Inactive

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE in support of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in Canandaigua, NY for market research purposes only to determine the availability of potential businesses with capabili... This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE in support of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in Canandaigua, NY for market research purposes only to determine the availability of potential businesses with capabilities to provide the requirement described below. Potential offerors are invited to provide feedback via e-mail to Lisa.Harris4@va.gov. Responses will be used to determine the appropriate acquisition strategy for a potential future acquisition. All responses due by July 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Potential contractors shall provide, at a minimum, the following information: 1) Company name, address, and point of contact, phone number, e-mail address, and SAM ID. 2) Anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541613: Marketing Consulting Services. The largest a firm can be and still qualify as a small business for Federal Government programs with a size standard of $16.5 Million. If you believe a different NAICS is more appropriate, please indicate with your response. Is your firm eligible for participation in one of the following small business programs? If so, please indicate the program. [ ] yes [ ] no Small Business (SB) [ ] yes [ ] no HUBZone [ ] yes [ ] no Small Business 8(a) [ ] yes [ ] no Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) [ ] yes [ ] no Women-Owned (WO) Small Business [ ] yes [ ] no Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) [ ] yes [ ] no Other (please specify) 3) What additional information would the Government need to provide for you to be able to submit an accurate and complete offer with full understanding of the requirements if we post a formal solicitation? 4) Provide a brief capability statement with enough information to determine if your company can meet the requirement. The Capabilities Statement for this Sources Sought is not expected to be a Request for Quotations, Request for Proposals or Invitation for Bids, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach, but rather the Government is requesting a short statement regarding the company s ability to provide the services outlined below. Any commercial brochures or currently existing marketing material may also be submitted with the capabilities statement. Submission of capabilities statement will assist our office in tailoring the requirement to be consistent with industry standards. The capabilities will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining to Set-Aside for the Small Business (SB) Community or to conduct as an Unrestricted Procurement. Other than small businesses may respond to this notice in the event the market does not indicate SB interest. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Note: Do not include Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information in responses. Not responding to this Sources Sought does not preclude participation in any future or potential solicitation, or Request for Quotation. It is the intent of the VA to use the information gathered for market research purposes only. If a formal solicitation is released, it will be posted via the Contracting Opportunities website located at sam.gov. DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUIREMENT: The Center of Excellence (COE) is seeking a full-service, integrated marketing firm to develop and implement a variety of communication products and education tools, proactive outreach strategies across multiple platforms, and effective distribution of COE suicide prevention activities to target audiences that include (but are not limited to) all Veterans, regardless of VHA use, family members, friends and other Veteran stakeholders (e.g., Veteran Service Organizations). All products and services must be: (1) consistent with the Center s public health approach, (2) grounded in best practices and available evidence, and (3) focused on the development and use of effective products and services designed to engage Veteran populations at risk for suicide, including those who may never come to VA for care, and secondary audiences. The Government anticipates that ODCs will be required to address the requirements for production of communications, print, and video materials. ODCs are miscellaneous items such as deliveries, photocopying, shipping, photography, video production (non- labor), video production equipment, post-production, duplication of video, shipping, etc. The contractor will support COE programs, projects, and initiatives and are as follows: Task Area 1: National and Regional Outreach Activities Task Area 2: Marketing Collateral and Graphics Support Task Area 3: Website Maintenance Task Area 4: Video Production Task Area 5: Still Photography and Editing TASK AREA 1: NATIONAL AND REGIONAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES The Contractor is responsible for increasing public awareness of COE activities, with special attention paid to promoting opportunities for research participation in COE studies to targeted groups of Veterans (e.g., by condition, military service, demographic characteristics), their family members and friends, and other relevant stakeholders. The COE has more than a dozen ongoing research studies with the possibility of initiating new projects during the contract period. The contractor shall: Develop and implement a multifaceted outreach strategy intended to promote COE research and other Center activities with dissemination at the national level, as well as in designated local markets as appropriate. The plan will include a measurement framework, earned/donated media, advertising or other paid media, and accommodate both emergent research recruitment needs as well as a long-term, sustained awareness of COE activities. Develop, test, implement, and maintain interactive, mobile, and new media dissemination methods and channels, including new and social media tools, partnerships and social influencers, for the purpose of promoting COE research activities, recruiting research study participants, and disseminating suicide prevention programming. Paid media must be approved prior to implementation. Refine and revise the outreach plan based on performance data, specific needs, emerging best practices and new opportunities Foster and strengthen relationships with external stakeholders (e.g., Veteran Service Organization (VSO), Community Based Organization (CBO), Non-governmental Organization (NGO), universities/colleges, and public/private entities) to enhance research recruitment, and generating and sustaining awareness and support for COE activities Assess performance/effectiveness of outreach activities using metrics to ensure they are achieving intended results, provide suggestions for improvement, implement improvements, and monitor and report findings. Develop a standardized template for reporting of performance metrics (shall use the approved template to report metrics weekly) TASK AREA 2: MARKETING COLLATERAL AND GRAPHICS SUPPORT The Contractor is responsible for providing graphic artist/designer services to develop or expand COE outreach and communication materials. The Contractor shall: Develop or update a variety of products including, but not limited to logos/branding, infographics, data visualization, brochures, posters, fact sheets, presentations, postcards and business cards, report templates Develop or update online products such as social media products, graphics, banners, badges, and icons, and other advertising collateral such as radio spot/commercial content All products developed shall be readily available in color, black and white, and web versions that can be customized for use with multiple types of audiences/Veteran stakeholders All products shall be 508 compliant in accordance with Federal 508 standards, which can be found at: www.Section508.gov. May be directed by the PM/COR to translate to Spanish a limited number of communication products (not exceeding 100 pages in total for all products), such as brochures, flyers, and posters. Include a set of instructions to optimize for local or commercial printing for various outreach and mental health staff at VA medical centers. TASK AREA 3: WEBSITE MAINTENANCE The Contractor is responsible for web content updates, graphic updates, web oversight, management, technical support, development, and new content structure, as needed. The actual page shall reside on the COE s subpage on www.mentalhealth.va.gov of which the contractor is responsible for the coding which will be implemented in collaboration by the owners of the site. The Contractor shall: Ensure websites/webpages continue to appeal to targeted audiences and stakeholders and optimize customer usability experiences broadly and effectively Websites shall comply with all VA Web Operations policies as outlined in the updated VA Directive 6102 as well as government-wide regulations including Section 508 accessibility requirements Assist with the successful transition of the maintenance of the website to VA once the period of performance has ended Optimize the website in guidance with best practices, provide technical guidance, regularly publish, and promote relevant content and maintain updates as requested TASK AREA 4: VIDEO PRODUCTION The Contractor will oversee all aspects of creative, planning, production and post-production which includes obtaining the proper VA 10-3203 release forms and DD-214s (to confirm Veteran status) from all participants and provide original footage/visual effects (VFX). Contractor shall: Develop and produce commercial-grade videos, which may include PSAs, educational/ awareness videos, and/or animated shorts, in multiple formats and cut at industry standard for appropriate distribution. Collaborate with the COE using evidence-based design strategies Use only Veterans or Service Members for roles determined to be Veterans or Service Members Use only professionals who provide voice over services May be asked to translate two videos into Spanish All videos (raw and final) not to exceed 25 Terabytes shall be stored on a cloud-based system approved for VA access. TASK AREA 5: STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AND EDITING The Contractor will oversee all aspects of creative, planning, production and post-production which includes obtaining the proper VA 10-3203 release forms and DD-214s (to confirm Veteran status) from all participants. The contractor shall: Recruit Veterans, active-duty Service members or family with various demographic characteristics or backgrounds to participate in remote photoshoots Provide VA with a wide array of photo options by setting, actions, as required by the shoot Hold remote photo shoots and handle all associated logistics and paperwork; contractor is responsible for all creative direction, which includes the shot-list for a wide variety of photos that shall be used for Center materials The Contractor shall provide the necessary equipment, guidance, and support to capture photos of Veterans to ensure the widest possible array of photographs are captured for use All photographs taken shall be provided, when possible, in a RAW format and shall remain the property of VA with exclusive use of material. Edit photos, ensure 508 compliance, and provide finalized electronic copies of all photographs.