I Corps PWS Social Media Services v9 Draft.pdf

DRAFT

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

I Corps Social Media and Graphic Design Services

PART I

GENERAL INFORMATION

General: This is a non-personal services contract to provide social media content creation/management and graphic design services. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn, is responsible to the Government. The Contractor, in turn, shall be accountable to the Government for Contractor or subcontractor personnel.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, subject-matter-expertise, and all other items or non- personal services necessary to perform social media management and graphic design, as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS), except for those items specified as government-furnished property and services. The Contractor shall perform in accordance with (IAW) the terms and conditions of the contract and consistently with the established standards in this PWS and contract.

1.2 Goals: The goal of this contract is to manage the presence and audience engagement within the Government's target demographic audience (1.4.1) through the management of the media and the use of available media. This demographic includes, but is not limited to, executives at all levels of Government (local, state, and federal), military leadership, Service Members, Military Families, Department of Defense (DoD) Civilians, and prospective employees.

1.2.1 Services provided in this contract will be evaluated annually and will be benchmarked using the industry average(s) for social media, as reported by industry-leading firms for providing social media insight and analysis e.g., Smart Insights, AAmplify, RivalIQ, Quora, SproutSocial, Invespcro, et al.

1.2.2 Reaching the goal(s) of this contract can be determined as successful if the measured growth of the Government's social media engagements and followers, both from the targeted demographic, are equal to or greater than industry average for other CONUS based military facilities, as reported on by industry-leading firms for providing social media insight and analysis. Additionally, measurements of effectiveness can also be determined to be engagement quality, social media reach, sentiment analysis, and/or assessed mission impact.

1.3 Background: JBLM and America’s First Corps are at a critical juncture where social media platforms are becoming the primary source of information for our Service Members and their Families. In an effort to ensure information is delivered timely and accurately, it is essential that existing social media platforms/webpages are modified and effectively leveraged to streamline information flow. America’s First Corps employs over 40,000 people across three installations and it is imperative that those personnel are armed with accurate information in real- time to allow them to plan and make effective decisions. Ultimately, this social media revision, improvement and maintenance will give the command a much more consistent platform to communicate effectively at tactical, operational, and strategic levels. A strong social media presence deters adversaries, reassures allies, and strengthens public trust by showcasing readiness, capability, and commitment. It counters misinformation, shapes strategic narratives, and reinforces multinational partnerships. In today’s digital battlespace, controlling the message is key to projecting strength and maintaining global influence.

Target Audience:

1.3.1 Target Audience: The target audience for the Government consists of key demographics that are stakeholders of I Corps’ mission set as the U.S. Army’s operational headquarters in the Indo-Pacific. We would like to create broader awareness of JBLM and I Corps’ within the military community and in doing so increase the base’s desirability, which will likely improve the overall quality of inbound Service Members. Junior Service Members (to include their families) form the highest ratio percentage of I Corps’ current social media portfolio. These are Service Members between the ages of 19 and 25. This demographic group is collectively identified as Generation Z (GEN-Z); GEN-Z account for 25.9% of the U.S. population and facts regarding their usage of digital media include: All (100%) are connected online for 1+ hours per day, with nearly half (46%) connected 10+ hours per day. Nine-in-ten of Gen Z (93%) say they visit YouTube at least once a week and 54% visit multiple times per day, while just 65% say they visit Facebook weekly, with 38% visiting Facebook multiple times per day. Instagram is the most popular app used by Gen Z for brand discovery, with (45%) of teens using it to discover new products/services, followed by Facebook, which comes in at (40%).

Market research shows that (85%) percent of Generation Z learns about new products on social media and are also (59%) percent more likely than older generations to connect with brands on social media. More than (80%) Gen Z say they are influenced by social media in their purchase decisions. In particular, Gen Z is much more influenced by Instagram (44%) and YouTube (33%) than any other generation. In addition, the next most important demographic is millennials.

Millennials have similar social media usage rates as Gen Z. This generation is comprised of those Service Members who are between 25 and 39. These Soldiers are most likely to have Families. We must develop a campaign that is suitable at reaching Families and Service Members, so that they might better understand the merits of life at JBLM and at I Corps’.

1.3.2 Facts: Facts substantiating the importance of content and inbound marketing include: (1) Since 2000, the most important and commercially significant resourced for marketing has been the advent and rapid growth of social media platforms and content marketing, beating the second most commercially significant digital marking trend, Big Data, by 20.4%. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, Business to Consumer (B2C) content marketing increased by 207% tactics include:

Social Media Content, 93% Source: “30 Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know,” Jeff Riddall, Jan 6, 2023 (Search Engine Journal).

1.4 Scope: The Contractor shall employ social media management software, methods, and industry best practices to establish, maintain, and grow a strong, cohesive brand presence through key social media/web platforms by creating high quality content, maintaining community management, and conducting targeted digital-engagement across key platforms in accordance with (IAW) I Corps Public Affairs Office communications plan. Content includes but is not limited to:

amplifying success stories; providing timely and updated information across a broad range of I Corps’ and local community services and activities; introduce brand to target audiences, influencers, and stakeholders; measurably increase brand awareness, loyalty, and recruitment; closely monitor follower engagement. Manage the production of welcome video and detailed infographics that will become part of communications plan to make JBLM the CONUS base of choice. The post approval authority will remain with the Contracting Officer Representative to ensure information control remains with I Corps PAO.

1.5 Period of Performance:

Base Year: (1) 12 month Period: Feb. 18, 2026 – Feb. 17, 2027

1- Option Year: (1) 12 month Period: Feb. 18, 2027 – Feb. 17, 2028

2- Option Year: (1) 12 month Period: Feb. 18, 2028 – Feb. 17, 2029

3- Option Year: (1) 12 month Period: Feb. 18, 2029 – Feb. 17, 2030

4- Option Year: (1) 12 month Period: Feb. 18, 2030 – Feb. 17, 2031

1.6 Quality Control: Quality Control is entirely the responsibility of the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for the delivery of quality services/supplies to the Government (see FAR 52.246-1 Contractor Inspection Requirements).

1.7 Quality Control Program: The Government is committed to a highly interactive relationship between quality control by the Contractor and quality assurance by the government recipient of services. This relationship shall be achieved through an effective Prevention Based Quality Control Program dedicated to ensuring the best possible products and services to end users. The Contractor shall provide the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer (KO) with a final written Quality Control Plan (QCP) no later than (NLT) ten (10) business days after contract award, and within five (5) business days of any proposed changed.

1.8 The Contractor's quality program shall demonstrate its prevention-based outlook by meeting the objectives stated in the PWS throughout all areas of performance. The QCP shall be developed to specify the Contractor's responsibility for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. The QCP at a minimum shall address continuous process improvement; procedures for scheduling, conducting and documentation of inspection; discrepancy identification and correction; corrective action procedures to include procedures for addressing Government discovered non- conformances; procedures for root cause analysis to identify the root cause and root cause corrective action to prevent re-occurrence of discrepancies; procedures for trend analysis; procedures for collecting and addressing customer feedback/complaints.

1.9 The Contractor shall provide, within 24 hours, all reports generated as a result of the Contractor's quality control efforts. This shall include any summary information used to track quality control, including any charts/graphs.

1.10 Proposed changes made after KO acceptance shall be submitted in writing through the COR to the KO for review and acceptance prior to implementing any revision. The Contractor's QCP shall be maintained throughout the life of the contract and shall include the Contractor's procedures to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the plan to ensure the Contractor is meeting the performance standards and requirements of the contract.

1.11 Contractor Discrepancy Report (CDR): When the Contractor's performance is unsatisfactory, a CDR will be issued. The Contractor shall reply in writing within five (5) work days from the date of receipt of the CDR, giving the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance, corrective action taken, and procedures to preclude recurrence.

1.12 Quality Assurance: The COR will evaluate the Contractor's performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This plan is primarily focused on what the COR must do to ensure that the

Contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s). When an observation indicates defective performance, the COR will require the Contractor or designated on-site representative to initial the observation to acknowledge the defective performance.

The acknowledgement of the observation does not necessarily constitute Contractor concurrence with the observation, only that the Contractor has been made aware of the defective performance.

1.13 Place of Performance: The work under this contract shall primarily be performed at I Corps Headquarters on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, co-located with the Public Affairs Office (PAO). The government will provide a workspace with a desk, computer, printer, scanner, phone, Wi-Fi, and necessary telecommunications technology. At the government’s discretion, remote work may be authorized on a case-by-case basis, provided it does not hinder performance or mission objectives. The contractor will coordinate with the PAO to maintain timely communication, system access, and compliance with security protocols.

1.14 Reserved.

1.15 Minimum Qualifications: The Contractor shall meet or exceed the minimum qualifications of being a social media engagement and content management firm with proven experience and a track record of success in private, public, and government sectors. Minimum qualifications include the following:

1.15.1 The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring all personnel performing work under this contract possess and maintain current certifications as indicated in this PWS.

1.15.2 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language to effectively carry out all contract requirements. They shall have a command of both the written and spoken English language to properly, clearly, and effectively communicate in person or via electronic devices (telephone or Email) with co-workers, customers, and the general public.

1.15.3 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall be U.S.

citizens unless the provisions of Army Regulation 25-2, Information Assurance have been fully completed and approval has been granted by the Government for the non-U.S. citizen to perform the required support.

1.15.4 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall have working knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, as well as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, Sprinklr, LinkedIn and/or other emerging social media platforms. Industry standard certifications are acceptable.

1.15.5 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall hold a bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, communications or related field or equivalent experience.

1.15.6 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract requires a U.S.

Security clearance (SECRET) to access certain intranet websites.

1.15.7 Contractor personnel shall have familiarity with Army and DOD regulations governing social media and external official presence, including but not limited to: FM 3-61, Public Affairs Operations; JP 3-61, Public Affairs; DODI 5040.5, Alteration of Official DOD Imagery. 6 June 2006; The contractor personnel will be required to be trained in ARMY OPERATIONS SECURITY

(OPSEC) TRAINING FOR EXTERNAL OFFICIAL PRESENCE (EOP)

OPERATORS; Army Social Media Handbook

1.15.8 Contractor personnel performing work under this contract shall have detailed knowledge of cultural, outdoor, historical, travel, sporting event, and entertainment opportunities and activities in Washington State’s South Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest at large. Contractor must have familiarization with military customs, courtesies and basic understanding of tactical and operational procedures.

1.15.9 Contractor personnel are subject to DFARS Clause 252.225‐7040, Contractor Personnel Authorized to Accompany U.S. Armed Forces Deployed Outside the United States if traveling with I Corps outside the United States and its territories. The clause discusses the following AT/OPSEC related topics: required compliance with laws and regulations, pre‐deployment requirements, required training (per combatant command guidance), and personnel data required.

1.15.10 Contractor personnel are subject to DFARS Clause 252.225‐7043, Antiterrorism/Force Protection for Defense Contractors Outside the US if traveling with I Corps outside the United States and its territories. The clause shall be used in solicitations and contracts that require performance or delivery in a foreign country.

This clause applies to both contingencies and non‐contingency support. The key AT requirement is for non‐local national contractor personnel to comply with theater clearance requirements and allows the combatant commander to exercise oversight to ensure the contractor’ compliance with combatant Commander and subordinate task force commander policies and directives.

1.15.11 For all contractors with security clearances. Per AR 381-12 Threat Awareness and Reporting Program (TARP), contractor employees must receive annual TARP training by a CI agent or other trainer as specified in Chapter 2-4b.

1.15.12 Contractor shall comply with FAR 52.204‐2, Security Requirements. This clause involves access to information classified “Confidential,” “Secret,” or “Top Secret” and requires contractors to comply with (1) The Security Agreement (DD Form 441), including the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22‐M); (2) any revisions to DOD 5220.22‐M, notice of which has been furnished to the contractor.

1.15.13 The Contractor will comply with DFARS Clause 252.204-7012 Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting.

1.16 Service Contract Reporting (SCR): Reserved.

1.16.1 Reserved.

1.16.2 N/A

1.16.3 The contractor shall provide the following management and support as required. The contractor shall provide for employees during designated Government non-work days or other periods when Government offices are closed due to weather or security conditions.

1.16.4 The contractor shall maintain the currency of its employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the PWS requirements.

1.16.5 Contractor Travel will be provided by the Contractor

1.16.6 The contractor shall provide necessary infrastructure to support contract tasks.

1.16.7 The contractor shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs).

1.16.8 The contractor shall manage employee consolidated leave – combining vacation and sick days – at an annual rate of 14 days.

1.17 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 (FAR) Subpart 42.5. The post award conference will also be utilized to ensure the contractor understands all HSPD-12 requirements. The COR (and other government personnel) will hold a quarterly progress meeting with the Contractor to review the Contractor's performance. At these meetings the COR will apprise the Contractor of how the Government views the Contractor's performance and the Contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced.

Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

1.18 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): The COR will be identified by a separate letter of appointment. The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: Assures that the Contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract; performs inspections necessary in connection with contract performance; maintains written and oral communications with the Contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract; issues written interpretations of technical requirements, including government drawings, designs, specifications; monitors Contractor's performance and notifies both the KO and Contractor of any deficiencies; coordinates availability of government- furnished property, and provides site entry of Contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the Contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting contract.

1.19 Key Personnel: Key personnel shall not be added to or removed from the contract without express acknowledgement of the contracting officer. Any changes to the working status of these key personnel shall be transmitted (in writing) to the KO/COR within five (5) work days of the proposed change. If, for any reason, any of the key personnel becomes, or is expected to become, unavailable for work under this contract for a continuous period exceeding 30 work days, the contractor shall promptly replace personnel with personnel who possess qualifications equal to or better than that of the original employee. The Contractor shall ensure all key personnel terminated or released from employment under this contract are replaced within five (5) work days of the termination. The Government considers key personnel for this contract to be the Contractor's Project Manager (PM). Project Manager (PM): The Contractor shall provide a PM who shall be responsible for the performance of the work under this contract. The name of this person, and an Alternate PM (APM), who shall act for the Contractor when the PM is absent, shall be designated in writing to the KO at the post award conference. The PM or APM shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The PM or APM shall be available between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday (Pacific time-zone), except federal holidays, days of no scheduled activities or when the government facility is closed for administrative reasons.

1.20 Qualifications for Key Personnel: The PM shall meet or exceed the following minimum qualifications: Social media engagement and content management firm with proven experience and a track record of success in private, public, and government sectors. The APM shall meet or exceed the same qualifications as the PM.

1.21 Data Rights: The government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract to the extent permitted by the data rights clauses. The parties mutually acknowledge their understanding that this is the government's intent. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this task order shall be government-owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the contracting officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other government rights.

1.22 Copyrights: The Government owns all copyrights and retains the right to independently reproduce any and all communications assets or materials that the Contractor produces for the Government in the fulfillment of this contract.

1.23 Organizational Conflict of Interest: In the consideration of Contractor(s) or bids from Contractor(s) to perform this services outlined in this contract or in the award of this contract to a Contractor, the Government is to ensure: (1) The Contractor does not obtain an unfair competitive advantage by establishing the ground rules for a future competition; (2) The Contractor's objectivity and judgment are not biased because of its present or future interests (financial, contractual, organizational, or otherwise) which relate to work performed under this contract; (3) The Contractor does not obtain an unfair competitive advantage by virtue of its access to non-public or proprietary information belonging to others.

1.24 General Constraints. The provisions of FAR Subpart 9.5, Organizational and Consultant Conflicts of Interest, concerning organizational conflicts of interest govern this contract. Potential conflicts may exist in accordance with FAR 9.505- 1, Providing Systems Engineering and Technical Direction, through 9.505-4, Obtaining Access to Proprietary Information. In this regard, the Contractor is responsible for identifying any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest to the KO that arise as the result of performance under this contract. To avoid or mitigate a potential conflict related to performance under this contract, the KO will impose appropriate constraints such as the constraints discussed below.

Since it is impossible to foresee all of the circumstances that might give rise to organizational conflicts of interest, the constraints discussed below are not all inclusive and the KO may impose constraints other than, or in addition to, the constraints listed below.

1.25 The Contractor agrees that if it provides, under a contract or task order or delivery order, systems engineering and technical guidance for systems and programs, but does not have overall contractual responsibility, it will not be allowed to be awarded a contract or task or delivery order to supply the system or any of its major components or be a subcontractor or consultant to a supplier of the system or any of its major components (FAR 9.505-1).

1.26 The Contractor agrees that if it prepares complete specifications for non-developmental items or assists in the preparation of work statements for a system or services under a contract or task order or delivery order, it will not be allowed to furnish these items, either as a prime Contractor, a subcontractor or as a consultant

(FAR 9.505-2).

1.27 The Contractor agrees that it will neither evaluate nor advise the Government with regard to its own products or activities. The Contractor shall objectively evaluate or advise the Government concerning products or activities of any prospective competitors (FAR 9.505-3).

1.28 The Contractor agrees that if it gains access to proprietary information of other companies, it will exercise diligent effort to protect such proprietary information from unauthorized use or disclosure (FAR 9.505-4). In addition, the Contractor agrees to protect the proprietary information of other organizations disclosed to the Contractor during performance of this contract with the same caution that a reasonably prudent Contractor would use to safeguard highly valuable property. The Contractor also agrees that if it gains access to the proprietary information of other companies it will enter into written agreements with the other companies to protect their information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and to refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. The Contractor shall provide copies of such agreements to the KO.

1.29 If the Contractor, in the performance of this contract, obtains access to plans, policies, reports, studies, financial plans, data or other information of any nature which has not been released or otherwise made available to the public, the Contractor agrees that without prior written approval of the KO, it shall not: (a) use such information for any private purpose unless the information has been released or otherwise made available to the public, or (b) release such information unless release is otherwise authorized under the contract or such information has previously been released or otherwise made available to the public by the Government.

1.30 Non-Disclosure Agreement(s). The Contractor shall provide the Government with a written and signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which shall, in substance, provide that all direct employees and sub-contracted employee for this contract shall not, during his/her employment by the Contractor or thereafter, disclose to others or use for their benefit, information received in connection with the work under this contract, that is controlled, secure, or proprietary to the Government. The Contractor will educate its employees regarding the restrictions imposed by FAR 9.505-4, so that they will not use or disclose proprietary information or data generated or acquired in the performance of this contract, except as provided herein.

1.31 Training. The Contractor shall effectively educate its employees, through formal training, company policy, information directives and procedures, in an awareness of the legal provisions of FAR Subpart 9.5 and its underlying policy and principles, so that each employee will know and understand the provisions of that Subpart and the absolute necessity of safeguarding information from anyone other than the Contractor's employees who have a need to know, and the U.S.

Government.

1.32 Conflicts Involving Future Procurements. The award of this contract to the Contractor for the Contractor's performance of services hereunder shall not constitute or be interpreted as a determination that the Contractor is eligible to participate in future procurements, developmental efforts, implementation efforts, or related activities. Only the KOs for such efforts, applying the rules, principles, and procedures of FAR Subpart 9.5, have the authority to determine whether a conflict exists, in connection with such procurements.

1.33 Representations and Disclosures. The Contractor represents that it has disclosed to the KO, prior to award of this contract, all facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflict of interest as that term is used in FAR Subpart 9.5.

1.34 The Contractor further represents that if it discovers an organizational conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest after award of this contract, a prompt and full disclosure shall be made in writing to the KO. This disclosure shall include a description of the action the Contractor has taken or proposes to take in order to avoid or mitigate such conflict.

1.35 Remedies and Waiver. For breach of any of the above restrictions or for non-disclosure or misrepresentation of any relevant facts required to be disclosed concerning this contract, the Government may terminate this contract for cause/default, disqualify the contractor for subsequent related contractual efforts, and pursue such other remedies as may be permitted by law or this contract. If, however, in compliance with section 1.19, the Contractor discovers and promptly reports an organizational conflict of interest (or the potential thereof) subsequent to contract award, the KO may terminate this contract for convenience, if such termination is deemed to be in the best interest of the Government. All parties recognize that this clause has potential effects, which will survive the performance of this contract, and that it is impossible to foresee each circumstance to which it might be applied in the future. Accordingly, the Contractor may at any time seek a waiver from the cognizant KO by submitting a full written description of the requested waiver and the reasons in support thereof (FAR 9.503)

PART II DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

4.1 CONTRACTOR. A supplier or contractor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

4.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER (KO). A person with authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts, and to make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the Government.

4.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR). An employee of the U.S. Government appointed by the contracting officer to administer the contract. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor, as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

4.4 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL. Contractor and subcontractor

employees performing work under this contract.

4.5 DEFECTIVE SERVICE. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

4.6 DELIVERABLE. Anything that can be physically delivered, but may include non-physical things, such as meeting minutes, special graphics, daily social media posts and engagements, and other reports or projects as required.

4.7 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFP) OR GOVERNMENT

PROPERTY (GP). Property in the possession of or directly acquired by the Government and subsequently made available to the Contractor.

4.8 KEY PERSONNEL. Contractor employees who are critical for achieving PWS objectives. Key personnel shall meet position qualification and experience requirements indicated in the PWS. When key personnel qualifications are used as an evaluation factor in "Best Value" procurement, the Contracting Officer is the only one authorized to concur with key personnel replacement after award of the contract.

When proposed key personnel resumes are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, a letter of commitment may be required from the individual whose resume is provided.

4.9 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY (PRS). A listing of the

service outputs under the contract that are to be evaluated by the COR on a regular basis, the surveillance methods to be used for these outputs, and the performance requirement of the listed outputs.

4.10 QUALITY ASSURANCE. A planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide confidence that adequate technical requirements are established; products and services conform to established technical requirements; and satisfactory performance is achieved. For the purposes of this document, quality assurance refers to actions by the Government.

4.11 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP). The

Government's organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of Contractor performance.

4.12 QUALITY CONTROL. All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

4.13 SUBCONTRACTOR. One that enters into a contract with a prime Contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

4.14 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. The term "proprietary information" for purposes of section 1.17, Organizational Conflict of Interest, means any information considered so valuable by its owners that it is held secret by them and their licensees. Information furnished voluntarily by the owner without limitations on its use, or which is available without restrictions from other sources, is not considered proprietary.

4.15 ORGANIC. The term "organic" referenced throughout this Performance Work Statement (PWS) e.g., as in "organic reach" or "organic post", shall refer to the number of people who come view a posting on social media without any form of paid distribution.

4.16 ACRONYMS.

4.17 Contracting Acronyms:

AFARS Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement AR Army Regulation CCE Contracting Center of Excellence CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CONUS Continental United States (excludes Alaska and Hawaii) COR Contracting Officer’s Representative COTS Commercial-Off-the-Shelf DA Department of the Army DD250 Department of Defense Form 250 (Receiving Report) DD254 Department of Defense Form 254 DD1466 Building Pass DFARS Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement DMDC Defense Manpower Data Center DOD Department of Defense FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 KO Contracting Officer OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest OCONUS Outside Continental United States (includes Alaska and Hawaii) ODC Other Direct Costs PIPO Phase-In/Phase- Out POC Point of Contact PRS Performance Requirements Summary PWS Performance Work Statement QA Quality Assurance QAP Quality Assurance Program QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan QC Quality Control QCP Quality Control Plan TE Technical Exhibit

4.18 Private Sector Acronyms for Business, Marketing, and Social Media: API Application Programming Interface

B2B Business to Business B2C Business to Consumer CMGR Community manager CMS Content Management System CPC Cost per Click

CPM Cost per Thousand CR Conversion Rate CTA Call to Action CTR Click-through Rate KPI Key Performance Indicator PPC Pay per click PV Page Views ROI Return on Investment SEM Search Engine Marketing SEO Search Engine Optimization UGC User Generated Content UI User Interface Ux User Experience

PART III GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED ITEMS

3.1 Access: Government will provide access for existing social media channels that are under the control and purview of I Corps/JBLM, to include Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The Government will provide final approval of all content and materials produced for this contract and will provide operational support to the Contractor to ensure accurate representation of Government's interests.

3.2 Materials: Government will provide the Contractor access to digital files for all pertinent Government marks, indicia, graphics, images, existing copy and content, and original creative files along with access to an onsite office with computer, phone, and other required information communications equipment so as to enable the Contractor to apply proper branding, imagery, messaging, lexicon and nomenclature when developing and deploying copy and content for this contract.

PART IV CONTRACTOR- FURNISHED ITEMS

4.1 General: Contractor shall provide to the Government all personnel, management, equipment and any other items or services necessary to research, develop, deploy, and maintain content for all media channels, web pages and campaigns, and in API advertisements, so as to meet the goals outlined in 1.3 of this document.

4.2 Labor: Contractor shall provide the labor and manpower for services outlined in 4.3, so as to effectively manage the development and deployment of all copy and content to include the community management and moderating of communications to include but not exclusively limited to those within Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, a website.

4.3 Services:

4.3.1 Writing and Editing: Contractor shall provide copywriting, editing, and proofreading support for all materials and communications produced in meeting the requirements of this contract.

4.3.2 Design: Contractor shall provide graphic design for all materials and communications produced in meeting the requirements of this contract for the Corps Public Affairs Office.

4.3.3 Analysis and Reporting: Contractor shall perform on-going critical analysis of all materials and communications produced in meeting the requirements of this contract, and the Contractor shall identify and regularly report on best practices and lessons learned, so as to provide recommendations for future content/inbound messaging and campaigns.

4.3.4 Content: Contractor shall perform research required to recommend addition or deletion of content to I Corps communications platforms to include, but not exclusively limited to, those within Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, LinkedIn and web pages.

4.4 Equipment: Contractor shall supply, at no additional cost to the Government, all photographic, video, and audio recording and editing equipment, and all graphics, animation, photographic, video, audio, analytics tracking, and media buying software, licensing, or memberships needed to fulfill the requirements of this contract.

4.5 Hard Drive and Files: At the conclusion of each year of this contract, the Contractor shall supply, at no additional cost to the Government, a hard drive containing:

4.5.1 All the packaged files for the content deployed in the fulfillment of this contract. Packaged files include but not exclusively limited to INDD, PDF, PSD, EPS, PDF, HTML, ASP, PHP, PREL, FCPx, MOV, MP4, JPG, DOCx, xLSx, PPTx, and all associated and nested files and folders.

4.5.2 All the native files used in the creation of copy and content for this contract.

Native files to include but not exclusively limited to INDD, PDF, PSD, EPS, PDF, HTML, ASP, PHP, PREL, FCPx, MOV, MP4, JPG, DOCx, xLSx, PPTx, and all associated and nested files and folder.

PART V SPECIFIC TASKS

5.1 Execution of PAO Doctrine and Policy: All contractor personnel shall execute tasks in support of the I Corps Public Affairs Office in accordance with FM 3-61 (Communication Strategy and Public Affairs Operations) and DoD Instruction 5400.17 (Public Affairs Operations). In doing so, contractor personnel shall:

5.1.1 Synchronize communication activities with operational objectives, ensuring alignment across public affairs, military information support operations, and other information-related capabilities, as outlined in FM 3-61 para. 1-1 and para. 1-16.

5.1.2 Develop and disseminate command information products that inform internal audiences about policies, events, and issues affecting the command, per FM 3-61 para. 2-3 and para. 2-6.

5.1.3 Support planning and execution of communication strategies that reinforce the commander's intent, themes, and messages using multimedia products and coordinated messaging, per FM 3-61 para. 3-2 and para. 3- 12.

5.1.4 Coordinate all content for release through official DoD channels and ensure all information meets the standards of accuracy, timeliness, and propriety defined in DoDI 5400.17, Enclosure 3, Sections 1 and 2.

5.1.5 Implement risk-informed operations security (OPSEC) during content creation and event coverage, following FM 3-61 para. 3-25 and DoDI 5400.17 Enclosure 3, Section 3b(6).

5.1.6 Comply with the principles of transparency, accountability, and accuracy, including the obligation to avoid misinformation and maintain public trust, in accordance with DoDI 5400.17 Enclosure 2, para. 1c and Enclosure 3, para. 2d.

5.1.7 Maintain awareness of and compliance with information release authorities, ensuring all communications are cleared in accordance with DoD guidance and command policy (FM 3-61, para. 3-24; DoDI 5400.17, Encl. 3, Sec. 2f).

5.1.8 Uphold ethical standards in public communication, avoiding propaganda, ensuring attribution, and reinforcing public trust (DoDI 5400.17, Encl. 2, para. 1c and Encl. 3, Sec. 2i).

5.1.9 Monitor and incorporate themes, messages, and priorities from HQDA, FORSCOM, and U.S. Army Pacific into I Corps digital content and campaign planning, ensuring alignment with national and theater-level strategic communication. (FM 3-61, para. 3-8 and para. 3-12; DoDI 5400.17, Encl. 3, Sec. 2h).

5.2 Project Management: The Contractor shall be responsible for the overall project management of this contract and for providing the Government with a service solution that is, in itself, complete and ready for use e.g., "turnkey."

5.3 Social Media Engagement Strategy: The Contractor shall provide services for identifying, defining, delivering, and reporting on a social media engagement strategy that will grow and curate the Government's online presence, so as to fulfill the goals outlined in 1.3 of this document. This Social Media engagement Strategy will be provided in PowerPoint (PPTX) within 15 business days of award of the contract. We do not require any social media bumps.

5.4 Social Media Objectives: Social Media Objectives: The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying and providing the government with reasonable objectives for the Social Media Strategy that are indicative of and reflective of the norm for the similar organizations so as to (1) grow I Corps’s social media following within its target audience as defined in paragraph 1.3.1 of this contract, “Target Audience; (2) increase brand awareness among its Target Audience; (3) increase community engagement with its Target Audience.

5.5 Social Media Management: The Contractor shall advise on the overall process, from inception through delivery of media used to produce, create, curate, maintain, and grow social media presence in the fulfillment of this contract.

Web page content management: The contractor shall deliver professional grade content for use on the I Corps website;

https://army.deps.mil/army/cmds/ICORPS/SitePages/Home.aspx. We do not require any ad buys.

5.6 Publishing Schedule: The Contractor shall create and maintain a monthly content publishing schedule and shall follow through with the posting of content for the Government's existing Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, LinkedIn, X social media platforms, as well as the Government's websites https://army.deps.mil/army/cmds/ICORPS/SitePages/Home.aspx.

5.6.1 Facebook and Instagram: The contractor shall maintain a regular posting schedule of one post per day and one “reel” per month on Facebook and Instagram through the creation of unique posts or shared content from down trace units. The contractor shall manage the creation of and post no less than two unique videos per calendar month.

5.7 Submitting Content for Approval:

5.7.1 The Contractor shall provide to the Government for the Government's review and approval, all copy and content included in the monthly content publishing schedule for the Government's social media and website. At a minimum, the Contractor shall provide this copy and content to the Government no less than seven calendar days prior to the submitted content's scheduled posting date. The Government has final approval for the posting of copy and content, and the Government reserves the right to have all submitted copy and content changed, swapped, and/or edited on a case-by-case basis in order to preserve currency of information and brand integrity.

5.8 Community Management: The Government has final approval for the posting of copy and content, and the Government reserves the right to have all submitted copy and content changed, swapped, and/or edited on a case-by-case basis in order to preserve accuracy of information and brand integrity.

5.8.1 The Contractor shall create and employ a fully-comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) answer bank from which the Contractor shall draw from as it replies to social media inquiries regarding operations on JBLM. Examples of inquiries to which the Contractor shall be responsible include but are not exclusively limited to e.g., "What is I Corps’ mission?" and "How do I contact my unit’s FRG?" etc. The Contractor shall complete the initial FAQ answer bank within 30 Calendar days of the Contract being awarded, and the Contractor shall maintain the FAQ answer bank e.g. update, add or remove information as needed.

5.8.2 The Contractor shall, within 24 hours, respond to all direct messages (DM) that are inquiries that can be responded to using answers contained within the Contractor's FAQ answer bank.

5.8.3 At a minimum, the Contractor will "Like" (or other emoticon as appropriate) every positive or encouraging response to an original content posting created and deployed by the Contractor to the Government's social media channels or web site.

5.8.4 The Contractor shall monitor the comments and conversations posted on the Government's social media channels and promptly remove all commentary that is not in compliance with 47 § USC 223(a)(1)(A-C-E), 18 § USC 2261A, and 8 § USC 875 prohibiting the use of telecommunications device to transmit any obscenity, electronically harass, electronically threaten, or cyber stalk.

5.9 Copy and Content: The Contractor shall support the development and creation of all organic unique content including the design, layout, and editing of all graphics, photos, imagery, audio, and videos. Unique content includes but not exclusively limited to questions, surveys, photos, animated gifs, hashtags, sliders, stories (including account "Takeovers"), videos, linking, keywords, Call to Action (CTA) messaging, closed captioning, and other Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) best practices, et al.

5.10 Quality of Production: Contractor shall ensure all content is of the highest production quality. This includes but is not exclusively limited to: editing for accuracy of content and of grammar, and spell checking.

5.11 Content Management: The Contractor shall manage and oversee the conceptualization and production of content with organizations within, across and external to JBLM no less once per month. This material includes but is not exclusively limited to photos and videos.

5.11.1 Event Coverage: The Contractor shall provide amplification of real-time coverage through posts, live-video, stories, or other social media best practices, to the following annual events held at JBLM: Annual training, BDE or higher changes of command, and distinguished visits.

5.11.2 Scheduling: The Contractor shall be responsible for scheduling in advance all the necessary assets including but not exclusively limited to Service Members, staff, cadets, and equipment e.g., photographers and photography, videographers and video, interviewees, cameras, lights, et al.

5.12 Reporting: The Contractor's PM shall maintain open lines of communication with the Government's Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and be readily accessible via phone and email. However, as part of the continuous evaluation process of the marketing partnership created through this contract the Contractor will provide I Corps PAO with weekly, monthly, and annual reports.

5.12.1 Weekly Reporting: Corps PAO will schedule, host, and moderate a weekly recurring conference between the Contractor and Government to discuss and coordinate, as needed, status updates, stages of development, production scheduling and progress, et al.

5.12.2 Monthly Reporting: I Corps’ PAO shall schedule, host, and moderate a monthly recurring conference where the Contractor shall present to the Government a monthly report consisting of milestones from the previous month's published content and an analysis of it performance to include but not exclusively limited to social media audience demographics, growth, and engagement(s) and each media channel's overall effectiveness. The Monthly report will be provided in PowerPoint or some other common presentation medium.

5.12.3 Annual Reporting: The Contractor shall provide an overarching performance-report compiling the milestones including the monthly reports and shall provide a road-map plan based upon lessons-learned and best practices from this contract. The Annual report shall be provided in PowerPoint or some other common presentation medium.

5.13 Research: The Contractor shall acquire and utilize for the purposes of reporting to the Government and for the benchmarking of the performance of this contract, industry…