MODIFICATION
D -- D - Broadcasting NRC Commission Meetings On The Internet.
- Notice Date
- 3/14/2003
- Notice Type
- Modification
- Contracting Office
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Administration, Division of Contracts, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 20852-2738
- ZIP Code
- 20852-2738
- Solicitation Number
- RS-ADM-03-161
- Response Due
- 3/28/2003
- Archive Date
- 4/12/2003
- Point of Contact
- Donald King, Senior Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 415-6731, Fax (301) 415-8157, - Joyce Fields, Senior Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 415-6564, Fax (301) 415-8157,
- E-Mail Address
-
dak1@nrc.gov, jaf1@nrc.gov
- Description
- This is a modification to combined synopsis/solicitation number RS-ADM-03-161. The combined synopsis/solicitation number RS-ADM-03-161 is amended as set forth below. NOTE: THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY AMENDMENT TO THE COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION. A WRITTEN AMENDMENT WILL NOT BE ISSUED. The hour and date specified for receipt of responses remains 3/28/03 at 3:00 p.m. local time. Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted or by separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the combined sysnopsis/solicitation number and the amendment number 3. The above numbered combined synopsis/solicitation is amended to respond to vendor questions. Accordingly, ADM-03-161 is amended as follows: (1) Following are responses to questions: QUESTION #1 = How many viewers are expected for each webcast? RESPONSE #1 = 100 concurrent viewers. QUESTION #2 = What are the required encoding rates? RESPONSE #2 = The SOW states "Enable all webcasts to be viewed at 150Kbps, 56Kbps and 28.8 Kbps". QUESTION #3 = What formats for the video stream are required? RESPONSE #3 = This is a vendor business decision. However, the SOW states "Provide all webcast viewers with "free" (no cost to the viewer) software for download to their computer, which enables them to monitor the NRC meetings being webcast. The viewing software shall provide the viewer with an equivalent quality of video image and sound as the "RealNetworks" software currently used for the NRC's webcasting program. The Contractor shall ensure that all required licensing arrangements are completed in order to make the equivalent software available for free download by NRC webcast viewers from the contractor's webcast website. QUESTION #4 = Does this include videography or will we take an audio and video feed from NRC equipment? RESPONSE #4 = No. NRC will perform all videography, creation of the closed-captioning for the "live" webcasts, and combine the video/audio and closed captioning into a single Composite Video Feed. NRC will deliver the Composite Video Feed to the NRC building P1-11 telephone room during each "test" or "Live" webcast. The vendor shall be responsible for providing a dedicated telecommunications line to get the webcast signal from the NRC's P1-11 telephone room to the vendor's webcasting system. See the RESPONSE to Question #15. QUESTION #5 = Will the presentations include Powerpoint slides and graphics? RESPONSE #5 = Yes, the presentations will include powerpoint slides and graphics. QUESTION #6 = Do the presentations require compliance with rule 508? RESPONSE #6 = Yes, the presentations require compliance with rule 508. QUESTION #7 = What are the existing Internet, satellite and fiber connectivity infrastructure capabilities? RESPONSE #7 = Bidders should propose a solution that provides a dedicated line between the NRC Audio-Visual equipment output point (NRC building P1-11 telephone room) and the Bidder's webcasting facility. Do not plan on using existing NRC Internet, satellite or fiber connectivity. QUESTION #8 = If we have access to an internet broadband connection, what is the minimum "dedicated" bandwidth that would be available? RESPONSE #8 = This is not an option. Bidders should propose a dedicated line. QUESTION #9 = Do you require video webcasts or audio only? RESPONSE #9 = We require video webcasts. QUESTION #10 = Is any lighting or audio equipment required for the bid? RESPONSE #10 = Refer to the RESPONSE for Question #4. No lighting or audio equipment is required for the bid. QUESTION #11 = How many hours of content are expected for meetings or events that are NOT live webcast, but that need to be converted from video tape to internet library? RESPONSE #11 = Initially, to establish the list of archived previous webcasts on the new webcast provider's webpage, NRC will provide the new webcast provider with approximately thirty (30) 2-hour webcasts in CD-ROM format. During each year of the contract, NRC estimates that one 2-hour video-tape of an NRC meeting will need converted to archive within 24-hours and one 2-hour video-tape will need converted to archive within 4-hours. QUESTION #12 = Is chat (for questions from audience) and polling required for the live webcast? RESPONSE #12 = Chat is not required. The NRC does require the new webcast webpage to enable the viewers to complete and submit the NRC's multiple-choice "viewer survey" and also enable viewers to submit an e-mail with their comments and/or questions. Refer to the section in the SOW for developing and hosting the webpage. QUESTION #13 = Is there a dedicated TV-1 Fiber connection on site and available for this project at the meeting facility? RESPONSE #13 = No. There is not a dedicated TV-1 Fiber connection on site and available for this project. QUESTION #14 = Will the incumbent vendor be bidding on this contract? RESPONSE #14 = No. The incumbent vendor is another federal agency (National Institutes of Health - NIH) and this procurement is being competed as a Small-Business Set-a-Side. QUESTION #15 = Will the meetings be in the same room each time? RESPONSE #15 = Normally, yes. However, wherever the meetings are on the NRC campus, the NRC will provide the same Composite Video Feed over a RG6 coaxial cable down to the same fixed point in the NRC facility (P1-11 telephone room) each time. At that fixed point in the NRC facility (P1-11 telephone room), the contractor shall be provided on-site space for the minimum on-site equipment needed to connect to the coaxial cable's RF connector, encode the signal and transmit the signal to the vendor's offsite webcasting facility over the dedicated line provided by the vendor. QUESTION #16 = What is the reason for switching contractors? RESPONSE #16 = NRC is currently obtaining this webcasting support from another federal agency (National Institutes Of Health - NIH) under an Inter-Agency Agreement until a contract with a Small Business can be established. QUESTION #17 = Will the A/V equipment remain on-site, or is the existing contractor removing? RESPONSE #17 = The existing Contractor (NIH) has no AV equipment onsite. The AV equipment on-site at NRC is owned and operated by NRC. Refer to the RESPONSE to Question #4. QUESTION #18 = May we offer an alternative solution to encoding on-site? RESPONSE #18 = No, propose a solution that meets the Statement of Work (SOW). QUESTION #19 = Is the one hour test included in the archive, and if so, why? RESPONSE #19 = No, the archive only includes the actual NRC meeting being webcast and not any pre-meeting testing. QUESTION #20 = Also, there is reference in 0007 to 160 units and in 0008 to 120 units - can you explain how you arrived at these totals? RESPONSE #20 = Refer to the above revised estimates and pricing breakdown shown in the above revised pricing schedule. The initial load of up to thirty old archived webcasts (averaging 2-hours in duration) into the new webcast webpage shall be included in the cost of CLIN #0005 above for developing the Webcast Webpage. The revised calculation is as follows: Live-webcast: QTY 320 half hours (estimated live webcast -40 time 4 hours live(with tests) equal 160 annual hours times 2 equal 320 half hours); Convert into Archive meeting: QTY 156 half-hours annually (from live within 24 hours- estimated 39 meetings times 2 hours (no tests) equal 78 hours annually times 2 equal 156 half hours);Convert into Archive meeting: QTY 4 half-hours annually (from live within 4 hours- estimated 1 meeting times 2 hours (no tests) equal 2 hours annually times 2 equal 4 half hours);Convert into Archive meeting: QTY 4 half-hours annually (from VHS within 24 hours- estimated 1 meeting times 2 hours (no tests) equal 2 hours annually times 2 equal 4 half hours);Convert into Archive meeting: QTY 4 half-hours annually (from VHS within 4 hours- estimated 1 meeting times 2 hours (no tests) equal 2 hours annually times 2 equal 4 half hours); QUESTION #21 = In Modification 1 you ask for a minimum 100 streams at 150kbps. How many concurrent streams are required for 56K and 28.8? RESPONSE #21 = The requirement to support up to 100 concurrent streams at 150kbps is an estimate of the maximum bandwidth the NRC expects the public to be able to pull from the webcasting facility. At any one point in time, the webcast provider shall support at least 100 concurrent users in any combination of the specified streaming rates of 150Kbps, 56Kbps and 28.8Kbps. QUESTION #22 = Can you provide a list of the AV equipment on-site and is it possible for us to have an on-site inspection prior to the bid? RESPONSE #22 = The list of AV equipment on-site is not needed to bid on this requirement since NRC will provide and operate all on-site AV videography equipment. The webcast provider will only need to provide the necessary equipment on-site to connect to the NRC's AV output (composite video feed) connection point (NRC building P1-11 telephone room), encode the signal content and transmit it to the vendor's off-site webcast infrastructure over the dedicated telecom line provided by the webcast vendor. Vendor walk-through of NRC's facilities was completed on 3/13/2003. QUESTION #23 = Who is currently providing this service? RESPONSE #23 = Refer to the RESPONSE to question #16. QUESTION #24 = Is there a requirement/desire to synchronize the powerpoint slides with the video of the meeting? RESPONSE #24 = No. QUESTION #25 = Is there a requirement/desire to provide the ability to search the contents of the slides and/or the content of the closed-captioning? RESPONSE #25 = No. QUESTION #26 = Is Microsoft Media considered equivalent to Real Networks video or is there a preference for Real Networks? RESPONSE #26 = Refer to the RESPONSE provided for Question #3. QUESTION #27 = Do you have any preferred methods for the live delivery of streaming formats? A) QuickTime B) Windows media player C) Real Networks D) All of the above must be supplied. RESPONSE #27 = Refer to the RESPONSE provided for Question #3. QUESTION #28 = Have these services been performed before? RESPONSE #28 = Yes. Refer to the RESPONSE provided for Question #16. QUESTION #29 = Do you have any specifications on your preferences for streaming bit rates? RESPONSE #29 = Yes. Refer to the RESPONSE provided for Question #21. QUESTION #30 = What is your target audience using at an average for web connectivity? A) 28.8/56k modems B) DSL C) cable D) T1 RESPONSE #30 = The majority of the target audience is the general public and they view our webcasts via a mixture of all of the above. Those webcast viewers with modems may consume the 28.8kbps and 56kbps feeds, while the 150kbps feeds are for viewers with DSL, cable, and T1 Internet service. QUESTION #31 = On average, how many concurrent viewers (at the same time) do you expect to have viewing the video stream at one point in time? A) 0 to 100 concurrent users B) 100 - 500 C) 500 - 1000 D) 1000 - 3000 E) 3000 - 5000 F) 5k -10k G) 10K + RESPONSE #31 = A) 0 to 100 concurrent users QUESTION #32 = What is the estimated number of individuals that normally follow up or are interested in the information you provide. RESPONSE #32 = Refer to the RESPONSE to Question #1. QUESTION #33 = Out of that figure how many users do you estimate would like to view the conferences online whether on-demand or live? RESPONSE #33 = Refer to the RESPONSE to Question #1. QUESTION #34 = Is a "dedicated" connection required between NRC Headquarters and the potential Contractor's Webcast System Center for the transmittal of the encoded video content or can the Internet be used as the transmission medium? Either way is fine, but we wanted clarification as one method is more costly than the other. RESPONSE #34 = A "dedicated" connection is required between the NRC Headquarters building in Rockville, Maryland and the potential Contractor's Webcast System Center for the transmittal of the encoded video content. QUESTION #35 = Additionally, can the video feed be provided as an "S-Video" or Composite link from your current equipment or will we need a NTSC Scan Converter? RESPONSE #35 = The NRC will provide the AV signal output for each webcast as a Composite Video Feed. QUESTION #36 = Does the NRC wish to have the Webcasting infrastructure built for them? We took a look at the current Webcasts and it looks like the infrastructure has already been built but the solicitation reads as though this is something that still needs to be done. RESPONSE #36 = The NRC videotapes each meeting to be webcast and provides the content to the off-site webcast provider in the form of a Composite Video Feed. The current off-site webcast provider is the NIH which provides all the required webcasting infrastructure and support for NRC webcasts from the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The new webcast vendor will provide all webcast infrastructure and support to connect to the NRC's Composite Video Feed at the NRC building's P1-11 telephone room and accomplish all other requirements of the NRC SOW. QUESTION #37 = Do you know what your average monthly transfer rates have been over the past couple years? RESPONSE #37 = Refer to the RESPONSE for Question #21. QUESTION #38 = Can you give us the average size of your footprint? RESPONSE #38 = Refer to the RESPONSE for Question #21. (2) FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT, TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS, PRIOR TO OR ON THE DATE AND HOUR SPECIFIED, MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. (3) Nothing follows.
- Place of Performance
- Address: Work will be performed at the contractor's facility.
- Record
- SN00280040-W 20030316/030315001623 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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