SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Request for Information, Newswires
- Notice Date
- 8/19/2016
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 519110
— News Syndicates
- Contracting Office
- Broadcasting Board of Governors, Director, Office of Contracts, Office of Contracts (CON), 330 Independence Avenue, SW, Suite 4360, Washington, District of Columbia, 20237, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20237
- Solicitation Number
- BBG50-RFI-16-00012
- Point of Contact
- Seneca B. Belinfontie, Phone: 2022034944, Jacqueline D. Gray, Phone: 2023827861
- E-Mail Address
-
sbelinfo@voanews.com, jgray@bbg.gov
(sbelinfo@voanews.com, jgray@bbg.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Newswires RFI BBG50-RFI-16-00012 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), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bids (IFB) or a promise to issue an RFP or formal acquisition in the future. This RFI does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever or does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. All, who respond to this RFI, are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information, inquires, the U.S. Government's use of such 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 procurement if any is released. Based on the response to this RFI, a determination to compete or not to compete a future procurement is solely within the discretion of the U.S. Government. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this RFI or a future solicitation. BBG is conducting market research in anticipation of a future requirement. Interested Parties are encouraged to provide a comprehensive capabilities statement on how they would provide BBG with the services noted herein. The BBG 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 including text, video and photos, electronically to multiple users in multiple newsrooms operated by the BBG entities Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) and the Office Of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) operated worldwide, for rewriting by BBG journalists and/or distribution via BBG platforms including radio, television, mobile and web. 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 news services. PROGRAM BACKGROUND. Currently, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) utilizes firm fixed­price (FFP) contracts with various firms who provide newswire services including text, video and photos, consisting of domestic U.S. and worldwide news coverage in English on an uninterrupted and unrestricted basis twenty-four (24) hours each day, seven Several of the organizations with which the BBG 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 statement should be no more than 25 pages (excluding the cover page) in length in font size and type 12 point, Times New Roman. Additionally, the cover page shall display: 1. Company name; 2. Primary and secondary points of contact; 3. Telephone number, address, city, state, and country; 4. Business or organization size (e.g. small, large, etc.) and ownership; and (if applicable); 5) Federal Supply and/or Service Schedule Information. The "Capabilities Statement" must include, at a minimum, the following: 1. EXAMPLES OF CAPABILITIES: evidence of specific examples of the Interested Party's successful past performance, with a desired minimum of three (3) years of experience in providing specialized newswire service; 2. 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 worldwide, 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; 3. REFERENCES: provide three (3) current or former clients, including the names and title, current address, city, state, country, email and telephone number of the customer point-of-contact; 4. RESPONSE: covering capability of delivering original newswire coverage on a twenty­ four (24) hour per day, seven (7) days per week basis in English to multiple users working for the BBG worldwide; 5. Budgetary estimate to provide the above services." 2. Explain capability on direct, unlimited distribution of newswire material including text, video and photos, to BBG journalist terminals worldwide for rewriting and/or redistribution via the BBG's platforms, including television, radio, mobile and online applications; (b.) BBG for journalist terminals rewriting and/or redistribution worldwide covering four thousand (4,000) produced items or packages shared amongst BBG entities, and totaling possible increments of one thousand (1,000) additional items of packages per annum up to ten thousand (10,000); (c.) including non-English language (foreign language only) redistribution of newswire material within the United States on BBG's platforms, U.S.-based foreign-language broadcasters and/or educational institutes have requested BBG specific programs that include the vendor's content. Those interested should be prepared to indicate how content would be delivered to or accessed by the five (5) BBG entities. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the BBG, please segregate proprietary information. All written courier delivered responses, consisting of original and two (2) copies to this RFI notice, must be received by 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time (ET) on September 1, 2016 at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Attention Seneca Belinfontie or Jackie Gray, Office of the Contracts Division (CON), Wilbur-Cohen Building, 330 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4360-B, Washington, DC 20237. Responses may also be emailed to: CONSOL@bbg.gov by the same due date/time stated above. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. No telephone, facsimile, or oral responses will be accepted and will not be considered. Those who respond to this Notice will be notified whether their written "Capabilities Statement," as verified by the BBG, 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 Request for Information (RFI) notice, and is solely within the discretion of the Government. This Notice is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ).
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/BBG/ADM/MCONWASHDC/BBG50-RFI-16-00012/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Voice of America, 330 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, District of Columbia, 20237, United States
- Zip Code: 20237
- Zip Code: 20237
- Record
- SN04231971-W 20160821/160819234455-b9e8f247dd2cfb7a10bcf583a8898bbc (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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