R612--Planning for Media reporting subscription service 36C10D-24-AP-0172

This is a Sources Sought notice only. This is not a request for quotes and no contract will be awarded from this announcement. The Government will not provide any reimbursement for responses submitted in response to this Source Sought notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interest parties must response to that solicitation announcement separately. Responses to this notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation

The purpose of this announcement is to perform market research to gain knowledge of potential qualified sources and their size classification relative to NAICS 516210, (Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers) with a size standard of 47 million. The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Office of Communications (OC) is seeking to identify any vendor capable of Media Reporting Subscription per the Performance Work Statement below.

This Sources Sought notice provides an opportunity for respondents to submit their capability and availability to provide the requirement described below. Vendors are encouraged to submit information relative to their capabilities to fulfill this requirement, in the form of a statement that addresses the specific requirement identified in this Sources Sought. Information received from this Sources Sought shall be utilized to facilitate the Contracting Officer s review of the market base, for acquisition planning, size determination, and procurement strategy.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 11:00am EST, on May 16th, 2024. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to Craig.Harris@va.gov with RFQ # 36C10D24Q0146 in the subject line. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Interested parties should complete the attached Sources Sought Worksheet. Parties may submit additional information related to their capabilities, provided it contains all the requirements contained in the Sources Sought Worksheet. Responses to this Sources Sought shall not exceed 8 pages. In addition, all submissions should be provided electronically in a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Attachment 1

Sources Sought Worksheet

QUALIFICATION INFORMATION:

Company / Institute Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________

Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________

Point of Contact: _______________________________________________________________

E-mail Address: ________________________________________________________________

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) #:Â ___________________________________________________

CAGE Code: __________________________________________________________________

SAM Registered: (Y / N)

Other available contract vehicles applicable to this sources sought (GSA/FSS/NASA SEWP/ETC): __________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS:

VIP Verified SDVOSB: (Y / N)

VIP Verified VOSB: (Y / N)

8(a): (Y / N)

HUBZone: (Y / N)

Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N)

Women-Owned Small Business: (Y / N)

Small Business: (Y / N)

NOTE: Respondent claiming SDVOSB and VOSB status shall be registered and Center for Veterans Enterprise (CVE) verified in VetBiz Registry www.vetbiz.gov.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SDVOSB, VOSB, SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION.

CAPABILITY STATEMENT:

Provide a brief capability and interest in providing the (service) as listed in Attachment 2 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT) with enough information to determine if your company can meet the requirement. The capabilities statement for this Sources Sought is not a Request for Quotation, Request for Proposal, or Invitation for Bid, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach, but rather the Government is requesting a short statement regarding the company s ability to provide the services outlined in the (PWS). Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities statement. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Attachment 2

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

GENERAL INFORMATION

Title of Project: Media Reporting Subscription

Scope: VBA needs a vendor to provide media reporting subscription services that will provide a dynamic keyword search, real-time updates to media databases, and provide access to the broadest scope of journalists across the media landscape with in-depth profiles to target the right individuals for VBA content distribution. The subscription functionality allows the Media team to keep track of existing media relationships, document new ones, collaborate with colleagues directly within the platform, and create one single source of truth to benchmark media campaigns and overall strategy. This is software as a web-based service, non-IT purchase.

Background:

The VBA OC team provides communication support to the Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits, each of VBA s business lines, and for initiatives as directed by the Department of Affairs. OC s mission is to strategically engage internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective communication with Veterans and their advocates about the VBA benefits they have earned and deserve. One form of communication is our media engagement. Our media activities are essential to outreach and ensures that Veterans, Service members, and their families have accurate information when providing reporting metrics and accessing a broad range of journalists.

Performance Period: The period of performance is for one (1) 12-month base period with four (4) 12-month option periods.

Type of Contract: Firm-Fixed Price.

Place of Performance: Work will be performed through the media reporting subscription service with each user having login credentials.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall provide a web-based software subscription that will:

Provide a dynamic keyword search in a comprehensive media database to identify a broad scope of journalists across the media landscape with in-depth profiles.

Provide unlimited access to the global journalist database, pitching, media monitoring, reporting, and a dedicated Account Manager

Provide Activity Reports and Dashboard pitch widgets enable you to view pitch engagement by teammate, campaign and more.

Access to LexisNexis print option to be used solely for the government s internal business purposes.

The contractor shall provide the necessary log-in information for the Government to access the web-based software subscription within 1 day of the award of the contract.

CHANGES TO PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Any changes to this SOW shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the CO. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the CO shall be borne by the contractor.