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Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 10 of 10 Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 1 of 10 This Sources Sought Notice is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered ... Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 10 of 10 Sources Sought Notice Sources Sought Notice Page 1 of 10 This Sources Sought Notice is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products and/or services. Your response to this Sources Sought Notice will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise because of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter negotiations to award a contract. The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing its acquisition approach, statement of work/statement of objectives and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice. The submission of pricing, capabilities for planning purposes, and other market information is highly encouraged and allowed under this Sources Sought Notice in accordance with [IAW] FAR Part 15.201 [e]. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice announcement is for market research to make appropriate acquisition decisions and to gain knowledge of potential qualified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses [SDVOSB], Veteran Owned Small Businesses [VOSB], Women Owned Small Businesses [WOSB], 8 [a], Certified HUBZone Small Businesses and other Small Businesses interested and capable of providing the products and/or services described below. Interested and capable firms are requested to provide the following data/information to the attention of the Contract Specialist identified herein. Documentation of technical expertise must be presented in sufficient detail for the Government to determine that your company possesses the necessary functional area expertise and experience to compete for this acquisition. Affirmative responses to this notice shall include the following: [a] Company Name; [b] Full Address; [c] Point of Contact Name and Title; [d] Point of Contact Phone, Fax, and Email; [e] UEI Number; [f] Cage Code Number; [g] Tax ID Number; [h] Company website, if available; [i] Type of Small Business, e.g., Services Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, Veteran Owned Small business, 8 [a], HUBZone, Women Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, or Small Business HUBZone business, etc.; [j] Is your company considered small under the NAICS Code identified under this Sources Sought Notice? [k] How long has your company provided these services? [l] Please provide information for any current or past VA contracts for this service. [m] State whether your firm is registered with the System for Award Management [SAM] at https://sam.gov and/or the VetBiz Portal at https://vetbiz.va.gov; [n] State if your business has an FSS contract with GSA, VA NAC, NASA SEWP, or any other federal contract, that can be utilized to procure the requirement listed below and provide the contract number; and [o] Must provide a response containing a written statement, confirming you can comply with the government needs Please see Product description for Closed Captioned Encoder Upgrade requirement below. All responders to this Sources Sought Notice understand, by submitting this written statement, they are certifying they can meet ALL criteria. Requirement: Department of Veterans Affairs [VA], Institute for Learning Education [ILEAD], intends to procure Closed Captioning Encoder Upgrade. Please see attached Product Description for more specific detail. The proposed qualifying North American Industry Classification System Code [NAICS Code] for this effort is 541519 Other Computer Related Services and the 2022 SBA Size Standard of $34 M. Important Information: The Government is not obligated to, nor will it pay for or reimburse any costs associated with responding to this source sought synopsis request. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to an acquisition approach. The Government will in no way be bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. Currently a total set-aside for Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms is anticipated based on the Veterans Administration [VA] requirement with Public Law 109-461, Section 8127 Veterans Benefit Act. However, if response by Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business firms proves inadequate, an alternate set-aside or full and open competition may be used. Affirmative responses to this notice shall be submitted via email to Wayne Klotzbach at wayne.klotzbach@va.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses must be received no later than Friday, 26 January 2024, at 11:00AM EST. If a solicitation is issued it shall be announced at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from the responses to this sources sought. Responses to this sources sought notice are not a request to be added to a prospective bidders list or to receive a copy of the solicitation. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS INSITUTE FOR LEARNING, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT (ILEAD) Closed Captioned Encoder Upgrade Version 1.0 Dated 09/20/23 Background: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Institute for Learning, Education, and Development (ILEAD) maintains a broadcast facility in St. Louis Missouri, to include live satellite video delivery. ILEAD uses EEG closed caption encoders and the EEG iCAP caption delivery service to provide real-time closed captioning for the live satellite video delivery. ILEAD intends to upgrade our existing end-of-life EEG HD490 caption encoders. Scope: The vendor shall provide five (5) each digital HD closed captioning encoders to include a base year and four option years of technical support and firmware updates. The encoders must meet or exceed the salient characteristics defined in Section 4 of this Product Description. Documents: N/A Specific Salient Characteristics of Digital Closed Caption Encoders The Contractor shall provide EEG (AI Media) Model HD492D Closed Caption encoders, Brand Name or Equal, to meet or exceed the following salient characteristics and capabilities. EEG iCap connectivity for secure real-time captioning over a standard broadband connection without the use of dial-up phone lines or external audio couplers. Connectivity to EEG s Cloud-hosted Automatic Captioning service, Lexi. Encoding of caption data sourced from previously encoded video sources, two RS232 serial ports, or a dial-up modem (optional) CCMatch module for perfect synchronization of captions and program A/V (Add-On) Encoding of CTA-708 standard closed captions from native 708 or legacy 608 (SD) sources Caption relocation from configurable GPI triggers Modules for web-streaming and scoreboard connectivity Local logging of caption input for future reference Relay-bypassed master video and auxiliary video paths Requirement/Need: Provide five (5) each closed caption encoders Item Number Description 5.1 EEG HD492D Closed Caption Encoders 5.2 Up to two hours of remote professional assistance with encoder commissioning 5.3 Base year and four optional years of technical support and firmware updates Deliverable(s): CLIN Part Number Description Quantity 5.1 HENC-HD492-O-01G EEG HD492-O-O1G Closed Caption Pro Encoder 5 5.2 Remote commissioning Up to two hours of remote professional assistance with encoder commissioning 1 5.3 Technical support and firmware upgrades Base year and four optional years of technical support and firmware updates 5 Delivery and Performance Monitoring: Contractor s delivery and commissioning will be monitored by the PM/COR in accordance with the PRS. The PM/COR will certify receipt of goods and recommends acceptance of the services/deliverables. This process will be used for approval of payment for the Contractor s invoices and will serve as the mechanism to document that the overall performance of the Contractor has been acceptable for the period of time covered by the invoice. PRS: The deliverables below, the Performance Standard is defined as Work being completed within established timeframes. Performance Standard Minimum Acceptable Standard Method of Surveillance Frequency Equipment Delivery 1 or fewer instances where items were not received on time Real time monitoring by COR/PM after contract award Daily Remote Assist Commissioning and Configuration 1 or fewer instances where items were not received on time Real time monitoring by COR/PM when commissioning begins Daily Technical Support Plan 1 or fewer instances where items were not received on time Real time monitoring by COR/PM of support responses Per support ticket requests submitted General Details: 6.1 Period of Performance: The Period of Performance (PoP) shall be for (12) months from the time of contract award, with four additional option years for technical support plan. 6.2 Place of Delivery and/or Installation: Product shall be delivered and/or installed at: Department of Veterans Affairs 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive, Bldg. 56 St. Louis, MO 63125 Attn: Hugh Graham Contractor shall deliver and install during normal business hours from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. local time, Monday through Friday, or as otherwise specified. 6.3 Observance of Government Holidays. There are 10 Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103). Under current definitions, four are set by date: New Year's Day January 1 Independence Day July 4 Veterans Day November 11 Christmas Day December 25 If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday. The other six holidays are set by a day of the week and month: Martin Luther King's Birthday Third Monday in January Washington's Birthday Third Monday in February Memorial Day Last Monday in May Labor Day First Monday in September Columbus Day Second Monday in October Thanksgiving Fourth Thursday in November 8. Type of Contract: The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed-Price contract.