SOLICITATION NOTICE
D -- E-mail List Server Hosting and Management
- Notice Date
- 2/22/2002
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Broadcasting Board of Governors, Associate Director for Management, Office of Contracts (M/CON), 330 C Street, SW, Room 2500, Washington, DC, 20237
- ZIP Code
- 20237
- Solicitation Number
- BBGCON1302S5286
- Response Due
- 3/27/2002
- Point of Contact
- Wayne Greene, Contracting Officer, Phone 202-619-2339, Fax 202-205-1921, - Herman Shaw, Contracting Officer , Phone 202-205--8412, Fax 202-260-0855,
- E-Mail Address
-
wgreene@ibb.gov, hshaw@ibb.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- (i) THIS IS A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FORMAT IN SUBPART 12.6, AS SUPPLEMENTED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. (ii) SOLICITATION NO. BBGCON1302C5286-WG IS ISSUED AS A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) AND A CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED USING FAR PART 13, SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION PROCEDURES. (iii) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through federal acquisition circular 2001-4, dated February 20, 2002. (iv) This is a full and open procurement for E-mail Services under NAICS 513310, Wired Telecommunications Carriers. (v) The Broadcasting Board of Governors, International Broadcasting Bureau (BBG/IBB) has a requirement for a Contractor to provide all labor, equipment, supplies, materials and other necessary items needed in support of VOA's Hosting and Managing of E-mail List Server 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contractor shall expand the information distribution capabilities of the (IBB) International Broadcasting Bureau's web sites. Contractor shall perform all work in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW) for a one-year period at a firm-fixed price. BACKGROUND: To expand the information distribution capabilities of the (IBB) International Broadcasting Bureau's web sites, the Office of Internet Development wishes to develop a permission email system to deliver headline and topical news to registrants in target countries. Individual subscribers will be able to register for this subscription service in their respective language through all of IBB's web sites, including www.ibb.gov, www.bbg.gov, www.voa.gov and www.voanews.com. Each day, headline and topical news will be automatically delivered in an HTML or text format to the registered recipients in the language of their choice. Initially, the project will begin with five languages designated by Voice of America and will subsequently add five languages per month until all of IBB's language services have the ability to offer permission email on their web sites. The permission email vendor will have to deliver an application that will work with IBB's Cold Fusion web publishing tool and SQL database. The ideal application will be completely automated so that the publishing and editorial team will not have to be involved in email publishing. In addition, the product must be able to support double opt-in. STATEMENT OF WORK: Overall Requirements: (1). Email permission system needs to be highly flexible so new features and services can be added. (2) The system needs to be as automated as possible. There should be minimum human intervention and support. (3) The system's workflow needs to be measurable, informative, and provide instant measurement results to gauge success. (4) Vendor needs to demonstrate that the system is dependable and has been already been successfully deployed with other clients, providing a list of references. (5). The email system must be hosted in a secure and protected environment. All data gathered will be the property of IBB and may not be distributed or shared with any party unless with the expressed approval of the International Broadcasting Bureau. (6) All email will be delivered completely devoid of vendor's own branding. (7) The vendor must provide a scalable enterprise solution for very high volume. (8) Vendor must have in-house HTML expertise and demonstrate their ability to integrate web systems. (9) Vendor's proposed system must conform to all US government laws and regulations overseeing the distribution of content over the Internet, as well as privacy issues. (vi) Specific Technical Requirements: The Contractor must provide the following: (1) System must support an iterative test cycle that includes delivery of personalized emails prior to uploading final list of targeted recipients. (2) System must support setup of an E-mail distribution event in test mode, and the ability to schedule the same setup for final delivery. (3) System must offer a simple workflow feature that, if activated, requires sign-off from a designated reviewer to approve all E-mail distribution event deployments. The sign-off process is reached via an email Messages that are generated by the system at the start of a previously scheduled publishing event. (4) System must provide an editing template interface and preview feature that allows for quick and easy previews of content and editing. (5) System must receive file transfer of email recipients using a web interface designed to perform a variety of control functions. Its use will enable IBB to add one or more subscribers, create subscription associations with those subscribers, control content, schedule publishing tasks and obtain report data. (6) System must support the ability to associate one to many email recipient files with an E-mail distribution event. The platform must allow IBB to create as many lists as desired. Each list can have associated with it an unlimited number of subscribers. Subscribers can belong to multiple lists. (7) System must permit IBB images to be used in E-mail distribution events by utilizing a simple file management interface to both upload and download data through a web browser. In addition to hosting images, host static HTML content (forms, landing pages, etc.). (8) System must provide support for UniCode web publishing. Tracking Requirements: (1) Separate tracking by E-mail distribution event. (2) Support differential tracking of URLs by email copy. (3) Support the ability to disable URL tracking for text E-mail distribution events. (4) Support tracking of redirect URLs by placement within email message, and not only by URL identity. (5) Support tracking of unique and total clicks per user per URL. (6) Support opened email tracking for HTML emails. (7) Tracking for brokered E-mail distribution events - E-mail distribution event consists only of a link to be tracked, with no associated blast. (8) Demonstrated capability to indefinitely track E-mail distribution events. Email Delivery: (1) Send multipart, HTML or Text message. (2) Personalize redirect URLs. (3) Personalize subject lines. (4) Support one to many token substitutions in email body. (5) Support bounce-backs, auto-replies, and human replies. (6) Differentiate between hard and soft bounces and automatically adjust subscription counts. All bounce events should be recorded and can be analyzed. Additionally, bounced email messages need to be archived for up to 30 days for IBB to review. (7) Track the number of subscribers for each list and report which of them are (either through automatic or manual selection) associated with HTML, or plain-text. System will permit IBB to be able to view statistics in real-time, including the ability to determine how many HTML recipients read their messages and how many recipients opted-out, bounced, etc. (8) Build random tests sending test messages to every nth address. (9) Build test sends to some subset of uploaded file of email recipients. (10) Build email content dynamically based on user profiles. Platform is predicated on the fact that every E-mail generated is unique, personalized and targeted. Additionally, content will be pulled in from external sites at the start of an E-mail distribution event. (11) Send real-time messages based on user activity (e.g. program updates, special events, news alerts, etc.). (12) Enable transactions within an email. (13) Incorporate rich media (e.g. Flash, audio, video, etc.) into email. (14) Schedule mailings to drop at a certain time within a day. (15) Pace delivery in order to prevent rejection of a large block of emails by recipient domains. (16) Auto-suppress bad email addresses. (17) Auto-filter duplicate email addresses. (18) Support unsubscribe link which takes user to hosted web page for opt-out. Database Maintenance/Synchronization: (1) Transfer information to a client's database, and vice-versa. (2) Host lead-capture forms (including registration pages, profile modification pages, unsubscribe pages, etc.). (3) Patch bad email addresses discovered on send, and provide results for data synchronization, identified by E-mail distribution event. Omit duplication on send, import and de-dupes automatically as new additions are added to a list. (4) Provide opt-outs, bounce, suppression/pre-send scrub or filtering information or any post E-mail distribution event results for data synchronization, separate/and or identified by E-mail distribution event. (5) Provide copies of database information and export formats of same. Technology Requirements: (1) Platform must be designed to be highly distributed and scalable. For security, all servers must sit behind a state of the art hardware-based firewall situated in a secure, hardened, environmentally protected data center. (2) Platform supports the notion of "high" priority queues. (3) Valuable data needs to be backed up to secondary and tertiary locations within the host data center and copies are to be made to physical media (CD-ROM) for storage at an offsite location. Backups are to be done nightly. (4) Vendor's business practices must conform US Government Information Security Reform Act (GISRA). Service and Support: (1) Regular consultation on the performance of the platform and IBB's requirements. (2) Regular review of product features as identified by the International Broadcasting Bureau. (3) Initial presentation of capabilities to IBB senior and associated staff. In addition, a dedicated Account Representative will be assigned to manage all aspects of contact with IBB on a day-to-day basis. He/she will handle all issues around E-mail distribution event management and will work with counterparts on generating new ideas for clients as well as product enhancements. (4) A half-day or full day of training is to be provided with supporting documentation. The training schedule is completely flexible and driven by the IBB's schedule and the number of personnel they want exposed and trained on the product. (5) Vendor must strive for 100% uptime and system availability but will notify in advance about scheduled maintenance on its systems and software from time to time. (6) In the event of system failure or technical support vendor will provide a multi-tier escalation procedure to be handled through an account representative on a 24x7 basis. Alerts from IBB to an account rep are to be immediately escalated through the internal vendor's systems. Technical alerts (server issues etc.) are already handled through 24x7 notifications to vendor's technical support. (7) If there are strategic or other issues that can not be handled via an account representative, IBB should have the ability to contact other vendor principles via distributed numbers. Reporting & Analysis Capabilities: (1) E-mail is automatically sent to the person controlling an E-mail distribution event launch when all of the outbound messages have been generated and have begun being sent. Real-time reporting provides immediate feedback of the number of messages generated and the response rates associated with the E-mail distribution event. (2) Platform should be capable of tracking the number of emails generated and delivered, the number of soft and hard bounces related to a specific E-mail distribution event, the number of unsubscribe requests, the number of actual opt-outs that occur (combination of manual opt-out requests and hard bounces), the number of open messages (reads) for HTML and detailed click-through activity. Querying the data should be performed through a real-time web-based research interface. (3) The reporting should be all web based (with the option of downloading raw data for analysis using customer's tools) and can be accessed at any time by those people given permission to do so. Data are updated in real-time. (vii) The Contractor shall coordinate with BBG, 330 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC within 30 days after contract award. Interested contractors who are capable of performing this service should submit a capability statement (consisting of separate technical and price proposals) as noted below. The contractor shall have demonstrated ability and experience in performing the required service (viii) The provision at FAR 52.212-1 "Instructions to Offerors--Commercial Items" is hereby incorporated by reference. Offerors are reminded to identify and submit their DUNS Number with their proposal. Offerors responding to this solicitation shall submit the following items to the contracting office: EXPERIENCE: The Contractor shall demonstrate experience with 24/7 Hosting and Managing of E-mail List Server. The Contractor shall provide documentation showing compliance with the below listed criteria. The documentation shall be provided in a way that it easily verifiable by the Government. (ix) FAR Provision 52.212-2 "Evaluation -- Commercial Items" applies to this acquisition. The Government will award a firm-fixed price (FFP) contract resulting from this RFP to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the RFP will be most advantageous to the Government based on price, past performance and other factors. Of the two Selection Criteria namely technical and price, when combined, the Technical is significantly more important that price. The following evaluation factors listed below in order of importance will be used to evaluate proposals: a. Offerors Proposed Systems Integration and Operation; b. Offerors Proposed Delivery Schedule; c. Offerors's Experience; d. Offerors's Past Performance; and e. Price Evaluation; The Offeror's price proposal will be reviewed by the Contracting Officer to verify reasonableness and realism of proposed price, and to ensure that all identified work has been included in the cost proposal. An unrealistic price proposal may be evidence of the Offeror's lack of, or poor understanding of, the solicitation's stated requirements may in result in rejection. (x) Offerors shall include a completed copy of the provisions at FAR 52.212-3, "Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items". Proposals must also include prompt payment terms and correct remittance address; if different from mailing address. (xi) The clause at 52.212-4; Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition-with no addenda to the clause; (xii) FAR Clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition as well as the following clauses contained within FAR Clause 52.212-5: FAR Clause 52.222-21; Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999), 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Executive Order 11246); 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Dec 2001) (38 U.S.C. 4211 and 4212); 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 1998) (29 U.S.C. 793); 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (Dec 2001) (38 U.S.C. 4212); 52.225-3, Buy American Act -- North American Free Trade Agreement--Israeli Trade Act--Balance of Payments Program (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C. 10a-10d); and 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Central Contractor Registration (31 U.S.C. 3332)(May 1999); 52.217-9 -- Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (March 2000). (xiii) There are not any additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions (such as contract financing arrangements or warranty requirements) necessary for this acquisition other than those consistent with customary commercial practices; Failure to provide any of the above items may result in the rejection of your proposal. Full text of all FAR Clauses and provisions are available electronically at the following Internet address: (http://www.arnet.gov/far/). (xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating is not applicable to this acquisition; (xv) Numbered Note 1 applies as, proposed contract is 100% set aside for small business concern; (xvi) Offers are due not later than 3 pm EST, Wednesday, March 27, 2002 and they shall reference RFP No. BBGCON1302S5286 (xvii) Any questions related to this proposed procurement shall be in writing and shall be sent directly and only to the Contract Specialist, Wayne Greene at fax 202-260-0855 or e-mail at wgreene@IBB.gov. Offers shall be submitted in writing and must be signed by an official authorized to bind the Offeror's organization. Proposals are due at BBG/IBB, 330 C Street, SW, Room 2523, Washington, DC 20237, attn: Mr. Wayne Greene. Oral proposals will not be accepted. All responsible sources may submit an offer, which shall be considered by the Agency. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO FEDBIZOPPS.GOV ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (22-FEB-2002). IT ACTUALLY FIRST APPEARED ON THE FEDBIZOPPS SYSTEM ON 10-MAY-2002. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
-
Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.eps.gov/spg/BBG/ADM/MCONWASHDC/BBGCON1302S5286/listing.html)
- Record
- SN00075375-F 20020512/020510214253 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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