SPECIAL NOTICE
76 -- Commercial Books
- Notice Date
- 7/19/2012
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 323117
— Books Printing
- Contracting Office
- Library of Congress, Contracts Services, Contracts Section, 101 Independence Ave SE, LA-325, Washington, District of Columbia, 20540-9411
- ZIP Code
- 20540-9411
- Solicitation Number
- RQNLS20120204
- Archive Date
- 8/17/2012
- Point of Contact
- Clint Unger, Phone: 2027078604
- E-Mail Address
-
cunger@loc.gov
(cunger@loc.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- *** This is a special notification for a sole source award. Attached is the draft SOW (subject to change). The Library of Congress is planning to award this as a sole source. *** DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/WORK STATEMENT C.1 PREFACE TO DESCRIPTION, SPECIFICATIONS, AND WORK STATEMENT C.1.1 Background The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, administers a free library service to eligible residents of the United States and American citizens living abroad who cannot hold, handle, or read standard print media because of a temporary or permanent visual or physical limitation. Using federal funds, NLS annually publishes approximately two thousand books and seventy magazines in audio and Braille formats. Titles are selected to appeal to a wide variety of interests. Books and magazines are narrated and duplicated to a high professional standard. The number of copies produced of any title is dependent on anticipated reader demand. Playback machines and their accessories are designed to facilitate convenient use by blind and physically handicapped people, provide maximum reliability under environmental conditions that are sometimes harsh, and survive handling that may be technically unsophisticated or inadvertently abusive. The equipment plays program materials in a special format compatible with NLS machines. A cooperating network of fifty six regional libraries, forty five subregional libraries and eleven advisory outreach centers circulates recorded and Braille materials to a readership of some five hundred thousand adults and children out of a potential eligible population of three million. Magazine subscriptions are provided on a direct mail basis from the producers. Users must generally deal with service centers in distant cities and communicate by mail, e mail, or phone with little or no personal contact. All materials and equipment come and go through a free matter mail order system. Sixty percent of the users are more than sixty four years old and depend on the NLS program as their major source of entertainment and their connection with the print world; ninety five percent read recorded materials, five per cent read Braille. Users are informed about new books, magazines, and services through two bimonthly publications, annual catalogs, web based catalogs, and subject bibliographies produced by NLS, as well as various publications produced and circulated by the regional and subregional libraries. C. 1.2 User Materials Contractors who produce books, equipment, or other products shall be cognizant of the consumer-responsive nature of the program and that the specifications for these products have been developed to meet the needs of program users. Materials are produced with the readers' needs foremost in mind and improved through constant monitoring and consumer input. Contractors are expected to familiarize themselves with the equipment-handling practices of blind and physically handicapped clientele and ensure that the supplies and equipment produced shall stand up under such use. A high degree of quality workmanship and product reliability is mandated by the product specification. C.1.3 Variations Books to be assigned under an awarded contract are selected by the Library. Length of books will vary, as will minutes of narration and number of copies of each title required for the program. These variables, unknown at time of contract award, make it impossible for the Library to know for certain if the contracted number of books will be the actual number completed. However, based on historical data as outlined in Section B for "standard titles" the Library will assign actual titles in order to utilize the contract award and funds obligated as fully as possible. This may result in more or less than the stated number of titles. (See also sections C.11, I.2 and I.4) C.1.4 Policy NLS follows the mandate of Public Law 89-522 for the purchase of books, either in raised characters or in sound reproduction recordings, by giving preference to nonprofit institutions whose activities are primarily concerned with the blind and other physically handicapped persons where bids submitted by such institutions are determined to be fair and reasonable. To fulfill the intent of this mandate and in order to receive this preference, a contractor must perform a substantial portion of the work that is represented by the cost of producing the described items, or by making a significant contribution to the manufacture or production of the end item. In this solicitation, this is defined as follows: •A substantial portion of the work means a minimum of fifty percent (fifty percent or more) of the duplication, DTB mastering, labeling, packaging and shipping activities, to be determined by one or more of the following: cost not including cost of materials, labor hours, or titles. •A significant contribution means either a) all DTB mastering or b) all duplication, labeling, packaging, and shipping activities. C.2SCOPE OF WORK Convert audio files from commercial audio books produced by Blackstone Audio Inc.or Recorded Books, Inc. to Digital Talking Book (DTB) format, provide DTB review copies and later control copies to NLS, and then duplicate, package and distribute books to network libraries on flash cartridge media, All work shall be in accordance with this solicitation document, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Specifications #1202,#1203, #1205 and #1206 incorporated herein and made a part hereof, and any "Special Instructions" issued with titles during performance of contract. Copies of the specifications are available at http://www.loc.gov/nls/specs. Samples of the products that precisely meet all applicable requirements may be required at any time during the period of performance. C.3FILE CREATION DOCUMENTS C.3.1NLS to Provide Contractor NLS will provide the contractor with flash cartridges, flash cartridge mailing containers, priority and rush stickers, most bibliographic information (metadata) required for the package file (OPF) to be included in the DTB, and standard opening announcement audio files. In some cases, NLS will also provide a copy of the print book to be converted. C.3.1.1Production Authorization Record NLS will provide via web site a Production Authorization Record (PAR) containing bibliographic information for the book cards and an initial DTB package file (OPF) for each title assigned. The contractor shall present the information as provided in the PAR. If the PAR or OPF require revision, the contractor shall submit all proposed changes in writing (facsimile or email is acceptable) to NLS for approval. Approval or rejection of proposed changes will be made in writing (facsimile or email). NLS initiated changes to the PAR and/or OPF will be provided to the contractor in writing (facsimile or email). C.3.2Digital Talking Book (DTB) / Protected DTB Creation C.3.2.1 Quality of Sound Recordings Contractor will review all audio files of the original audiobook and assure that the quality of the narration is acceptable, and that all audio files are complete and correct. C.3.2.2 Digital Talking Book (DTB) / Protected DTB Content Requirements DTB's created under this contract shall contain no textual content file and shall contain at least a basic NCX as described in section 13 of ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002. (Type "2" audio NCX). Refer to specification #1203 for details. C.3.2.3 Navigation The NCX shall be created in accordance with NLS specification #1203. NLS will supply suggestions with each book assigned describing which segments of the book to make navigable and the hierarchical relationship of those segments (e.g., parts at level 1, chapters at level 2, etc.). Contractors will refer to "Guidelines for Applying Navigation Markers to Digital Talking Books (DTB's)" (available at www.loc.gov/nls/specs) for general background information on implementing navigation in DTBs. If the contractor finds during narration that different navigation choices than those suggested are more applicable to a title, the contractor shall provide the preferred alternative(s) to the Contract Monitor and/or the COTR via e-mail or fax. NLS will then change the PAR and notify the contractor, via e-mail, of the change. The contractor can access and print the modified PAR from the Internet at ww.loc.gov/pics. C.3.2.4 Review Copy Upon completion of the conversion to NLS DTB cycle, the contractor shall upload to the NLS Quality Assurance Section (QAS) for review and approval one Review Copy consisting of the digital files as listed in NLS Specification 1206, section 3.1.4. In addition, the contractor shall submit to QAS via UPS or other NLS approved commercial delivery service: the copy of the print book if print book(s) are provided by NLS. The print copy shall be shipped within 48 hours of an autotest pass result (standard or priority titles). Rush books shall be shipped with 24 hours of an autotest pass result. a copy of the PAR listing the narrator, completion date, number of minutes, and other required items to be provided by the contractor as noted on the form. For titles designated as "Priority" or "Rush", the contractor shall attach a "Priority" or "Rush" label to the copy of the PAR submitted. The PAR must include all NLS approved changes made to the PAR. Once the evaluation of the Review Copy is completed by the QAS, the result of the evaluation will be made available on the NLS website (www.loc.gov/pics). The contractor will be issued a login and password for this site. C.4 DUPLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES C.4.1 QC Control Copy Upon notification of narration and DTB approval, the contractor shall prepare and send to the NLS Quality Assurance Section by NLS approved delivery (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.), at contractor's expense, one (1) quality Control Copy package consisting of the following items: • The flash cartridge mailing container(s) containing book cards and properly labeled as it (they) will be sent to the libraries • The flash cartridge(s) properly labeled and inside the container(s) • A copy of the latest revision of the PAR For titles designated "Priority" or "Rush" the contractor shall attach a "Priority" or "Rush" label to the blank area of the outside book card of the Control Copy container. Approval of the Control Copy shall be made available on the NLS website (www.loc.gov/pics). The contractor shall not distribute any title that has not been approved by the NLS Quality Assurance Section. C.4.2 Distribution Schedule Within 60 days of title assignment, NLS will provide a distribution schedule for each title assigned. This schedule will list the number of copies of each title for each library in the NLS network, as well as the total production requirement. The contractor shall be responsible for providing individual mailing address cards for each copy of each title. If the Quality Assurance Section (QAS) approval of the quality Control Copy package (see section C.34.1) has been received for a title for which the distribution schedule is missing, the contractor shall notify the NLS Production Control Specialist assigned as contract monitor for instructions. C.4.3 Production Ceiling Each contractor is provided with a distribution schedule stating the number of units each library is to receive of each title. If the schedule specifies more seventy (70) flash copies of any book for a single library, the contractor shall contract the project monitor or the COTR immediately for verification. No library is to receive more than seventy (70) flash copies of any title unless verified by NLS. If the contractor produces more than the designated ceiling without verification, the contractor shall bear all production and disposal costs for the excess copies. Excess copies are those copies NLS is unable to place with network librari C.5 PRODUCER DATA EXCHANGE (PDE) C.5.1 Producer Activity Updates Contractor shall report contract activity at www.loc.gov/pics for each title within two business days of the activity. Information to report on the "DB Book Check In" screen: • Book number, provided by NLS • Mastering agency, provided by contractor (for contracts with multiple studio locations) • Actual start date, provided by contractor (date narration began) • Minutes, provided by contractor (total length of narration in minutes) • Narrator Information to report on the Duplication screen: • Date Control Copy was shipped to NLS • Shipped copies, provided by contractor (total number of copies shipped) • Duplication Agency, provided by contractor (for contracts with multiple locations) The format and information of the reporting function is subject to change by NLS at any time. Contractors will be notified of any changes prior to implementation of the change. C.6 C. LABELS C. 6.1 Print/Braille Labels Sources that can provide the print/braille labels required for flash cartridges and containers are: Label Specialties, Inc. Attn: XXXX 2501 Technology Drive Louisville, Kentucky 40299 502-261-9000 C.6.2 Container Labels Sample labels, attached to the sample container provided to bidders upon request, are for information only. All labels must conform to specification #420. Note carefully the specification provisions relating to requirements for label material and procedures for proposing equivalent materials. C.7 DTB Production Tools The contractor is responsible for production of DTB's acceptable to NLS and may develop their own production tools or use outside sources. C.8 WARRANTY The contractor, under contractual requirements of specifications #420, #900, #1202, and #1203, shall be responsible for replacing defective books for the full one (1) year warranty period. The warranty period shall extend to the last day of the twelfth month after which the flash cartridges were shipped to the libraries. C.9 LOST/DAMAGED FLASH CARTRIDGES See Section F.3 and Section I.1 (FAR clause 52.245-01) C. 10 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY DISPOSITION C.10.1 Master Recordings Digital audio files, masters and all associated files making up the DTB are the property of the Library of Congress and shall be retained by the contractor for an indefinite period of time. (see also reference to warranty replacement provisions in section C.8 above). All cost of storage of master recordings and handling and shipment at NLS request shall be included in the costs of this contract. The contractor shall not delete any NLS files. Any NLS requirements regarding these files must be in writing. Verbal communication alone is not acceptable. C. 10.2 Print Books Print books are the property of the Library of Congress and shall be retained by the contractor for a period of one (1) year after shipment of the book to network libraries. After that time, the contractor shall contact the NLS contract monitor to arrange for shipment of print books to NLS. Books will be shipped at contractor's expense. Print books shall be clearly labeled as "Monitor" or "Narrator". The "Monitor" copy of the print book shall contain approximate time markings in the margins for chapters and all navigation points. C.11 NETWORK ADDRESSES Network address changes will come from NLS via Fax and/or e-mail. Within five (5) working days after receipt of request from NLS, the contractor shall: • Cancel a closing network library address and product quantities • Update all master address files • Divert the closing networks library's product quantities by changing mailing labels already in existence END OF SECTION C
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/LOC/CS/CS1/RQNLS20120204 /listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20540, United States
- Zip Code: 20540
- Zip Code: 20540
- Record
- SN02809263-W 20120721/120720001021-b82aa7cf60c61f8e23b6f46a49304144 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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