KET - FCC Closed Captioning Master Agreement

The Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, on behalf of Kentucky Educational Television (KET) in Fayette County, issued a Request for Bids (RFB 758 2200000055) to establish a Master Agreement for FCC Closed Captioning services. The solicitation, released on July 28, 2021, sought bids for nine line items encompassing live captioning, offline captioning, and on-demand captioning services to serve deaf and hard of hearing audiences. Live captioning services included 225 units of 30-minute sessions, 75 units of 60-minute sessions, 7 units of 90-minute sessions, and 5 units of additional 15-minute sessions, with live captions required to achieve 95% accuracy. Offline captioning services with a standard five-day turnaround comprised 5 units each of 30-minute and 60-minute sessions, 1 unit of 90-minute sessions, and 5 units of additional 15-minute sessions, with recorded media captions required to achieve 100% accuracy. Additionally, 100 units of on-demand captioning services were solicited with vendor-provided quotes. Eligible vendors must be capable of generating live closed captions from audio feeds or text script files, provide a web-based encoder with HD-SDI connectivity (EEG HD490 caption encoder), and deliver program files electronically in mutually approved formats. The contract was awarded on a best value basis using measurable criteria weighted at 90 points for price and 10 points for delivery, with delivery time specified in working days and a one percent daily deduction applied for missed deadlines. Written vendor questions were due by August 2, 2021 at 10:00 AM ET, with bids due by August 11, 2021 at 1:30 PM ET, and an intended contract start date of August 24, 2021. The initial contract period was one year with four optional one-year renewal periods available at the discretion of both parties, subject to renegotiation of terms.

Kentucky resident bidders and qualified bidder entities, including Kentucky Correctional Industries, Kentucky Industries for the Blind, and nonprofit agencies serving individuals with severe disabilities, were eligible for preference points in accordance with Kentucky statutes, with qualified bidders receiving preference equal to 20 percent or 15 percent of maximum points respectively. The incumbent vendor was identified as Caption Advantage, with current pricing information provided for reference in the solicitation documents. Vendors were required to provide and deliver the caption encoder equipment to KET at their expense, with international vendors responsible for any international phone line costs for real-time captioning services. All bidders were required to maintain pricing for a minimum of 60 days after the bid due date, with no price increases permitted during the first 12 months of the contract; any increases thereafter required written justification based on industry-wide price changes. Vendors were required to submit bids electronically through the Commonwealth's eProcurement system and comply with tax registration, Secretary of State registration requirements for foreign entities, Equal Employment Opportunity requirements if applicable, and accessibility compliance standards under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 255 of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996. Specific award values or budget ranges were not disclosed in the solicitation documents; however, historical pricing from the incumbent vendor was provided in Attachment D for reference.