MODIFICATION
T -- NEWS CLIPPING REPORTING
- Notice Date
- 3/8/2006
- Notice Type
- Modification
- NAICS
- 519110
— News Syndicates
- Contracting Office
- DHS - Border and Transportation Security, Customs and Border Protection, National Acquisition Center, Intech Two, Suite 100 6650 Telecom Drive, Indianapolis, IN, 46278
- ZIP Code
- 46278
- Solicitation Number
- HSBPQ20019293
- Response Due
- 3/15/2006
- Archive Date
- 3/30/2006
- Point of Contact
- Sonja Robinson, Contract Specialist, Phone 317-614-4581, Fax 317-298-1344, - Sonja Robinson, Contract Specialist, Phone 317-614-4581, Fax 317-298-1344,
- E-Mail Address
-
sonja.r.robinson@customs.treas.gov, sonja.r.robinson@customs.treas.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Amendment #3 to HSBPQ20019293 is in response to questions received. The following is being provided: Additional questions will not be accepted prior to award. If prospective bidders have previously submitted proposal and wish to resubmit based upon the responses to the questions, may resubmit. 1) Q) What is the scope of the project, tasks, technical approach and other statement of work items as mention in item 9 of the combined solicitation? It would be more helpful in presenting the proposal more in line with your needs than discussing them after the award and pricing has already been established. A)- The scope of the project can be identified in the text in the combined synopsis/solicitation within (1) Introduction; (3) Background; and (4) Service Required. 2) Q) Kick-Off Meeting before performance commences on this contract. Meeting will be to identify primary points of contact, discuss scope, tasks and understanding of technical approach and other statement of work items. A) - See 7.4 Problems and issues within the scope of the contract, needs may arise for other deliverables - . 8.1 Defines other deliverables - if other deliverables are deemed appropriate a modification to the delivery order will be executed. 3) Q) Will the work location be the contractor's site? A) - See #5 of the combined synopsis/solicitation 4) Q) How many personnel are you expecting will take to meet your needs? A) This is your determination as to how many personnel you will need to accomplish the tasks in the combined synopsis/solicitation. 5) Q) At what GS grade equivalent will you expect contractor staff to perform at? A) - The contractor is required to provide the level of effort that they will provide to the government to accomplish the work described in the Statement of Work. The government is required to provide in the statement of work "what" is required not "how" the work is to be accomplished. 6) Q) Can you extend the closing date for submission of proposals to allow time for bidders to modify proposals in response to questions and answers? A) - This will be at the government's discretion. 7) Q) Will you be posting all questions? A) - There again this will be at the government's discretion. 8) Q) Do you have a contract value? A) - The contract value is considered to be within the Simplified Acquisition Threshold of FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) (FAR 13.5) 9) Q) Is this a new contract and if not will you provide information on the incumbent? A) - This is a new requirement 10) Q) What is meant by 8.1 immediate off-site technical support upon request by the government? Will it require travel? If so will it be paid on a case- by- case basis at normal government travel and per diem rates? A) - 8.1 falls under 8 Other deliverables - see response to question regarding #9 of the Statement of Work. (Section 8 defines other deliverables) 11) Q) Regarding 8.2 Occasional training sessions in the use of the service to be conducted at various locations in the National capital region. Will this also be billed as travel is required or should we include a certain amount of travel into our quote and if so, what is the expected travel occurrrences and for how long on each occasion. (Section 8 defines other deliverables) 12) A) - See answer to question #9 of the Statement of work (Section 8 defines other deliverables) 13) Q) Is there an incumbent for this contract? If so, who is the incumbent? A) – No there is no incumbent, this is a new requirement. 14) Q) Is this RFQ a low-cost, technically acceptable award? A) – The combined synopsis/solicitation states that “The government anticipates awarding one contract resulting from this combined synopsis/solicitation to the responsible offer(s) who will offer the best value to the government, price and other factors considered. The provision at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-1, Instruction to Offeror-Commercial, and any addenda to the provisions applies to this acquisition. The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items applies to the solicitation. The solicitation will be evaluated using the following criteria, in descending order of importance: (1) Ability to meet required technical specifications and to comply with the requirements outlined in this solicitation: (2) Experience/Past Performance; and (3) Price.” 15) Q) Based on the announcement, is all that is required to submit a quote a very short write-up, the SF 1449, and Reps & Certs? A) – The combined synopsis/solicitation is being used and does not require that the contract specialist use the SF 1449 for the solicitation in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 12.603. However, the reps and certs is still required by having a current profile in the Online Representations and Certification (http://orca.bpa.gov) prior to award. 16) Q) In relation to key words and search strategy are you interested in receiving all mentions of homeland and national security or homeland security with the provided key words/terms and national security with provided key words/terms? A) – Homeland Security with the provided key words/terms and national security with provided key words/terms 17) Q) What volume of coverage are you anticipating per week, month or year? Are these figures based on historical data or estimated values? A) – 185 stories a week, 740 a month, 8880 a year. Figures are estimates only. 18) Q) What is the allocated budget for these services? A) – The government is not allowed to divulge the allocated budget for any goods or services. 19) Q) How many broadcast segments will be purchased from the results received (minimum and maximum)? A)– Unknown 20) Q) What is your format preference for broadcast segments received (web-streamed, DVD, VHS)? A) – Web streamed 21) Q) When will the monitoring services start? A) – From the date of award. 22) Q) It is stated that this procurement is 100% set aside for small business. Is it acceptable to have a qualified big business as subcontractor if prime is performing more than 50% of the work? A) – No – As per Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 19 the prime contractor must be providing 51% 23) Q) Is there an incumbent? If so please identify the current contractor. A) – No – this is a new requirement 24) Q) RFQ was posted on the 17 February with proposal due date listed as 24 of February. Due to Monday being a national holiday, would your office consider extension of the proposal due date? A) – That will be at the discretion of the government whether or not to consider extending. 25) Q) Two NAICS Codes are specified. 519110 and 561410. Which one is applicable? A) – Both are $6.5, 519110 reflects news syndicates; 561410 reflects document preparation. 26) Q) We were wondering if any other bidders submitted questions, and if we could see the resultant Q&A’s? A) Yes 27) Q) On Spanish-language media in electronic form, does CBP require verbatim translation of the clips, or would providing English summary with full-text clips in the original language be sufficient? A) – Not Applicable not translations will be required 28) Q) As to sources of Spanish-language media in electronic form, does the CBP require international sources or is the Service primarily interested in domestic sources? A) – Domestic Sources 29) Q) What are the specific requirements of the IP protected website? How deep is it? How long will the content remain available? How will users access it? A) – Archive for 1 year. Users will access links from daily emails. 30) Q) Does the News Summary or Clipping need to be searchable? A) - Yes 31) Q) What specific coverage is expected from transcripts? A) – Not Applicable 32) Q) What is the expected date of award, and what is the expected date of delivery after award? A) – March 31, 2006; from date of award (approximately April 01,2006.) 33) Q) Is the Spanish content to be translated and summarized in English, or do you want the summary in Spanish? A) – Not Applicable. 34) Q) Just to confirm, is the response deadline for quotes now 3/15/06? A) – Yes 35) Q) Please provide detail on the Spanish-language requirement identified in paragraph 4.1 of the Statement of Work. Specifically: (a) is it sufficient to include such news only from the various Spanish-language media which make English-language versions of their stores publicly available; (b) can CBP provide more information regarding the geographic scope of this requirement (for example, “Spanish-language media from the United States,” the “US and Mexico” or “all Spanish-language media worldwide”) or list which Spanish-language media outlets are of specific interest to CBP; and (c) does the requirement relate just to “print” news or also television? If CBP requires translations of stories from Spanish to English, is there an estimate of how many stores each day would need to be translated from print and from television? Anything you can do to flesh this requirement out will be of help. A) – English language versions of their stories publicly available. No translations. 36) Q) Paragraph 4.1 identifies local television as a media source that must be monitored. Related questions: (a) can you confirm that this relates to news actually broadcast on TV (as opposed to wire stores published on the web sites of TV stations) and (b) is it fair to assume that broadcasts in border media markets are particularly important? A) – Wire stories published on the web sites of TV stations. Yes, broadcasts in border media markets are particularly important. 37) Q) A significant portion of the evaluation criteria is Experience/Past Performan in producing news briefings. To prove experience and past performance,does CBP require information beyond the inclusion of: resumes of those staff members who will be involved in producing the service; a list of contracts for comparable work for other government agencies; and contact information for references at other Federal departments and agencies where similar services are currently being provided? A – In addition the contractor must have a current profile in the online Representations and Certifications (http://orca.bpn.gov) and shall also be registered in Central Contractor Registry (CCR) (http://ccr.gov). 38) Q) All of our contracts with the Federal government for similar services a firm-fixed awards, and our intention is to submit a quote to CBP on that basis as well. Assuming that is acceptable, is it fair to also assume that the reporting requirements detailed in paragraphs 7 – 7.4 will be relaxed? A) No – This will be firm fixed price within the scope of the contract. If needs arise outside the scope for other deliverables a modification to the delivery order will be executed. ***************************************************************** This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with Federal Acquistion Regulation (FAR) Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional informaiton included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Reference HSBPQ20019293 is being advertised as a REquest for Quotes. This solicitation and consequent contract award incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC 2005-04. This acquisition is 100% set aside for small business. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this is 561410 and the Small Business Size for this NAICS code is $6M. QUOTES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 3:00PM(EST) FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2006 and should be sent electronically to sonja.robinson@dhs.gov or via facsimile to 317-298-1344 (attn: Sonja Robinson). Questions should be sent via e-mail to: sonja.robinson@dhs.gov. The deadline for questions is Wednesday, February 22,2006. Statement of Work 1. Introduction The contractor shall provide a complete and comprehensive review and summary of news stories affecting the Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP) on a daily basis from national and local television, newspapers, news wires, internet, publications, magazines, legal and trade journals, radio and specialty press, in electronic form, in accordance with the requirements and deliverables listed therein. 2. Period of Project One year from date of award, plus two one- year option periods. The exercise of option period will be at the discretion of the government. 3. Background The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CBP Office of Public Affairs requires a summary of major news coverage to be compiled and distributed to senior staff by 7:30 am every weekday, and a complete collection of daily news coverage to be available to all CBP employees by 7:30 am every weekday. Briefings are not required on weekends or Federal Holidays. CBP requires daily news clipping articles, summarized, compiled and distributed to senior staff and other interested parties. Accordingly, CBP has a requirement for a company capable of reviewing a wide range of news outlets, apply understanding of the complex national security environment, edit out duplicate or non-critical information and respond to evolving news and issues relating to CBP. Extracting of critical information and an indication of where stories run are critical. News briefings shall be timely, relevant, and focused on the latest developments of CBP. The contractor must provide a service with access to regional, national and international news from the complete spectrum of media sources. 4. Service Required 4.1 The contractor shall provide complete and comprehensive access to media sources including but not limited to national and local television, radio, Internet, magazines and periodicals, newspapers, news wires, trade journals, specialty publications, and Spanish-language media in electronic form. 4.2 The media sources must reflect news topics related to homeland and national security including but not limited to aviation security, border security, cargo security, citizenship issues, counterfeit goods, Congressional activity, customs investigations, cyber security, emerging technologies, federal law enforcement, immigration enforcement, immigration services, intelligence, international trade, maritime security, national security, natural disasters, port security, preparedness, response and recovery and terrorism. 4.3 The service shall be organized by story and subject, including a customized index divided by subject matter and shall be in printable format for distribution. 4.4.Summary service shall cover weekends and holidays, with weekend/holiday news presented on the first workday following the weekend/holiday (usually Monday). 4.5 The contractor may be required to provide access to the service for approximately 40,000 government employees in domestic locations. 4.6 Service shall include an IP-protected web site that will allow CBP employees to obtain access without requiring usernames or passwords. The web site shall maintain a 30+day archive, and CBP will be authorized to archive its MS Word or Adobe Acrobat files for any length of time as deemed appropriate by CBP management. 4.7 The service must be reliable, operational 24 hours a day, and immediately available from multiple locations simultaneously. 4.8 Services shall be in compliance with Section 508 Accessibility Standards (www.section508.gov) 5. Contractor Personnel No on site personnel will be required 6. Work location Not applicable 7. Monthly Reports and Invoices The contractor shall submit an invoice by the 15th working day following the end of each month. The contractor shall also submit two (2) copies of a monthly report to the Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR) by the 15th working day following the end of each month for review, processing and acceptance. The monthly report shall contain but not limited to, the following: 7.1 Management Summary: Documenting any major problem/issues, current expenditures by work hours and any significant process or event. List of all Government furnished equipment (GFE)”, or contractor furnished equipment (CFE) and facility, to include software, documentation date and name of Government representative who provided GFE and the name of the contractor representative who received the GFE. GFE or CFE information will also be documented when GFE is returned to the Government or contactor. 7.2 Resource Expenditures: Funds expended during the reported period, cumulative total, and funds remaining on contract and projected total hours for each individual working on this task. 7.3 Narrative: Description of work performed on tasks during the reported period and expected to be performed during the next month, including discussion of any problems/issues and recommendations for correction by the 10th working day following the end of each month. 7.4 Report Headings: The heading on all reports shall contain the following information: - Contract Number - Name of Contractor - Phone Number of Contractor - Period of Performance - Contract Program Manager - Total Dollar Value - Title of Project - Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative - Problems and Issues Within the scope of the contract, needs may arise for other deliverables. If other deliverables are deemed appropriate a modification to the delivery order will be executed. 8. Deliverables 8.1 Immediate off-site technical support upon request by the government. 8.2 Occasional training sessions in the use of the service to be conducted at various locations in the National Capital region. 8.3 The contractor shall provide deliverables as directed by the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative for review and acceptance. The contractor shall provide the deliverables in electronic format to the extent possible. All documentation developed by the contractor shall become the property of the Government and shall not contain proprietary markings. 9. Kick-Off Meeting before performance commences on this contract. Meeting will be to identify primary points of contact, discuss scope, tasks and understanding of technical approach and other statement of work items. The government anticipates awarding one contract resulting from this combined synopsis/solicitation to the responsible offeror(s) who will offer the best value to the Government, price and other factors considered. The provision at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.212-1, Instruction to Offerors-Commercial, and any addenda to the provisions, applies to this acquisition. The provision at 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Items applies to the solicitation. The solicitation will be evaluated using the following criteria, in descending order of importance: (1) Ability to meet required technical specifications and to comply with the requirements outlined in this solicitation: (2) Experience/Past Performance; and (3) Price. The provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications, applies to this solicitation. If the offeror has completed the annual representation and certifications electronically at the http://orca/bpa.gov website, the offeror shall complete (and submit) only paragraph (j) of 52.212-3. The contractor must have a current profile in the Online Representations and Certification (http://orca.bpa.gov) prior to award. Per FAR 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration, the contractor must be registered in Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) prior to award. The following additional FAR clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.215-5, Facsimile Proposals (Oct 1997), (a) Definition. “Facsimile proposal” as used in this provision, means a proposal, revision or modification of a proposal that is transmitted to and received by the Government via facsimile machine. (b) Offerors may submit facsimile quotes/response (in addition to e-mail) to this solicitation, at 317-298-1344 (d) If any portion of a facsimile proposal received is unreadable to the degree that conformance to the essential requirements of the solicitation cannot be ascertained from the document –(1) The Contract Specialist immediately shall notify the Offeror and permit the Offeror to resubmit the proposal (2) The method and time for resubmission shall be prescribed by the Contract Specialist after consultation with the Offeror; and (3) The resubmission shall be considered as if it were received at the date and time of the original unreadable submission for the purpose of determining timeliness, provided the Offeror complies with the time and format requirements for resubmission prescribed by the Contract Specialist. (e) The Government reserves the right to make award solely on the facsimile proposal, FAR 52.222-3 Convict Labor 9June 2003); FAR 52.223-6, Drug Free Workplace (May 2001); FAR 52.247-34, F.o.b. Destination (Nov 1991);l FAR 52,252-2, Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998)’ F.O.B. Destination, FAR 52.252-1. Solicitation Provision incorporated by Reference may be accessed in full text at http://www.arnet.gov/far In addition, the following Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) clauses and provisions are incorporated into this solicitation: HSAR 3052.209-70 Prohibition on contracts with corporate expatriates, as prescribed at (HSAR), as prescribed in (HSAR) 48 CFR 3028.310-70 and 3028.310-70 and 3028.311-1 and 3052.247-72, F.O.B. destination only, as prescribed in (HSAR) 48 CFR 3047.305-70 ©, Insurance as prescribed at (HSAR), 48 C NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (08-MAR-2006); HOWEVER, IT DID APPEAR IN THE FEDBIZOPPS FTP FEED ON THIS DATE. PLEASE CONTACT fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
-
Link to FedBizOpps document.
(http://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS-BT/USCS/FPSB/HSBPQ20019293/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 1300 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW WASHINGTON, DC
- Zip Code: 20229
- Country: USA
- Zip Code: 20229
- Record
- SN01002812-F 20060310/060308215611 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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