Notice of Intent to Sole Source: Gray Local Media

The USPFO for Hawaii intends to award a sole-source, firm-fixed-price contract to Gray Local Media (Hawaii News Now) on behalf of the Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) Recruiting and Retention Office for a base period of 12-months plus three 12-month options periods for digital and televised advertising campaign.

This commercial service acquisition is conducted under Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) Part 12 (Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services), utilizing simplified procedures pursuant to RFO 12.201-1. The statutory authority which permits other than full and open competition for this acquisition is 41 U.S.C. § 1901 and RFO 12.102 (Restricting competition), as only one source is reasonably available to satisfy the agency's requirement.

• Period of Performance: Base period: (Estimated) September 30, 2026 – September 29, 2027;

  • Option Period 1: (Estimated) September 30, 2027 – September 29, 2028

  • Option Period 2: (Estimated) September 30, 2028 – September 29, 2029

  • Option Period 3: (Estimated) September 30, 2029 – September 29, 2030

• Intended Source: Gray Local Media (Hawaii News Now) 

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

The HIANG Recruiting and Retention Office must engage its primary target demographic (physically fit young adults aged 18 to 25) for enlistment. High-visibility local sports broadcasting is the premier vehicle to reach this regional demographic.

Gray Local Media (Hawaii News Now) holds the exclusive broadcasting and media distribution rights for University of Hawaii (UH) athletic events. No other media company or television network can broadcast these live games or provide corresponding digital and video advertising integrations within these specific high-traffic broadcasts.

Because of this exclusivity, Gray Local Media (Hawaii News Now) is the unique source capable of placing HIANG Recruiting's digital and video advertising directly inside the televised games and related program packaging that commands the attention of the targeted local audience. Consequently, a solicitation to any other source would fail to satisfy the government's requirement for UH Athletics-centered broadcast reach.

SCOPE OF WORK

HIANG Recruiting and Retention is procuring digital/video advertising services to engage and recruit physically fit young adults (ages 18-25) into the HIANG.

Distribution: Hawaii News Now channels (including K5) will display HIANG Recruiting digital advertising (video ads and virtual logos).

Commercial Volume: A total of 691 commercials (per 12-month period) will be advertised among UH televised games.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE

HIANG Recruiting will utilize digital and video advertising showcasing and promoting various HIANG mission sets.

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This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, any interested party that believes it can meet this requirement may submit a written capability statement illustrating its ability to provide identical services (specifically, exclusive advertising rights during televised University of Hawaii sports broadcasts).

All capability statements must be submitted via email no later than 5 September 2026, at 10:00 AM HST.

Submission Requirements:

1. Company Name, UEID, and CAGE Code.

2. Business Size under NAICS Code 516120 - Television Broadcasting Stations.

3. Point of Contact information (Name, Phone, Email).

4. Technical description of capability to deliver the required 691 commercials specifically within televised University of Hawaii athletic games.

5. Documentation demonstrating equivalent media broadcasting rights for UH sports events.

Submit Responses To:

• Contracting Specialist: Emma Newbegin via email at emma.a.newbegin.civ@army.mil

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.