Legislative Database Subscription

Amendment 0001 - May 27, 2016 The Department is amending the Requirements and Quote Instructions as follows: AMENDED SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS The contractor shall provide an online Congressional reporting subscription that provides 24 hour coverage on congressional actions that meet the following requirements: - Provides the daily news and, real-time updates/summaries throughout the day as news breaks on Capitol Hill on the status of bills and other congressional activities. - Provides comprehensive and timely listings for House and Senate committee meetings and Member Profiles. - Provides daily Congressional schedule, to include House and Senate floor committee actions, news, and events. - Customer service shall be available at a minimum between ED's Budget Service core hours of duty of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Optional services - the contractor shall identify whether or not the following services are available within the subscription service. At the Department's discretion, the Department may choose to include one or more of the services in the subscription service. - Provides analysis from the floor, committee mark-ups, hearings, bills, amendments, and votes. - Provides up to date Member Profiles - Provides up to date information on where bills are in the appropriations process. AMENDED QUOTE INSTRUCTIONS Please propose a firm-fixed price (FFP) for an annual subscription that meets the above requirements. Provide an FFP for a 12-month Base Period and for four 12-month Option Periods. Please quote a separate price for each of the three Optional Services for a 12-month Base Period and for four 12-month Option Periods. ORIGINAL NOTICE 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. The solicitation for commercial services is being conducted in conjunction with FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation ED-OLCA-051916 is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-88. The NAICS code is 519130, Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals, and small business size standard is 1,000 employees. The firm selected to receive an offer from the Department is required to register in the System for Award Management (SAM) and to maintain active registration during the life of the purchase order. SAM can be accessed at https://www.sam.gov. Firms shall include their DUNS number in their quote. If the firm does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Duns and Bradstreet directly to obtain one. The firm selected for an offer from the Department will need to provide Offeror representations and Certifications prior to any award. The Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs (OLCA), has a wide range of responsibilities, the most important of which is serving as the principal advisor to the Secretary on education and other legislative matters before Congress as well as the Department's liaison in responding to the needs of Congress. OLCA has a leadership role in planning, developing, and implementing the Department's legislative goals and strategies. OLCA also, notifies Congressional offices of grant awards and Department initiatives; addresses appropriation and budget matters; monitors the status of legislative proposals; works with employees throughout the Department to respond to written and oral inquiries from individual Members of Congress; prepares for legislative hearings, schedules and facilitates meetings between Members of Congress and Ed Senior officers; and, keeps daily contact with Congress to ensure that the initiatives of Congress and the Department are achieved. OLCA currently has a contract for an information service that provides comprehensive, non-partisan coverage of congressional action. Support is required to maintain continuity of this service. The current service expires June 24, 2016. SCOPE Contractor support is required to provide a subscription to an existing online database that reports comprehensive, non-partisan coverage of congressional actions. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS The contractor shall provide an online Congressional reporting subscription that provides 24 hour coverage on congressional actions that meet the following requirements: - Provides the daily news and, real-time updates/summaries throughout the day as news breaks on Capitol Hill on the status of bills and other congressional activities. - Provides analysis from the floor, committee mark-ups, hearings, bills, amendments, and votes. - Provides up to date Member Profiles - Provides up to date information on where bills are in the appropriations process. - Provides comprehensive and timely listings for House and Senate committee meetings and Member Profiles. - Provides daily Congressional schedule, to include House and Senate floor committee actions, news, and events. - Customer service shall be available at a minimum between ED's Budget Service core hours of duty of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance for this contract shall be 12 months from contract award with four option years, dependent on satisfactory contract performance and the availability of funds. APPLICABLE CONTRACT CLAUSES & PROVISIONS The following provisions and clauses apply to the solicitation and any resulting order: 1. FAR 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference. (Feb 1998) This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address (es): https://www.acquisition.gov/FAR!Ioadmainre.html The EDAR is available via the Internet at http://www.ed.gov/policy/fund/reg/clibrary/edar.html 2. FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items (May 2015) 3. FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items (Feb 2016) 4. FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999) The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days before the contract expires. 5. FAR 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract (Mar2000) (a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days of contract expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension. (b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause. (c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed 60 months. 6. ED 305-4, PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (MARCH 1986) -The period of performance shall be from the date of award through 12 months, inclusive of all specified deliveries and/or task work. Base Award through Month 12 Option I Month 13 through 24 Option II Month 25 through 36 Option Ill Month 37 through 48 Option IV Month 49 through 60 7. FAR 52.232-40 Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors (Dec 2013) (a) Upon receipt of accelerated payments from the Government, the Contractor shall make accelerated payments to its small business subcontractors under this contract, to the maximum extent practicable and prior to when such payment is otherwise required under the applicable contract or subcontract, after receipt of a proper invoice and all other required documentation from the small business subcontractor. (b) The acceleration of payments under this clause does not provide any new rights under the Prompt Payment Act. (c) Include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in all subcontracts with small business concerns, including subcontracts with small business concerns for the acquisition of commercial items. 8. EDAR 3452.224-70 Release of Information Under the Freedom of Information Act (May 2011) 9. EDAR 3452.237-71, Observance of Administrative Closures (May 2011) 10. EDAR 3452.239-70 INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (MAY 2011) 11. EDAR 3452.239-73 FEDERAL DESKTOP CORE CONFIGURATION (FDCC) COMPATIBILITY (MAY 2011) 12. EDAR 3452.242-73 Accessibility of Meetings, Conferences, and Seminars to Persons with Disabilities (May 2011) 13. 306-1a INVOICE SUBMISSION (JAN 2007) (A) Payments shall be rendered in accordance with the payments clause(s) of the incorporated contract clause section and with those otherwise specified rated or fixed price amounts. (B) The contractor shall submit invoices electronically as an attachment to a message to Stefanie.Seaborne@ed.gov. The subject area of the message shall contain the invoice number and contract number. The electronic copy of the invoice shall be in a format that is supported by Microsoft Office (Microsoft Word or Excel), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). ** Invoice shall include the name of the conference/project as well as the date of the meeting/project. QUOTATION REQUIREMENTS Quotes shall include the following: 1) A brief corporate capabilities section. 2) A description of the existing online database to be provided that reports comprehensive, non-partisan coverage of congressional, to include details on data fields that can be generated, search capabilities and import/export features. Description must demonstrate how your company's service is capable of meeting the government's need as stated above. 3) A brief corporate experience section that describes performance on similar requirements, to include no more than 3 entities supported, contract value and service provided 4) DUNS Number 5) Please propose a firm-fixed price (FFP) for an annual subscription that meets the above requirements. Provide - an FFP for a 12-month Base Period and for four 12-month Option Periods. Base Award through Month 12 $____________ Option I Month 13 through 24 $____________ Option II Month 25 through 36 $____________ Option Ill Month 37 through 48 $____________ Option IV Month 49 through 60 $____________ Total $____________ EVALUATION CRITERIA Quotes will be evaluated based on price, demonstrated ability to meet government's need, quality of the database, and corporate experience. Quotes will be evaluated based on best value to the government with price and quality of the database/corporate experience weighing more than other evaluation factors. CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS Interested parties must submit all clarification questions concerning this solicitation in writing via E-Mail to: Gary.Weaver@ed.gov and Stefanie.Seaborne@ed.gov. ED will accept clarification questions until 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, May 26, 2016. After this date, ED does not guarantee that a response will be given. Oral explanations or instructions given by the Government before the award of the contract shall not be binding. Any information given to a prospective quoter concerning a solicitation will be furnished promptly to all other prospective quoter as an amendment to the solicitation, if that information is necessary in submitting quotes or if a lack of it would be prejudicial to any other prospective quoter. CLOSING DATE FOR QUOTATIONS Firm-Fixed-Price quotes are due on or before 12:00 pm EST on May 31, 2016. Please email quotes to Gary.Weaver@ed.gov and Stefanie.Seaborne@ed.gov. Late quotes will not be accepted.