MODIFICATION
R -- Editoral Review & Production of Articles
- Notice Date
- 3/20/2007
- Notice Type
- Modification
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20894, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 07-079SB
- Response Due
- 3/26/2007
- Archive Date
- 4/10/2007
- Point of Contact
- Sally Boakye, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-496-6546, Fax 301-402-0642, - Natasha Ayers, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-496-6546, Fax 301-402-0642,
- E-Mail Address
-
boakyes@mail.nih.gov, ayersn@mail.nlm.nih.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions received regarding this notice. Q1. Are the quarterly publications limited to NIHMedlinePlus and NEWSLINE? Or are there other publications included? A1. Yes. Q2. Are we to produce the podcast or simply prepare the editorial content for the podcast? A2. Just prepare the editorial content for the podcast. Q3. Are the contract writers to be a part of our team, or are they writers you already have under contract? A3. They are to be part of your team. Q4. What is the definition of production of NLM promotional materials? Does this mean writing, design, printing, web coding, etc or just writing and editing? A4. Production of NLM promotional materials means writing and editing. Q5. In light of the fact that price is one of the factors considered in the evaluation of our proposal, what type of cost information is desired? For example, do you want information of hourly rates, or rates by task? Do you want a separate cost proposal? There does not appear to a point value for price/cost, yet it is an evaluation factor. Please explain. A5. By hours per task. Q6. What is the estimated level of effort A6. Approximately two FTEs. Q7. Does a contractor currently perform the work specified in the solicitation? If so, who is the contractor and how long have they been providing this support to NLM? A7. We have had contract support for about one year. For information on the Contractor please submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Q8. The second paragraph under the "Description" heading indicates that some of the work will be performed at NIH. Could you please indicate what level of effort (in FTEs) will need to be performed at NIH and the type of work (e.g., meetings with NLM staff, writing, design, web support, etc.)? How many FTEs per type of work? A8. Two FTEs will be required. Other than meetings, the remainder of the work can be performed off NIH campus. Q9. Task 1 states that the contractor shall "prepare and edit articles." What is meant by prepare? Does this task involve writing? Research? Photography? Design and layout? A9. Prepare under Task 1 means to research, write, and edit. Q10. How many articles for the NLM quarterly publications will be prepared and edited by the contractor? A10. It would vary. It is estimated that approximately 40-50 articles of varying lengths will be prepared and edited by the contractor for the NLM quarterly publications. Q11. Is the contractor responsible for producing Section 508 compliant HTML and/or accessible PDF files of the quarterly publications? A11. No Q12. Is the contractor responsible for generating story ideas? A12. No. The contractor would consult with NLM staff and others to generate story ideas. Q13. Regarding Task 4, how many conferences will there be per year? How long are the conferences? How many people attend them and how many make presentations? A13. Approximately four two-day conferences per year. Q14. Task 4 indicates that the contractor is to "coordinate? the development, drafting . . . and fact checking of conference proceedings but does not say that the contractor will actually perform the tasks. Does this mean that the contractor actually covers the meetings, draft the proceedings, and so on? If not, could you please describe the tasks involved in coordination, and how many different contributors would be involved? A14. The contractor would be expected to attend the conference and draft the proceedings, preparing an analysis of the conference proceedings for use as a written record of the proceedings as well as a news piece in a quarterly publication. Q15. How long are the conference calls under Task 5 and how many people participate in each call? A15. Conference calls are each one to one and a half hours and about eight to twelve people are involved in each call. Q16. Aside from participating in the conference calls, will the contractor be responsible for doing anything else in relation to them, such as planning them, setting agendas, transcribing or note-taking, etc.? A16. No. Q17. What are the "other outreach materials" mentioned under Task 5 and will the contractor for this contract be involved in their development? Can you provide some examples or describe sample materials? How many such materials will be developed annually, and what role will the contractor play? A17. Other outreach materials mentioned under Task 5 may include public services announcements, business reply cards, storyboards, or other materials designed to promote the quarterly publications of the NLM. Q18. Are the NLM promotional materials mentioned under Task 8 different from the outreach materials mentioned in Task 5? If so, what will Task 8 materials be, how many will be developed annually, and, in addition to writing, what will the contractor be required to do under this task? A18. The Promotional materials mentioned under Task 8 refer to brochures, reports, press releases, announcements, and other written materials designed to promote programs of the NLM. Q19. Regarding the requirements relative to weekly podcasts, will the contractor go beyond preparation of the script to also produce the podcast for distribution? A19. No. The contractor would only be responsible for preparing the script for the podcast. Q20. Your amendment to the solicitation seems to indicate a need for at least 2 FTEs or a combination of several part-time FTEs. How many FTEs do you anticipate needing for this task? A20. It is anticipated that approximately two FTEs will be required to fulfill this task. Q21. Evaluation Factor B. Personal Merit. You have asked for ?A resume...? Do you truly want only one resume for the lead position who demonstrates the required qualifications? A21. Yes. Q22. 4. How much travel to the NIH offices is expected? How many days at a time? A22. Meetings twice a week with NLM staff (teleconference or in person); One a month in person meeting. Q23. Is there any other anticipated travel to other parts of the country? A23. No. Q24. How much research/interviewing must the contractor undertake for each article? Is information/facts provided for each article and the contractor writes and edits an article? Or would the contractor be expected to interview for the article as well? A24. The contractor would be expected to interview, research, and write each article in about four hours ? around 500 words each article. Q25. How long is it anticipated that the twice weekly conference calls will last? What is their duration? An hour each time? More? A25. An hour each time. Q26. How many layers and people are involved in the approval process? What is the turn around time for review and approval? A26. Approval process is variable depending on approving Institute staff schedule ? usually several days following submission. Q27. Under 'Personal Merit' it states qualifications must be demonstrated. What qualifications are required of the contractor other than being a small business? A27. NLM would like to review the contractor?s previous experiences in handling contracts of a similar nature. Q28. How many other contractors are involved in the production of the publications? A28. Three. Q29. What is the timeline for awarding the contract? A29. Immediately upon approval of the contract. Q30. Are there any insurance requirements for the contractor? If so, what are they? A30. There are no insurance requirements for the contractor. Q31. Can you explain what the 'conference proceedings' are in the 4th task description? A31. The conference proceedings includes the compilation of all remarks delivered as well as any audiovisuals and handouts presented to supplement remarks. Q32. The amendment says: "3) Research, draft, revise, and prepare podcasts for use by the NLM Director in his weekly podcast (4 hours per podcast/1 per month);" Please clarify what you mean by "1 per month". If the podcast is held weekly, there will be 4 podcasts per month. A32. That was an error. It should read, ?4 hours per podcast/1 per week.? Q33. Is there a particular format in which you would prefer that we tailor our proposal regarding Solicitation Number 07-079SB? Some organizations provide a list of specific headings under which the details of a contract proposal may be presented. A33. There is not a particular format that we prefer for the submission of your proposal. Q34. Are you going to issue a series of task orders or is this a professional services contract? We are unclear as to what the form of the contract is. A34. Professional Services Q35. What kind of contract will be awarded (e.g., cost plus fixed fee, time and materials, etc.)? A35. Fixed Price Q36. Will you be accepting responses emailed or faxed or must responses be physically mailed to you through overnight and/or USPS? A36. Email. Q37. Subject notice does not include pricing information required for submission. A37. The Independent Government Cost Estimate will not be provided.
- Record
- SN01254820-W 20070322/070320220331 (fbodaily.com)
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