*** Please note current wishlist availability. New projects include Sioux Winter Calendar site for NMNH and Post Office image gallery for NPM. NMAH redesign can now offer a limited budget (insufficient to full scope of work). NOTICE for Smithsonian Website/Multimedia "Pro Bono" Development 1. General. The Smithsonian Institution was created by Act of the United States Congress in 1846 to carry out the terms of the Will of James Smithson who bequeathed the means to found a national institution based in Washington dedicated to ?the increase and diffusion of knowledge . . . .? The estate property was accepted by Congress which pledged the faith of the United States to a charitable trust for the benefit of the People of the United States. The trust is administered by the Smithsonian Board of Regents, composed of the Chief Justice, the Vice President, three Members of the Senate, three Members of the House of Representatives, and nine citizens appointed by joint resolution of Congress. 2. Background. On April 30, 2002, the Smithsonian Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs (OEEMA) in conjunction with the Smithsonian Office of Contracting (OCon) conducted a Web/Multimedia Fair in which 68 web/multimedia vendors/producers participated. At the Fair, Smithsonian staff were approached by multiple vendors requesting information about contracting opportunities for Smithsonian projects, whether paid or not. In response to this unforeseen demand, Smithsonian program offices were invited to create a ?wish-list? of projects for which development and implementation were immediately desirable. The result is attached separately to this notice for the review of any interested vendors (the ?Wish List?). 3. Project Descriptions. The Wish List is a synopsis, by Smithsonian museum/program office, of current needs for which there is no or insufficient money for development. For all identified projects, we have estimated project size in accordance with the following scale: (A More Perfect Union = small, Hirshhorn redesign = medium, Explore the Universe = large), and, where relevant, the desired timeframe for completion. Initially created and posted on June 25, 2002, we intend to keep the Wish List up to date, adding newly identified needs and removing projects for which sufficient qualified and serious vendor response has been received as well as any for which a full commitment for programmatic support has lapsed. Smithsonian reserves the right to rescind the Wish List in the event that insufficient response is generated on the identified projects. 4. Minimum Requirements for Pre-Solicitation Response. We can?t build it if you don?t come, therefore we invite interested and qualified vendors to identify those projects for which they would like to submit an offer. To be responsive, submissions need merely identify your company, your URL, and any project(s) for which you desire the opportunity to develop on a pro bono basis. Please be sure to stipulate any restrictions which may apply to your level of interest (stating a hierarchy of preferred projects if, for example, you would care to submit a proposal for multiple ones but only enter into a contract to create a single one). This information will be collected and distributed to the originating program offices on a rolling basis, and for each project, as soon as a suitable bidlist has been established (e.g., at least 2-3 qualified candidates) we will contact the prospective offerors. An indication of project interest by vendor(s) shall NEITHER obligate the vendor to submit a proposal to perform any work NOR obligate Smithsonian to invite proposals or issue contract(s) to have work performed. 5. Responding to this Announcement: Prospective offerors may ONLY submit information via e-mail to Bruce Falk, Office of Contracting at
contact@example.gov. Since it is presumed that relevant portfolios are viewable at the vendors? URL or obtainable upon request, no work samples are sought or required at this time. Offerors who submitted proposals in response to Smithsonian?s IDIQ RFP#F0236SOL0012 are permitted to make reference to any samples provided therein. For these reasons, submissions greater than ONE SINGLE PAGE in length will be met with disdain. (We are trying to make identification of desirable projects by interested firms as easy as possible; invited vendors will be given full opportunity to provide proposal(s) which address in detail specific project requirements.) 6. Methodology for Competition. Because these projects have little or no money attached to them, we will conduct the solicitation process in the following way. First, the seriousness of vendor intent will be determined by follow-up contact prior to establishment of a bidlist, as bidlists will be kept small (preferring three offerors, but in no event more than five ? to the extent that more than five vendors express serious interest in a given project, we will make a determination as to which vendors to invite to submit a bid to ensure limited competition while minimizing vendor burden). Second, identified, interested vendors will be provided with all criteria needed to draft a responsive proposal and invited to an initial discussion with the project team at least two weeks prior to the formal submission date. Finally, Smithsonian shall evaluate the received proposals and intends to award a contract to the offeror whose proposal is evaluated to be responsive to project/solicitation requirements and the best from among all proposals received. While specific criteria for any given project will be established and provided to preselected offerors prior to establishing a proposal due date, it is likely that credit recognition for any pro bono work awarded as a result of this announcement will be approximately equal to or greater than that currently offered by Smithsonian for its fully-budgeted development. 7. Further Contact Info. Please contact Bruce Falk immediately if you desire to receive a copy of the Wish List by e-mail, fax, or other format. Vendors desiring clarification can submit questions either by phone
+1 (555) 000-0000, or in writing, by e-mail, or by fax at
+1 (555) 000-0000. (We will make all reasonable effort to answer questions, but cannot guarantee response.) Thank you for your attention to this pre-solicitation notice. We look forward to hearing from you!
