RFP GMU-ER0103-24_Photography-Videography_Final-eVA.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

GMU-ER0103-24

ISSUE DATE: February 27, 2024

TITLE: Photography/Videography Services

PRIMARY PROCUREMENT OFFICER: Erin Rauch, Assistant Director

SECONDARY PROCUREMENT OFFICER: Sara Siddall, Strategic Sourcing Manager

QUESTIONS/INQUIRIES: Submit all inquiries through Mason’s Bonfire Portal, no later than 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) on March

7, 2024. All questions must be submitted through Mason’s Bonfire portal. For assistance with technical questions related to Bonfire, contact Support@GoBonfire.com or visit Bonfire’s help forum at https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us. Responses to questions will be posted to Mason’s Bonfire portal and by 5:00 PM ET on March 12, 2024.

IMPORTANT! All communication with Offerors will take place in Bonfire, to include negotiations. Mason can only message Offerors that have interacted with this specific RFP. Please ensure the appropriate person to handle negotiations and other RFP communication has submitted the proposal in Bonfire.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: March 25, 2024 @ 2:00 PM ET. ATTENTION: PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

VIA EMAIL, MAIL, THROUGH eVA, OR IN PERSON. SEE SECTION XII.A.1 FOR DETAILS ON ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL

SUBMISSION.

In Compliance With This Request For Proposal And To All The Conditions Imposed Therein And Hereby Incorporated By

Reference, The Undersigned Offers And Agrees To Furnish The Goods/Services In Accordance With The Attached Signed

Proposal Or As Mutually Agreed Upon By Subsequent Negotiations.

Name and Address of Firm:

Legal Name: Date:

DBA:

Address:

By:

Signature

FEI/FIN No. Name:

Fax No. Title:

Email: Telephone No.

SWaM Certified: Yes: No: (See Section VII. SWaM CERTIFICATION for complete details).

SWaM Certification Number:

This public body does not discriminate against faith-based organizations in accordance with the Governing Rules, § 36 or against a

Bidder/Offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment.

Purchasing Department

4400 University Drive, Mailstop 3C5

Fairfax, VA 22030

Voice: 703.993.2580 | Fax: 703.993.2589 http://fiscal.gmu.edu/purchasing/ https://gmu.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:Support@GoBonfire.com https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GMU-ER0103-24

SECTION DESCRIPTION PAGE

I. PURPOSE 3

II. PURCHASING MANUAL/GOVERNING RULES 3

III. COMMUNICATION 3

IV. FINAL CONTRACT 3

V. ADDITIONAL USERS 3

VI. eVA BUSINESS-TO-GOVERNMENT VENDOR REGISTRATION 4

VII. SWaM CERTIFICATION 4

VIII. SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN 4

IX. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE 4

X. BACKGROUND 4

XI. STATEMENT OF NEEDS 4

XII. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 7

XIII. INITIAL EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SUBSEQUENT AWARD 9

XIV. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION 10

XV. PAYMENT TERMS/METHOD OF PAYMENT 10

XVI. SOLICITATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS 10

XVII. RFP SCHEDULE 11

ATTACHMENT A SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN 12

ATTACHMENT B SAMPLE CONTRACT 14

ATTACHMENT C MASON BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES 25

I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals to establish a contract through competitive negotiations with one or more qualified vendors to provide on-going, as needed, photography and videography services to various departments of George Mason University, to include, but not limited to, the Office of University Branding (OUB) and other departments through OUB, the Washington Scholars Program (WSP) through Admissions, Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA), and the Antonin Scalia Law School. The goal of this process is to establish a roster of highly qualified photographer and videographer contractors who will best meet the University’s needs and at reasonable pricing. George Mason University (herein after referred to as “Mason,” or “University”) is a public institution of higher education and agency of the Commonwealth of

Virginia.

This RFP will result in multiple awards. Award of a contract will not guarantee a specific amount of photography or videography assignments.

II. PURCHASING MANUAL/GOVERNING RULES: This solicitation and any resulting contract shall be subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth of Virginia Purchasing Manual for Institutions of Higher Education and their Vendor's, and any revisions thereto, and the Governing Rules, which are hereby incorporated into this contract in their entirety. A copy of both documents is available for review at: https://vascupp.org

III. COMMUNICATION: Communications regarding the Request For Proposals shall be formal from the date of issuance until a contract has been awarded. Unless otherwise instructed offerors are to communicate with only the Procurement Officers listed on the cover page. Offerors are not to communicate with any other employees of Mason.

IV. FINAL CONTRACT: ATTACHMENT B to this solicitation is Mason’s standard two-party contract. It is the intent of this solicitation to base the final contractual documents off of Mason’s standard two-party contract and Mason’s General Terms and Conditions. Any exceptions to our standard contract and General Terms and Conditions should be denoted in your RFP response. Other documents may be incorporated into the final contract, either by way of attachment or by reference, but in all cases this contract document and Mason’s General Terms and Conditions shall jointly take precedence over all other documents and will govern the terms and conditions of the contract.

As a public institution of higher education in Virginia Mason cannot agree to any of the following terms in any documents:

A. An express or implied waiver of sovereign immunity.

B. An agreement to indemnify, defend or hold harmless any entity.

C. An agreement to maintain insurance.

D. An agreement providing for binding arbitration.

E. An agreement providing for the payment of attorneys' fees, costs of collection, or liquidated damages.

F. Waiver of jury trial.

G. Choice of law or venue other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Contracts will only be issued to the FEI/FIN Number and Firm listed on the signed cover page submitted in your RFP response.

Joint proposals will not be accepted.

V. ADDITIONAL USERS: It is the intent of this solicitation and resulting contract(s) to allow for cooperative procurement.

Accordingly, any public body, public or private health or educational institutions, or affiliated corporations may access any resulting contract if authorized by the contractor.

Participation in this cooperative procurement is strictly voluntary. If authorized by the Contractor(s), the resultant contract(s) will be extended to the entities indicated above to purchase goods and services in accordance with contract terms. As a separate contractual relationship, the participating entity will place its own orders directly with the Contractor(s) and shall fully and independently administer its use of the contract(s) to include contractual disputes, invoicing and payments without direct administration from the University. No modification of this contract or execution of a separate agreement is required to participate; however, the participating entity and the Contractor may modify the terms and conditions of the contract to accommodate specific governing laws, regulations, policies, and business goals required by the participating entity. Any such modification will apply solely between the participating entity and the contractor.

The University may require the Contractor provide semi-annual usage reports for all entities accessing the contract. The

University shall not be held liable for any costs or damages incurred by any other participating entity as a result of any authorization by the Contractor to extend the contract. It is understood and agreed that the University is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any entity and will not be considered in default of the contract no matter the circumstances.

Use of the resulting contract(s) does not preclude any participating entity from using other contracts or competitive processes as needed.

https://vascupp.org/

VI. eVA BUSINESS-TO-GOVERNMENT VENDOR REGISTRATION: The eVA Internet electronic procurement solution, website portal www.eVA.virginia.gov, streamlines and automates government purchasing activities in the Commonwealth.

The eVA portal is the gateway for vendors to conduct business with state agencies and public bodies. All vendors desiring to provide goods and/or services to the Commonwealth shall participate in the eVA Internet eProcurement solution by completing the free eVA Vendor Registration. All bidders or offerors agree to self-register in eVA and pay the Vendor Transaction Fees prior to being awarded a contract. Registration instructions and transaction fees may be viewed at: https://eva.virginia.gov/

VII. SWaM CERTIFICATION: Vendor agrees to fully support the Commonwealth of Virginia and Mason’s efforts related to

SWaM goals. Upon contract execution, eligible vendors (as determined by Mason and the Virginia Department of Small

Business and Supplier Diversity) shall submit all required documents necessary to achieve SWaM certification to the

Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity within 90 days. Vendors currently SWaM certified agree to maintain their certification for the duration of the contract and shall submit all required renewal documentation at least 30 days prior to existing SWaM expiration. https://www.sbsd.virginia.gov/

VIII. SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN: All potential offerors are required to fill out and submit Attachments A with their proposal.

Note: Invoices shall only be submitted to Mason by the entity awarded a contract. Subcontractors cannot submit invoices to

Mason under any resulting contract.

IX. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: One (1) year from Effective Date of contract with four (4) successive one-year renewal options (or as negotiated).

X. BACKGROUND: Mason (as a whole) utilizes a significant amount of outside photography & videography support. The

Office of University Branding (OUB) is not staffed to support the volume of individual unit requests for photography or videography, so the need for outside support is growing. Mason seeks to create a pool of qualified vendors that can support the university in telling our story through visuals. Mason must retain ownership of all deliverables and copyright ownership of all media produced. Media may be added to the university’s central collection. OUB will maintain a list of vendors that are awarded a contract as the result of this RFP. Mason’s 250+ departments will be directed to this list of vendors for photography or videography needs.

To see the style and types of photos in Mason’s collection, you can browse here: https://photo.gmu.edu/browse/.

Background specific to the Washington Scholars Program (Statement of Needs, B.):

The Washington Scholars Program invites high school scholars from around the world to Mason to experience a week-long conference with a concentration in either journalism or environmental science. The programs are offered 3 weeks during the summer. They offer college credit from the university and a life changing experience. To document the experiences of the students, the programs include a photographer/videographer. This person travels with the program and tells the story of the

Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) and the Washington Journalism & Media Conference (WJMC) through photos and video recaps. The videographer will also piece together the footage of the week into a 7-8 minute final video due on the final day(s) of each program. The final video is presented to the students at the closing ceremony. The footage may also be used for future promotional materials. These enhancements to the conference experience leave the students satisfied with their time at Mason, and they have a positive impression of the university – allowing the conferences to be used as a recruitment tool. The conferences are also revenue generating, bringing in money for the school. You can learn more about the programs at wyse.gmu.edu and wjmc.gmu.edu. We are willing to work with one vendor who can provide both photography and videography services or with two separate vendors to specialize in each component, as long as they are willing and able to collaborate with their counterpart to deliver the product.

XI. STATEMENT OF NEEDS:

In all cases, the contractor must agree that all the services provided will be on "Work-Made-For-Hire/Buy-Out" basis and the

University will retain exclusively all rights to all photographs and videos supplied under any resulting contract.

A contractor may be awarded work on one or all of these sections.

These services include:

A. Office of University Branding (OUB) & other Mason departments, as needed.

B. Admissions/Washington Scholars Programs.

C. Photography Requirements for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA).

D. Photography Requirements for Antonin Scalia Law School.

https://eva.virginia.gov/ https://www.sbsd.virginia.gov/ https://photo.gmu.edu/browse/

A. Office of University Branding (OUB) & other Mason departments, as needed:

General Photography & Videography Requirements:

1. For photography:

a. Execute high‐quality digital photography. Provide a portfolio demonstrating a proficient and consistent body of work including environmental, editorial, documentary, advertising, on-location, candid, and still/studio photography.

b. Demonstrate a professional, artistic eye and possess highly advanced technical photography skills. Must be able to visualize complex shots, show expertise in setting up and managing lights, backdrops, and creating a safe and effective set (when needed).

c. Ability to communicate with subjects in a manner that puts them at ease during a photo session while clearly being able to direct them as to pose, facial expression, use of props, and physical position within a set.

d. Be available for shoots during business hours, after hours, nights, and weekends.

e. Able to do assignments on location at Mason’s Virginia campuses (Fairfax, Mason Square (Arlington), SciTech (Prince William).

f. Have superior post‐production technical skills, including color correction, removing unwanted image artifacts (if requested), retouching images (if requested), captioning, labeling and keywording image metadata.

2. For videography:

a. Exceptional video/audio, filming, editing, and multimedia skills:

▪ Advanced-level camera skills, able to capture high-quality audio and video;

▪ Advanced-level user of video editing software like Adobe Premiere and/or Final Cut Pro to create strong narratives;

▪ Strong skills in creating high-quality motion graphics for video, including lower thirds, intro/outros, text animations, stingers etc. using multimedia software such as Adobe AfterEffects;

▪ Ability to capture high quality audio recording, skillfully leverages sound to convey meaning and emotion.

b. Brainstorm, generate ideas, and translate university content into strong video concepts:

▪ Strong visual thinker with great conceptual skills;

▪ Experience with creating storyboards that include prop lists, equipment needs, location suggestions, scene styling/setting suggestions

▪ Experience adapting and translating marketing and communications messages into video

c. Manage projects from concept to completion on schedule:

▪ Ability and skills to produce (plan, shoot, light, record, and edit) strong video, audio and multimedia as required by concept and script.

▪ Experience managing sets and adapting to changing environment or unexpected situations.

d. Strong communication, management, and people skills:

▪ Must be able to relate with or develop an easy rapport with a broad range of faculty, staff, and students in various stages of their careers from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

▪ Ability to work cooperatively with university staff, student employees, on-set volunteers, and freelance contractors.

Deliverables: May include, but are not limited to:

⬧ Photo Deliverables: of high-resolution digital photographs (minimum 4200 × 2800)

⬧ Video Deliverables: High-quality video files (minimum 16x9 HD 1080p), and broll/stringouts of extra content (as requested)

⬧ Unless otherwise stated in the project terms, standard delivery of photography is final files within one week of individual event conclusion.

⬧ Delivery Schedule of video project will be negotiated at the time of service.

B. Admissions/Washington Scholars Programs:

The contractor must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Ability to fully staff the three summer conferences:

a. Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE);

b. Washington Journalism and Media Conference 1 (WJMC-1); and

c. Washington Journalism and Media Conference 2 (WJMC-2).

▪ Each conference is six (6) days.

▪ Each day runs 7:00AM – 10:00PM.

▪ Contractor will follow students while they go into Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas.

▪ Transportation on buses with students is provided.

2. Coverage: Photographic stills; filmography and direction (shot in 16x9 HD 1080p for full video and 9x16

HD 1080p for social media reels); editing; chryon/text overlay; social media sharing.

3. Delivery of all final content and files within one (1) week of individual event conclusion.

4. Ability to pass criminal and working with minors’ background checks. (See Section X.H. BACKGROUND

CHECKS in Attachment B, Sample Contract).

Deliverables:

1. Photographer:

a. Headshots of each student will be taken on the second to last day of each conference,

▪ Photos must be available online for the students at the completion of each individual conference.

b. One (1) multimedia presentation per night of each of the conferences (in collaboration with

Videographer);

c. One (1) final wrap video (in collaboration with Videographer);

d. Nightly uploading to social media and/or online archive;

e. Delivery of all high-resolution images edited and RAW for future unrestricted usage;

f. Use photographs to produce a 60 second captivating video/commercial for each program to be used for recruitment, audience includes parents, students, educators and other stakeholders.

2. Videographer:

a. One (1) multimedia presentation per night of each of the conferences (in collaboration with

Photographer);

b. One (1) final wrap video (in collaboration with Photographer);

c. Nightly uploading to social media and/or online archive; including at least one video per day posted on

YouTube and on Instagram reels.

d. Delivery of all video (final products and b-roll) for future unrestricted usage;

e. Use footage to produce a 60 second captivating video/commercial for each program to be used for recruitment, audience includes parents, students, educators and other stakeholders.

C. Photography Requirements for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA):

1. Must be a full-time professional sports photographer with a minimum of one assistant to cover conflicting events.

2. Professional grade camera bodies (minimum 2) with a minimum of 20 MP and 8 fps (full frame preferred) and built in FTP capability.

3. Lenses must range from a minimum of 17 mm to 400 mm at f/2.8 (required).

4. Portable studio must include a background stand, background, and 4 strobe heads with light modifiers.

D. Photography Requirements for Antonin Scalia Law School:

1. Faculty/Staff Headshots

• Ability to take professional headshots on campus using backdrop and lighting brought by photographer.

• Photographer will spend approximately 10 minutes per subject and gives the person ability to choose 2-3 photos that are acceptable immediately following photo shoot using computer files.

• Photos files will be delivered to law school for use on the website, may also be used by faculty for third party needs such as conference brochures, etc.

• Typically takes place 1-2 times/year.

• Law school handles time slots and sign-up for approximately 10-20 people

2. Student Headshots

• Using professional back drop and lighting set up in on-campus site, photographer takes quick shots of student giving each approximately 3-5 minutes.

• Students have ability to choose immediately which photo they prefer.

• Desirable if photo can be made available to student via link so student can download for use in social media, etc.

• Typically occurs once per year in the fall semester over approximately 2 ½ days.

• Scheduling of students is handled by the law school.

• In both cases it is expected photographer will provide light re-touching, photo processing and delivery.

• Additional photography services occur on an as needed basis and may include photographing law school alumni at various locations.

XII. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

A. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. RFP Response: In order to be considered, Offerors must submit a complete response to Mason's Purchasing

Office prior to the due date and time stated in this RFP. Offerors are required to submit one (1) signed copy of the entire proposal including all attachments and proprietary information. If the proposal contains proprietary information, then submit two (2) proposals must be submitted; one (1) with proprietary information included and one (1) with proprietary information removed (see also Item 2d below for further details). The Offeror shall make no other distribution of the proposals.

At the conclusion of the RFP process proposals with proprietary information removed (redacted versions) shall be provided to requestors in accordance with Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Offerors will not be notified of the release of this information.

ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: ATTENTION: PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE

ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL, MAIL, THROUGH eVA, OR IN PERSON. Mason will only accept electronic proposal submissions via Bonfire for this Request for Proposals.

The following shall apply:

a. You must register with Bonfire and submit your proposal, and it must be received prior to the submission deadline, by submitting through the online Bonfire portal at https://gmu.bonfirehub.com.

b. The Offeror must ensure the proposals are uploaded and submitted through Bonfire sufficiently in advance of the proposal deadline. Plan Ahead: It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure that electronic proposal submissions have sufficient time to make its way through Bonfire’s submission portal. Mason recommends you submit your proposal the day prior to the due date.

c. Submissions by other methods will not be accepted. Minimum system requirements: Microsoft

Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. JavaScript and browser cookies must be enabled.

d. Respondents should contact Bonfire at support@gobonfire.com for technical questions related to submission or visit Bonfire’s help forum at https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us.

e. Submission materials should be prepared in the file formats listed under Requested Information for this opportunity in the Bonfire Portal. The maximum upload file size is 1000 MB. Documents should not be embedded within uploaded files, as the embedded files will not be accessible or evaluated.

f. All solicitation schedules are subject to change.

g. Go to Bonfire and Mason’s Purchasing website for all updates and schedule changes.

https://fiscal.gmu.edu/purchasing/do-business-with-mason/view-current-solicitation-opportunities/

h. All communication with Offerors will take place in Bonfire, to include negotiations. Mason can only message Offerors that have interacted with this specific RFP. Please ensure the appropriate person to handle negotiations and other RFP communication has submitted the

Offerors proposal in Bonfire.

2. Proposal Presentation:

https://gmu.bonfirehub.com/ mailto:support@gobonfire.com https://vendorsupport.gobonfire.com/hc/en-us https://fiscal.gmu.edu/purchasing/do-business-with-mason/view-current-solicitation-opportunities/

a. Proposals shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Offeror. All information requested must be submitted. Failure to submit all information requested may result in your proposal being scored low.

b. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of capabilities to satisfy the requirement of the RFP. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content.

c. Proposals should be organized in the order in which the requirements are presented in the RFP. All pages of the proposal should be numbered. Each paragraph in the proposal should reference the paragraph number corresponding section of the RFP. It is also helpful to cite the paragraph number, sub letter and repeat the text of the requirement as it appears in the RFP. The proposal should contain a table of contents which cross references the RFP requirements. Information which the Offeror desires to present that does not fall within any of the requirement of the RFP should be inserted at the appropriate place or be attached at the end of the proposal and designated as additional material.

A WORD version of this RFP will be provided upon request.

d. Except as provided, once an award is announced, all proposals submitted in response to this RFP will be open to inspection by any citizen, or interested person, firm or corporation, in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Trade secrets or proprietary information submitted by a firm prior to or as part of its proposal will not be subject to public disclosure under the Virginia

Freedom of Information Act only under the following circumstances: (1) the appropriate information is clearly identified by some distinct method such as highlighting or underlining; (2) only the specific words, figures, or paragraphs that constitute trade secrets or proprietary information are identified; and (3) a summary page is supplied immediately following the proposal title page that includes (a) the information to be protected, (b) the section(s)/page number(s) where this information is found in the proposal, and (c) a statement why protection is necessary for each section listed. The firm must also provide a separate attachment of the proposal with the trade secrets and/or proprietary information redacted. If all of these requirements are not met, then the firm’s entire proposal will be available for public inspection.

IMPORTANT: A firm may not request that its entire proposal be treated as a trade secret or proprietary information, nor may a firm request that its pricing/fees be treated as a trade secret or proprietary information, or otherwise be deemed confidential. If after given a reasonable time, the Offeror refuses to withdraw the aforementioned designation, the proposal will be rejected.

3. Oral Presentation: Offerors who submit a proposal in response to this RFP may be required to give an oral presentation/demonstration of their proposal/product to Mason. This will provide an opportunity for the

Offeror to clarify or elaborate on their proposal. Performance during oral presentations may affect the final award decision. If required, oral presentations will be scheduled at the appropriate time.

Mason will expect that the person or persons who will be working on the project to make the presentation so experience of the Offeror’s staff can be evaluated prior to making selection. Oral presentations are an option of Mason and may or may not be conducted; therefore, it is imperative all proposals should be complete.

B. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS: Proposals should be as thorough and detailed as possible to allow Mason to properly evaluate the Offeror’s capabilities and approach toward providing the required services. Offerors should submit the following items as a complete proposal.

1. Procedural information:

a. Return signed cover page and all addenda, if any, signed and completed as required.

b. Return Attachment A - Small Business Subcontracting Plan.

c. Exceptions (if any) to Mason’s two-party contract, Attachment B.

d. State your payment preference as required in Bonfire. (See section XV for options.)

2. Qualifications and Experience: Describe your experience, qualifications and success in providing the services described in the Statement of Needs to include the following:

a. Background and brief history of your company.

b. Names, qualifications and experience of personnel to be assigned to work with Mason.

c. No fewer than three (3) references that demonstrate the Offeror’s qualifications. If services have been provided to comparable higher education institutions, please include them in your references.

Include a contact name, contact title, phone number, and email for each reference and indicate the length of service.

3. Samples: Provide portfolio/samples of video and/or photographic works. Include social media links/examples.

4. Specific Plan (Methodology): Explain your specific plans for providing the proposed services outlined in the Statement of Needs including:

a. Your approach to providing the services described herein.

b. Potential challenges you might foresee in performing these services, and potential solutions to mitigate these challenges.

5. Proposed Pricing: Provide hourly rates for all services described herein. Any additional fees not specifically contemplated in this RFP must be included in your proposal. Mason will not accept undisclosed fees that are added to invoices.

For Statement of Needs, B Admissions/Washington Scholars Programs, provide a flat rate per conference and, if not already disclosed in the above requested pricing, provide hourly rate(s) for additional edits or content outside the original specifications described in the Statement of Needs, B.

Rates must include travel-related expenses if contractor is traveling within a 50-mile radius of Mason's

Fairfax campus. If the contractor is traveling from outside a 50-mile radius of the Fairfax Campus, travel will only be reimbursed in accordance with Mason's polices, http://fiscal.gmu.edu/travel/, and GSA per diem rates.

6. In your proposal response please address the following:

a. Are you and/or your subcontractor currently involved in litigation with any party?

b. Please list any investigation or action from any state, local, federal or other regulatory body (OSHA, IRS, DOL, etc.) related to your firm or any subcontractor in the last three years.

c. Please list all lawsuits that involved your firm or any subcontractor in the last three years.

d. In the past ten (10) years has your firm’s name changed? If so, please provide a reason for the change.

XIII. INITIAL EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SUBSEQUENT AWARD:

A. INITIAL EVALUATION CRITERIA: Proposals shall be initially evaluated and ranked using the following criteria:

Description of Criteria Maximum Point Value

1. Quality of products/services offered and suitability for the intended purpose, including sample projects. 25

2. Qualifications and experiences of offeror in providing the goods/services, including references. 20

3. Specific plans or methodology to be used to provide the services 25

4. Price Offered 20

5. Offeror is certified as a small, minority, or women-owned business (SWaM) with Virginia

SBSD at the proposal due date & time. 10

Total Points Available: 100 http://fiscal.gmu.edu/travel/

B. AWARD: Following the initial scoring by the evaluation committee, at least two or more top ranked offerors may be contacted for oral presentations/demonstrations or advanced directly to the negotiations stage. If oral presentations are conducted Mason will then determine, in its sole discretion, which offerors will advance to the negotiations phase. Negotiations shall then be conducted with each of the offerors so selected. Price shall be considered, but need not be the sole determining factor. After negotiations have been conducted with each offeror so selected, Mason shall select the offeror which, in its sole discretion has made the best proposal, and shall award the contract to that offeror.

When the terms and conditions of multiple awards are so provided in the Request for Proposal, awards may be made to more than one offeror. Should Mason determine in writing and in its sole discretion that only one offeror has made the best proposal, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to that offeror. Mason is not required to furnish a statement of the reasons why a particular proposal was not deemed to be the most advantageous (Governing Rules §49.D.).

XIV. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: Upon award of the contract, Mason shall designate, in writing, the name of the Contract

Administrator who shall work with the contractor in formulating mutually acceptable plans and standards for the operations of this service. The Contract Administrator shall use all powers under the contract to enforce its faithful performance. The Contract

Administrator shall determine the amount, quality and acceptability of work and shall decide all other questions in connection with the work. All direction and order from Mason shall be transmitted through the Contract Administrator, or their designee(s) however, the Contract Administrator shall have no authority to approve changes which shall alter the concept or scope of the work or change the basis for compensation to the contractor.

XV. PAYMENT TERMS / METHOD OF PAYMENT:

PLEASE NOTE: THE VENDOR MUST REFERENCE THE PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER ON ALL INVOICES SUBMITTED

FOR PAYMENT.

Option #1- Payment to be mailed in 10 days-Mason will make payment to the vendor under 2%/10 Net 30 payment terms.

Invoices should be submitted via email to the designated Accounts Payable email address which is acctpay@gmu.edu.

The 10-day payment period begins the first business day after receipt of proper invoice or receipt of goods, whichever occurs last. A paper check will be mailed on or before the 10th day.

Option #2- To be paid in 20 days. The vendor may opt to be paid through our Virtual Payables credit card program. The vendor shall submit an invoice and will be paid via credit card on the 20th day from receipt of a valid invoice. The vendor will incur standard credit card interchange fees through their processor. All invoices should be sent to:

George Mason University

Accounts Payable Department

4400 University Drive, Mailstop 3C1

Fairfax, VA 22030 e-mail: AcctPay@gmu.edu

Option#3- Net 30 Payment Terms. Vendor will enroll in Paymode-X where all payments will be made electronically to the vendor’s bank account. For additional information or to sign up for electronic payments, go to http://www.paymode.com/gmu.

There is no charge to the vendor for enrolling in this service.

Please state your payment preference in your proposal response.

XVI. SOLICITATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

A. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARD: Upon the award or the announcement of the decision to award a contract over

$200,000, as a result of this solicitation, Mason will publicly post such notice on the DGS/DPS eVA web site

(https://eva.virginia.gov/) for a minimum of 10 days.

B. BEST AND FINAL OFFER (BAFO): At the conclusion of negotiations, the offeror(s) may be asked to submit in writing, a best and final offer (BAFO). After the BAFO is submitted, no further negotiations shall be conducted with the offeror(s).

C. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: By submitting a proposal the contractor warrants that they have fully complied with the

Virginia Conflict of Interest Act; furthermore certifying that they are not currently an employee of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

mailto:acctpay@gmu.edu mailto:AcctPay@gmu.edu http://www.paymode.com/gmu

D. DEBARMENT STATUS: By submitting a proposal, offerors certify that they are not currently debarred by the

Commonwealth of Virginia from submitting bids or proposals on contracts for the type of goods and/or services covered by this solicitation, nor are they an agent of any person or entity that is currently so debarred.

E. ETHICS IN PUBLIC CONTRACTING: By submitting a proposal, offerors certify that their proposal is made without collusion or fraud and that they have not offered or received any kickbacks or inducements from any other offeror, supplier, manufacturer or subcontractor in connection with their proposal, and that they have not conferred on any public employee having official responsibility for this procurement transaction any payment, loan, subscription, advance, deposit of money, services or anything of more than nominal value, present or promised, unless consideration of substantially equal or greater value was exchanged.

F. LATE PROPOSALS: To be considered for selection, proposals must be received in Mason’s Bonfire Portal by the designated date and hour. The official time used in the receipt of proposals is the proposal due date and hour in

Mason’s Bonfire Portal. Proposals submitted after the due date and time has expired will not be accepted nor considered. Mason is not responsible for any delays related to Bonfire’s website or vendor registration process. It is the responsibility of the offeror to ensure that their proposal is submitted by the designated date and hour.

G. MANDATORY USE OF MASON FORM AND TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Failure to submit a proposal on the official Mason form provided for that purpose may be a cause for rejection of the proposal. Modification of or additions to the General Terms and Conditions of this solicitation may be cause for rejection of the proposal; however, Mason reserves the right to decide, on a case-by-case basis, in its sole discretion, whether to reject such a proposal.

H. OBLIGATION OF OFFEROR: It is the responsibility of each offeror to inquire about and clarify any requirements of this solicitation that are not understood. Mason will not be bound by oral explanations as to the meaning of specifications or language contained in this solicitation. Therefore, all inquiries must be in writing and submitted as instructed on page 1 of this solicitation. By submitting a proposal, the offeror covenants and agrees that they have satisfied themselves, from their own investigation of the conditions to be met, that they fully understand their obligation and that they will not make any claim for, or have right to cancellation or relief from the resulting contact because of any misunderstanding or lack of information.

I. QUALIFICATIONS OF OFFERORS: Mason may make such reasonable investigations as deemed proper and necessary to determine the ability of the offeror to perform the services/furnish the goods and the offeror shall furnish to Mason all such information and data for this purpose as may be requested. Mason reserves the right to inspect the offeror’s physical facilities prior to award to satisfy questions regarding the offeror’s capabilities. Mason further reserves the right to reject any proposal if the evidence submitted by, or investigations of, such offeror fails to satisfy

Mason that such offeror is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the resulting contract and to provide the services and/or furnish the goods contemplated therein.

J. RFP DEBRIEFING: In accordance with §49 of the Governing Rules Mason is not required to furnish a statement of the reasons why a particular proposal was not deemed to be the most advantageous. However, upon request we will provide a scoring/ranking summary and the award justification memo from the evaluation committee. Formal debriefings are generally not offered.

K. TESTING AND INSPECTION: Mason reserves the right to conduct any test/inspection it may deem advisable to assure goods and services conform to the specifications.

XVII. RFP SCHEDULE (Subject to Change):

• Issue in eVA: 2/27/24

• Vendors submit questions by: 3/07/24 by 4:00 PM ET

• Post Question Responses: 3/12/24 by 5:00 PM ET

• Proposals Due: 3/25/24 @ 2:00 PM ET

• Proposals to Committee: 3/27/24

• Review and Score Proposals: 3/27/24 – 4/10/24

• Scores to Purchasing: 4/11/24

• Oral presentations (if necessary): TBD

• Negotiations/BAFO: Start week of 4/22/24

• Award: TBD

• Contract Start Date: TBD

ATTACHMENT A

SMALL BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN

TO BE COMPLETED BY OFFEROR

Offerors must advise any portion of this contract that will be subcontracted. All potential offerors are required to include this document with their proposal in order to be considered responsive.

Small Business: "Small business (including micro)” means a business which holds a certification as such by the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (DSBSD) on the due date and time for proposals. This shall also include DSBSD certified women- owned and minority-owned businesses and businesses with DSBSD service disabled veteran owned status when they also hold a DSBSD certification as a small business on the proposal due date. Currently, DSBSD offers small business certification and micro business designation to firms that qualify.

Certification applications are available through DSBSD online at www.SBSD.virginia.gov (Customer Service).

Offeror Name:

Preparer Name: Date:

Who will be doing the work: □ I plan to use subcontractors □ I plan to complete all work

Instructions

A. If you are certified by the DSBSD as a micro/small business, complete Section A of this form.

B. If the “I plan to use subcontractors” box is checked, complete Section B of this form. For the proposal to be considered and the offeror to be declared responsive, the offeror shall identify the portions of the contract that will be subcontracted to any subcontractor, to include DSBSD certified small business for the initial contract period in relation to the offeror’s total price for the initial contract period in Section B.

Section A

If your firm is certified by the DSBSD provide your certification number and the date of certification.

Certification Number: Certification Date:

Section B

If the “I plan to use subcontractors” box is checked, populate the requested information below, per subcontractor to show your firm's plans for utilization of any subcontractor, to include DSBSD-certified small businesses, in the performance of this contract for the initial contract period in relation to the offeror’s total price for the initial contract period. Certified small businesses include but are not limited to

DSBSD-certified women-owned and minority-owned businesses and businesses with DSBSD service disabled veteran-owned status that have also received the DSBSD small business certification. Include plans to utilize small businesses as part of joint ventures, partnerships, subcontractors, suppliers, etc. It is important to note that these proposed participation will be incorporated into the subsequent contract and will be a requirement of the contract. Failure to obtain the proposed participation dollar value or percentages may result in breach of the contract.

Plans for Utilization of Any subcontractor, to include DSBSD-Certified Small Businesses, for this Procurement

Subcontract #1

Company Name: SBSD Cert #:

Contact Name: SBSD Certification:

Contact Phone: Contact Email:

Value % or $ (Initial Term): Contact Address:

Description of Work:

Subcontract #2

Company Name: SBSD Cert #:

Contact Name: SBSD Certification:

Contact Phone: Contact Email:

Subcontract #3

Contact Name: SBSD Certification:

Contact Phone: Contact Email:

Subcontract #4

Contact Name: SBSD Certification:

Contact Phone: Contact Email:

Subcontract #5

Contact Name: SBSD Certification:

Contact Phone: Contact Email:

ATTACHMENT B – SAMPLE CONTRACT

Note: Other documents may be incorporated into this document, either by way of attachment or by reference, but in all cases this contract document shall take precedence over all other documents and will govern the terms and conditions of the contract.

This Contract entered on this ____ day of , 2024 (Effective Date) by ________________ hereinafter called “Contractor”

(located at ____________) and George Mason University hereinafter called “Mason,” “University”.

I. WITNESSETH that the Contractor and Mason, in consideration of the mutual covenants, promises and agreement herein contained, agree as follows:

II. SCOPE OF CONTRACT: The Contractor shall provide photography and videography services for George Mason University as set forth in the Contract documents.

During the term of this Contract, Contractor may issue Statements of Work (“SOW”) to modify the scope of the engagement or otherwise change the work to be performed under this Contract. All SOW’s must be on a form approved by Mason prior to the start of this Contract. Any SOW that does not conform to the pre-approved SOW form shall be void even if approved by

Mason. Additionally, the SOW shall be limited to modifications to the scope of the engagement or other changes to the work to be performed under this Contract; any other terms contained in a SOW shall be void and have no effect even if approved by

Mason. Other than changes to the scope of the engagement or the work to be performed under this Contract, Contractor may not change, modify, add, supersede, or remove any term from this Contract through a SOW.

III. PERIOD OF CONTRACT: One year from the Effective Date with four (4) successive one-year renewal options.

IV. PRICE SCHEDULE: The pricing specified in this section represents the complete list of charges from the Contractor. Mason shall not be liable for any additional charges.

(Pricing will be added to this section, as negotiated.)

Rates include all travel-related expenses and overhead costs if Contractor is traveling within a 50-mile radius of Mason's Fairfax campus. Travel will only be paid on a reimbursement basis and in accordance with Mason's polices if Contractor is traveling further than 50 miles. See http://fiscal.gmu.edu/travel/ for Mason’s travel policies.

V. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: Audra Meckstroth, Executive Director, Creative and Brand, Office of University

Branding, shall serve as Contract Administrator for this Contract and shall use all powers under the Contract to enforce its faithful performance. The Contract Administrator shall determine the amount, quality and acceptability of work and shall decide all other questions in connection with the work. All direction and order from Mason shall be transmitted through the Contract

Administrator, however, the Contract Administrator shall have no authority to approve changes which shall alter the concept or scope or change the basis for compensation.

VI. METHOD OF PAYMENT: As selected from RFP Payment Term Options / Method of Payment. Contractor shall submit invoices directly to acctpay@gmu.edu and copy to the Contract Administrator. Invoices must reference a Purchase Order number to be considered valid. Invoices may only be submitted after services rendered or goods delivered. Progress invoices may be submitted. All invoices will be paid Net 30 (or as selected), after receipt of invoice in the accounts payable email inbox.

VII. THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS SHALL CONSIST OF (In order of precedence):

A. This signed form;

B. Negotiation Response(s) dated XXXXX (attached);

C. RFP No. GMU-ER0103-24, in its entirety (attached);

D. Contractor’s proposal dated XXXXXX (attached).

VIII. GOVERNING RULES: This Contract is governed by the provisions of the Restructured Higher Education Financial and

Purchasing Department

4400 University Drive, Mailstop 3C5

Fairfax, VA 22030 http://fiscal.gmu.edu/purchasing/ http://fiscal.gmu.edu/travel/ mailto:acctpay@gmu.edu

Administrative Operations Act, Chapter 10 (§ 23.1-1000 et seq.) of Title 23.1 of the Code of Virginia, and the “Governing

Rules” and the Purchasing Manual for Institutions of Higher Education and their Vendors. Documents may be viewed at:

https://vascupp.org.

IX. CONTRACT PARTICIPATION: It is the intent of this Contract to allow for cooperative procurement. Accordingly, any public body, public or private health or educational institutions, or affiliated corporations may access this Contract if authorized by the Contractor.

Participation in this Contract is strictly voluntary. If authorized by the Contractor, the contract will be extended to the entities indicated above to purchase goods and services in accordance with contract terms. As a separate contractual relationship, the participating entity will place its own orders directly with the Contractor and shall fully and independently administer its use of the contract to include contractual disputes, invoicing and payments without direct administration from the University. No modification of this Contract or execution of a separate agreement is required to participate; however, the participating entity and the Contractor may modify the terms and conditions of the contract to accommodate specific governing laws, regulations, policies, and business goals required by the participating entity. Any such modification will apply solely between the participating entity and the Contractor.

The University may request the Contractor provide semi-annual usage reports for all entities accessing the Contract. The

University shall not be held liable for any costs or damages incurred by any other participating entity as a result of any authorization by the Contractor to extend the Contract. It is understood and agreed that the University is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any entity and will not be considered in default of the contract no matter the circumstances.

Use of this Contract does not preclude any participating entity from using other contracts or competitive processes as needed.

X. STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

A. APPLICABLE LAW AND CHOICE OF FORUM: This Contract shall be construed, governed, and interpreted pursuant to the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. All disputes arising under this Contract shall be brought before an appropriate court in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

B. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION: By entering into this Contract, Contractor certifies to the Commonwealth that they will conform to the provisions of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, as well as the Virginia Fair

Employment Contracting Act of 1975, as amended, where applicable, the Virginians with Disabilities Act, the

Americans with Disabilities Act and §§ 9&10 of the Governing Rules. If Contractor is a faith-based organization, the organization shall not discriminate against any recipient of goods, services, or disbursements made pursuant to the

Contract on the basis of the recipient's religion, religious belief, refusal to participate in a religious practice, or on the basis of race, age, color, gender or national origin and shall be subject to the same rules as other…