The Center for Comprehensive Telecommunications Acquisition (TQC), The General Services Administration, C/O Mitretek Systems, Inc., 7525 Colshire Drive (Stop Z397) Mclean, VA 22102-7400

R -- INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICE TO OPERATE THE NATIONWIDE FEDERAL INFORMATION CENTER (FIC) SOL TQD-RC-98-0002 POC Robert H. Corey, Contracting Officer, (703) 610-2024 17. Sources Sought. The purpose of this correction if to modify the date for receipt of questions or comments concerning the draft solicitation. The General Services Administration (GSA) has a requirement for information and referral services to operate the Federal Information Center (FIC). The current FIC has a nationwide service area with special attention paid to the residents of about 85 key metropolitan areas. Individuals with speech and hearing impairments must have access to the information services provided under the FIC Program. Firms that qualify as a Small Business or a Small-Disadvantaged Business under the size standard for Standard Industrial Code 7375 ($18.0 million in annual revenue) are encouraged to notify the Contracting Officer within fifteen (15) calendar days of the date of this synopsis with information attesting to their ability to perform the required work. This notification can be up to three (3) pages in length and should include a detailed description of the firm's capacity to provide the service. The minimum experience requirements for this project are stated below. A draft solicitation has been posted on the Federal Information Center's World Wide Web (www) site at http://fic.info.gov/rfp. Since a set-aside determination has not yet been made, we are encouraging all potential offerors, and other interested parties, to assist us in refining our requirements by providing questions or comments concerning the draft solicitation via E-Mail to bob.corey@gsa.gov. We will need any such questions or comments by August 21, 1998. In performing this requirement the contractor will provide (i) all necessary personnel, training, supervision, administrative support and management; (ii) all facilities, supplies, equipment, and ADP hardware; (iii) all software and research and reference materials (except those provided by the Government); (vi) current information to the public according to directions provided by the Government; and (v) a quality control program. The contractor will be able to perform the work requirements of the contract at one work site within the United States, or at multiple work sites within the United States as long as all inter-city telephone inquiries (i.e. public inquiries) are answered in a single work site that allows telephone access to callers nationwide. The contractor will be responsible for responding to approximately 2 million inquiries from the general public annually, principally by telephone. Inquiries are on subjects that cover the entire range of Federal activities and concerns. Responses are in the form of referrals to other agencies, mailing of printed information, providing information directly, or linking the inquirer and the information provider. The contractor will be responsible for maintaining and keeping current an automated (internal-use) database used by the FIC's information specialists in responding to public inquiries. There are presently more than 250 million bytes in the data base files. The contractor will be required to develop, maintain, andupdate a version of the automated nationwide database for public use via the Internet. The contractor will be responsible for the maintenance of the content of a web site, primarily sections that deal with Government contacts and frequently asked questions about Government. The contractor may be required to process public requests for documents and information for and about various government agencies. This will include the sale of documents with payment effected through the use of credit cards. The contractor may also be required to place outbound calls to the public for a number of federal agencies. The contractor will be required to conduct local and/or national media campaigns when required. The contractor will provide all local telecommunications, including a call sequencing mechanism capable of answering by recordings and maintaining data on calls received. The contractor will be required to develop and implement a plan to conduct agency liaison with Federal agencies' regional and headquarters offices,visiting at least 15 different cities each year. In order to be technically qualified a firm must have had the following experience during the past five (5) years: (i) three (3) years of general experience in providing information and referral service; (ii) one (1) year of specific experience in multi-subject, or broad geographical-based (ten states or more) information and referral service which provided complex, narrative answers, as distinguished from simple locator or directory service; and (iii) one (1) year of specific experience in information and referral service which handled at least thirty-five (35) percent of the telephone inquiry volume cited herein.***** Posted 08/06/98 (W-SN233383). (0218)

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