SBAHQ17Q006_Answers_to_Questions.pdf

Strategic Communications Support and Media Placement for the National Women's Business Council

Questions and Answers

Solicitation: SBAHQ-17-Q-0006

*Please note we cannot disclose any information regarding the budget for this requirement

1.) Has a contractor performed similar work to this for the government in the past? If available, please provide the incumbent contract number.

Although the government has contracted for similar work, the requirement differs this year and therefore a new requirement for the government. The contract number is SBAHQ-16-M-0028.

2.) If you are unable to provide a contract number, is it safe to assume this is a new requirement for the government? If there is an incumbent, what labor categories have they used?

Although the government has contracted for similar work, the requirement differs this year and therefore a new requirement for the government. Labor categories that have been used in the past are Strategic Planner, Project Manager, Administrator Assistant, etc.

3.) Whether companies from Outside USA can apply for this? (like,from India or Canada) Companies from outside of the United States can apply for this contract, but the firm should make sure the location does not present limitations to the work. The firm should have a DUNS number, fluency in English, and awareness of U.S. outlets, U.S. news cycle, and the state of women-owned small businesses in the U.S.

4.) Whether we need to come over there for meetings?

Meetings can be done virtually and none are required to be in-person.

5.) Can we perform the tasks (related to RFP) outside USA? (like, from India or Canada) There is no specific location required of where the firm is based for this contract, but the firm should make sure the location does not present limitations to the work. The firm should have a DUNS number, fluency in English, and awareness of U.S. outlets, U.S. news cycle, and the state of women-owned small businesses in the U.S.

6.) Can we submit the proposals via email?

Yes proposals can be submitted via email.

7.) Why are GSA labor categories required for a solicitation that has been procured on a GSA schedule? Is a GSA schedule required to respond to this solicitation?

This is only optional; if you have labor categories on a GSA schedule for this type of work then you are encouraged to include in that your proposal. You do need a GSA schedule to respond to this solicitation

8.) Is there a level (or range) of impressions and reach the National Women’s Business Council is seeking achieve?

Yes. We’d expect that each campaign would have strategic communication plans with different impression goals. Specific objectives would be set to ensure the campaign will make the right range of impressions with the desired target audiences. Since we are a national council serving stakeholders across the country, impressions are usually broad. That said, for one campaign we may target community and business leaders impacting women of color; for another it might be decision makers within academic organizations with STEM programs focused on women under 30 years old.

9.) The objectives state: “Impact the boarder narrative on entrepreneurship - penetrating the media with coverage of the issues, commentary & thought—leadership…” This is very broad.

Are there specific challenges/issues you want to address or promote?

The Council has four pillars that they focus their work on: 1) Access to Capital, 2) Access to Markets, 3) Job Creation and Growth, and 4) Data. Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead and to see the ongoing research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months.

10.) What will be the your level of media spend in dollars and depth of activity?

We cannot disclose the budget for this requirement.

11.) Would you consider separating the media buying efforts from the strategic communication work? If you are open, we would like to provide a quote for the media buying/planning and a separate quote for the strategic communication portion, where we can partner/manage any agency with the winning quote. Rationale: As an 8(a) firm, we have clients in the private and public sector where we provide strategic communication support. Our experience and feedback from our clients have been to separate the media buying because media agencies are great at media placement, but not as good at the strategy and the subsequent analytics measuring success and identifying areas of improvement. We can help the SBA as a 3rd party objective to help with the strategic prioritization (via market needs/gaps, engagement and impact) then measure performance with the analytic rigor for continuous program improvement. This service we provided to the MBDA and pharmaceutical companies, Pepsi and other large organizations.

The work of media efforts and strategic communications is dependent upon each other.

We’d prefer to have the proposal focus on “earned” media coverage given that the Council does not intend to pursue media buying. Our firm should proactively secure earned media in the form of coverage in targeted, visible, reputable media outlets across both traditional (newspapers, magazines, radio, TV) and online/social (podcasts, blogs, etc.) channels.

12.) For media placement: We have used this term for both story placement and media buying. Can you clarify that media buying is or is not included in this contract? If it is included, can you provide a cost/budget estimate of media buys?

The Council does not intend to pursue media buying. We cannot disclose the budget for this requirement.

13.) For Evaluation Factor 1b, how will you determine a firm's knowledge and awareness of the

Council's mission if the firm has not worked with the council? This evaluation factor seems to unfairly limit competition to firms that are currently supporting the council. Would you consider adjusting this particular evaluation factor so additional, qualified companies can bid on this work?

For Evaluation Factor 1b, we will take into account whether the firm has an understanding of the mission and work of the Council. For example, the firm should demonstrate understanding of the Council’s stakeholders or the role research plays in the Council’s work. Given that the work of the Council is publicly available, the particular evaluation factor will not be adjusted.

https://www.nwbc.gov/research/united-we-thrive-sustaining-our-momentum-public-and-private-arenas

14.) Is there an incumbent agency? If so, which one? On what project(s)?

15.) Has the WBC worked with an agency within the last three years? If so, which one? On what project(s)?

16.) Has NWBC worked with any consultants or communication firms to date on the tasks listed in the SOW? If yes, which firms?

17.) Is this new work or existing work?

therefore a new requirement for the government.

18.) Would the Government consider increasing the number of pages for the Technical Approach from six pages to eight or 10 pages?

The Technical Approach information is limited to no more than 6 pages, not including cover page, company credentials, case studies, writing sample, and past performance references.

19.) Given that this is an FFP contract, would the Government consider T&M pricing for the thought leadership requirement listed in Section 3.0 of the SOW?

The government would not consider T&M pricing.

20.) Will NWBC pay for printing costs associated with SOW tasks 3.2- 2.5?

The NWBC has the ability to deal with printing in-house.

21.) Is this solicitation only for companies that have a gsa schedule? I ask because we do not have a gsa schedule and we are very interested in this solicitation.

No, this solicitation is not just for companies with GSA schedules.

22.) Can NWBC share their policy agenda (beyond what is in their annual report)?

The NWBC has an ongoing policy agenda. Our results from our previous and ongoing research inform our policy agenda. Beyond our annual report, we recommend offerors to look at the research the NWBC has released in FY2016 and FY2017.

23.) Can NWBC share a calendar of upcoming research topics that are due to be released?

Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead and to see the ongoing research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months. Specific dates will be shared once the contract has been awarded.

24.) Is NWBC currently working with a firm? If so, have they been happy with what they’ve done?

What do they wish the firm did differently?

therefore a new requirement for the government. The contract number is SBAHQ-16-M- 0028.The Statement of work identifies areas in which the NWBC is particularly interested in. We seek a firm that takes initiative in seeking opportunities for NWBC and sharing innovative ideas with NWBC. The firm should also be flexible to the shifting priorities of NWBC.

25.) Do all of NWBC’s Council Members act as spokespeople to media or only certain ones? If not all, can they flag who would/wouldn’t do media?

The Chair, Council Members, and Executive Director all serve as spokespersons for the Council, but dependent on schedule, topic discussed and/or expertise needed there might be a specific individual with the Council.

26.) Can NWBC share the terms of the Council Members and who will be rolling off during the contract period?

Each Council Member has a term of 3 years. There are six members that will be rolling off within 2017. Further details will be discussed once contract has been awarded.

27.) What does NWBC as their biggest strength/challenge in the new administration?

Women’s entrepreneurship is on the rise and of importance as always. The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a nonpartisan federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the White House, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

28.) Solicitation Notification says “submit contact information for a minimum of two previous clients” to act as references. Can we use current clients?

Current clients can serve as references as long as they have worked with the firm for at least six months.

29.) Do you have a past media plan that shows who and where you are marketing to?

Yes, we have past plans that previous firms have developed for us after the contract was awarded. We will provide the plans and other related materials (press releases, talking points, results reports, etc.) once the contract has been awarded. We want to learn from the past, build upon our foundation and not recreate the wheel.

30.) Can you please explain what “GSA labor category descriptions” are as they pertain to this initiative?

If you have a GSA Schedule and it pertains to the work on this requirement, you are encouraged to include your GSA labor categories when submitting your proposal. However, you may respond even if you are not on GSA. However, when submitting your proposal you must include applicable labor categories to complete the requirement.

31.) Regarding “Time to Complete the Work,” can you please clarify what work is expected to take place during each period? Specifically, what do the three Option Periods refer to?

The work expected to take place during the period of performance can be found in the section “3.0 Scope of Work” in the statement of work. Option periods refer to the extension of continuing the work on the statement of work for the additional months in option period.

32.) Can you disclose the nature/topics of the research that will be undertaken during this period so we can determine its relevancy to the program and how/when to best leverage it?

research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months.

33.) Who are the Council members and do they have different subject areas to address as spokespeople?

The Chair, Council Members, and Executive Director all serve as spokespersons for the Council, 34.) What specific Council engagement events and meetings are planned for the contract period?

Will they have a theme? Where will these take place (we realize some are by WebEx)?

Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead and to see the ongoing research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months. Although there are engagement events and meetings planned, those will be shared once the contract is awarded.

35.) In terms of publicity, are there some geographic markets that are more important than others?

The geographic markets that are important to the NWBC are those that support women’s entrepreneurship and those in which we see opportunities . It is important to take into account the locations of the Council Members and the locations where the Council is visiting for internal and external events.

36.) Regarding a social media component, in addition to developing an assessment report and creating fresh content, will the agency need to implement the social media campaign, or simply work in partnership with NWBC to update it on an ongoing basis?

The Council has a staffer that will implement the social media campaign and do day-to-day management of the accounts. The firm will serve to offer innovative and social media campaigns when necessary to elevate the Council’s work.

37.) Has the NWBC used a PR firm before? If yes, what worked well/didn’t work well in the relationship?

Although the government has contracted for similar work, the requirement differs this year and therefore a new requirement for the government. The contract number is SBAHQ-16-M- 0028.The Statement of work identifies areas in which the NWBC is particularly interested in. We seek a firm that takes initiative in seeking opportunities for NWBC and sharing innovative ideas with NWBC. The firm should also be flexible to the shifting priorities of NWBC.

38.) Are there any specific technologies that the contractors need to use? E.g. monitoring and tracking tools and subscriptions for social and digital tools, etc There are no specific technologies that the contractors need to use, but we do require a monitoring and tracking component of contract as well as a metrics component.

39.) How has the NWBC handled public relations in the past? Why is it seeking to bring on a new agency, at this time?

In the past the NWBC has done it in-house or had a public relations firm. The period of performance ended on the previous contract and therefore this new RFP.

40.) Who will review/rate the submissions?

Members of the NWBC staff will review/rate the submissions.

41.) What are the biggest opportunities and challenges for the Council relative to achieving its goals over the next year?

Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead and to see the ongoing research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months. In 2018, the NWBC will be celebrating its 30 year Anniversary.

42.) Are women business leaders/women’s business organizations aware of the Council? How has this awareness evolved, and is increasing this awareness a critical objective for 2017-2018?

Key players within the entrepreneurial ecosystem are aware of the Council, but there is always room for growth. Awareness of the Council’s work and research for our stakeholders is always an objective. The stakeholders of the Council include:

43.) What are the Council’s three biggest competitors from a PR/awareness perspective? For example, women’s business initiatives by private companies like Dell or American Express.

NWBC sees all initiatives to support women business owners and women’s business ownership as important.

44.) Does the Council participate in outside conferences as part of its outreach efforts? If so, which ones?

The Council does participate in external conferences and events as part of its outreach efforts.

For example, there are always external events and internal events that take place during National Women’s Small Business Month. There are no external conferences that we are obligated to do every year. Our participation in past once can be found on our website www.nwbc.gov or our past annual reports.

45.) How does the Council measure its success in “inciting action” and “building bridges?” In addition to gaining more awareness of the Council’s research, resources, etc., is there also a goal to increase membership and event attendance, for example?

It is the Council’s job to equip the nation’s decision makers, public and private, with policy recommendations that will impact and improve the business climate for women in our country.

We do this by producing best-in-class research on the most relevant issues facing current and aspiring women business owners and leaders. Our hope is to use compelling and rigorous research to incite action and build bridges to support women’s entrepreneurial ambitions and endeavors. The NWBC seeks to increase media coverage and attendance of NWBC events and increase citations of NWBC research. The NWBC is not a membership based organization.

46.) How has the new administration/Congress impacted the Council? How will it impact activities, Council leadership and/or budget, moving forward?

Women’s entrepreneurship is on the rise and of importance as always. The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a nonpartisan federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the White House, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

http://www.nwbc.gov/

47.) Is the Council targeting specific women’s business segments for increased visibility and engagement? If so, which ones? (For example: e-commerce vs. brick-and-mortar businesses, small businesses with less than five employees, Hispanic-owned women’s businesses, etc.)

The Council has four pillars that they focus their work on: 1) Access to Capital, 2) Access to Markets, 3) Job Creation and Growth, and 4) Data. The Council also has specific projects of which some are on specific women’s business segments. Please look at our Annual Report here to see the ongoing research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months. The NWBC looks forward to working with a firm to establish segments of focus that benefit from the work we do and bring attention to the Council’s efforts.

48.) Does the Council have established personas for these segments?

The Council has Council Members who serve as spokespeople for certain segments, research, and/or dependent on expertise.

49.) Has the Council traditionally worked with/coordinated activities with First Ladies and/or First

Daughters relative to NWBC campaigns?

One of the stakeholders for the NWBC is the White House and the NWBC has worked with the principals of the White House.

50.) To what extent does the Council work with other government agencies? Does it partner with well-known private organizations or individuals? How does the Council work with global organizations, such as UN Women?

The Council works within and agency, the Small Business Administration, and works with other government agencies as needed. The NWBC is open to partnering with organizations and individuals, but are subject to the rules and guidelines established by the SBA.

51.) To what extent does the Council use content management, analytics and measurement tools to enable and inform the PR, social and overall marketing activities? How has the Council traditionally measured its PR results and how they’re connected to marketing? What are the metrics/KPIs (such as advertising equivalent, etc.) the Council has used and plans to use?

At this time we do not have an integrated business intelligence system for gathering and analyzing marketing communications data other than basic tools like Google analytics for the website and manual tracking for all other activities and channels. In the past, we’ve asked the firm that works with us to set clear KPIs and specific objectives and that they manage tracking traditional media outreach. The firm will provide progress reports to us on results delivered. We would look to the firm to continue to work with us to set KPI, including some stretch goals, and analyze progress along the way, course correcting as needed.

52.) What influenced the decision to focus on Twitter and Facebook as opposed to LinkedIn?

The Council is open to also focusing on LinkedIn. LinkedIn just happens to be a new outlet for the Council compared to Twitter and Facebook.

53.) Who are the key stakeholders, and who would be the expanded stakeholders?

The NWBC has a diverse set of stakeholders – policy makers in Congress, the White House and the SBA, and the field’s individuals, including both women business owners and women’s business organizations.

http://www.unwomen.org/en/partnerships/businesses-and-foundations

54.) What have been the biggest challenges in the past with elevating the media profile?

There are still folks that do not know about the NWBC, the work we do, the results we deliver, etc. There is still a need to educate folks on the NWBC.

55.) There was mention of untraditional media, how untraditional do you want to go?

We are open to discussing all untraditional media and dependent on opportunity will make a decision.

56.) We focus on mission driven brands and their CEO’s leadership roles, which require socially conscious minded PR approaches. Are you open to an agency with that background, rather than primarily government client focus?

We are open to an agency with this background, but the firm has to be familiar with the federal government protocol.

57.) Is there a face of the organization (spokesperson), more than one? Who are they?

The Chair, Council Members, and Executive Director all serve as spokespersons for the Council, 58.) How do they see the conversation around female entrepreneurship evolving in the current political climate?

research we are currently working on and will be released in the upcoming months.

59.) location an issue? We are a NYC based group, with access to all the national media.

There is no specific location required of where the firm is based for this contract, but the firm should make sure the location does not present limitations to the work and should have awareness of U.S. outlets and media.

60.) How many FTEs do you anticipate are necessary to perform work under this contract?

We leave this to the discretion of the firm, but expect availability and same-day responses to calls and emails.

61.) What does overall success look like to the NWBC?

The firm communicates and elevates the Council’s actionable and best-in-class research findings, products, and recommendations on issues of impact and importance to women business owners and leaders. The firm leverages the Council Members and engages the diverse set of stakeholders. The firm leverages the Council’s engagement events and public meetings each year. The firm proactively secures earned media in the form of coverage in targeted, visible, reputable media outlets across both traditional (newspapers, magazines, radio, TV) and online/social (podcasts, blogs, etc.) channels. And impact the broader narrative on entrepreneurship – penetrating the media with coverage of the issues, commentary & thought leadership, sharing of data, and stories of women entrepreneurs, small business owners and leaders.

62.) Does the NWBC have a staff photographer or Contractor that performs photography services at public meetings and engagement events?

The NWBC does not have a staff photographer or contractor. It is often a staffer using a camera or phone to capture photos of meetings and events.

63.) Does the NWBC have a staff member or Contractor that helps develop infographics for media relations and/or social media usage?

The NWBC can work with someone in-house to develop infographics, but not always guaranteed.

64.) What is the approximate turnaround time for getting information posted to the NWBC’s website?

The approximate turnaround time for getting information posted on the NWBC is dependent on when it reaches the staffer closely working with the firm – they are able to post and make edits as necessary. A note is that when the website is down or there are issues outside of the staffer’s control this can take longer than 24 hours to get fixed.

65.) Does the NWBC have a schedule of upcoming reports that it can provide the Contractor for preparation of the proposal?

Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead and to see the ongoing

66.) Would media/spokesperson training be a necessary or desirable component of the Contractor’s strategic communications support for Council Members or staff?

Media/spokesperson training is not a requirement of the firm, but can be discussed further based on need. We do have Council Members rolling off this year.

67.) Could the NWBC please clarify the sentence beginning with “Utilize relevant media…” since it might have gotten cut off in the SOW.

There are additional moments and opportunities throughout the year that the Council will want to be a part of and opportunities for the firm to leverage. The Council doesn’t have to start the conversation from zero.

68.) Could the NWBC please clarify what is meant by “monthly communications messaging calendar” & when this particular deliverable is due each month?

The contractor shall create communications messages that cover research projects and subject matter areas of critical importance and impact to women entrepreneurs and business owners.

The contractor shall analyze topical issues and formulate messaging considering the NWBC mission, research, products, policy recommendations and taking into account the additional moments and opportunities happening that month.

69.) Does the NWBC have existing accounts with PR Newswire, Cision or any media coverage tracking or social media measurement services, or will the Contractor use its own in-house accounts on behalf of NWBC?

The NWBC does not have existing accounts on PR Newswire, Cision, or any media coverage tracker or social media measurement service.

70.) Has the NWBC employed sponsored social media in the past, and/or would it consider doing so under the scope of this contract?

The NWBC has not sponsored social media in the past to our current acknowledgement. We cannot disclose the budget for this requirement.

71.) Does the NWBC have a P/T or F/T resource handling social media? What are his/her responsibilities?

The NWBC does have a F/T employee who handles social media, but it’s not their sole responsibility. The employee manages day to day, creates new graphics and or strategy that goes up on social media.

72.) Which social media platform(s) does the NWBC consider to be most successful in terms of reach and engagement?

The NWBC currently uses Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on a daily basis. Twitter is the platform that has the most engagement.

73.) Is the NWBC able to identify the dates or themes of upcoming public meetings and/or engagement events for preparation of the proposal?

Please look at our Annual Report here for our FY2017 look ahead as well as to see what ongoing

74.) Does the government have a preference regarding font, font size, and document margins for solicitation submissions?

There is no specific preferences regarding font, font size, and document margins for solicitation submissions, but the documents should be legible and the documents should be printable letter size (8 ½” X11”).

75.) Can the government confirm whether or not it intends to leverage paid media placements (e.g.

advertising) in addition to earned media placements? If so, how much funding does the government intend to set aside to support paid media placement?

It does not intend to leverage paid media placements. We cannot disclose the budget for this

76.) Is the government open to leveraging this contract as an opportunity to secure a new media tracking tool to support enhanced reporting of NWBC mentions, in addition to a database of relevant outlets and reporters?

Yes, we are open to new tools that will support NWBC.

77.) Can the government confirm whether this is FFP contract and or LH contract?

This will be a FFP contract.

78.) Would the government be open to an Other Direct Cost (ODC) CLIN for use of tools, software, or potential paid media in support of this project (these would be non-labor category costs)?

This is a conversation that will occur on a need basis after the contract is awarded. We cannot disclose the budget for this requirement.

79.) Can the government confirm that this is not a GSA schedule buy?

If the offeror has a GSA schedule with labor categories applicable to the work being completed, it is recommended to provide your GSA labor categories when submitting your proposal.

However, you do not need to have a GSA schedule in order to submit an RFQ against this

80.) Can the government confirm whether these labor categories will be treated as separate FFP CLINs, or whether the total proposed price would be broken up over the period of performance (total base costs/base period)?

At this time, the Government does not intend to treat the various labor categories as separate CLIN’s on the final award. There will most likely be a single CLIN for each base and option period(s). However, we require a breakdown of the labor categories, hours and cost of each category for analyzing the pricing.

81.) Could you confirm that case studies and client references should be labeled “Past Performance” and the writing sample should be labeled “Experience of Firm”?

As the Statement of Work states, Experience of Firm includes writing sample and case studies.

The Past performance includes only the client references.