76--NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT TO WORKAMPER NEWS FOR ADVERTISING SERVICES

This is a notice of intent to award a sole source contract to Workamper News, Inc. of Heber Springs, Arkansas for advertising services to include a Featured Employer package, 150 EmployerPlus subscriptions, waived revision charges for Featured Employer super pages, 75 word Help Wanted ads for all participating projects, two articles and magazine cover in Sept/Oct issue, six pages of Volunteer Opportunities and four pages of Park/Gate Attendant opportunities, one-half page display ad in each of the six issues each year with layout and design at no additional charge, access to online resumes, and two Hotline ads/year/EmployerPlus subscription up to 75 words. These services are for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Volunteer Clearinghouse, which services USACE nationwide, and is managed by the Nashville District. This procurement has been approved for other than full and open competition under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(iii), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. Workamper News provides a multi-faceted package to the Corps to reach a specific target audience, those that want to work and camp. This is a highly specialized package that would be difficult to develop specifications, to evaluate proposals, and to keep government labor costs at a level that would be recoverable. Workamper News provides access to the target audience the Corps needs to reach to obtain volunteers and park attendants that want to work and camp at the campgrounds and recreation areas across the country. Volunteers perform many important duties in natural resources and recreation management. They serve as park and campground hosts, staff visitor centers, maintain trails and park facilities, conduct educational programs, assist with wildlife habitat and more. Most of the long-term volunteers are willing to perform these services in exchange for a free campsite at a Corps campground. The Independent Section valued an hour of volunteer service in 2011 at $21.79. The value received far exceeds the costs of the services from Workamper News. The combination of items that Workamper News provides is unique with the Featured Employer package, subscriptions, ads with layout and design at no additional charge, articles, magazine cover, pages of Volunteer and Park/Gate Attendant opportunities, and access to online resumes. This combination of services from the target audience needed is not available elsewhere at a cost-effective price. The cost of government labor to attempt to procure it would be substantial in relation to the cost of the package. Government labor will include a technical representative (GS-12) spending time on the development of performance specifications, one contract specialist (GS-9) on contracting oversight and the development of a competitive solicitation, and costs from both and one other technical representative (GS-12) to evaluate proposals. It is expected that these efforts would not be required if these services and items were provided by Workamper News. It would be unlikely that the government would expect to recover these costs. Most significantly, Workamper News provides a unique package to the government that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere. There are no other apparent alternatives that would be effective at reaching the specific target audience of those that want to work and camp. Outdoor and camping publications would reach those that want to recreate and camp, and not necessarily those that want to work. Other publications do not offer the multi-faceted Featured Employer package, subscriptions, waived revision charges, ads, articles and magazine cover, pages of Volunteer Opportunities and Park/Gate Attendant opportunities, one-half page display ads, and layout and design at no additional charge to reach the target audience that would provide the necessary benefits to the Corps of Engineers Volunteer Clearinghouse. The Federal Acquisition Regulations allow for the submission of capability statements from prospective offerors to show interest which shall be considered by the Nashville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This is not a request for capability statements or quotes. However, the Nashville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will consider any capability statements or quotes submitted by all responsible sources. Depending on the evaluation result of the capability statements, the Contracting Officer will determine if this sole source action is justified or if a solicitation must be issued to interested firms. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No requests for capability briefings will be honored as a result of this notice. Interested sources who submit data are responsible for appropriately marking information if it is proprietary in nature. If potential offerors choose to submit information, past performance and references regarding capability to perform these services must be provided along with the statement of capability. The Government will not award a contract based on the information received, nor reimburse participants for information they provide. Information provided is strictly voluntary. Please email capability statements or quotes to contact@example.gov@usace.army.mil. Telephonic inquiries will not be honored. The closing date for submission of capability statements or quotes is June 28, 2012, 8:00 AM Central Daylight Time.