MODIFICATION
B -- Ukraine USIM TV Focus Groups
- Notice Date
- 8/17/2015
- Notice Type
- Modification/Amendment
- NAICS
- 541910
— Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
- Contracting Office
- Broadcasting Board of Governors, Director, Office of Contracts, Office of Contracts (CON), 330 C Street, SW, Room 4300, Washington, District of Columbia, 20237, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20237
- Solicitation Number
- BBG50-S-15-00062
- Archive Date
- 9/5/2015
- Point of Contact
- Seneca B. Belinfontie, Phone: (202) 203-4944, Herman Shaw, Phone: 202-382-7856
- E-Mail Address
-
sbelinfo@voanews.com, hshaw@bbg.gov
(sbelinfo@voanews.com, hshaw@bbg.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This solicitation is hereby extended through August 21, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Questions and answers will be posted as soon as all questions have been answer. If questions and answers are not posted by the new close date, we will extend the close date as necessary. All other aspects of this solicitation shall remain the same. Ukraine USIM TV Focus Groups Combined Synopsis/Solicitation BBG50-S-15-00062 (i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. (ii) The solicitation number: BBG50-S-15-00062 is issued as a Request for Proposal (RFP) and a contract will be issued using simplified acquisitions procedures, Sub Part 13 and 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Items. (iii) This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-072 dated July 2, 2015. (iv) The Contracting Officer (CO) has found and determined that the nature of the services to be provided is appropriate for a full & open procurement. This is a 100% total small business set-aside. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this acquisition is 541910 WITH A SMALL BUSINESS SIZE STANDARD OF $ 7.0 M. (v) The Contractor shall provide the following: The BBG is interested to e valuate USIM (US International Media) television products in multiple locations in Ukraine to understand how audiences are responding to the programming and make sure RFE/RL and VOA are developing programs of interest and value to the Ukrainian population. •1. Examine how each show impacts viewers understanding of events: Do the shows help the audience to understand events in their country and the region? How so? How does each of the shows do this? What does each offer? •2. Assess the relevancy of coverage for the audience. How do potential viewers rate the relevancy of each of the programs? Which program is more relevant for the audience? Is there enough coverage of local events/regional events/international events? •3. Understand programs' content is viewed in light of other available information. Is any content exclusive on any of the shows? What is missing from each show? What would set each show apart from other available news shows? What would make the shows more interesting (content wise)? •4. Assess the shows' production levels. What do viewers think of the visual aspects of each show? How does it compare to other programs available on television? How could presentation be improved further? METHODOLOGY The questions above are best addressed by a focus group study. Four focus group sessions of 90 minutes each should take place in Kyiv and Kharkiv. One group in each location should be in Russian and one in Ukrainian. Each group should have 8-10 participants. All participants should be: •· 25-40. •· All participants should have at least secondary education. •· A balance of men and women should be included in each group. •· All participants should understand Russian and Ukrainian, but one group in each location should contain Russian-language-dominant participants and the other should be made up of Ukrainian-language-dominant participants. •· All participants should be interested in international and domestic affairs. •· All participants should access news via television at least weekly. •· All participants should be potential users; none should be regular (weekly) users of RFE/RL or VOA television products. •· All participants should have internet access and the opportunity to watch video online To prepare for the focus group discussions, all participants should complete a comprehensive home exercise of approximately 3 hours 20 minutes of viewing. The home exercise should consist of the following components: •· 2 episodes of "Current Time" •· 2 episodes of VOA's "Chas-Time" •· 1 episode of RFE/RL's "Schemes" •· RFE/RL's "Vasha Svoboda" and "Donbas.Realii" online •· VOA's program in Russian "Studiya Vashington" online Participants will record their impressions of each episode viewing in a diary. The total diary effort is approximately 2 hours. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFEROR Offeror will be responsible for managing all logistical aspects of the project above and should engage local support staff as necessary to complete the following: •· Screener. BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, will provide a draft screening questionnaire within one week of contract award that the Offeror will format and translate into Ukrainian and Russian. Offeror will be welcome to offer suggestions for improvement. •· Recruiting participants. Offeror will recruit all participants according to the screening criteria listed above. Offeror will discuss proposed recruitment methods in the proposal. At least one week prior to the start of the first focus group session, the Offeror will provide a brief description of the composition of the groups in terms of age, gender, occupation, etc. Offeror should recruit 8 participants for each group in addition to 2-3 alternatives in case any of the original participants are unable to participate or have not satisfactorily completed the home exercise. •· Home exercise questionnaire. BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, will provide the draft home exercise within two weeks of contract award. Offeror will be welcome to offer suggestions for improvement and is expected to format and translate the home exercise questionnaire into Ukrainian and Russian. BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, reserves the right to review the translation. •· Focus group guide. BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, will provide the draft focus group guide within three weeks of contract award. Offeror will be welcome to offer suggestions for improvement and is expected to format and translate the focus group guide into Ukrainian and Russian. BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, reserves the right to review the translation. •· Focus group moderator. Offeror will provide a trained and experienced moderator for the groups. In their proposal, Offeror will detail the proposed moderator's experience with focus groups in general and specify experience with media-related focus groups, if any. The moderator should complete the same home exercise as the participants prior to the groups. •· Translation. Arrange for simultaneous translation from Lithuanian into English or Russian if any groups are conducted in Ukrainian since RFE/RL observation (fluent in English and Russian) is anticipated. •· Recording of focus groups. Audio and/or video record all aspects of research necessary for full and accurate data collection, transcript generation and inclusion of illustrative samples in the final analytical report. Offeror will film focus groups and film should be high quality with clear sound. If participants do not consent to videotaping, audio recordings are acceptable. •· Written summary of focus groups. Offeror will provide a 2-3 page written summary of the focus groups in idiomatic English within one week after the final focus group session. •· Written analytical report. Offeror will analyze all resulting data, write and edit final analytic report (see Deliverables) for review, editing and acceptance by the BBG, via the Market Insight staff at RFE/RL, within four weeks of the final focus group session. (See Statement of Work for more details). (vi) The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) provision FAR 52-212-1 instruction to Offerors-Commercial Items, applies to this solicitation FAR Provisions and clauses may be obtained from the internet Web address at: http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html. Interested contractors who are capable of providing these services should submit a proposal identifying capabilities as noted below. The contractor shall demonstrate the ability and experience in providing the required services. See attached Statement of Work (SOW) for details (Attached pdf document). (vii) Work can begin upon the issue of a contract. The Government will award a Commercial Item, Firm-Fixed Order resulting from this RFP to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the RFP will be most advantageous to the Government, based on technical, price and past performance in the solicitation. When combined, technical evaluation factors are significantly more important than cost/price. See Statement of Work for Selection Criteria. The following factors listed in order of importance shall be addressed in the technical proposals and shall be used to evaluate proposals: Qualifications Pricing (Best Value to the Government) Past Performance Best Value is defined as the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the government's estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement, in accordance with FAR 2.101. The Government reserves the right to make a selection based upon the initial quote submissions so the offeror should submit its best terms in the initial quote. The government may also determine to make no award. Pursuant to FAR 15.305(a) (2) (iv), in the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorable on past performance, and In the event offerors did not complete the responsibility and certification portion of the SAM registration they shall include completed copy of the provision at FAR Subpart 52.212-3 (Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items) with its offer. To ensure consideration for the intended solicitation, PLEASE include the solicitation title and number on your proposal BBG50-S-15-00062. This provision can be found at the following website https://www.acquisition.gov/Far/; if requested by an offeror, a copy of FAR subpart 52.212-3 can be obtained by contacting the Contracting Officer. (viii) The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, applies to this acquisition. There are no addenda to the provision. (ix) The provision at FAR Subpart 52.212-2 [Evaluation of Commercial Items] is hereby incorporated by reference into this combined synopsis/solicitation. The below-stated technical evaluation sub factors, when combined, are significantly more important than price in the BBG's overall evaluation of an Offeror's proposal. Past performance will also be considered [see FAR Subpart 15.304 (Evaluation Factors and Significant Sub factors)]. In order to help the Government in its evaluation of past performance, Offerors shall provide at least three (3) current references for similar contracts. The technical evaluation sub factors in descending order of importance are compliance with the technical requirements specified herein and ability to deliver on or before the stated PoP requirement. (x) Offerors are to include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. (xi) The clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition. There are no addenda to the clause. (xii) FAR Clause 52.212-5 [Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes Or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items] applies to this acquisition and incorporates the following clauses: FAR Clause 52.203-6 [Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I (41 U.S.C. 253g and 10 U.S.C. 2402)]; FAR Clause 52.222-21 [Prohibition of Segregated Facilities]; FAR Clause 52.222-26 [Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246)]; FAR Clause 52.222-35 [Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212)]; FAR Clause 52.222-36 [Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (29 U.S.C. 793)]; FAR Clause 52.225-1 [Buy American Act - Supplies (41 U.S.C. 10a-10d)]; FAR Clause 52.232-18 [Availability of Funds]; FAR Clause 52.232-33 [Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer -- Central Contractor Registration (31 U.S.C. 3332)]; FAR Clause 52.239-1 [Privacy or Security Safeguards (5 U.S.C. 552a)]; FAR Clause 52.217-8 Extend Term of Contract. (xiii) The Offeror shall note an award will be made based on Firm-fixed Price and review of the Technical Capabilities, Experience and Pricing, Client will assess the following in determining award. 1. Offeror's demonstrated experience conducting focus group research in Ukraine; 2. Offeror's demonstrated experience conducting media related qualitative studies in Ukraine and producing actionable analytical reporting on such studies; 3. Professional qualifications and experience of proposed moderator, the proposed writer of the analytical report and other project staff; 4. Proposed participant recruitment methods; and 5. Ability to complete the project in a timely manner. Proposals shall be priced on a firm-fixed price for the Statement of Work. The Contractor's proposed prices shall include wages; overhead, general and administrative expenses, and profit. (xiv) The Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned ratings are not applicable to this acquisition. (xv) The deadline for Questions is COB on August 11, 2015. Amendment with Questions & Answers expected to be posted by COB on August 13, 2015. Offerors shall submit a Price Proposal that states the Offeror's proposed firm-fixed-price for the Statement of Work attached. Proposals are due by 2:00 p.m. EST on August 18, 2015 at the following address: Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Office of Contracts, suite 4360, Cohen Building, 330 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20237, Attention: Ms. Seneca Belinfontie. If emailing proposal, please send to sbelinfo@voanews.com and follow-up with a phone call to Ms. Seneca Belinfontie @ (202) 203-4944 to confirm receipt. (xvi) Information regarding this combined synopsis/solicitation can be obtained by contacting the Contract Specialist, Ms. Seneca Belinfontie, at (202) 203-4944, or via e-mail at sbelinfo@voanews.com. Any Offeror may submit an offer, which shall be considered by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/BBG/ADM/MCONWASHDC/BBG50-S-15-00062/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Broadcasting Board of Governors, Office of Research, 330 Independence Ave., S.W., Room 3300, Washington, District of Columbia, 20237, United States
- Zip Code: 20237
- Zip Code: 20237
- Record
- SN03841453-W 20150819/150817234831-83e7c649a1cca840095347a8cbf6239f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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