Updated_PWS_CONNECTIONS.pdf

Performance Work Statement for Connections Journal

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Partnership for Peace Consortium (PfPC) of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes, located at the Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, is an association of institutes of higher learning in defense and security affairs. The mission of the PfPC is to strengthen defense and military education through enhanced national and institutional cooperation in order to promote defense institution building through defense education enhancement and sustain regional stability through multinational education and research in order to share best practices and develop concrete solutions to common challenges.

1.2 PfPC is managed by an all-volunteer Editorial Board of international scholars. Partner researchers and educators use Connections as a cost-free tool for research and teaching in their home institutions, bringing rigorous reasoning into the education and policy making processes of Partner nations. PfPC publications, whether accessed in paper form or via the website, are not only important research resources for scholars in the region we serve, but also a platform for scholars in former communist countries to publish their views to a western audience.

1.3 The Connections journal encourages research on issues of high priority to the international security community. These publications are effective strategic communication tools for the U.S. and other stakeholder governments. The list of featured themes for PfPC publications are selected on an annual basis without impinging on academic integrity and freedom. Currently publications are distributed to some 800 institutions, libraries, and universities in 59 countries.

2 SCOPE OF WORK

2.1 PUBLICATIONS: The contractor shall be responsible for typesetting, copy-editing, proof reading, formatting, publishing, printing, and distributing (physical mailing), in both English and Russian languages for all publications listed below:

-Quarterly Connections Journal; four editions: Winter, Spring, Summer, & Fall -Special Edition Journal, up to 3 special editions per year (Option CLIN);

-Annual Conference Proceedings (1 per year) (Optional CLIN);

-Athena Papers (1 per year) (Optional CLIN);

-Books, as edited volumes (3 per year) (Optional CLIN).

The content of these publications is complex, requiring understanding of and background in the most difficult military, socioeconomic, political, technical, and scientific issues. The publications consist of either a compilation of works from a variety of contributors (many of whom are not native speakers of English), or single author publications such as Athena Papers and Annual Conference Proceedings, which may be written by native speakers of English or by authors from non-English speaking countries.

2.1.1 Works provided to the contractor may be in an editable or non-editable format. For works provided in a non-editable format (e.g. PDF), the Contractor will recreate and edit the original non-editable document into an electronic editable format (e.g. Word).

2.1.2 The Contractor shall provide all labor and materials necessary to perform the services outlined.

2.1.3 Works provided may include charts, tables, pictures, or other non-textual elements which are all required to be printed in color unless provided in black and white.

2.1.4 The word count will be determined utilizing the word count function in MS Word. For this contract, a page will be equal to approximately 1500 characters and spaces based on source document.

2.1.5 The contractor shall create a table of contents for all publications. The table of contents will list the article titles in order aligned on the left margin and the page number that each article starts on aligned at the right margin.

2.1.5.1 The contractor shall include all articles submitted by the Government for the specified edition on the specific publication

2.1.5.2 The table of contents shall, at a minimum, contain: volume number, Edition (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Calendar Year), article titles, the author(s), page where the article can be found.

2.1.5.3 An example format of the table of contents provided as Attachment X.

2.1.6 PfPC shall provide cover design to the contractor in English. It is the contractor’s responsibility to format and typeset to produce a PDF proof. The PDF proof will be provided to PfPC for review and approval prior to printing.

2.1.7 Contractor shall copy-edit the English version, translate into Russian, and copy-edit the Russian version. Both English and Russian copy-edit versions are due to PfPC for approval at the same time.

2.1.8 Contractor shall post PDF, EPUB, and Mobi formatted journal editions on the website which is www.connections-qj.org. Each article shall also be posted in PDF, EPUB, Mobi and HTML versions on the website.

2.1.9 Contractor shall create a list of keywords from each article to provide to PfPC to assist with marketing and content seeding, please see Section 6.7.

2.1.10 The PfP-C will provide for each publication an ISSN number. The ISSN number in the following format “ISSN XXXX-XXXX” shall be added and centered on the bottom of the back cover page.

2.1.11 Contractor shall package, label, and physically ship publications. The amount of recipients fluctuates with each specific publication and are identified in their respective section of this PWS. The PfPC shall provide the distribution list to the contractor. Distribution lists can fluctuate +/- 15% as the distribution list grows/decreases.

2.1.12 Green line proof or PDF laser copy proof, chroma line print and color proof of cover are required for approval prior to printing. The logos and designs from previous PfPC publications will be provided and used to create the final cover product. If the PfPC Editorial Board decides to change the layout of the cover, the vendor will be provided with the new design. However, prior to any change to the new design, an addendum to the contract has to be set in place by DAPS before the vendor begins his work on the layout change. The change will require approval by the PfPC and the contracting officer.

2.1.13 The contractor shall provide to PfPC a HTML coded digital version of each and shall provide the PfPC with a complete digital version of the publication in English and Russian upon completion of the project (PDF format - please see attached PDF of the Connections that is formatted as required, including metadata).

2.1.14 The contractor shall add the publications in both English and Russian into indexing and aggravator services. The services include ProQuest, Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO), International Security Network (ISN), JSTOR, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

2.2 QUARTERLY CONNECTIONS JOURNAL:

2.2.1 Delivery dates for the quarterly journal are the third Wednesday of the months. Winter s due in December, Spring is due in March, Summer is due in June, and Fall is due in September.

If that day is a U.S. holiday or local holiday, it is requested to be delivered the business day prior to the holiday.

2.2.2 Timeline for the Connections Journal:

-PfPC shall provide cover design and entire publication electronically.

-Within 14 calendar days of receipt, the Contractor shall copy-edit proofs in English and send the electronic copy-edited proofs to PfPC for approval.

-The PfPC will review the copy-edited proofs, provide the contractor with any further changes or updates and provide approval within 7 calendar days.

-After initial approval of English copy-edited version is complete, Russian translation and copy-editing shall start and draft shall be sent to PfPC within 14 calendar days.

- The PfPC will review the copy-edited proofs, provide the contractor with any further changes or updates and provide approval within 7 calendar days.

- After receipt of final approval, contractor shall print publication in English and Russian, then package, label, and ship publications to addressees provided in the distribution list.

-The time from PfPC final approval of the PDF until the contractor’s delivery of the printed journal shall not exceed 14 calendar days.

-This process from receipt from PfPC to printing takes approximately 56-60 calendar days and the requirement is it to have the journals printed and distributed IAW Section 2.2.1.

2.2.3 Connections Journal ENGLISH

2.2.3.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The English-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 130 pages with an over/under run of 20%.

2.2.3.2 Contractor shall package, label, and ship publications to addressees in the distribution list for approximately 900 copies. The 900 copies consists of the current list which contains approximately 800 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and 100 copies that are directly mailed to the Marshall Center. The contractor shall mail copies to addresses in the distribution list. The PfPC often receives requests by individuals not on the distribution list. In these cases, PfPC will provide the contractor with an updated distribution list for subsequent editions

2.2.4 Connections Journal RUSSIAN

2.2.4.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The Russian-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 175 pages with an under/over range of 20% (approximately one-third longer in length in comparison to the English version).

2.2.4.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately 400 copies of the journal in Russian. The 400 copies consists of approximately 300 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and also 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center.

2.3 Special Edition Journal:

2.3.1 The contractor shall be responsible for typesetting, copy-editing, proof reading, formatting, publishing, printing, and distributing in both English and Russian languages, Special Edition Journals not to exceed three publications per year. This is optional and the government will only be billed for each publication if requested.

2.3.2 Delivery dates for the special edition journals shall be 15 days after receipt of approved materials. The timeline is in Section 2.2.2 of this PWS.

2.3.3 Special Edition Journal ENGLISH

2.3.3.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The English-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 245 pages but is typically between 100 and 130 pages.

2.3.3.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list for 900 copies. The 900 copies consists of approximately 800 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center. The PfPC often receives requests by individuals not on the distribution list; in this case, the PfPC will provide the contractor with an updated recipient distribution list for subsequent editions.

2.3.4 Special Edition Journal RUSSIAN

2.3.4.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The Russian-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 325 pages but is typically between 130 and 175 (approximately one-third longer in length in comparison to the English version).

2.3.4.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and ship publications to addressees in the distribution list for 400 copies of the journal in Russian. The 400 copies consists of approximately 300 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and also 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center.

2.4 Annual Conference Proceedings

2.4.1 The contractor shall be responsible for typesetting, copy-editing, proof reading, formatting, publishing, printing, and distributing (physical mailing), in both English and Russian languages, the Annual Conference Proceedings once a year. This is optional and the government will only be billed if this publication is requested.

2.4.2 Delivery dates for the special edition journals shall be 15 days after receipt of approved materials. The timeline is in Section 2.2.2 of this PWS.

2.4.3 Annual Conference Proceedings ENGLISH

2.4.3.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The English-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 245 pages but is typically between 100 and 130 pages.

2.4.3.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately for 900 copies. The 900 copies consists of the current list which contains approximately 800 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and 100 copies that are directly mailed to the Marshall Center. The contractor will mail copies to addresses in the distribution list. The PfPC often receives requests by individuals not on the distribution list. In these cases, PfPC will provide the contractor with an updated distribution list for subsequent editions.

2.4.4 Annual Conference Proceedings RUSSIAN

2.4.4.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The Russian-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 325 pages but is typically between 130 and 175 (approximately one-third longer in length in comparison to the English version).

2.4.4.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately 400 copies of the journal in Russian. The 400 copies consists of approximately 300 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and also 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center.

2.5 Athena Papers

2.5.1 The contractor shall be responsible for typesetting, copy-editing, proof reading, formatting, publishing, printing, and distributing (physical mailing), in both English and Russian languages, the Athena Papers once per year. This is optional and the government will only be billed if this publication is requested.

2.5.2 Delivery dates for the special edition journals shall be 15 days after receipt of approved materials. The timeline is in Section 2.2.2 of this PWS.

2.5.3 Athena Papers ENGLISH

2.5.3.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The English-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 245 pages but is typically between 100 and 130 pages.

2.5.3.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately for 900 copies. The 900 copies consists of the current list which contains approximately 800 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and 100 copies that are directly mailed to the Marshall Center. The contractor will mail copies to addresses in the distribution list. The PfPC often receives requests by individuals not on the distribution list. In these cases, PfPC will provide the contractor with an updated distribution list for subsequent editions.

2.5.4 Athena Papers RUSSIAN

2.5.4.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The Russian-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 325 pages but is typically between 130 and 175 (approximately one-third longer in length in comparison to the English version).

2.5.4.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately 400 copies of the journal in Russian. The 400 copies consists of approximately 300 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and also 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center.

2.6 Books, as edited volumes

2.6.1 The contractor shall be responsible for typesetting, copy-editing, proof reading, formatting, publishing, printing, and distributing (physical mailing), in both English and Russian languages, Books, as edited volumes up to three times per year. This is optional and the government will only be billed for each publications if requested.

2.6.2 Delivery dates for the special edition journals shall be 15 days after receipt of materials.

The timeline is in Section 2.2.2 of this PWS.

2.6.3 Books as edited volumes ENGLISH

2.6.3.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The English-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 245 pages but is typically between 100 and 130 pages.

2.6.3.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately for 900 copies. The 900 copies consists of the current list which contains approximately 800 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and 100 copies that are directly mailed to the Marshall Center. The contractor will mail copies to addresses in the distribution list. The PfPC often receives requests by individuals not on the distribution list. In these cases, PfPC will provide the contractor with an updated distribution list for subsequent editions.

2.6.4 Books as edited volumes RUSSIAN

2.6.4.1 The journal consists of several articles of varying lengths, covering a variety of topics.

The Russian-language version of the journal covers up to approximately 325 pages but is typically between 130 and 175 (approximately one-third longer in length in comparison to the English version).

2.6.4.2 Contractor shall print, package, label, and mail publications to addressees in the distribution list, approximately 400 copies of the journal in Russian. The 400 copies consists of approximately 300 recipients (+/-15% room for growth/decrease) and also 100 copies directly mailed to the Marshall Center.

3 COPY EDITING

3.1 Copy edit text to include grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation, and other mechanics of style; checking for consistency of mechanics and for consistency of style, providing and/or changing system of citations, providing front matter, cover copy, editing index, writing or editing credit lines, editing preface or foreword, and negotiating changes via the Government with Author. The maximum amount of errors described in this paragraph shall not exceed 95% of each publication.

3.2 Copy Editing shall be done with the English and Russian languages.

3.3 Copy Editing is for all mentioned publications, including the option CLINS.

4. RUSSIAN TRANSLATION

4.1. The Contractor provides translation services from English into Russian. Articles published by the PfPC often address political, military, social, economic, cultural and environmental issues. The Contractor performing the translation shall have earned at least a bachelor’s degree in a study for linguistics, international relations, political science, history, regional studies, or similar accredited degree program requiring in-depth knowledge.

4.2. For the purpose of this PWS, the contractor shall be proficient in reading and writing in Russian and English. Proficient is defined as well advanced in English to Russian translation service. In measurement compared to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scale, the level of proficient is equal to the rating of “Superior”. In order to earn Superior in the Russian language (which is classified as a Group III Language), the contractor shall have a minimum of 44 weeks (1320 hours) of training.

4.3. Russian-language version of all journals, a successful contractor is one who produces the journal to a standard acclaimed by its target Russian audience as a model for clear, accurate, and grammatically correct translation. For all PfPC publications, both the print editions and the electronic versions of PfPC products are of the highest quality.

4.4. Contractor shall translate the journal contents (articles, titles of articles, cover headlines, footnotes, table of contents, etc.) from English into Russian. Contractor will print publication, then package, label, and mail publications to addressees provided in the distribution list provided by the PfPC.

5. PRINTING

5.1. All journals shall be printed 15.5 cm X 23 cm

5.2. All journals shall have four pages dedicated to the cover page. Front cover is two (2) pages and back cover is two (2) pages.

5.3. Four (4) color process for the front and back cover Gloss Laminate 250g white paper.

PfPC supplies the cover design in electronic file, if not already placed, ensure ISSN number 1812-1098 centered on the bottom of the back cover page.

5.4. The journals shall be glue bound with spine.

5.5. The page count shall be between the parameters discussed for each specific journal. The print color for the interior is black on 80-gram white paper.

5.6. The journals shall be offset printing.

6. WEBSITE

6.1. The website for the PfPC publications exists at www.connections-qj.org and the contractor will maintain the site and provide web hosting.

6.2. The contractor will upload all newly produced publications to the website, ensuring proper content tagging of articles and journal editions. The contractor will maintain metrics of the website and provide usage statistics.

6.3. The contractor will electronically host content with Core Features, to include text and graphics, consisting of:

6.3.1. Website Content Provisioning - serving daily worldwide web surfers that are using

Netscape 6.0, Internet Explorer 5.5, Firefox 2.0 and latest versions web browsers and/or latest browsing technology.

6.3.2. E-mail feedback system to receive, translate, route appropriately, and develop response to all e-mail from the feedback section of the websites.

6.3.3. Comment feedback system to receive, translate, recommend approval of, and post as appropriate all comments regarding content, including, but not limited to, original individual features or news summaries.

6.3.4. The contractor will provide a daily updated Host website in English and Russian.

6.4. The contractor will make adjustments, add content and perform functions, as required, within twenty-four hours of notification.

6.5. The contractor shall ensure website supports users across the entire bandwidth spectrum. Host site bandwidth should be comparable to commercial equivalent websites. Low bandwidth users should not be impacted by “high bandwidth” designed web pages and/or downloadable content. Additionally, high bandwidth users shall have access to high resolution content requisite with their bandwidth availability. The website architecture shall include the ability for users to select the page with the appropriate resolution for their bandwidth availability.

6.6. The contractor shall ensure website availability as follows:

6.6.1. Troubleshoot and return system(s) to an operational state within twenty-four hours of being taken offline due to maintenance/communications connection problems.

6.6.2. Replace components/parts/server, as necessary, to maintain site availability.

6.6.3. Provide maintenance response within twenty-four hours of being notified of website maintenance problems.

6.7. Contractor shall ensure the site is optimized for search engines and that search engine optimization is kept current. Search capabilities will be supported in Russian and English. The contractor will develop key word from all articles to assist in prioritizing search result listing of the applicable websites and provide recommendations for implementation to government for consideration. The procedures will be included on top of the search engines’ results pages when potential users (target audiences) type in keywords that are relevant to the site.

6.8. The contractor shall maintain at least a 90% Monthly Uptime Availability (MUA) based upon the 21 standard federal work days in a month. MUA uses the following equation:

(Uptime + Scheduled Maintenance)/ (Unscheduled Downtime + Uptime + Scheduled Maintenance).

6.9. Contractor shall provide PfPC quarterly website statistics in an Excel format for each journal and articles in the journal, the number of downloads, page views, and session duration, with a visual depiction of the geographic spread of the downloads. The contractor shall provide the same website statistics for all optional CLINs that are exercised.

7. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

7.3. Period of Performance (PoP). The PoP shall begin with the Fall edition of the Connections journal. The PoP shall run from 01 October to 29 September for each respective year. The contract shall have one (1) base year and four (4) option years, for a total of up to 60 months PoP.

7.4. Place of Performance. Place of performance is at the discretion of the contractor. This requirement is for services to be provided remotely via electronic and telephonic communications.

7.5. Hours of Performance. Hours of performance are at the discretion of the contractor. The Contractor will be expected to confirm receipt of works assigned and concur or propose alternative deadline within two business days of notification from the the designated technical representative.

7.6. Deliverables shall be returned to the designated technical representative via electronic mail transfer or other approved electronic communication/software.

7.7. IAW DLAD 37.103(e), the following requirement applies:

CONTRACTOR MANPOWER REPORTING LANGUAGE FOR CONTRACT

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENTS

The contractor shall report ALL contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for services provided under this contract/purchase order via a secure data collection site. The contractor is required to completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address:

http://www.ecmra.mil/.

Reporting inputs will be for the labor executed during the period of performance during each Government fiscal year (FY), which runs October 1 through September 30. While inputs may be reported any time during the FY, all data shall be reported no later than October 31 of each calendar year, beginning with 2018.

Contractors may direct questions to the help desk at: http://www.ecmra.mil.

8. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES.

8.3. The Government will NOT provide equipment, property, facilities and maintenance for the Contractor's use in carrying out the duties listed in the PWS: This requirement is for services to be provided remotely via electronic and telephonic communications.

8.4. Government shall provide the initial distribution list for the contractor to maintain, which will remain Government property. Also, the Government will ensure the contractor has administrative access to the existing Connections website.

8.5. The US Government will retain sole rights to the distribution list and the PfPC is the only representation that can alter the distribution lists.

9. Deliverables:

-Table of Contents -Copy-Edits of English and Russian -Translation from English to Russian -Printed and mailed publications in English and Russian -Electronic (HTML coded digital version and PDF) publications in English and Russian -Quarterly statistics on website usage

Wireframe representation of desired layout of Connections article page on website