SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- News Wire Services
- Notice Date
- 10/21/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 519110
— News Syndicates
- Contracting Office
- Broadcasting Board of Governors, Director, Office of Contracts, Office of Contracts (M/CON), 330 C Street, SW, Room 4300, Washington, District of Columbia, 20237, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20237
- Solicitation Number
- BBG50-R-12-1021
- Archive Date
- 12/5/2011
- Point of Contact
- Wayne D Greene, Phone: 202-619-2339, Herman P Shaw, Fax: 202-382-7870
- E-Mail Address
-
wgreene@bbg.gov, hshaw@bbg.gov
(wgreene@bbg.gov, hshaw@bbg.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Voice of America (VOA) is seeking information regarding Industry’s capability to provide newswire service consisting of worldwide and domestic U.S. news coverage in English on an uninterrupted and unrestricted basis twenty-four (24) hours each day, seven (7) days per week. Interested parties are encouraged to provide information on how they would deliver newswires electronically to multiple users in multiple newsrooms operated by the VOA around the world, for rewriting by VOA journalists and/or distribution via VOA platforms including radio, television, mobile, and web. Interested parties should explain their capability to provide coverage in languages in addition to English and their proven history of breaking news. Interested parties should also explain the existing procedures that they use to verify the truth of information (“double-sourcing”) before stories are transmitted on their newswires. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. VOA is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. All who respond are advised that the U.S. government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the Interested Party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is released. In the event a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of potential offerors to monitor the FedBizOpps website for additional information pertaining to this RFI. PROGRAM BACKGROUND. Currently, Voice of America (VOA) utilizes firm fixed-price (FFP) contracts with various firms who provide newswire service consisting of domestic U.S. and worldwide news coverage in English on an uninterrupted and unrestricted basis twenty-four (24) hours each day, seven (7) days per week. Several of the organizations with which VOA currently contracts also provide their information in multiple languages. REQUESTED INFORMATION. Interested Parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a comprehensive written “Capabilities Statement,” consisting of an original and two (2) copies, describing their approach to this Notice. The “Capabilities Statement” must include, at a minimum, the following: 1. business size (i.e., small, large, etc.) and ownership; 2. EXAMPLES OF CAPABILITIES: evidence of specific examples of the Interested Party’s successful past performance, with a desired minimum of three (3) years experience in providing specialized newswire service; 3. TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE: clearly describing its ability to provide the above service, including, but not limited to the approximate size of its reporting staff and stringers, location of its bureaus around the world, the procedures it employs to ensure that the news it reports is factual and “vetted” prior to transmission (i.e., “double sourcing”), its ability to deliver its newswire in English, and its technical ability to provide redundant service to prevent outages; 4. REFERENCES: covering three current or former clients, including the names and title, current address, city, state, country, email and telephone number of the customer point-of-contact; 5. RESPONSE: covering capability of delivering original newswire coverage on a 24 hour per day, seven day per week basis in English to multiple users working for VOA around the world.; 6. BUDGET: approximate budget framework for direct distribution of newswire material to VOA journalist terminals around the world for rewriting and/or redistribution via VOA’s platforms, including television, radio, mobile, and online applications. All written or courier delivered responses, consisting of original and two (2) copies to this RFI notice, must be received by 2:00 p.m., EST, on November 4, 2011 at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Voice of America, Attention: Wayne Greene, Office of Contracts (CON), Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 "C" St., SW., Room 4007, Washington, DC 20237. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the VOA, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. NO telephone or oral responses will be accepted. Those who respond to this Notice will be notified whether their written “Capabilities Statement,” as verified by VOA, is responsive to this Notice. If it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government, interested and qualified sources responding to this Notice may be requested to provide follow-up information. A determination to compete, or not to compete, in a future procurement will be based on the responses to this RFI notice, and is solely within the discretion of the Government. This Notice is not a RFP, IFB, or RFQ.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/BBG/ADM/MCONWASHDC/BBG50-R-12-1021/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02610851-W 20111023/111021233940-c19095cf3eaca2b157b81d4f2aa65508 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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