SOURCES SOUGHT
T -- Question and Answer Session from Pre-RFI conference at Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, CO.
- Notice Date
- 6/18/2004
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, APS ACQUISITION OPERATIONS BRANCH, MS 205 12201 SUNRISE VALLEY DRIVE RESTON VA 20192
- ZIP Code
- 20192
- Solicitation Number
- Re:04HQ11-NoSolicitation
- Response Due
- 7/2/2004
- Archive Date
- 6/18/2005
- Point of Contact
- STACEY DIAMOND CONTRACTING OFFICER 7036487309 sdiamond@usgs.gov;
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Point of Contact above, or if none listed, contact the IDEAS EC HELP DESK for assistance
(EC_helpdesk@NBC.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- For more information regarding this sources sought, see 04HQ11-NoSolicitation. This is a list of the question and answer session from the Pre-RFI conference on June 2, 2004 at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood, Colorado regarding the Warehouse Distribution and Product Sales. Note: Proposals are due July 2, 2004 at 4PM EDST and can be sent to inventoryRFI@usgs.gov. The Q&A Session as follows: Introductions Current State of Warehouse Distribution Operations (Ron Lofton) Natural Science Network (Hedy Rossmeissl) The National Map (Richard Kleckner) Warehouse Tour After today, send inquiries to: inventoryRFI@usgs.gov Q&A Session Q: How do you handle your mail and internet orders? Who do they come to and how are they processed? A: Store.USGS can search and order on line. Mail is processed daily. Complete process happens in Denver. Q: Are all those order methods still going to be used in the future? Do you anticipate phasing anything out? A: Ideally we would like to continue with all existing methods. Internet ordering is expanding, so the other methods may slow down, but there will always be those without computers. Q: Is the storage only in Denver? Does this include the storage in Rolla? A: Map separates are in Rolla, but are not part of this program. Denver is the only warehouse. Q: Half of what you send out is no charge to other government agencies. How do you think that will work? Will this change with the contract? A. There will be a component of that. As a science agency, we have an obligation to provide/distribute information relating to our 4 disciplines. Subsidy of some sort is anticipated. More and more free prods are available on the internet. We are looking for ideas. Q: Library/federal depository program-the same situation (as above). Will this change? A: We have had recent conversations with GPO. As more materials become available on web, this helps to meet that requirement of giving depositories new product. We will continue to be proactive in working with the depository community as they, and we evolve. Q: On the National Map-data production will be shifted from government toward private sector. How will it be kept private domain? A: We can use a contract mechanism. And becomes part of the USGS/public domain data set. Material made and delivered by the private sector is a little touchier. One thing we'd like to do - ability to view data through National Map but not download during a specific time frame. If ortho imagery, for example, for first year it has value for private sector and can be avail for viewing but can be purchased from private sector. After a couple years when information has lost its initial value due to newer information, the private sector would turn the product over for public domain. Licensing and use restriction aspect is the big challenge. Q: What is the actual topic of the RFI - what is inside the box, what is outside the box? Farm out components and be subsidized by govt?? Are you looking for someone to take over everything that goes on? A: The RFI is to gather information from all of you-business models, technology, innovation. We don't want to project specific ideas or direction, we want your input. Q: Sensitivity to displaced employees, site-specific, other considerations-should this be addressed in response to RFI? Has any thought be given to employee performance? Is there a continuity of need or site specific information? A: Reference the Natural Science Network presentation-we are interested in keeping a core staff of information providers, not in the area of sales of products. With the new technology everything is open, not site specific. Q: Once responses are received, how will this play out? A: A team will look at all responses. We'll craft a Request for Proposal. We need you to help us figure out what is needed. Beginning of new fiscal year (September, October) is tentative RFP date. Q: Will the draft go out for comment? A: Possibly. Q: If current product prices are set by Congress or management, would a commercial model have more flexibility A: We set out fees based on costs for printing and distribution. We've been told prices are too low. Current Business Partners can set any price structure they want. We don't put a requirement on them. In the new environment, we anticipate a similar situation. We will look at it from a more reasonable factor; maybe have a review process on the prices. If we are no longer distributing hard copy, litho, topo maps, then we can't set a price for what we don't distribute. We will not be in competition with the private sector. We have other products beside topo maps; we could use contractual arrangements to arrive at those prices. Other federal agencies dictate their prices to us, and we'll have to work with those partnerships to determine prices. On book products, we get prices from GPO-we don't set those prices. We would need to take everything into consideration and this could be a complex distribution model. Q: NOAA is outsourcing to India. Do you anticipate USGS outsourcing for map products, software? A: Through current mapping contracts with Mid-Continent and Rolla, we have 7 primes that we can go to for various task orders. Only 1 has off-shore outsourcing opportunities. That's all we're aware of for now. Is it a trend for the future? We don't know. We do have a few foreign business partners also. Q: Are there restrictions on outsourcing? A: Not that we're aware of. Q: You distribute for other agencies products-would this all be under one MOU to distribute products? A: That's how we envision it. We'll have to work with our other agencies to work this out. We would need to see if NGA will continue to want to work with us. Q: During the warehouse tour we noticed many prods didn't fit the conventional map line. Will all product lines be included? Are we trying to cover everything under one big umbrella? A: We're required to cover everything you saw in the warehouse. We're looking for your input as to how to handle this. RFI does allow for a response to targeted areas. Your input will help us determine what kind of interest there is. Maybe different contracts for different product lines? Q: Do you have a Homeland Security budget? A: As of now, we have received no funds. There is an MOU that USGS has developed with Dept of Homeland Security, which was signed by Secretary Norton. It is floating around DHS while various groups try to determine who will sign. Lots of internal politics. Who will have responsibility for this? Homeland Security will use National Map for their base data sets. Q: With decreasing sales, it is a daunting task to be asked to take over the inventory. Is there a long term plan for FAA to supply printing as needed? Or is this the distributor's responsibility? A: Current relationship with FAA-they print requirements as we need. Print on demand is an on-going issue. This relationship may change in time as needs change. Trend is for less paper product over time. Q: If an entity took over the warehouse, can they pick and choose products and quantities of products? A: We are looking to downsize the complete holdings. Efficiency is paramount. Downsizing will happen but emergency supplies need to maintained. A variety of proposals could be made-that ALL go out, that somebody has the capability to supply map on demand of low sellers, for example. Suggestions are needed for other models. Q: How many are selling less than 5/month, etc.? A: Slide presentation shows high sellers, low sellers, demand information. John will have graphic map made for those who want it. Q: You named 49 government employees and 21 contractors. As part of downsizing, are 21 contractual employees phased out or relocated? Will they lose their jobs? A: Five year contract is renewable every year, with a 30 day terminate clause if needed. Efficiency is always being looked at. If a different approach works, we'll not have contract employees. Another buyout is a future possibility for the government employees. Q: Our capabilities for that transition period, we would put together a team to evaluate, come on site, do a workup package-do you think we'll have the opportunity to do that? To carefully evaluate the inventory? And supervise the physical move to our facility? A: Yes, a transition period would be part of the package. We will be looking for a way of shifting products and positions without impacting customers. Q: 49 staff is in addition to contract workers? A: Yes, that is the total Branch of IS. Q: If stock is handed over to private entity, what money is transferred? Would they pay some fee for those physical items? Is there a cost for those products? A: That will be part of the negotiation. There are many options out there. How does the inventory itself factor into the future state? Emergency response responsibility factors in to how this is settled. Q: You have a history with your customers-how do you see having your contact with customers taken away from you? How will the customers feel? A: We'd like to see a seamless transition. We'd still like to have a close relationship with our customers. We've done a lot to build those relationships. It's going to be very challenging. Maybe ownership, stewardship still resides with USGS. (Ron's presentation was handed out) Q: This proposal is limited to a 10 page response-are there specs you'd like (format, electronic?) A: Electronic form preferred. Send to e-mail address. Q: Copies of presentations? A: Yes, they'll be electronically available. Probably out by tomorrow. Q: Performance based contracting? A: Contracts answered, yes, this would be. This implies USGS will contract out for the services. But it also implies private sector could just take over these activities. Contacting is an OPTION. It is wrong to assume we will be contracting out. An agreement is an option. Because of some cost programs to the government, we may need some quality standards. Q: There is clearly an order processing system and inventory control system used today. Could we get access to the data A: Yes, it will be available. Q: RFI says USGS will not compete with contractor. What data will be available free? A: EROS Data Center handles NED, ortho imagery, land cover, and NHD will continue to be available. Downloads are free. Hard copy has a cost. Digital information will always be available over the web. Free of charge. If you as a private entity wish to download and repackage that data to make it more useful, you are quite welcome to do that. File sizes are limited to 1 gigabyte that you can access and download. Must be downloaded in "blocks." Q: Don't you see that as competitive? (downloading and enhancing information) A: In one way it could be. EROS data center files--Each of those data sets are held individually. Much work must be done with these files to integrate them to come up with a geographic representation. USGS will provide high resolution DRGs for download. Eventually. Many data sets are unavailable at this time. Colorado is on the schedule. Texas, Delaware, Hawaii scheduled for next year. Timetable depends on funding and results of this RFI. We don't intend to replicate something that's already been done (some higher resolution scanning has been done and we don't plan to rescan those). Q: Elaborate more on The National Map viewer pointing to other resources that sell the data. Will that be an open catalog of providers or only the company rewarded the RFP? Open or sole source? A: This won't necessarily be a contract, sole source or whatever. We may just rely on the private sector to provide that service. How this will work is yet to be determined. People will sign up for value added products agreements. Q: National Map funding-where is this coming from? Who is funding development? A: We're all paying for it. Dollars are appropriated dollars. We're a line item in the budget for The National Map. All 3 of our programs support The National Map. Carto/top program is the largest of the 3. Vast majority of $80 million is directed toward The National Map. Archiving, research, etc. Funded by Congress through appropriated dollars. We do leverage other dollars; have funding partners that help cost share. Also have reimbursable income, such as map sales, and cost share with other government agencies. Q: These 1200 retail outlets, how will RFP winner deal with them? Will they have to deal with them? A: The Business Partner program is a good vehicle and has value to the survey. We would like to manage this program during the transition. We need to do this right to meet everyone's needs. Review process of this proposal is critical. At what point does is lessen our effectiveness. This will be very challenging. Questions to inventory RFI@usgs.gov. The proposals are due by 4PM EDT on July 2. Q: For final proposal, should subject line be specific? A: Yes. Use for subject line: Final Proposal and Name of Your Company. No more discussion sessions, such as todays, are planned.
- Web Link
-
Please click here to view more details.
(http://ideasec.nbc.gov/j2ee/announcementdetail.jsp?serverId=GS1434HQ&objId=629325)
- Place of Performance
- Address: USGS Building 810 Denver Federal Center Lakewood, CO
- Zip Code: 80225
- Country: USA
- Zip Code: 80225
- Record
- SN00606352-W 20040620/040618212325 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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