T - Contractors for News Broadcasting Services

The U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), Voice of America (VOA), and Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) are seeking qualified individuals for free-lance Radio, Television, Internet, and/or Multi-Media English and/or foreign language news broadcasting assignments in Washington, DC; Miami, FL; and various overseas locations that are not serviced by full-time VOA and/or OCB staff correspondents. Assignment areas include script writing, editing, on-air announcing, technical and production services, photo editing, video journalism, graphic illustrating, producing programming using state of the art multi-media platforms, and audience mail analysis. The VOA broadcasts in English and 44 other languages. These languages are as follows: Afan Oromo, Albanian, Amharic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Bosnian, Burmese, Cantonese, Creole, Croatian, Dari, French, Georgian, Greek, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Khmer, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Kurdish, Lao, Macedonian, Mandarin, Ndebele, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Shona, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek and Vietnamese. VOA is seeking qualified sources for the following types of free-lance assignments: Radio-TV Broadcast Announcers, Narrators and Personalities, Researchers, Writers, Producers, Editors, Desk Coordinators, Directors for Television, Radio and TV Production Assistants, Television Makeup-Artists, Master Control Producers, TV Master Control Technicians, Television On-Camera Talent (i.e., Program Moderator, Anchor, Host), General Studio Technicians, Video Switchers, Audio Technicians, Lighting Directors, TV Technical Support Maintenance Technicians, Non-English Language Translators, Narrators, Videotape Editors, Videotape Recycling Technicians, Videotape Recording Technicians, TV Mini-Cam Technicians, Studio Technician Director, Video Researcher/Catalogers, Camera Operators, Character Generator Operators (Chyron), TV/Radio Bookers, Promo Producer/Editors, Audience Mail Assistants (respond to incoming letters/emails from VOA Listeners around the world), and Electronic Graphic Artists. In addition, VOA is also interested in Internet Writers, Editors, Web Designers and Graphic Designers. Furthermore, the BBG's Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which broadcasts radio and television programming in Spanish to Cuba, is seeking qualified sources for similar free-lance assignments on the same "as-needed" contract basis as VOA, but with OCB's free-lance work assignment locations being Miami, FL or at overseas locations. The following general information pertains to all of the above-listed VOA and OCB free-lance assignments: 1) Assignments are performed on a contract basis. 2) Most VOA assignments require working in Washington, DC; while some assignments require working at IBB studios at overseas locations. Most OCB assignments require working in Miami, FL; while some assignments require working at overseas locations. 3) Contractor candidates may be required to undergo a background security investigation and successfully pass the security clearance process in order to receive work assignments. 4) Contractor candidates must be willing to work on an "as-required" basis, depending upon the VOA's or OCB's broadcasting needs. Some broadcasting activities require working irregular hours - such as very early in the morning or late in the evening - depending on the broadcasting schedule. 5) Videotape editor candidates should have at least two (2) years experience as a videotape editor in either a commercial or Government television production facility, utilizing modern computerized editing systems and videotape machines. 6) Free-lance assignments are contracted for strictly on an "as needed" basis. The VOA and OCB make no guarantees on the amount of work assignments that contractors can expect to receive. 7) The Government is obligated to inspect all contractors performed work to insure that it fully satisfies the Government's requirements. The Government is further obligated to reject all work that fails to meet Government-specified requirements. Contractors should note that all work shall be performed in accordance with the standards prescribed in the attached "VOA Journalistic Code". Failure to comply with these legally mandated standards may result in immediate termination of the contract for default. The following criteria, depending on the type of broadcasting services being contracted, are used as appropriate by VOA and OCB to evaluate prospective contractors: (1) Radio or television broadcast or Internet news experience, including translating and adapting broadcast scripts. Please specifically note that for broadcasting work, the VOA requires that prospective contractors take a voice and writing test. For translation or camera work, VOA requires that prospective contractors take a translation and/or on-camera test; (2) Extensive knowledge of the target broadcast language(s) and the ability to adapt English material into the target language; (3) Ability to produce work that demonstrates a keen knowledge of national and international issues; (4) Ability to explain complex issues in clear, logical terms that can be understood by VOA's and OCB's worldwide audiences; (5) Ability to operate highly specialized and complex broadcast television equipment, such as audio consoles, character generators, wave-form monitors and vectorscopes, and videotape machines; (6) Highly developed production skills, such as: assembling/coordinating material, monitoring program segments for proper sequencing and integration, ensuring continuity, editing broadcast scripts as necessary, etc. ; (7) Ability to research, select, and prepare material to provide background and highlight key elements of VOA or OCB web news reports, prepare and encode multimedia enhancements, and either prepare or request and coordinate the preparation and encoding of additional streamed media, and ensure compliance with copyright restrictions; (8) Documented knowledge (i.e., education/training and/or practical experience) of the principles and practices of journalistic writing, editing, and Internet publishing; (9) Computer skills required; (10) Ability to operate a wide variety of digital broadcast equipment; and (11) Ability to read and analyze incoming correspondence to determine information requested and prepare a responsive and personalized respond. Prospective contractors are hereby notified that the basis for award will be based on best value; with technical evaluation factors (i.e., strength of prospective contractor's resume, approach to performing work) being more important than the prospective contractor's proposed hourly price. Contractors shall submit their price proposals based on an hourly and/or an assignment basis. All sources interested in and believe that they have the experience and capabilities to perform one or more of the above-stated free-lance Assignment/Task Orders that are issued under a contract basis with one or more of the above-stated BBG organizations (VOA) at their respective Washington, DC; Miami, FL (for OCB); or overseas locations may submit written inquiries for additional information and/or submit their written statement(s) of interest, technical qualifications, desired rate (hourly or per assignment), and pertinent experience for proposing to contract for one or more of the above-listed free-lance assignments with the appropriate BBG organization(s) as follows: (a) For free-lance assignments with the VOA (Radio) in Washington, DC or overseas, submit written inquiries for additional information and/or contract technical proposals to the Voice of America (VOA), Attention: Ms. Cynthia Krasinski, VOA/C Room 1300, Cohen Federal Building, 330 Independence Avenue (SW), Washington, DC 20237, email address: cakrasin@voanews.com; and (b) For free-lance VOA (Television) assignments in Washington DC or overseas, submit written inquires for additional information and/or contract technical proposals to VOA-TV, Attention: Donna Buchan, VOA/O, Room 2276, Cohen Federal Building, 330 Independence Avenue (SW), Washington, DC 20237, e-mail address: dlbuchan@voanews.com; and (c) For free-lance radio and/or television assignments with the Office of Cuba Broadcasting's (OCB) Radio and/or TV Marti in Miami, FL or overseas, submit written inquiries for additional information and/or contract technical proposals to OCB, Attention: Ms. Mary Ann Amps, OCB/A, 4201 NW 77th Avenue, Miami, FL 33166, email address: mamps@ocb.ibb.gov. Any written inquiries and/or contract proposals responding to this Public Notice may be submitted to the above-listed respective VOA-TV and/or OCB POCs at any time up to the March 31, 2011 expiration date of this Public Notice. This Notice is not a RFQ, RFP, or IFB.