SOW_NTIS_Marketing_Communications_as of 20241121_Draft.pdf

Statement of Work (SOW) For

National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

Integrated Marketing, Communications, and Business Development Support Services

PART 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

I. INTRODUCTION

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) is a Federal Agency and Bureau within the Department of Commerce (DOC) that leverages its unique authorities, products, services, and capabilities to help Federal agencies unlock the value of their data and information. In October 2023, the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Commerce appointed a new NTIS Director who is charged with transforming NTIS into a data and digital services Federal Agency.

II. BACKGROUND

For over 70 years, other federal agencies have looked to NTIS—referenced throughout as either “the Government or Agency”—for expertise and innovation in collecting and disseminating vital scientific, technical, and engineering information. When NTIS was established in 1945 as the Publications Board, the American public and businesses did not have free access to government-owned scientific, technical, and engineering information. Much of the Government's best research, studies, and reports were primarily stored in Government facilities or behind firewalls.

Today, this world largely does not exist—with more than 7,000 government-controlled websites, much of the Government's information is available to the American public and businesses. Yet, the American public continues to face challenges in accessing governmental information. In October 1988, recognizing that the public's and businesses' needs for government information would grow and the format of governmental information would change, Congress passed the National Technical Information Act of 1988, which expanded NTIS's authority. The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NTIS, was authorized to enter joint ventures with the private sector. Today, NTIS has over 30 companies in its Joint Venture Partnership network who work alongside NTIS employees to provide products, services, and solutions to Federal agencies most vexing data and digital challenges.

III. TRAVEL

The Government anticipates travel under this effort to perform the tasks associated with the effort, as well as to attend program-related meetings or conferences throughout the period of performance. The Contractor shall include all estimated travel costs in your firm-fixed price amount. All travel should be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR), DOC’s and NTIS’s Travel policies. The table below provides a notional example of trips the Contractor may use to prepare a travel estimate.

Purpose Location Duration (not including travel)

Quantity

Attend an event to showcase NTIS Capabilities

Washington, DC 1 Day 6

Attend an event to showcase NTIS Capabilities

San Jose, California 1 Day 3

Attend an event to learn about new emerging technology

San Jose, California 1 Day 2

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Washington, DC 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Alexandria, VA 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Huntsville, AL 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Denver, Colorado 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Chicago, Illinois 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

Atlanta, Georgia 1 Day 1

Host an event to showcase NTIS capabilities

New York City, New York 1 Day 1

Types of conferences or events that the contractor can expect to attend to demonstrate NTIS capabilities:

1. Federal Data Strategy Forum

2. GSA Federal Acquisition Service Training (FAST) Conference

3. Digital Government Institute (DGI) Events

4. ACT-IAC Data Driven Government Conference

5. Federal CIO Council Meetings and Summits

6. National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Annual Conference

7. Government Data Management Conference

8. FedScoop’s IT Modernization Summit

9. Federal Business Council (FBC) Tech Expos

10. Federal Information Security Educators (FISSEA) Conference

11. Open Data Science Conference (ODSC) Government Symposium

Location and target audience that the contractor can expect to host to demonstrate NTIS capabilities:

1. Washington, DC – Central hub for federal agencies.

2. Denver, CO - Western hub for federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land

Management, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of the Interior.

3. Chicago, IL – Has federal agencies such as Internal Revenue Service, Department of

Labor, and regional branches of various federal agencies.

4. New York City, NY – Has several federal offices, including the U.S. Customs and Border

Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security.

IV. TYPE OF CONTRACT

The Government anticipates offering a Fixed-Price Award Fee (FPA), consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 4.1005-1, to incentivize performance that exceeds expectations outlined in this contract's Lead Generation Support task. Some tasks within the contract will be Firm Fixed Price (FFP). This contract does have a not to exceed (NTE) for travel costs. If additional travel cost is necessary, an amendment or modification may be required by the Government.

V. DELIVERABLES

Due to the sensitivity of the deliverables established throughout this Contract, the Government has deemed it necessary to establish a standard and process for reviewing the quality of deliverables before a deliverable is deemed approved or acceptable to the Government. The Government is establishing a minimum acceptable quality level (AQL) of “excellent” for interim, draft, or pre-decisional products produced by the Contractor. Upon receipt, the Government will review the following areas to determine if a Contractor has met its minimum

AQL:

A. Spelling B. Grammar C. Organization D. Branding, including following any prescribed branding style, format, or coloring E. Content, including following the Agency, individual, or Director’s tone, style, or consistency.

In addition to the above, the Government, at its discretion, will conduct additional reviews of any deliverable to ensure that the Contract has accepted, adopted, or adjudicated the Government’s feedback, innovation, and deadlines/timelines. For final products, the Government will deem a final product excellent if it demonstrates little to no errors and all feedback has been appropriately incorporated. Additionally, where and where appropriate, the Contractor must also ensure that all deliverables, such as PDF files, video footage, and items that may be HTML, PDF, or word processor, are 508 compliant information, such as CD-ROMs, if appliable. More information may be found at http://www.section508.gov/.

For the duration of the Contract, the Contractor is expected to work closely with Agency employees and use all tools and capabilities. All deliverables that do not fully incorporate the Agency’s edits, including any feedback or suggestions, will be rejected and deemed unacceptable. Deliverables rejected for one or more of the above reasons could result in delays in the deliverable timeline or additional costs, which is the sole responsibility of the Contractor to rectify within the firm-fixed-price cost and contractual timeline. The Government is not responsible for and will not incur additional costs accrued due to delays in time or products that do not meet AQL standards or any re-work to correct errors that were identified during the Government’s reviews. If, at any time during the period of period, additional drafts and edits are required due to not meeting AQL standards by the Contractor and therefore exceeding the original draft or edits agreed upon, the Government shall not be charged more for an excess number of edits and or drafts. The table titled AQL Evaluation Criteria and Scoring Formula includes a formula, scoring rubric, and standards it will use to determine the AQL for all deliverables provided under this contract.

VI. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance shall be for one (1) Base Period of 12 months and four (4) 12-month Option Periods. The Period of Performance reads as follows:

• Base Period: MM/DD/202x - MM/DD/YEAR

• Option Period I, if exercised, shall commence:

• Option Period II, if exercised, shall commence:

• Option Period III, if exercised, shall commence:

• Option Period IV, if exercised, shall commence:

VII. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

5301 Shawnee Road Alexandria, Virginia

VIII. HOURS OF OPERATION

The contractor is responsible for contract performance between the Agency’s hours of operation between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (EST). Contractors shall stagger their working hours to ensure coverage during the hour of operations. Monday through Friday, except during Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. For the duration of this contract, the Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining an adequate workforce to avoid any interruptions in the performance of the contract, or quality of any deliverables specified in this contract.

IX. RECOGNIZED HOLIDAYS

http://www.section508.gov/

The Government anticipates the Contractor will not perform any services or closures of Federal offices on the following days:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Day Christmas Day Independence Day Inauguration Day*

*Should, during the period of performance, a Presidential Inauguration occur, Federal offices in the National Capital Region are closed and the Contractor should plan accordingly for some support to occur, on a case-by-case basis.

X. CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE (COR) NOMINEE

TBD

XI. Primary and Alternate Point of Contact (POC)

Primary

TBD

Alternate

TBD

XII. CITIZENSHIP AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

A. Citizenship

U.S. Citizens and lawful permanent residents are permitted to perform work under this contract.

If, at any time, the Contractor has deemed it appropriate and necessary for the success for the performance of this contract lawful permanent residents are needed, then Contractor shall inform the Government of an approach that requires a non-U.S. Citizen for the Government’s consideration. The Contractor shall not provide, without approval, access to the Government’s information to any non-U.S. Citizen without written approval.

B. Clearance Level

At the time of contract award, all contract employees supporting this contract are required to minimally possess or successfully complete a background investigation that results in a Public Trust clearance. Please note that the Government, due to the nature of deliverables, may require the Contractor personnel to receive authorized access beyond Public Trust, up to Top Secret - Sensitive Compartmented Information. If, at any time, this change in clearance is required, the Government shall provide 60-day notice of the change of in security clearance requirements and will work with the Contractor to adjust requirements due to the change.

XIII. FACILITY CLEARANCE

The Government expects its Alexandria, Virginia location to serve as the primary place of performance; however, when any work is being performed under this contract outside of the Government’s facilities, the Contractor shall ensure its facilities meet the comparable facility clearance as the Government’s Alexandria, Virginia location.

A. Physical Security

The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government information or property provided for Contractor use. At the end of each work period, Government information, facilities, equipment and materials shall be secured as specified by the Government’s security policy and regulations. Additionally, the Contractor shall follow and adhere to government site specific security policy and directives, which include those established by the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

B. Key Control

The Contractor shall establish and implement methods in accordance with DOC and the Agency’s Security Program to ensure all keys/key cards issued to the Contractor by the Government are not lost or misplaced and are not used by unauthorized people. No keys issued to the Contractor by the Government shall be duplicated without the Government’s approval.

The Contractor shall develop procedures covering key control that shall be included in the Quality Control Plan that’s required under the Project Management tasks. Such procedures shall include turn-in of any issued keys by personnel who no longer require access to locked areas.

The Contractor shall immediately report any occurrences of lost, stolen or duplicate keys/key cards to the Government. The Contractor shall prohibit the use of Government issued keys/key cards by any person other than the Contractor’s employees. The Contractor shall prohibit the opening of locked areas by Contractor employees to permit entrance of persons other than Contractor employees engaged in the performance of assigned work in those areas, or personnel authorized entrance by the Security Officer.

C. Lock Combinations

The Contractor shall establish and implement methods of ensuring that all lock combinations are not revealed to unauthorized persons. The Contractor shall ensure that lock combinations are changed when personnel having access to the combinations no longer have a need to know such combinations. These procedures shall be included in the Contractor’s Quality Control Plan.

D. Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings

The Contractor shall attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5.

The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these progress meetings the contracting officer will provide feedback to the contractor on how the Government views the contractor's performance and the Contractor will inform the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Government and contractors shall take appropriate action to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

E. Identification of Contractor Employees

All contractor personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status may not be obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of the audience that they are Government employees. Contractor personnel must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. Contractor personnel will be required to obtain and wear their DOC-issued identifications, such as Common Access Card (CAC) cards in a visible manner for the duration of this contract.

F. Confidentiality and non-disclosure

Prior to the commencement of any work under this agreement, all contractors are required to sign a separate Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Any confidential information exchanged, whether oral, written, or electronic, shall be kept strictly confidential in accordance with the NDA.

Contractors shall not disclose, share, or use the other party's confidential information for any purpose outside the scope of this agreement without prior written consent. This obligation shall remain in effect during the term of this agreement and for a period of five years following its termination, unless such information is publicly available through no fault of the receiving party.

G. Mishandling of Governmental Information

When information is placed on or processed on an information system with insufficient security controls to appropriately protect it (e.g., classified, unclassified, control but unclassified) there is potential for unauthorized disclosure. Such actions will be classified as a security violation, specifically as mishandling of governmental information. The Contractor that mishandles governmental information during the contract shall be held financially liable for all actual accumulated restoration costs incurred, as described below, including any inquiry or investigation required for mishandling governmental information, such as:

• Violations of the Privacy Act with regards to Personally Identifiable Information

(PII).

• Cleanup actions, such as:

o Server destruction o Hard drive wipe and destruction o Containment actions

XIV. PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall determine the personnel mix needed to perform the services outlined in this contract. When determining the personnel mix, the Contractor shall minimally prioritize individuals with demonstrated marketing and communications experience, including experience supporting either a Federal Agency or for-profit organization that conducts business-like activities, e.g., revenue generation, proceeds, or sales. Additionally, the Contractor shall prioritize individual(s) with U.S. citizenship and those that possess the relevant knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials, e.g., licenses, certifications, or education; and individual(s) that have an understanding of the following industries, products, services, or technologies:

information technology (IT), data science, digital services, software, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics process automation, or other information management services. The Government reserves the right to review, approve, or reject any contract employees it deems to have insufficient experience, knowledge, skills, or abilities critical to the successful performance of the contract.

XV. ORGANIZATIONAL AND CONSULTANT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Consistent with the Federal Acquisitions Regulation, subpar 9.5, the Contractor is required to certify that its employees, including any subcontractor and consultant, to the best of its knowledge and belief, there are no relevant facts or circumstances that could give rise to an organizational or personal conflict of interest for the organization or any of its staff, and that the contractor, subcontractor, employee, or consultant has disclosed all such relevant information if such a conflict of interest appears to exist to a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts (or if such a person would question the impartiality of the contractor, subcontractor, employee, or consultant).

Additionally, due to the Agency’s statutory authorities that permit it to enter into joint ventures with the private sector, the Contractor shall take additional steps to ensure that the Contractor, including its employees, subcontractors, or consultants, unequal access to information does give rise to a conflict of interests for the Contractor or the Government, and that the Contractor shall take additional steps to prevent any conflicts of interest, including requiring non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) for its personnel, including any subcontractor or consultants, and insert in any subcontractor or consultant agreement, provisions that conform substantiality to the conflicts of interest clauses outlined in FAR subpart 9.5.

If at any time, the Government discovers that conflicts of interest that were not disclosed by the Contractor, the Government, as a remedy, may terminate this contract for convenience, in whole or in part, if it deems such termination necessary to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interests. If the Contractor was aware of a potential conflict of interest prior to the award or discovered an actual or potential conflict (or apparent conflict of interest) after the award and did not disclose or misrepresent relevant information to the Contracting Officer, the Government may terminate the contract for default or pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. These remedies include imprisonment for up to five years for violation of 18 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1001

U.S.C. 1001 and fines of up to $5000 for violation of 31 U.S.C. 3802. Further remedies include suspension or debarment from contracting with the Federal government. The Contractor may also be required to reimburse the Agency or Department, for costs the Department incurs arising from activities related to conflicts of interest.

In accordance with ethical standards and conflict of interest policies, NTIS Joint Venture Partners (JVPs) may submit proposals under this contract opportunity. However, it is the responsibility of each JVP to carefully evaluate any potential conflicts of interest before submission. If a known conflict of interest exists, including but not limited to any direct or indirect financial interest, prior involvement in project planning, or access to proprietary or sensitive government information related to the opportunity, the JVP is required to recuse itself from the proposal process. Failure to recuse in cases of a known conflict may result in disqualification of the proposal and additional compliance actions.

PART 2

REQUIREMENTS

XVI. SCOPE OF WORK

This is a nonpersonal services, FPA contract with a scope of Agency-wide marketing, communications, and business development services. Unless the Government provides it, the Contractor shall provide the necessary resources, including personnel and subject matter expertise (SME), to perform the work outlined throughout this contract. The Contractor shall have demonstrated expertise in successfully providing to the Federal Government, a wide range of marketing, communications, and business development support.

NTIS’s funding comes from its fees; therefore, to the maximum extent possible, the Contractor shall work to maximize the use of its resources, including its personnel, SMEs, and activities.

Additionally, the Contractor should, before incurring any expenses, work with the Government to determine if Government-furnished communications tools, services, or capabilities are available either within NTIS or through a partnership with the Agency’s sibling organizations within the Department of Commerce (DOC), e.g., U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The advice, services, and support required in this contract shall be made available to the following NTIS organizations:

A. Office of the Director B. Office of Program Development C. Office of Program Management D. Office of the Chief Financial Officer E. Office of Data Services

For additional information on the NTIS, including its organizational functions, activities, and delegated authorities, please review the Section titled, Applicable laws, regulations, and forms, for additional information.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1001 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/3802

XVII. DESCRIPTION OF TASKS

Task 1: Project Management (FFP)

Under this task, the Contractor shall dedicate no less than 960 labor hours across the performance period, overseeing the contract’s management, administration, and performance.

The Contractor shall minimally ensure it provides prudent oversight of any Government Furnished Property (GFP), including returning any GFP provided upon the contract employee’s departure or end of the period of performance. The Contractor shall schedule and conduct a contract kick-off meeting with the Government within 10 days of the contract award. During this meeting, the Contractor shall review the deliverables, timelines, milestones, and project approach with the Government. Additionally, the Contractor shall schedule monthly and quarterly meetings with the Government to discuss the performance under the contract. The Contractor shall promptly notify the Government of any problems it encounters and not later than four months before an anticipated technical or funding shortfall or irregularity during a specified performance period. These notifications shall be promptly provided to the Government in writing, but not less than the specified timeframe in this contract. Finally, the Contractor shall fully participate in the contract transition-in or transition-out activities at the conclusion of the contract’s performance of performance.

Deliverables:

• Project Plan. This Contractor shall minimally include in the Project Plan, a work plan, project schedule, including specifying any timelines, dates or milestones for deliverables that are specified throughout this contract; a cost plan, including steps the Contractor anticipate taking to ensure the allocated budget is positively managed consistent with the period of performance. Additionally, the Contractor shall include a risk management plan, including strategies the Contractor will employ to mitigate any problems, shortfalls, or irregularities.

• Quality Control Program. The Contractor shall implement a Quality Control Program (QCP) for this contract. To implement this QCP, the Contractor shall prepare and provide a quality control plan to detail and describe the Contractor's framework and processes within the QCP for delivering quality products and services required under this contract.

The Contractor shall provide a briefing to the Government outlining the plan for implementation of the QCP for the contract tasks during the kick-off meeting. The Contractor shall ensure all work will be performed in accordance with the contract requirements and the quality control plan. The contractor shall provide the requisite staffing and procedures to meet the quality, quantity, timeliness, responsiveness, customer satisfaction, and service delivery and performance requirements of this effort. The Contractor shall identify in the quality control plan the applicable processes and metrics used to assess performance, in addition to the resources to be applied to this effort.

• Monthly Status Report. The Contractor shall minimally provide to the Government, a monthly report that minimally includes the Contractor’s name and address, the contract number, date of the report, period covered in the report, performance against key performance measures outlined in this contract, planned activities by weeks, months, and quarters, description of progress made during the reporting period, including any problems encountered and recommendations, if needed, for solutions; travel expended or anticipated; proposed and expended costs incurred by tasks, CLIN, or Sub CLIN for the period reported and total contract expenditures as of the report date; problems, shortfalls, or changes, including potential problems, identification of anticipated technical or funding shortfalls or irregularities during the specified period of performance no later than four months prior to the shortfall, and changes to staffing or personnel.

• Transition In Plan. Transition from the incumbent contractor while ensuring continuity of services, including information expected to be received from the Government and the incumbent contractor, and any special requirements. The plan shall include a Transition- In Plan that includes Assignment Matrix, Schedule, Work Breakdown Structure, and Risk and Risk Mitigation Strategies. Part of the risk strategy shall include a proposed approach in ensuring security and privacy of data, data reconciliation, and cleanup during implementation. The Transition-In plan shall delineate the roles between the Transition- In contractor and the incumbent. The plan shall provide proposed key milestones and activities, interactions with the incumbent contractor and government, a description of the goals to be accomplished with each activity, and an explanation for how those goals will be accomplished. The Transition-In contractor shall brief this plan to the government.

• Transition Out Plan. At the end of the Period of Performance, if the government decides to award a follow-on contract to a non-incumbent (or self-perform the work), then the Transition-Out Contractor shall execute a transition not to exceed six months with the incoming contractor (or government personnel) in a manner that minimizes risk to the government. The Transition-Out contractor and the non-incumbent contractor (or government personnel) shall work together in developing and implementing their transition plans.

The Transition-Out contractor’s plan shall include Assignment Matrix, Schedule, Work Breakdown Structure, and Risk and Risk Mitigation Strategies. Part of the risk strategy shall include a proposed approach in ensuring security and privacy of data, data reconciliation, and cleanup during implementation. The Transition-Out plan shall delineate the roles between the Transition-Out contractor and the non-incumbent (or government personnel). Any transition from the incumbent shall be made to prevent and minimize any adverse impact on the continuity of operations and on incumbent task order staff. The incoming contractor (or government personnel) shall accomplish phase-in in an orderly manner in full cooperation with the outgoing contractor to maintain program continuity, uninterrupted high-quality work, staff retention, and availability of required competent professional employees. During this transition period, the incumbent Contractor remains responsible for meeting all requirements under this contract. This includes, but is not limited to, such activities as:

● Planning for the transition activities.

● Turnover all marketing document, user training guides, records, and documentation of activities in support of the task order.

● Attending meetings; and

● Interfacing with stakeholders at all levels from management to lowest working levels.

All documentation will be inventoried, reviewed with the incoming contractor, and all activities shall be transitioned smoothly with the incoming contractor. The Transition-Out contractor shall brief this plan to the government.

Task 2: Communications Support (FPA)

The Contractor shall provide the Government with a wide range of communications support, mostly comprised of an Internal Communications Program and a Strategic Communications Program. Under this task, including any subtasks, the Contractor shall provide recommendations or activities to implement recommendations.

Subtask 2.1: Internal Communications Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with developing and implementing an internal communications program. Minimally, the Contractor shall recommend to the Government an Internal Communications Program that consists of strategies, activities, tactics, templates, and forms that enable the Government to:

1. Increase information and knowledge sharing with employees, such as recommending to the Government tools, formats, forums, and other activities to increase information sharing.

2. Recognize and honor commemorative events, such as providing recommendations to the Government, a calendar of events and activities, and recommended events to celebrate heritage months or events, e.g., Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Native American History Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc., facilitating communications and dialogues, e.g., supporting or planning townhalls, All Hands, or other employee-centric events.

3. Engage employees, including providing recommendations on tactics, tools, and strategies for gathering employee feedback, input, or creative ideas from employees for the Agency’s leadership consideration.

4. Manage crisis communications, including providing recommendations for strategies, best practices, and activities for communicating with employees under all circumstances, including natural or man-made crises.

Subtask 2.2: Strategic Communications Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with developing and implementing a strategic communications program. Minimally, the Contractor shall recommend to the Government a Strategic Communications Program that consists of strategies, activities, techniques, and tactics that enable the Government to:

1. Prepare, review, and approve, in a timely manner, Executive-level communications, such as talking points, presentations, speeches, and other broad communications, for the NTIS Director and Deputy Director.

2. Establish a Speakers Bureau program, such as providing recommendations on a program that enables the Government to have up to 100 keynote, general session, and major speeches annually on the Agency’s products, services, and authorities.

3. Establish a public affairs program, including recommending templates, processes, and a registry of public affairs material, such as public affairs guidance, press releases, fact sheets, speaker outreach, and management.

4. Establish a media relations program, including recommending strategies, activities, actions, and techniques for engaging local and national media channels and points of contact, as well as specific insight into data, digital, and information services industry media outlets and contacts.

Subtask 2.3: Technical Writing. The Contractor shall, on an as-needed basis, support the Government with technical writing. Minimally, the Contractor will provide a range of technical writing support on certain products, e.g., business and functional requirements, Plain Writing Act compliance, DOC or NTIS Style Guide, including making edits to Government reports in a manner that complies with the Government Publishing Office’s Style Guide, as amended.

Deliverables:

• Internal Communications Program

• Strategic Communications Program

• Technical Writing or Editing Products

Task 3: Marketing Support (FPA)

The Contractor shall provide to the Government, a wide range of marketing support that supports the Government’s transformation. This support shall enable the Government to reposition itself, including overhauling public-facing websites and contents, and developing a wide range of product marketing and promotion material. Minimally, the Contractor shall provide under this task, the following support and outcomes:

Subtask 3.1: Website Redesign Plan. The Contractor shall assist the Government with redesigning and overhauling the Agency’s public-facing website. Minimally, the Contractor shall present a plan, including a roadmap, for redesigning the Agency’s public-facing (www.ntis.gov) and include recommendations on content management system (CMS);

technology requirements, including any envisioned costs to the Government expect;

recommendations for analytics; recommendations for metrics and other indicators for website performance; Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy; a design for Speaker’s Request Page; and a design for a controlled Joint Venture Partnership page for the Agency’s network of joint venture partners. Finally, the Contractor shall provide the Government with a detailed timeline and schedule, including major milestones and deliverables. In the final plan, the Contractor shall have drawings, flowcharts, and designs that align with the stated requirements listed in the table titled Website Redesign Criteria and Planning Consideration.

Subtask 3.2: Social Media Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with establishing a Social Media Program. Minimally, the Contractor shall recommend to the Government the design of a Social Media Program that includes recommendations on search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, industry specific targets, recommended social media platforms, e.g., LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), Meta platforms, e.g., Instagram, etc.

http://www.ntis.gov/

The Contractor shall include in the strategy, a proposed social media cost plan for the Agency’s consideration.

Subtask 3.3: Agency Design, Seal, Insignia, Logo, and Symbol Program. The Contractor shall provide to the Government, recommendations on a program to that governs the Agency’s design, seal, insignia, local, and symbols. Minimally, the Contractor shall recommend a Program that complies with the Department’s DAO 201-1, Symbols of the Department of Commerce, includes recommendations that will be included in the Agency’s Brand Management Guide, Strategy, and Program.

Subtask 3.4: Product Marketing, Branding and Collateral Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with establishing a Product Marketing, Branding, and Collateral Program.

Minimally, the Contractor shall include in its recommendations the following:

1. Drawings, diagrams, mockups, templates, and designs for product marketing and promotional material.

2. Recommendations for key documents and statements, such as capability statements, fact sheets, graphics, infographics, and collateral designs, such as brochures, banners, signage, and notional outlines of exhibit booths or displays for major conferences.

3. A Brand Management Guide, including recommendations to ensure the Agency has consistency across its brand elements across all communications and NTIS organizations.

Deliverables:

• Website Redesign Plan

• Agency Design, Seal, Insignia, Logo, and Symbol Program

• Products Marketing and Promotional Material Program

• Social Media Program

Task 4: Lead Generation Support (FPA)

NTIS is a non-appropriated Federal Agency whose funding comes from the Agency’s products, services, and capabilities offered to Federal Agencies, Businesses, or members of the Public.

Annually, NTIS performs a wide range of business-like functions that enable the Agency to generate sufficient revenue or funding to cover its operations and activities. This task consists of firm fixed price work, and fixed price incentive award. The table titled Lead Generation and Incentives Table provides additional information on the Government’s incentives award payments that are available under this task.

Subtask 4.1: Lead Generation Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with establishing a Lead Generation Program. Minimally, the Contractor shall assist the Government with establishing a Lead Generation Program that enables it to: (1) review key changes within the federal landscape, such as interviews with federal officials, new legislations, new executive orders, new OMB circulars, and federal strategic plans and budgets, to identify potential lead targets; (2) Develop and implement an annual lead generation strategy and plan, including recommendation strategies for targeted campaigns, market analysis, and lead generation strategies that align with the Agency’s objectives to drive growth and expand the customer base;

(3) identify and ensure leads are thoroughly vetted and in a manner to meet the Agency’s target market criteria, demonstrating clear potential for new business opportunities; identify and recommend potential venues, forums, conferences, meetings, or engagements the Agency should use to promote its products, services, capabilities, and unique legal authorities; (4) develop, implement, and monitor the Agency’s annual pipeline growth strategy to determine if the Agency will meet, exceed, or fall below its annual monetary target (estimated $100+ million) in annual revenue; and (5) establish and monitor performance metrics that enable the Government to determine daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually if the Agency is meeting established target goals, including capturing +/- the minimum number of qualified leads generated, the number of qualified deals identified, and the number of deals converted into business opportunities.

Subtask 4.2: Business Development and Capture Program. The Contractor shall assist the Government with the establishment of a Business Development and Capture Program.

Minimally, the Contractor shall present recommendations to the Government, a Program that enables it to: (1) convert leads under Subtask 4.1 into business opportunities, including recommending to the government, a tiering system for organizing business opportunities based on fiscal year (FY), products, services, or opportunities; (2) maintain a positive awareness for existing customers, including providing a system to identify or track existing customers based on opportunities that are ideal for renewals, continuations, or extensions, which must be processed in the form of an Interagency Agreement processed through the Treasury System, aka, G- Invoicing, for existing customers; (2) identify business opportunities that come in various forms or formats, e.g., checks, wire transfers, automatic wire transfers. its within NTIS’s target

Deliverables:

• Lead Generation Program

• Business Development and Capture Program

Task 5: Clearinghouse Marketing (FFP) (OPTIONAL)

In some instances, the Government is authorized by law to sufficiently recover any costs associated with offering products or services required by law. Therefore, when the Government determines that such support or services are required, the Contractor shall present quotes, estimates, invoices, and proposals separate and distinct from the Contractor’s original proposal to the Government. These quotes, estimates, invoices, and proposals shall minimally identify these products or services by the following:

• National Technical Reports Library (NTRL). Upon request from the Government, the Contractor shall collaborate with the Government to enhance and develop an online marketing presence. The Contractor shall, before incurring costs at the expense of the Government, create and present to the Government, a strategy and relevant implementation plan that effectively targets and engages key audiences who can benefit from the reports and files stored within the NTRL Library. This includes optimizing content to appeal to potential users, increasing visibility through digital channels, and ensuring the messaging clearly communicates the value and relevance of the library’s resources to stakeholders and the public.

• Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). Upon request from the Government, the Contractor shall collaborate with the Government to enhance and develop an online marketing presence for LADMF. The Contractor shall, before incurring costs at the expense of the Government, create and present to the Government, a strategy and associated plan to build and refine an online marketing presence. The Contractor shall develop a targeted marketing strategy that highlights the value of the LADMF database to industries and organizations that rely on accurate death data. This includes crafting compelling messaging that communicates the benefits of LADMF for compliance, fraud prevention, and research purposes, while expanding its visibility through digital platforms to reach relevant stakeholders and potential subscribers. Contractors shall work with and coordinate with other contractors and government personnel who are making improvements to the underlying systems and databases on the backend operations.

Deliverables:

• NTRL marketing material

• LADMF marketing material

PART 3

APPLICABLE LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND FORMS

Due the nature of the contact support and deliverables, the Contractor shall minimally consider the following laws, regulations, including DOC’s Department Administrative Orders (DAO) and Department Organizational Orders (DOO), for additional guidance and requirements envisioned for contract support and deliverables:

XVIII. APPLICABLE LAWS

A. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d)) B. The Clinger-Cohen Act (Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996)

(40 U.S.C. 11101 - 11704) C. The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign) (15 U.S.C.

Chapter 96) D. The e-Government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-347, H.R. 2458) E. The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35) F. The Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998 (44 U.S.C. 3504) G. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-274)

XIX. APPLICABLE DEPARTMENTAL POLICIES AND FORMS

All Departmental policies and forms can be found at: https://www.commerce.gov/opog.

A. DAO 219-1, Public Communications B. DAO 205-12, Public Information C. DAO 205-10, Forms Management D. DAO 201-1, Symbols of the Department of Commerce E. DAO 201-6, Official Flags of the Department F. DOO 10-5, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration G. DOO 10-6, Office of the General Counsel H. DOO 10-20, Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force I. DOO 10-19, Department of Commerce Privacy Council J. DOO 15-3, Office of Public Affairs K. DOO 15-6, Office of the Press Secretary L. DOO 15-23, Chief Information Officer M. DOO 1-1, Mission and Organization of the Department of Commerce N. DOO 30-7A and 30-7B (National Technical Information Service DOOs) O. Form CD-506, Request for the Creation of a New Symbol or Use by an Outside Party https://www.commerce.gov/opog Parrish, Jonathan (Federal) This needs to be verified.

Website Redesign Requirements

Accessibility

The Contractor shall create a responsive, user-friendly website design that adheres to accessibility requirements, including ADA Section 508. The Contractor shall either adopt or recommend updates that reflect the latest, best, and customer-friendly standards, including those issued or authored by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Office of Management and Budget, including Digital Experience standards, U.S. General Services Administration and U.S. Access Board standards or suggestions that minimally include minimum clicks. Additionally, any recommended redesign should prioritize and acknowledge people with disabilities. It should also be an aesthetically pleasing website with an intuitively accessible navigation scheme to serve as a public communication tool. The Contractor may need to work with other vendors who are also making improvements to the site.

Content Management System

The Contractor shall use a DOC and/or NTIS-approved content management system (CMS) for easy content updates. The Contractor shall adopt or recommend updates, redesigns, or improvements to align with either DOC or NTIS OCIO-approved content management system. They shall create page templates and ensure the website is capable of handling various types of multimedia content, such as images, videos, and documents.

Mobility Most Federal websites are accessed by mobile, phone-based devices; therefore, the Contractor shall ensure either adopt or recommend updates that reflect site access via mobile devices; and provide adaptability for changing web technology, ensuring the website remains relevant in the face of technological advancements. Additionally, the Contractor shall prioritize a look and feel that works with mobile and tablet browsers using responsive website design that provides an optimal viewing experience, easy reading, and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling across a wide range of devices.

Branding The Contractor shall either adopt or recommend updates and redesigns that reflect a new and consistent look and feel, including color schemes and graphic elements, to unify it collaboratively with NTIS personnel, ensuring everyone’s input is considered.

User Experience The Contractor shall adopt or recommend improvements to how pages, documents, and image libraries will be organized, updated, and maintained to handle future growth, including new content and/or additional sub-sites.

Security The Contractor shall implement SSL certificates, encryption protocols, and conduct regular security audits to identify and address vulnerabilities. The website shall comply with federal government security standards, such as FISMA and FedRAMP.

Multilingual The Contractor shall adopt or recommend content that is easily or could easily be presented in the most used languages in the United States, which minimally includes Spanish, English, Chinese, Arabic, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Web Analytics The Contractor shall adopt or recommend a wide range of analytics that enable the Agency to update its website or revise its digital strategies based on opportunities presented in the data. The Contractor shall set up analytics tools to monitor website traffic, visitor behavior, and engagement. They shall generate monthly reports on performance metrics, such as SEO rankings, and provide recommendations for improvements based on the data.

Website Maintenance The Contractor shall provide ongoing website maintenance, including software updates, patches, and monitoring for performance issues like broken links and slow page loads. Contractor shall develop and maintain a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan.

Technical Support The Contractor shall provide technical support during the business hours, stated above, to ensure prompt resolution of any website downtime or errors. Additionally, the Contractor shall offer training sessions and provide documentation to internal teams on using the CMS and managing content.

Scalability The Contractor shall ensure that the website is designed to scale with future growth in traffic and content. The hosting infrastructure shall be capable of supporting increased demand as the site expands.

Testing and Quality Assurance

The Contractor shall perform cross-browser and cross-device testing to ensure compatibility. They shall conduct usability testing to confirm that the website is user-friendly and perform continuous testing to detect and fix bugs or broken functionality.

Lead Generation and Incentives Table

Title Description Standard Metrics and Timelines Incentive Payment Structure The Government will authorize incentives under this task to the Contractor based on the Contractor presenting to the Government, qualified lead that result in a formal agreement (signed 7600B) with another Federal Agency.

The Government must minimally formalize a signed interagency agreement (IAA), which is recorded in a Treasury Form 7600B. This only applies to the base agreement and does not include future modifications or amendments

Contractor may receive 2.5% for each qualified lead

Verification and Validation The Government will verify and validate before any incentives are paid to the Contractor.

The Contractor shall submit to the Government, a detailed report that provides information on the lead, e.g., engagement history, and confirmation that work has begun…