text on front and normally a graphic then text on the back or one page of text http://www.nasa.gov/aero/nasa-aero-lithographs.html

An example of a fact sheet, which on average is two to four pages of text, would be NASA

Green Aviation Fact Sheet [PDF]

Brochures can range in size from a simple trifold document, 1 page of text, to a more detailed one such as the 10 year research plan above, approximately 16 pages of text and graphics.

QUESTION 21: Are there any graphic design requirements in this solicitation? Are any graphics supplied by the vendor or the government?

Vendor would not supply graphics under this contract

QUESTION 22: Can you confirm that for any brochure development or display development, the requirements are for the contractor to develop content, timelines, etc., but not actually provide graphic design support for the task?

Correct, the actual development i.e. layout and graphics are handled under other contracts http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/NASA-Aero-10-Yr-Plan-508.pdf http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/ http://www.nasa.gov/aero/nasa-aero-lithographs.html http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/green_aviation_fact_sheet_web.pdf http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/green_aviation_fact_sheet_web.pdf