SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Integration of Coummunication/Marketing Strategies
- Notice Date
- 7/8/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541613
— Marketing Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- NTISMarketingStrategy
- Archive Date
- 8/23/2011
- Point of Contact
- Gina Lee, Phone: 703-605-6116, Elizabeth Shaw, Phone: 703-605-6136
- E-Mail Address
-
glee@ntis.gov, eshaw@ntis.gov
(glee@ntis.gov, eshaw@ntis.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Woman Owned Small Business
- Description
- Statement of Objective I. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) basic authority to operate as a permanent clearinghouse of scientific and technical information is codified in Chapter 23 of Title 15 of the United States Code (15 U.S.C. 1151-1157). This chapter also established NTIS' authority to charge fees for its products and services and to recover all costs through such fees "to the extent feasible." The authority was restated in the National Technical Information Act of 1988, codified as 15 U.S.C. 3704b. This Act gave NTIS the authority to enter into joint ventures and declared the Clearinghouse to be a permanent Federal function that could not be eliminated or privatized without Congressional approval. National Technical Information Act of 1988 was amended by the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-245) which: •(1) required all costs associated with bibliographic control to be covered by fees; •(2) required agencies to make copies of their scientific and technical reports available to NTIS; and •(3) directed NTIS to focus on developing new electronic methods and media for information dissemination. Another statute having a profound impact on NTIS is the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Act for FY 1993 (Public Law 102-395) which established NTIS Revolving Fund and gave it authority to use that Fund without further approval by Congress. In addition, Section 1526 of Title 15 of the United States Code authorizes NTIS to accept payments in advance for services to be provided to other Federal Government agencies. II. GENERAL SCOPE: The NTIS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is seeking information that can provide and direct an overarching plan for the integration of all existing agency communication efforts to include new strategies on improving customer outreach and interaction. New strategies would include the utilization of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Information Architecture (IA) which are guided by the Web Policies and Best Practices of the Department of Commerce. NTIS currently markets products and services using a variety of outreach efforts including the NTIS website, newsletters, direct mail/email marketing, webinars, trade shows, symposiums, and social media. The proposed plan would assist with the integration of these efforts and would provide cost-effective and consistent solutions on how to develop and promote the mission of NTIS through effective brand messaging. This strategy is challenging because the NTIS mission is unique: to promote the economic growth and opportunity by serving as the Federal Government's central means of making scientific and technical information perpetually and widely available, and is required by law to operate on a self-sustaining basis. NTIS has developed relationships with its core customer constituencies and uniquely formed public/private partnerships, but seeks to strengthen and broaden the scope of its customer base and support through the utilization of an all-encompassing communication program. The core customer constituencies include the library, business, academic, federal, and general public communities. III. REQUESTED RESPONSE: Responses should include innovative and creative methods for the integration of all communication efforts and for the utilization of new strategies encompassing the following: •· Overview and analysis of the current marketing channels, and the existing website with suggestions for refreshing; •· Increase traffic to the NTIS website by Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing and Information Architecture; •· Methods to track and analyze traffic throughout the website including the shopping cart function; •· Determine through analysis the content and features of the website compel customers to explore the site in an in-depth manner and make return visits on a regular basis; •· Reinforcing the NTIS brand identity across all communication/marketing efforts; •· Integrating all communication/marketing efforts into a cohesive and effective brand message; •· Analysis/aggregation of all communication/marketing efforts to determine success/failure rates to include the Click Through Rate (CTR), when applicable; •· Interactive media solutions to create a sense of community among NTIS existing and potential customers; •· Analyze NTIS' social media presence - YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for more effective brand communication and integration with other outreach efforts; and •· Suggest other social media venues for outreach expansion. Respondents are limited to Women-Owned Small Businesses located within the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Responses to this RFI must include a detailed plan incorporating the requirements listed. Additionally, responses must include the candidate's expertise in providing proven marketing integration services and include successful past examples of this expertise. A Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM), to include all of the required tasks outlined above in bullets, should be included with submissions. All responses must be in writing. Prospective candidates should limit their submissions to no more than seven (7) pages to include all charts, graphs, and resumes. Candidates must provide an electronic or hard-copy response to Elizabeth Shaw, Associate Director, Office of Federal Services at the "Place of Performance" address below by the response date specified in the announcement. The Government reserves the right to choose which firms to contact based on the quality of the submissions and the current fit with NTIS organizational, budgetary and customer needs. Interested parties may contact: Elizabeth Shaw Associate Director, Office of Federal Services Phone (703) 605-6136 Fax (703) 605-6380 E-mail: eshaw@ntis.gov
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/NTISMarketingStrategy/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, 5301 Shawnee Road, Alexandria, Virginia, 22312, United States
- Zip Code: 22312
- Zip Code: 22312
- Record
- SN02493691-W 20110710/110708235107-7ed0f6cd79fb294c803f65b79e95a18a (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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