Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) Editor Services Contract

I. General Information THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract and does not restrict the Government regarding the acquisition approach that may be taken in the future. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this sources sought notice. The Government will provide no response to your submission, however, your comments will be considered during the development of the market research and acquisition plan. No solicitation document exists at this time, any information available for this requirement will be released at https://sam.gov. The Government will not be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties in responding to this sources sought notice. 766th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron (766 ESS) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam is currently conducting market research to locate qualified and interested potential business sources with experience in Editor Services to support the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Strategic Studies (DKI APCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii. As the primary editor for the Center's College of Security Studies, the Editor/Contractor shall work with faculty members, department heads, and the Public Affairs Office (PAO) for verification of facts, policies, and other directives to assist in the development of communication and outreach materials to include social media content, presentations, newsletters, reports, etc., for identified audiences. The Contractor shall be an experienced Editor with the capability to review original draft and final versions of a variety of research, reviews, policy papers, and articles in the broad area of Indo Pacific security. The main North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the requirement is 561410 - Document Preparation Services, and the main applicable small business size standard is $16.5 million in annual gross receipts. (Note: The description of requirement included in this sources sought notice is not intended to be all- inclusive.) A draft of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) has been included with this Sources Sought and is intended to provide additional information. A subsequent solicitation will follow. II. Description of Requirement The contractor shall provide all management personnel, equipment and services necessary to operate the facilities. APCSS Editor Services include: - Serve as the primary editor for the Center's on line journal - Security Nexus; - Gather, develop, and validate the accuracy of information from a wide range of sources; - Ensure that current style guidelines and other applicable publications and policy are followed in the preparation of all materials; - Analyze, interpret, and crosscheck information as required to ensure accuracy prior to release of materials/publications; - Work with PAO and the Visual Information Department to edit and validate scripts, content, and materials prior to interviews and the release of final products; - Work with PAO and CSS to write and edit content submitted by the College of Security Studies for inclusion in Currents Magazine; - Ensure the contents of the Learning Management System (LMS) is in an organized manner and recommends the optimum method of presentation of course materials according to the CSS Executive Leadership and course management team guidelines; - Be responsible for editing after action reports and executive summaries to be simple and clear so that non-technical and technical audiences better understand reports; and - Prepare material content for book publication Place of Contract Performance: DKI APCSS consists of one location at 2058 Maluhia Road, Honolulu, HI 96815 with standard business hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Ill. Vendor Response At this time, interested vendors capable of providing all of the described services may submit a description of their capabilities and experience. Any information provided by businesses to the Government is strictly voluntary. It is the intent of the contracting office to use this for informational and planning purposes only. Please provide information in sufficient detail regarding their capability and capacity to satisfy the requirement for editor services support. The Government has not determined the contract type applicable to the requirement. Responses are limited to no more than 10 pages and must answer all the questions listed below. Vendor responses are requested in writing by NO LATER THAN 1:00pm, Hawaii Standard Time, 21 January 2022 via email to Camille Watley at camille.watley.2@us.af.mil and Keith Major at keith.major.1@us.af.mil. No telephone calls will be accepted. No extensions to the above submittal date shall be authorized. Information sought by the Government includes: 1) Company Information a. Company Name b. CAGE Code c. DUNS Number d. Business Size under selected NAICS code (i.e. Small Business, Other than Small) e. Other Socio-Economic status (i.e. 8(a), HUBZone, Veteran-owned, Women-owned, etc.) f. Approximate annual gross revenue g. Company address h. Point of contract i. Telephone number j. Email address 2) Primarily doing business in the Private/Commercial or Government Sector 3) Brief information on capabilities to finance, mobilize, manage, and execute a service contract of this magnitude and complexity 4) Describe any similar service contracts you have performed for similar services that include editor services support: a. Contract number and type b. Award amount c. Period of performance d. Narrative description of how your performance on the contract is similar to this requirement e. Commercial or Government Point of Contact (POC) f. Retention rate on key personnel 5) What is your retention rate? 6) Is there a disadvantage presented to small businesses to successfully compete for this effort? 7) The Government is contemplating using a base one (1) year and two (2) - 1 year option periods, including a 2 week phase-in and phase-out period, as a period of performance. Is this phase in/out period adequate? What is the industry recommended standard for phase in/phase out for a contract of this magnitude? 8) Has your company provided similar services (or possesses the managerial/logistical skills) to provide a full time equivalent (FTE) to perform this service at DKI APCSS? 9) Please provide the appropriate NAICS that you believe should be used for this requirement and if your company is a small business under the NAICS provided. 10) What type of source selection do you believe is right for this opportunity and what would you suggest be an evaluation criteria/discriminator that can help differentiate the best companies? 11) From your perspective, is there any risk (technical, schedule, and cost) associated with this effort? If so, what is it and how would you mitigate? 12) Please share any innovative alternative methods/processes to reduce cost and/or improve the acquisition. Do you have any suggestions to maximize effectiveness in providing quality services to DKI APCSS? 13) In review of the attached Draft PWS, please provide any comments, concerns and/or recommendations (ensure to annotate section/paragraph). 14) Where are your services with respect to the publishing continuum: Developmental Editing ? Substantive Editing ? Copy Editing ? Proofreading? 15) What software tools/suites does your company use to complete editing services? 16) What size budgets do you normally work with? 17) What is your company's normal timeline to complete editing projects? 18) How does your company handle editing feedback from the customer? 19) Please list any professional credentials that specifically apply to editors, if applicable. 20) What do you see as your specific specialty? 21) Which style guides will you be using for copyediting and proofreading professional publications? 22) Please provide a sample of your edited work. Please provide any current editing projects or past editing projects within the last 3 years to include a description of the services you are providing/provided, cost of the project, and the customer (commercial and/or DoD). Does your company provide on-site personnel to conduct editing services or will it be conducted at the company's facility? 23) Please provide any comments or suggestions on the PWS. 24) The Contractor will be working with PhDs and must be flexible enough to deal with lots of last minute changes. Work is frequently done by committee so the Contractor must be open to feedback and changes. What is your editorial philosophy? 25) How do you view the customer's vision? 26) The best editing project you've ever completed, what made it the best and why? 27) The worst editing project you've ever completed, what made it the worst and why? 28) Please provide any feedback that may assist in this acquisition.