REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Eagle Radio Format and Branding Services RFI Tracking Number: HQ0516-FY-21-0008 CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS: Defense Media Activity - Riverside 23755 Z Street Riverside, CA 92518 The Defense Media Activity (DMA) is posting this RFI to gain information on the agency’s requirement for a continuous operation (24/7) Radio Format and Branding Services to support the American Forces Network (AFN) mission. The responses provided may be used by DMA to assist in budgetary planning, developing an acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, salient characteristics, performance specifications, and technical requirements. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Specific support is required to ascertain industry’s ability to furnish Radio Programming and Branding Services to DMA locations worldwide. The provided 24/7 radio format feed, branding, and radio hosting services shall comprise components that meet the required capabilities detailed later in this document. DMA representatives may choose to meet with respondents and others who express interest and hold one-on-one discussions. Such discussions would only be intended to obtain further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, including any development and implementation risks. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed. Information provided will be used to assess availability of the anticipated requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. INSTRUCTIONS: Respondents are encouraged to provide the following: A summary of the respondent’s capabilities relating to DMA’s requirements. Questions related to the RFI’s Required Capabilities. Any questions received, and subsequent answers, will be posted to https://beta.sam.gov/ for the benefit of all interested parties. An itemized budgetary estimate for a system capable of satisfying the RFI’s Required Capabilities. Itemized estimates are preferred should DMA need to adjust system specifications. BACKGROUND The Defense Media Activity (DMA) provides comprehensive internal and external information to the entire Department of Defense through all available media. DMA communicates messages and themes to the Secretary of Defense, Service Secretary and other DoD and Military Service through the medium of print, the worldwide web, radio and television in order to support and improve quality of life and morale, situational awareness, force protection and sustain readiness. AFN provides U.S. radio and television news, information and entertainment programming to military service members, DoD civilians and their families overseas, and aboard U.S. Navy ships. DMA AFN-BC mission tasking per DoD Instruction 5120.20 is to support the Internal Communications mission of the Department of Defense by providing a broad range of information and entertainment programming to DoD personnel and their family members overseas, thus attracting an audience for Internal Communications messages placed within AFN programming. This Eagle Radio Format and Branding Services contract will reinforce the American Forces Network (AFN) mission by supporting the DMA Performance Plan Strategic Goal 3: Enhance our support to Joint Forces and DoD Components, Strategic Objective 3.3: Transform AFN video and audio distribution to reduce cost”. The AFN Contracting Office has purchased radio services of a similar nature repeatedly over the past several years for broadcast and distribution via its global satellite and internet streaming services. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES: The Contractor shall provide to the American Forces Network (AFN) the music service and broadcast rights to a 24/7 Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR)/Top 40, or equivalent, popular music format for each of the 20+ AFN Eagle affiliates located outside the continental United States. The provided popular music format shall include professional broadcast personalities, and a process, procedure, and mechanism to relay local and regional command information messages to the provided on-air personalities to include in live and/or voice tracked breaks. The Contractor shall provide regular, consistent updates to format/ station imaging and branding content. The continuous music format provided by the Contractor to AFN shall integrate with the current automation, routing, and scheduling systems in use throughout the AFN Radio Enterprise Network. These include AudioVAULT FleX, Wheatstone WheatNet, Triton Digital audio streaming, WedelSoft Traffic, MusicMaster music scheduling system. The provided format channels shall be able to merge a variety of live/local and third-party syndicated content, wholly or in part, sourced from satellite receivers, or as audio files from a local or networked container. The Contractor shall provide the equipment, (e.g. satellite receivers, IP Audio streaming appliances, etc.) and an equal number of redundant spares necessary to descramble/ decode/ receive a broadcast quality signal for the contracted services. The Contractor shall design, engineer, integrate, configure, test and commission all hardware, software and materials necessary to successfully meet the system integration requirements. The Contractor should also be aware that any provided workstations and servers shall be compliant with the appropriate DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIG). The Contractor shall provide installation, integration, commissioning and training services. INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES The Government shall provide equipment racks, cooling and redundant UPS power per the Contractor provided space, heat load and power requirements. REQUESTED INFORMATION: a. Company’s Name, mailing address, phone number, fax number, company’s website, and e-mail of designated point(s) of contact. b. Business Type: Based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 51511 Radio Broadcasting . Identify the type of entity (large business, small business, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, 8(a), HUBZone, service disabled veteran-owned, etc.). c. Cage Code d. Contractor’s past performance in meeting stated objectives/requirements, statement of qualifications to include information that clearly demonstrates the respondent’s capabilities, expertise and experience to perform the specific requirements contained in this RFI. e. Contract vehicles that would be available to the Government for the procurement of the product and service, to include General Service Administration (GSA), GSA MOBIS, NIH, NASA SEWP, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), or any other Government Agency contract vehicle. (This information is for market research only and does not preclude your company from responding to this notice.) RESPONSE GUIDELINES: Vendors who wish to respond to this should send responses via email NLT 19 November 2020, 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to
[email protected] or
[email protected] . Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 10 pages, single-spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size, not including any manufacturer cut sheets or system block diagrams. Responses must specifically describe the contractor’s capability to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI. QUESTIONS: Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted by e-mail to
[email protected] or
[email protected]. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 4:00 PM (Pacific),will be answered. The Government will not reimburse companies for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses. DISCLAIMER: This RFI is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP), and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals nor will any award be made as a result of this synopsis. All information contained in the RFI is preliminary, as well as, subject to modification and is in no way binding on the Government. FAR clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference in this RFI. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. This RFI will be the basis for collecting information on capabilities available. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. PARTICIPATION IN THIS RFI IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY AND FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT TO PROCURE ANY ITEMS/SERVICES OR FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR THE INFORMATION RECEIVED. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ASSOCIATED COSTS AS A RESULT OF PROSPECTIVE OFFERORS INTEREST, RESPONSE OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS RFI. ANY FORMAL SOLICITATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE. THE GOVERNMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS REQUIREMENT AT ANY TIME DURING THE ACQUISITION PROCESS. ANY SOLICITATION RESULTING FROM THE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE POSTED TO THE PUBLIC IN FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FAR PART 5. HOWEVER, RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED RESPONSES TO A SOLICITATION.