RFQ Q and A - ED Responses.docx

RFQ OCO-EXO-Q-2021-0001

Virtual Event Webcasting

RFQ OCO-EXO-Q-2021-0001

Department’s Responses to Questions from Interested Parties

1. Can companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (like from India or Canada) There is no requirement for services to be performed by a USA based company. However, most services will need to be performed on site (within the USA) unless ED deems it appropriate to perform the services remote. Prospective providers are directed to FAR 25 for information on “foreign acquisition”, including prohibited and sanctioned sources.

2. Whether vendors need to come over there for meetings?

Planning meetings may be attended remotely. Execution of the event must be onsite unless remote services are deemed appropriate by ED.

3. Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (like from India or Canada) The business location is not fixed; however, all are currently planned to be performed within the USA. The requirement includes on-site production staff support to aid ED’s virtual production team. Also, see https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/reg/clibrary/edar.html for more information on contractor personnel security requirements.

4. Can we submit the proposals via email?

Yes, written quotes are due via email to Gary.Weaver@ed.gov.

5. Could you please tell me if this is a new requirement, or if there is a current or previous contractor who has performed similar services? If available, can you please send along the incumbent contract or task order number? Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent contractor.

6. Brandlive is preparing a proposal for ED's Virtual Webcasting SOW, is this going to be followed by an RFP?

As stated in the posting on SAM.GOV, “This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The solicitation for commercial services is being conducted under FAR Part 12 in conjunction with FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.”

7. Roughly how many events do you expect to produce in the 12 month period?

Over the last 8 months, about 10 large virtual conferences have been conducted. An Indefinite Quantity Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract is intended because the Department (ED) is uncertain at this time how many events to expect within the 12 month period. As public health and safety guidelines continue to limit/prohibit large conferences, virtual meetings requiring webcasting support are projected to remain prominent.

8. Would you like a general quote per event or an all encompassing quote for all of ED's events over the year?

ED requires a quote to establish an IDIQ contract. Future virtual production services will be ordered via task orders issued against the base IDIQ contract.

9. Production support services: The contractor is required to provide all virtual production equipment such as switchers, laptops/computers, encoders and all necessary audio/visual needs to facilitate the primary requirements of the event. Is this a mandatory/desirable requirement? In any case, does The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has the option/plan to arrange all virtual production equipment on its own ? or will vendor can provide partial support to ED in fulfilling some of its virtual production equipment needs? Kindly provide you clarification at the earliest.

Since requirements for each event may vary, the vendor is required to provide what is requested, including the capacity to provide all the event’s virtual production equipment and services. This may include all or partial equipment and services to execute the event.

10. Is the Contract value on this contract a firm 150K for the entire year? Based on the requirements number of attendees streaming, CART, and Asl services this number seems low. The contract maximum is $150K. Future virtual production services will be ordered via task orders issued against the base IDIQ contract.

11. Any idea how many events there will be in one year?

Please see the response to question number 7.

12. From SOW: Connectivity: When requested, the contractor shall have the capacity to provide its own internet or cellular connectivity for the purpose of broadcasting the event. In the event the event is broadcasted from an ED facility, only wireless access that requires all devices to authenticate on the network shall be made available. The Task Order statement of work shall indicate if internet or connectivity is needed. The contractor’s solution shall have the capacity to allow ED virtual production staff access to produce the event on the contractor’s platform. Streaming on a WiFi connection is risky. If we are Encoding to the cloud the physical device sending signal needs to have a stable connection ensuring a minimum upload speed of at least 10mbps. Do we need to include a service or vendor that has tech to provide independent bonded internet?

If agreed upon by ED via the task order, yes.

13. Vendor shall have the ability to encrypt access to the site, when requested: Can you please provide more details about what you mean by this?

Encrypted Web is generally implemented through a secure Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection. ED would also require a vendor with the capacity to enable access authentication to join the livestream(s).

14. What positions does DoE have as part of its current production staff?

ED has two full-time virtual and audiovisual production staff with over 15 years of experience.

15. What equipment does DoE have as part of it current in house production capabilities?

ED has most of the equipment necessary to produce an event. Most additional equipment requests will be based on expanding upon the existing equipment to accommodate additional capacity or to produce an event on software not allowable on government equipment.

16. What is the average number of viewers who’ve attended similar DoE events during the past 12 months?

17. As the RFQ states the Department is unable to interact with Zoom, what platforms has DoE worked with during the past year for conferences of any size?

Since the RFQ posting, ED has acquired the FedRAMP version of Zoom which may be used on government furnished equipment (GFE). If ED’s existing version of Zoom is not sufficient for the production requirements, then the contractor may be required to provide laptops with Zoom to produce the event. ED also produces events in Microsoft Teams and Live and Cvent Hub.

18. Will the archive of the events live solely on the DoE site or will they be posted to any other platforms (ie: YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)?

Event archives will be housed on Department sites and social media platform. ED anticipates the vendor will archive the event for a minimum of 6 months after the event.

19. When the webcasts are based out of DoE’s facility or offsite, will the moderator or any panelists be on-site? If so, is the contractor responsible for staging, lighting, cameras, audio, etc. if the moderator and/or panelists are in-person?

There may be hybrid situations where ED will have participation from remote and in-person talent simultaneously. If ED or the venue is unable to provide certain onsite AV services, they will be outlined as requirements in the task order.

20. If the contractor has studio facilities, should pricing be included for those services in case they are needed for an on-site moderator and/or panelists?

Yes, and please include the studio location, hours and services provided at the facility.

21. Will all content (slides, roll-ins, lower-third graphics, etc.), be provided by DOE or will the contractor need to create, revise or prep any content?

The virtual webcasting contractor is not required to create, revise, or prep any event content.

22. Can DoE extend the deadline for responses to 2pm on Monday 16 August or Friday 13 August?

The due date for quotes is extended to 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 11, 2021.

23. There are many types of support when it comes to live events – (ex…AV Equipment & Technicians, Creative Resources, Production Support, Production Gear etc.) Could you describe the type of production support you anticipate needing?

The needs will vary depending on the requirements of the unknown event. Please review the RFQ for all the potential production support requirements.

24. Would the Production Services listed above need to be a part of the bid?

Yes, it is beneficial to address pricing per service category in your response.

25. Do you want the recorded live sessions to be made available for on-demand viewing in the platform post-event?

ED requests that the recorded event be sent to ED within 24 hours. ED may request that the contractor host the video on-demand service post event in a task order; however, it is not a standard requirement.

26. Questions from Contract Opportunity The expected attendance for each event is between 500 - 10,000 attendees and may include videos, graphic presentations, and panel discussions. Some presenters may be onsite while others are remote. The virtual events will typically be no more than 3 hours each.

Are the 500-10,000 attendees a combination of webcast attendees and in person at the broadcast location?

The referenced number of attendees represent virtual participants only.

If so, what are the attendee estimates for each? How many events of this type did the ED deliver in FY 2021 and what are the number of events scheduled for FY 2022? What is the average venue size? This is important so we can estimate the appropriate portable sound system and number of audio speakers.

The response should focus on AV services to facilitate virtual production. ED delivered 10 large virtual conferences of this size in FY21 remotely or within the Department of Education. For FY 2022, see response to Question 7 above.

27. The programs may be produced within ED facilities in Washington, DC. or at off-site venues as deemed appropriate by ED. ED will handle pre-planning with its internal constituents, run of show, and project management requirements foreach event. To confirm, ED would like a self-service webcast model in which they have full access to the webcasting platform, they will schedule and execute themselves. The contractor will provide access to the webcasting technology and onsite audio visual support as needed for each event. How many ED employees will need access to the webcasting technology, as in administrator access? Please note, presenters are provided with access on a per event basis when the administrator schedules the webcast.

ED would like the option to manage streaming privileges and configurations depending on the complexity or lack thereof for each event. The core requirement of this solicitation is that the vendor have the capacity to supply all equipment, virtual webcasting services and platforms.

28. 301-26b Contract Minimum/Maximum and Order Limitations (APRIL 1997) The minimum amount for this contract is $9,000.00. The Contractor is not obligated to honor any single task order more than $75,000.00. The maximum amount for this contract is $150,000.00. Please confirm a single task refers to a single Virtual Event Webcast. Therefore, the contractor is not obligated to honor (support) a Virtual Event Webcast which exceeds $75,000, but can if they would like? The maximum amount for this contract is listed as $150,000, is that for the 12 month period of monthly webcasts with onsite production?

Yes, a single task order refers to a single Virtual Event Webcast. ED does not expect any single task order to exceed $75,000.00. The $150,000.00 maximum is the maximum possible value of all task orders in the intended 12-month period of performance.

29. Questions from SOW - Accessibility Services – a) Computer generated (AI) live captioning coverage (including testing). B) Live captioning coverage with Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) service. While we offer both captioning options and clients select one or the other for a webcast, are you confirming contractors can offer both and the event requirements would dictate which one is used?

Confirming that ED may need both options. Each Task order will identify which is required for that specific event.

30. Connectivity - When requested, the contractor shall have the capacity to provide its own internet or cellular connectivity for the purpose of broadcasting the event. In the event the event is broadcasted from an ED facility, only wireless access that requires all devices to authenticate on the network shall be made available. The Task Order statement of work shall indicate if internet or connectivity is needed. A wired high speed Internet connection is an industry best practice for webcasting, especially if you want to push video at 1080p. Will the ED team running the webcast and the presenters have wired Internet access?

Only ED personnel may connect to its network. If feasible, the ED Team may use the wired internet.

We see that only wireless is available at an ED facility, is that for guest?

Yes, that is correct. Guests can only use wi-fi.

If we are providing onsite production support would you allow our engineers to connect their machines to wired or wireless network?

External users may only use ED’s wi-fi. Contractor must have the capacity to provide its own connectivity in the event the ED guest Wi-Fi access is mutually deemed insufficient.

To confirm if being broadcast from a non-ED facility Internet may not be available which is why the contractor shall have the capacity to provide its own Internet?

If service is needed at a non-ED facility, then that facility would most likely have the ability to support hardwired connectivity. ED does not anticipate this occurring often, if at all. Example given, if the event must be produced in a school with a firewall for external users, then the Task order will require the vendor to provide its own connectivity to facilitate the webcasting requirements.

If so would the contractor be responsible for providing Internet access to the ED team running the webcast and the presenters?

ED does not anticipate that this will be needed; however, if it is required, it will be identified in the task order.