SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Thunderbird Airshow Production Services (TAPS)
- Notice Date
- 7/13/2005
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 512191
— Teleproduction and Other Postproduction Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Combat Command, 99 CONS, 5865 Swaab Blvd, Nellis AFB, NV, 89191-7063
- ZIP Code
- 89191-7063
- Solicitation Number
- FA4861-05-R-C008
- Response Due
- 7/19/2005
- Description
- This Request for Information (RFI) is market research in support of a potential contract for Thunderbird Airshow Production Services (TAPS) for a turnkey audio, visual, and sound production presentation to augment and integrate with Thunderbird air demonstrations that will significantly improve their entertainment value and mission accomplishment. The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, performs precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the capabilities of the Air Force high performance aircraft to people throughout the world. The squadron exhibits the professional qualities the Air Force develops in the people who fly, maintain and support these aircraft. The Thunderbirds were officially activated June 1, 1953 as the 3600 Air Demonstration Team at Luke Air Force Base. Their first aircraft was the straight-winged F-84G Thunderjet, a combat fighter-bomber that had seen action in Korea. Early in 1955, the team transitioned to the swept-winged F-84F Thunderstreak. After flying several different aircraft, the Thunderbirds transitioned to the F-16A demonstrating the Air Force's front-line fighter capabilities. The Thunderbirds air demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines. The four-aircraft diamond formation demonstrates the training and precision of Air Force pilots, while the solo aircraft highlight the maximum capabilities of the F-16. The team is comprised of 130 Airmen who work together to represent the U.S. Air Force. Additional information regarding the Thunderbirds can be found at: www.airforce.com/thunderbirds. The pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire show, including ground and air, runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. The season lasts from March to November, with the winter months used to train new members. The team performs no more the 88 air demonstrations each year and has never canceled a demonstration due to maintenance difficulty. More than 310 million people in all 50 states and more than 66 foreign countries have seen the Thunderbird jets in more than 3,944 aerial demonstrations. The Thunderbirds perform up to 11 different types of shows (type of show depends on multiple variables, such as weather, airspace restrictions, etc). The production show shall be presented at scheduled Thunderbird shows. As an example, the current Thunderbird schedule can be found at the following website: http://www.airforce.com/thunderbirds/scheduletext.htm. The scope of this requirement is for the vendor to provide the full range of show production services. This includes such activities as producing, programming, operating and presenting an audio, visual, and sound show that provides an exciting, energetic display that integrates the Thunderbird air show into a force multiplier to educate, entertain and inspire the spectators. This includes assessment tools to measure the show quality, spectator satisfaction and recommended changes. In addition, this includes providing all plant, labor, materials, operation, coordination, and transportation necessary to set-up, tear-down, and relocate all audiovisual equipment used in the production services, to allow the Thunderbird team to focus on the flying aspect of the air demonstration show. The contractor shall be responsible for generation of a production show, which includes, but is not limited to: developing a project timeline, script from concept, storyline/scene design, and all technical systems (as well as designs) for lighting, audio, video display, and set. Production services include the execution of plans and designs required to assemble and construct the physical components of the Thunderbird production, to include set pieces and props, image display programming, assembly of cast and crew (if any), and integration of all production elements through personnel and equipment rehearsals. The contractor will have overall responsibility of all planning and execution of pre-production, production, and event production services, based upon guidance and direction from the Thunderbird Project Manager. The multimedia presentation must deliver a professional ?on air network look.? The contractor must deliver clear video images that are capable of being viewed by spectators up to 500 feet away, and must provide concert quality sound coverage to spectators covering a crowd area of at least 6000 feet. Interested parties having the resources and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirements are invited to provide a company capability statement that clearly demonstrates their ability to fulfill such requirements. The Government requests that interested parties submit commercial market and company information via e-mail to Captain David Huber, Contracting Officer, 99 CONS/LGCC. The e-mail address is david.huber@nellis.af.mil. Please attempt to limit responses to 15 pages in length and, at a minimum, address the following: 1. Company Name, business size (e.g., 8(a), Service Disabled Veteran Owned, Woman Owned, etc.), business address, and point of contact information (name, phone, e-mail, etc.). 2. Description of corporate capability, to include similar efforts performed (please include description of service, duration of effort, size of effort, etc.), with contract numbers and points of contact. If possible, please provide general overview of scope/complexity of similar contracts held, and the annual and total contract value for them. 3. Description of your understanding of the USAF Thunderbirds, their mission, and their target audience. 4. If possible, provide a rough order of magnitude of annual cost to perform the services listed above of this size and frequency. 5. Please describe your technical capabilities for this effort. For example, please describe your ability to provide a turnkey multimedia production at airshow, including descriptions of equipment used to meet threshold requirements for sound and audio quality. Also, please describe your ability to set-up, tear-down, and transport all equipment. Please describe the ease of assembly of all equipment at airshows. For example, if using video screens, how long do they take to assemble and tear-down? Are they easily disassembled and reassembled so that they are not obstructive to spectators as they watch other airshow events? If a typical airshow lasts from 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., and the Thunderbird performance begins approximately 3:00 p.m., how would you set up/tear down your equipment to prevent it from being an obstruction to people viewing the airshow throughout the day? Can your equipment be easily moved, disassembled, etc. to allow people freely view the rest of the airshow activities before the Thunderbird performance? 6. The Government contemplates awarding a ?phased? contract, where the contractor would compile and ?fine-tune? the production over the life of the contract (i.e., in distinct phases, as identified by individual Contract Line Item Numbers [CLINs]). For example, the base-year contract effort might contain the following CLINS: 0001 PHASE 1, Master Production Design and Schedule. The contractor shall provide a TAPS master production design, to include theatrical design and support plan, and schedule for TAPS activities. The Thunderbird Project Manager shall approve TAPS master production design, theatrical design, and support plan. Submission of Phase 1 documents is due no later than 30-days after contract award . Government approval of TAPS master production design, theatrical design, and support plan is due no later than 15-days after submission by the contractor. 0002 PHASE 2, Acceptance Flight Presentation. The contractor shall demonstrate TAPS pre-production and production capabilities by presenting full TAPS services at an acceptance flight, currently envisioned for Nellis AFB NV in February/March 2006. The Thunderbird Project Manager shall approve TAPS services demonstrated at the acceptance flight. The contractor shall adjust any pre-production or production services as directed by the Thunderbird Project Manager prior to commencement of Phase 3 activities. 0003 PHASE 3, Full Production Services. The contractor shall conduct TAPS services at scheduled Thunderbird airshows and other events as scheduled. The Thunderbird Project Manager and contractor shall negotiate Thunderbird airshows the contractor shall support. The contractor shall be given at least 30-days prior notice to perform at an airshow. This phased contract shall be firm-fixed price. It is envisioned that each contract year (Government is contemplating base-year plus four one-year options) shall have these three CLINs. Please provide feedback on this envisioned contract structure. Specifically, are ?phases? appropriate for this effort? Do you have suggestions for a better contract structure? Is a firm-fixed price contract most appropriate for this effort? Can PHASE 3 be priced ?per airshow?? That is, if Thunderbird airshow schedules from the past three years were presented to you, could you use that information to sufficiently compile a per-show price for future airshows? 7. Please provide to us any questions/comments you have about the envisioned TAPS requirements. For example, are there ambiguities, redundancies, or hard to understand statements? Responses should be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, July 19, 2005. This is a request for information only, and no solicitation is issued at this time. Submission of any information in response to this request for information is completely voluntary, and shall not constitute a fee to the Government. Please direct any questions to Captain David Huber at (702) 652-3366 or david.huber@nellis.af.mil.
- Place of Performance
- Address: N/A
- Country: U.S.A.
- Country: U.S.A.
- Record
- SN00846215-W 20050715/050713212052 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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