The Behavioral and Social Science Side of Health Podcast Creation

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), is conducting a market survey to determine the availability and technical capability of qualified small businesses capable of the following requirement. This Sources Sought Notice is not a request for proposals and the Government is not committed to award a contract pursuant to this announcement. The information from this market research is for planning purposes only and will assist the Government in planning its acquisition strategy. This is strictly market research, and the Government will not pay for any costs incurred in the preparation of information for responding to this market survey. Any proprietary information should be clearly identified as such. This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service- disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; and (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 519130 - Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals. The National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) seeks to create a podcast series focused on the behavioral and social science dimensions of health, with a focus on using behavioral and social science research to explore health topics that have an important societal impact (e.g., substance use and mental health, digital health, climate change) and to challenge common health misconceptions. Additionally, to build up internal expertise in this area, OBSSR aims to train its staff members on the principles and processes of creating impactful podcasts, and more broadly, audio-based communication strategies. Collectively, these efforts will support OBSSR's goal of communicating behavioral and social science research findings to researchers and the public, disseminating evidence-based information, and fostering the adoption of behavioral and social interventions. Background: One of the main priorities of the NIH, OBSSR Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) is to - facilitate the adoption of behavioral and social sciences research findings in health research and in practice enhance (OBSSR Strategic Plan 2017-2021, Priority Three). Effectively communicating behavioral and social sciences research findings that may be used to inform and improve health is a foundational process used by OBSSR to meet its core priorities. OBSSR has deep expertise and experience in communicating behavioral and social science research (BSSR). Podcasting is a relatively new but rapidly growing form of mass communication. Creating a podcast would build upon and expand OBSSR's communication efforts and provide new ways to engage with the existing BSSR community as well as reach new audience members with this format. Podcasts are currently consumed by millions of listeners around the world, and a BSSR-specific podcast could contribute to reaching and successfully engaging the internal NIH community, behavioral and social scientists interested in health-related topics, biomedical researchers interested in BSSR topics, and the general public interested in health and BSSR. Considering the current communication channels that may perpetuate individual opinions and amplify information that is not grounded in science, OBSSR views the development of a podcast as an influential way to contribute evidence-based, health-related research findings that is free and publicly available for use by NIH staffers, researchers, clinicians/practitioners, educators, students, and the general public. SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES The goal of this procurement is two-fold: 1) to develop a health podcast using the behavioral and social sciences to answer key questions about human behavior and combat common misconceptions about health, and 2) to train staff members at OBSSR in the principles, processes, and best practices of creating podcasts. The contractor shall work with the OBSSR team to create a complete podcast season (9 episodes, each one of 20-25 minutes in length). The contractor shall help develop the title and theme for the season, source and verify guests, help create the story for each episode, facilitate the recording of each episode, edit each episode, ensure that any sound used within the podcast has the appropriate attributions, generate captions for each episode, and produce a final, production-ready version of each episode. The contractor shall also train OBSSR staff in the principles, processes, and best practices of creating impactful podcasts. The contractor shall provide expertise on all aspects of creating and producing a podcast and facilitate the creation of a podcast season, including the following activities: Convene kick-off meeting with Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and NIH scientific team within two weeks of contract award to review the SOW and discuss details of the podcast creation and training. In collaboration with the OBSSR project team, conduct an iterative pre-production and planning phase with the following activities: Brainstorming sessions to identify goals and strategizing about how they can be met through podcasting Competitive analysis including neighborhood network graph creation and analysis to ensure that OBSSR is creating a novel podcast Brainstorm and finalize show concept, format, and title Identify themes and episode ideas for all of season 1 Provide training for OBSSR podcast host For development of the pilot (first episode) allow for up to 3 rounds of feedback from the OBSSR project team to ensure the preferred format, tone, and messaging. Once these are finalized for the pilot, these ideas will be carried through to creation of the remainder of the season (additional 8 episodes). In collaboration with the OBSSR project team, conduct production and post-production for each of the 9 episodes in the podcast season through the following activities for each episode: Pre-interviews and guest booking for up to three guests per episode Verify the credibility of guests and veracity of their stories, including all scientist and non-scientist guests Recording equipment management and training for guests, including providing resources for improving sound quality for remote participants as needed. High quality and production ready recording of all audio material that is ready for posting to various podcast platforms Scripting for each episode to ensure that perspectives of the guests and host come together to tell a compelling and interesting BSSR-related story Edit, score, and master final episodes Incorporate feedback on editing from OBSSR project team Secure all music and other 3rd party rights Provide all copyright-free imagery for all episodes Produce captions (transcripts plus any additional captioning necessary, such as descriptions of any audio used or other relevant details not accessible to individuals with hearing impairments). Add podcast to major podcast platforms Conduct a virtual training and provide training resources tailored to OBSSR staff in the following areas: Principles, processes, and best practices of creating an impactful and engaging podcast Education around what makes a good podcast episode and what stories to - chase Recommendations on how to package and promote an OBSSR podcast, including but not limited to, title, description, artwork, episode titles, and show notes Strategies for building and expanding promotion channels (including existing websites, social media channels, newsletters) and additional external channels (such as major podcasting platforms) Analysis of analytics, strategies for benchmarking, and establishing custom metrics of success Recommendations for podcast hosting and strategies for distributing across all major podcasting platforms Summary of all main training materials in a PowerPoint presentation Regularly solicit and incorporate OBSSR feedback on each episode, and the overall process. Feedback may be collected through email and/or through attendance at regular working group meetings. Provide podcast process documentation to OBSSR and provide production updates on a regular basis as determined by the contractor and OBSSR team. Using knowledge of the podcasting landscape, develop and deploy a plan to evaluate the success of the OBSSR podcast. This evaluation may be based on the metrics of other podcasts similar in scope and topic. Submit monthly progress reports and presentations that summarize methods and results to date as well as completed activities, upcoming activities, and unanticipated issues. Convene monthly meetings with the project team to update on status and progress. A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is attached to this Sources Sought Notice. Response Requirements: Please submit the following information: Provide a capability statement demonstrating relevant experience, skills and ability to fulfill the Government's requirements for the above. The capability statement should contain enough sufficient detail for the Government to make an informed decision regarding your capabilities; however, the statement should not exceed five (5) pages. The capability statement should also include the following: Contract name; Contracting Agency or Department; Yearly contract value (in $$); Period of performance; and Description of work and how it relates to the NLM requirements. The capability statement should include references, key personnel, and any teaming arrangements needed to fulfill the requirements. It must identify the responder's small business type and size; DUNS number; NAICS code; GSA SIN Number, and technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. (c) All capability statements must be submitted electronically no later than 3:00 PM EST on Wednesday, July 12, 2022, to Em'Ria J. Briscoe at briscoee@mail.nih.gov, RFP 75N97022R00012. Disclaimer and Important Notes: This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).