Web_Graphic_Designer_SOW_Final.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

Web Graphic Designer Services

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The Voice of America’s News Center (VOA/N) has a requirement for a talent vendor (hereinafter referred to as “Contractor”) to provide Web Graphic Design services as described below. The work shall be performed on a Fixed-Price-Labor-Hour basis. In addition, the Government will reimburse the Contractor for actual expenses as stated below. The Contractor’s hourly rate shall include overhead (e.g., health insurance), G&A, and profit. All work shall be performed in accordance with “The VOA Journalistic Code”.

BACKGROUND

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(1) General Responsibilities of Contractor.

- Create news and information graphics (including but not limited to infographics, maps and charts) for national and international news stories; news packages and other content as requested by news center editors

- Create web multimedia using Adobe Creative Suite 6 including but not limited to Photoshop and Illustrator

- Select and upload photos from wire accounts and work with News Center staff to create photo galleries and other photo elements for stories on VOANews.com.

- The contractor shall also prepare photos, audio, video and/or graphic files for Web use.

- Contractor shall, when necessary, collaborate with editors, reporters, producers, designers and developers to optimize individual stories across VOA digital platforms.

- Works with News Center editors and writers to create and maintain special features.

- Contractor must ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with “The VOA Journalistic Code”.

- Contractor must be available to work off shifts or weekends. The Contractor may be called in on an as-needed basis - including government holidays.

(2) Required expertise.

- Expertise with graphic design software, including Adobe Creative Cloud

- Expertise creating static and animated graphic elements for web and social media platforms

- Experience envisioning and creating informational graphics

- Experience researching news, data and other information and verifying accuracy

- Expertise creating visual elements that follow style, branding and other aesthetic guidelines

- Experience envisioning, designing and creating multipage news and information displays and packages

- Possess core journalism skills (reporting, writing and editing).

- Experience working in a print or online newsroom preferred

DELIVERABLES, INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE, AND PAYMENT TERMS

DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall provide deliverables that are responsive to the statement of work / specifications described in the task order and that conform to the Deliverables Inspection and Acceptance Criteria section of this task order. The Contractor shall submit all deliverables to the COR identified herein for dissemination to BBG subject matter expert(s) for review and comments. Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed and deliverables will be performed by the COR.

The following deliverables are essential to the successful completion of this contract:

· News and information graphics in VOA’s CMS: Information is presented clearly and cleanly; graphics are the correct dimensions and will display well on desktop, mobile and other platforms

· Multimedia production: Captions of photos added to content management system have been edited to fit the space constraints of VOA’s CMS, videos have been checked for encoding errors and chyron typos before being uploaded, a good thumbnail is selected for each video, correct zone and author information is added to videos.

· Accuracy and sourcing: Research conducted to create visual elements is from reliable, trusted sources, source information is appropriately noted on graphics, copyrighted material is only used with permission; graphics and other work are updated as information changes and stories develop

· Adherence to style and branding principles: Designs follow general aesthetic rules as well as VOA guidance, are of professional quality and compliment the platform on which they appear; VOA branding guidelines are adhered to

· Communication and coordination: Participate in news planning sessions and project meetings, offer suggestions, guidance and expertise for display of news and special projects or products; meets daily and long term deadlines; listens to feedback and provides advice as needed.

DELIVERABLE SCHEDULE

The Contractor shall submit the required deliverables to the COR in accordance with the following schedule:

F.4 PLACE OF DELIVERY FOR DELIVERABLES

Item(s) to be delivered under this contract shall be delivered electronically to:

News Center 330 Independence Ave SW Washington DC 20237

The COR will specify the place of delivery for items to be delivered under this contract that have not been listed in the preceding table upon their assignment.

DELIVERABLE INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

Inspection The COR will review, for completeness and quality, all deliverables submitted by the Contractor, and may return them to the Contractor for correction. The Contracting Officer may delegate responsibility for review to other employees with appropriate expertise. Absence of any comments by the COR will not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility for complying with the requirements of the contract. Final approval and acceptance of deliverables will be provided to the Contractor in writing by the COR. The COR will have up to one hour to inspect deliverables and return them to the Contractor for correction.

Acceptance Criteria All contractor-produced documents and documentation (‘deliverables) shall meet the following general acceptance criteria. Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports and other deliverables, will be performed at the place of delivery by the BBG’s COR.

· Clarity Deliverables and technical content shall be relevant and unambiguous, and shall adhere to accepted elements of style. Presentations, if any, shall be easy to understand and be relevant to the supporting narrative.

· Adherence to Requirements All deliverables must satisfy the requirements of this statement of work and must contribute to the overall success of the tasks.

· Format Deliverables shall be submitted in the format specified on the Deliverables section of the contract (if applicable), or as specified by the COR. If format is not specified in the Deliverables section of the contract, the Contractor shall submit all work products in formats compatible with Microsoft.

· Completeness Deliverables shall be comprehensive and entirely developed (i.e. have all required parts and elements).

· Timeliness –Deliverables shall be available at the time required and generated on or before specified and mutually agreed to due dates or in accordance with a later mutually agreed to scheduled date.

· Significant Deficiencies - Deliverables shall be free of significant deficiencies. Significant deficiencies are findings by reviewing officials of serious omissions, inaccuracies, noncompliance with contract requirements and standards.

PAYMENT

The Contractor shall submit invoices only for work that has been submitted to the COR, and inspected and accepted by the COR.

Estimated Workload and Compensation

While the government states there is no minimum or maximum of hours for this requirement, work is performed on site or remotely for 40 hours per week.

SECURITY

All staff must be able to obtain and maintain a public trust background investigation. (If applicable).

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The contract will commence on or about September 1, 2018 until August 31, 2019, with an option to continue services for one additional option year.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work on this contract shall be conducted at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, 330 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20237 or contractor’s worksite.

CONTRACT TYPE/VEHICLE

Firm Fixed Price to be awarded under a Commercial contract.

SUBMISSION OF INVOICES

1952.232-91 Electronic Invoicing and Payment Requirements - Invoice Payment Platform (IPP) (April 2016) Payment requests for all new awards must be submitted electronically through the U. S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Payment Platform System (IPP). "Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment by the Contractor. To constitute a proper invoice, the payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), "Payment documentation and process" and the applicable Prompt Payment clause included in this contract. The IPP website address is: https://www.ipp.gov.