RFQ 75N97022R00012 - Podcast Series 8.15.22.pdf

RFQ NO.: Request for Quote (RFQ) 75N97022R00012

DATE ISSUED: Monday, August 15, 2022

DATE DUE: Monday, August 22, 2022

TIME DUE: 3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time

SUBJECT: The Behavioral and Social Science Side of Health Podcast Creation

The National Library of Medicine invites your organization to submit a proposal to fulfill the requirements of RFQ No. 75N97022R00012 as described in Attachments 1 through 4. This solicitation is made available to your organization on a full and open small business set-aside.

This solicitation is to procure services to create a podcast series on the behavioral and social science dimensions of health, with a focus on using behavioral and social science research to explore h ealth topics that have an important societal impact (e.g., substance use and mental health, digital health, climate change) and to challenge common health misconceptions.

METHOD OF ACQUISITION

The Government intends to acquire the necessary services by competing the requirement in accordance with FAR part 19.502-2 - Total small business set-aside.

It is expected that a Firm Fixed Price contract will be awarded as a result of this RFQ. The period of performance shall be a Base Period of September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023. It is anticipated that this contract award will be made on or about August 29, 2022.

To assist you in preparation of your proposal, the North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) code for this acquisition is The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 519130 - Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals.

Your proposal submitted in response to this RFQ shall be prepared in two (2) parts and clearly identified as a "Technical Proposal" and a "Business Proposal.” Proposals shall be in sufficient detail to permit proper evaluation, negotiation and/or acceptance thereof. The technical proposal shall not contain reference to price, however, resource information such as data concerning labor hours, labor categories, materials, subcontracts, etc., shall be contained in the technical proposal so that your understanding of the statement of work may be evaluated. The proposal must be signed by an official authorized to bind your organization. Specific Instructions for the packaging and delivery of your proposal are provided as Attachment No. 1 to this solicitation.

The Technical Proposal shall be evaluated in accordance with the Technical Evaluation Criteria set forth as Attachment No. 3 to this solicitation.

PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Your Technical Proposal in response to this Solicitation should include:

a. A detailed work plan indicating how each task of the Statement of Work will be accomplished.

b. Information about how the project will be organized, staffed and managed, including consultants and subcontractors, if appropriate.

c. A discussion of current/updated facilities and equipment to be used on the project (if applicable).

2. Your Business Proposal in response to this Solicitation should include:

a. Firm fixed price items that are involved in the completion of the contract for the Base Period.

The Government may award a contract on the basis of the initial offer received, without discussions.

Therefore, the initial offer should contain the Offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint.

This solicitation does not commit the Government to pay for the cost of preparation and submission o f a proposal.

In order to receive an award, Contractors must have valid registration and certification in the www.sam.gov.

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual who can legally commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with the proposed acquisition. Any other commitment, either explicit or implied, is invalid. If you have any questions concerning this Request for Quote (RFQ), please contact Em’Ria J. Briscoe, Contracting Officer at (301) 827-6410 or via e-mail at briscoee@mail.nih.gov.

Sincerely, Em’Ria J. Briscoe

Contracting Officer

SOLICITATION ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment No. 1 – Packaging and Delivery of Proposal Attachment No. 2 – Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment No. 3 – Evaluation Factors for Award/Technical Evaluation Criteria Attachment No. 4 – Additional Technical and Business Proposal Instructions mailto:briscoee@mail.nih.gov

ATTACHMENT 1

Packaging and Delivery of Proposal

Your technical and business proposals shall be organized as specified in the Proposal Preparation

Instruction section of the RFQ and submitted no later than 3:00 p.m. EST time on Monday, August

22, 2022.

Please submit a copy (electronic format) of the Technical and Business proposals by electronic mail (e-mail) to briscoee@mail.nih.gov by the due date and time stated above.

ATTACHMENT 2

National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)

The Behavioral and Social Science Side of Health Podcast Creation

STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

June 28, 2022

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) seeks to create a podcast series focused on the behavioral and social science dimensions of health, with a focus on using behavioral and social science research to explore health topics that have an important societal impact (e.g., substance use and mental health, digital health, climate change) and to challenge common health misconceptions. Additionally, in order to build up internal expertise in this area, OBSSR aims to train its staff members on the principles and processes of creating impactful podcasts, and more broadly, audio-based communication strategies. Collectively, these efforts will support OBSSR’s goal of communicating behavioral and social science research findings to researchers and the public, disseminating evidence-based information, and fostering the adoption of behavioral and social interventions.

2.0 BACKGROUND

One of the main priorities of the NIH, OBSSR is to “facilitate the adoption of behavioral and social sciences research findings in health research and in practice enhance” (OBSSR Strategic

Plan 2017-2021, Priority Three). Effectively communicating behavioral and social sciences research findings that may be used to inform and improve health is a foundational process used by OBSSR to meet its core priorities.

OBSSR has deep expertise and experience in communicating behavioral and social science research (BSSR). Podcasting is a relatively new but rapidly growing form of mass communication. Creating a podcast would build upon and expand OBSSR’s communication efforts and provide new ways to engage with the existing BSSR community as well as reach new audience members with this format. Podcasts are currently consumed by millions of listeners around the world, and a BSSR-specific podcast could contribute to reaching and successfully engaging the internal NIH community, behavioral and social scientists interested in health-related topics, biomedical researchers interested in BSSR topics, and the general public interested in health and BSSR. Considering the current communication channels that may perpetuate individual opinions and amplify information that is not grounded in science, OBSSR views the development of a podcast as an influential way to contribute evidence-based, health-related research findings that is free and publicly available for use by the NIH staffers, researchers, clinicians/practitioners, educators, students, and the general public.

3.0 SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of this procurement is two-fold: 1) to develop a health podcast using the behavioral and social sciences to answer key questions about human behavior and combat common misconceptions about health, and 2) to train staff members at OBSSR in the principles, processes, and best practices of creating podcasts.

The Contractor shall work with the OBSSR team to create a complete podcast season (9 episodes, each one of 20-25 minutes in length). The Contractor shall help develop the title and theme for the season, source and verify guests, help create the story for each episode, facilitate the recording of each episode, edit each episode, ensure that any sound used within the podcast has the app ropriate attributions, generate captions for each episode, and produce a final, production-ready version of each episode. The Contractor shall also train OBSSR staff in the principles, processes, and best practices of creating impactful podcasts. The Contractor shall provide expertise on all aspects of creating and producing a podcast and facilitate the creation of a podcast season, including the following activities:

• Convene kick-off meeting with Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and the NIH scientific team within two weeks of contract award to review the SOW and discuss details of the podcast creation and training.

• In collaboration with the OBSSR project team, conduct an iterative pre-production and planning phase with the following activities:

o Brainstorming sessions to identify goals and strategizing about how they can be met through podcasting o Competitive analysis including neighborhood network graph creation and analysis to ensure that OBSSR is creating a novel podcast o Brainstorm and finalize show concept, format, and title o Identify themes and episode ideas for all of season 1 o Provide training for OBSSR podcast host

• For development of the pilot (first episode) allow for up to 3 rounds of feedback from the OBSSR project team to ensure the preferred format, tone, and messaging. Once these are finalized for the pilot, these ideas will be carried through to creation of the remainder of the season (additional 8 episodes).

• In collaboration with the OBSSR project team, conduct production and post-production for each of the 9 episodes in the podcast season through the following activities for each episode:

o Pre-interviews and guest booking for up to three guests per episode o Verify the credibility of guests and veracity of their stories, including all scientist and non-scientist guests o Recording equipment management and training for guests, including providing resources for improving sound quality for remote participants as needed.

o High quality and production ready recording of all audio material that is ready for posting to various podcast platforms o Scripting for each episode to ensure that perspectives of the guests and host come together to tell a compelling and interesting BSSR-related story o Edit, score, and master final episodes o Incorporate feedback on editing from OBSSR project team o Secure all music and other 3rd party rights o Provide all copyright-free imagery for all episodes o Produce captions (transcripts plus any additional captioning necessary, such as descriptions of any audio used or other relevant details not accessible to individuals with hearing impairments).

o Add podcast to major podcast platforms

• Conduct a virtual training and provide training resources tailored to OBSSR staff in the following areas:

o Principles, processes, and best practices of creating an impactful and engaging podcast o Education around what makes a good podcast episode and what stories to “chase” o Recommendations on how to package and promote an OBSSR podcast, including but not limited to, title, description, artwork, episode titles, and show notes o Strategies for building and expanding promotion channels (including existing websites, social media channels, newsletters) and additional external channels (such as major podcasting platforms) o Analysis of analytics, strategies for benchmarking, and establishing custom metrics of success o Recommendations for podcast hosting and strategies for distributing across all major podcasting platforms o Summary of all main training materials in a PowerPoint presentation

• Regularly solicit and incorporate OBSSR feedback on each episode, and the overall process.

Feedback may be collected through email and/or through attendance at regular working group meetings.

• Provide podcast process documentation to OBSSR and provide production updates on a regular basis as determined by the contractor and OBSSR team.

• Using knowledge of the podcasting landscape, develop and deploy a plan to evaluate the success of the OBSSR podcast. This evaluation may be based on the metrics of other podcasts similar in scope and topic.

• Submit monthly progress reports and presentations that summarize methods and results to date as well as completed activities, upcoming activities, and unanticipated issues. Convene monthly meetings with the project team to update on status and progress.

4.0 TYPE OF CONTRACT

This is a firm fixed price type contract.

5.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The anticipated period of performance for this requirement is for 12 months: September 1, 2022

– August 31, 2023.

6.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

All services shall be provided at the Contractor’s facility unless otherwise required to come to the NIH campus for meetings. The Ggovernment will provide access to the NIH information or personnel needed to satisfactory complete the deliverables.

7.0 REPORT(S)/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

All written draft and final deliverable products shall be submitted in electronic copy for review and comment. All deliverables shall be sent electronically using Microsoft products for any training materials or plans, and .mp3 or .wav for audio files, per the following deliverable schedule:

Task Due Date

Kick-off meeting Within 10 days of award

Complete Podcast Training and materials Pilot episode draft

December 1, 2022

Final version of pilot episode ready for distribution with final files and transcript

January 1, 2023

Episode 2 ready for distribution with final files and transcript February 1, 2023

Episode 3 ready for distribution with final files and transcript March 1, 2023

Episode 4 ready for distribution with final files and transcript April 1, 2023 Success metrics analysis plan draft

Episode 5 ready for distribution with final files and transcript

May 1, 2023

Final success metrics analysis plan May 15, 2023 Episode 6 ready for distribution with final files and transcript June 1, 2023

Episode 7 ready for distribution with final files and transcript July 1, 2023

Episode 8 ready for distribution with final files and transcript August 1, 2023

Episode 9 ready for distribution with final files and transcript Final process documentation

August 31, 2023

Monthly progress reports and meetings 15th of every month

SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE

In accordance with FAR 39.2, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is implemented in this order.

Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, all electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services developed, acquired, maintained, and/or used under this contract/order must comply with the

"Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Provisions" set forth by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the "Access Board") in 36 CFR part 1194.

Information about Section 508 provisions is available at http://www.hhs.gov/od.

http://www.hhs.gov/od

ATTACHMENT 3

Technical Evaluation Criteria

GENERAL

Technical factors are of paramount consideration in the award of this order; however, price is also important to the overall award decision. Award shall be made to the responsible Offeror whose offer provides an overall best value to the Government, technical evaluation factors, and price considered.

The Government’s objective is to obtain the highest technical quality considered necessary to achieve the project objectives, with a realistic and reasonable price. Thus, the order of importance of the three factors are: 1) Technical Approach; 2) Technical Service and Support; and 3) Cost/Price. Technical

Approach and Technical Service and Support combined will be evaluated as more important than Price.

MANDATORY CRITERIA

• Offeror must be a small business

• Podcasting must be a core competency of the business

• Experience in podcasting on behavioral health topics

TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

The criteria below are listed in the order of relative importance:

1. Technical Approach: The Offeror shall describe their ability to 1) to develop a health podcast using the behavioral and social sciences to answer key questions about human behavior and combat common misconceptions about health, and 2) to train staff members at OBSSR in the principles, processes, and best practices of creating podcasts in the SOW Section 3.

2. The Offeror shall describe their services and support to meet NLM requirements as listed in

SOW Section 3 under the Scope and Objectives.

3. Cost/Price: Offeror(s) cost/price proposal will be evaluated for reasonableness. For a price to be reasonable, it must represent a price to the Government that a prudent person would pay when consideration is given to prices in the market. Normally, price reasonableness is established through adequate price competition, but may also be determined through cost and price analysis techniques as described in FAR 15.404.

SELECTION FOR AWARD

Offeror should be aware that the Government shall perform a “best value analysis” and the selection for award shall be made to the Offeror whose quotation is most advantageous to the Government, taking into consideration the technical factors listed above and the total proposed price.

ATTACHMENT 4

Additional Technical and Business Proposal Instructions

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF THE

PROPOSAL

The Offeror shall include in its proposal a discussion of the Offeror’s proposed technical approach to respond to the requirements in the statement of work. Technical proposals shall be limited to a maximum of 15 pages, not including resumes.

In its proposed technical approach, the Offeror shall summarize its corporate experience (including results) with service contracts similar to this solicitation that the Offeror has successfully performed in the five years. The information presented shall be in sufficient deta il to describe the previous experience and effectiveness of the Offeror in similar or closely related work, and to demonstrate the Offeror’s current ability to accomplish the tasking in this solicitation. Include the following information for each contract and subcontract:

• Name of contract or project;

• Contract Number;

• Role (Prime or Subcontractor);

• Sponsoring Organization or Company;

• Contract type;

• Period of Performance;

• Total Contract Value;

• Contract Manager and telephone number;

• Program Manager and telephone number;

• Project description, scope of work preformed, services or products delivered;

• Major success or accomplishments, and

• Major problems, lessons learned, and solution(s) applied if applicable.

Resumes: In addition to the above submission, but not included in the above maximum page count, the Offeror shall include in its response to the statement of work a resume f or each key person proposed for the project. Resumes of management, technical, and support staff necessary to provide the services and support requested shall also be included. Individual resumes shall be no more than two (2) pages in length.

Resumes shall include the following:

• Name of person;

• Proposed position, function, or role;

• Proposed labor category;

• Education (including, in reverse chronological order, colleges and/or technical schools attended (with dates), degree(s)/certification(s) received, major field(s) of study, and approximate number of total class hours);

• Experience (including, in reverse chronological order, area(s) of work in which a person is qualified, company and title of position, approximate starting and ending dates (month/year), concise descriptions of experience for each position held, and

• Certification that the information contained in the resume is correct and accurate.

a. EVALUATION OF THE TECHNICAL PORTION OF PROPOSAL

The technical portion of proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the factors, weights, and order of relative importance as described in Attachment 4.

2. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE BUSINESS PORTION OF THE PROPOSAL

a. PRICE INFORMATION

Quoters shall submit a firm fixed price proposal for the Base Period with detailed breakdown of estimated labor hours and rates by tasks to be performed. In addition, a summary total amount shall be furnished for the entire project.

The business portion of the proposal must contain sufficient information to allow the Government to perform a basic analysis of the proposed price of the work.

b. INFORMATION OTHER THAN PRICING DATA

The vendor shall submit sufficiently detailed information to permit the Contracting Of ficer and authorized representatives to evaluate the offer.

Unless otherwise stated in this solicitation, the information may be submitted in the Offeror’s own format.