Inactive

Introduction This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain knowledge and information for pr... Introduction This is a Request for Information (RFI). This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain knowledge and information for project planning purposes. Purpose and Objectives The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) needs a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) digital subscription service tool to communicate research findings, aid in recruitment for careers and fellowships, post funding opportunities, and encourage training opportunities as well as provide NIAID employees information to do their work. As such, NIAID has a critical need to ensure that information is appropriately disseminated and that it efficiently reaches its vast and diverse audiences, stakeholders, and constituents. On the public website, NIAID offers information about its mission and its work—how it uses the money entrusted by taxpayers and how it’s working to improve human health. However, people must be looking either for NIAID or for research information to find the NIAID website. On social media, NIAID creates a collaborative community with interested individuals who can share, comment, and react. However, a post on a social media platform can be lost in a user’s timeline—there’s no guarantee that followers will see a given post. On the internal website, NIAID offers information about how to perform the work needed to support the mission. Email communications help to fill the gap between the passive website and fickle social media. Email can be personalized to a greater degree than social media and it doesn’t disappear from an inbox. It can invite a user and drive an action. NIAID’s email communications should take greater advantage of the opportunity to connect with the individuals who receive our emails in a more personal way. A digital subscription service tool will help NIAID track users’ actions and analyze data from multiple audiences, and this will help NIAID better organize and present information in our internal and external websites. Project requirements The COTS digital subscription service tool may be offered as a software-as-service/cloud solution. A custom developed system or systems requiring significant customization are not being considered. NIAID is seeking a COTS digital subscription service tool that must allow system users to: subscribe to topics/lists update their profiles and subscriptions receive notifications by email when new information is available to a subscribed topic schedule/send automated emails every time any type of webpage (including blogs and pages with java script) is updated or created send emails about any update with just a click on the web page edit all automated emails if there is a need before the emails go out include images in the emails add ALT text to images to be 508 compliant include embedded videos/animation in the emails easily create and update standard templates as well as non-standard/customizable templates for certain topics include links to web, social media, and other platforms in all templates, and encourage subscribers to comment or ask questions on those platforms create multiple “sender/from” names (e.g., emails should be able to come from “NIAID News Releases” or “NIAID Influenza”) setup email redirects for replies test emails before they go out create and export reports (e.g., account performance report, subscriber activity report, topic details report, etc.) easily add multiple subscribers from a list manage subscribers lists (e.g., integrate subscribers’ emails from different lists, upload, and export subscribers lists, etc.) create/get suppression lists for internal staff email dissemination, it is important that all staff receive Institute emails. If an internal staff user opts out, system users need the ability to identify staff opting out and need the ability to re-add the user send emails based on subscribers’ local time schedule emails to be sent out at a later time be able to support unlimited number of subscribers be able to support unlimited number of topics/lists Anticipated period of performance NIAID estimates the period of performance to begin in August 2023. The period of performance is a base year with four one-year options. Total period of this order shall not exceed 5 years if all options are exercised. Other important considerations FISMA - moderate Capability statement /information sought If your organization offers a digital subscription service tool capable of meeting the project requirements listed above, please provide the following information: Describe your organization’s technical capabilities and COTS solution that meets the project requirements listed above. Capability document shall be no more than six pages excluding attachment. If your organization cannot meet specific requirements, identify it, and explain why not. Technical documentation, brochures, and product catalogs may be submitted as attachments to your response. Organization name, address, point of contact, email address, website address, telephone number, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Identify if your organization is the developer of the solution or a publisher/reseller. If you are the developer, do you have publisher/resellers available? If you have publisher/resellers, please provide the company(s) UEI number. Identification of any Best-In-Class (BIC) contract vehicles including Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) (e.g., GSA schedule, NITAAC) they may possess or are aware of that would support this possible requirement. If your organization does not provide the products/services under a GWAC, please identify availability as OPEN MARKET ONLY. Pricing models offered by your company. Published price lists for your product and services. If commercially available list pricing is not available, provide a Rough Order of Magnitude, Do you expect to offer a new product or service sometime in the future that might affect this requirement? Provide a list of any proprietary data/components or embedded components associated with the use of your products. Submission Instructions Interested organization who consider themselves qualified to provide the above listed digital subscription service tool are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by February 21, 2023, at 5:00 PM EST. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice shall be emailed to Danielle Tines danielle.tines@nih.gov. “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. Information provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for the potential requirement and may lead to the development of a solicitation. 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. Any solicitation resulting from the analysis of information obtained will be announced to the public in Federal Business Opportunities in accordance with the FAR Part 5. 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).”