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UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA – OFFICE OF INTERNET FREEDOM PRESOLICITATION NOTICE BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT EXPLORATORY RESEARCH FOR INTERNET FREEDOM TECHNIQUES, TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES The Uni... UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA – OFFICE OF INTERNET FREEDOM PRESOLICITATION NOTICE BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT EXPLORATORY RESEARCH FOR INTERNET FREEDOM TECHNIQUES, TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES The United States Agency for Global Media issues this synopsis in accordance with FAR Part 5.201 to meet the mandatory requirement for pre-solicitation notification. The purpose of this synopsis is to announce the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s intent to issue a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Exploratory Research for Internet Freedom Techniques, Technologies and tools. This BAA may result in awards of contracts, grants and/or cooperative agreements to firms proposing new internet freedom tools and/or technologies of interest to the agency. The agency anticipates releasing the BAA on or around mid-October and intends to maintain it open indefinitely, until closed by the agency. Background The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is the independent federal agency that oversees U.S. Government-sponsored, public service media networks that provide unbiased news and information in countries where the press is restricted. Its mission is to inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. The Agency’s mission is reinforced by the missions of the individual entities that are overseen by USAGM. More specifically, the USAGM oversees the mission and operation of several civilian overseas broadcasting entities of the United States Government, including the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti), Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). In support of its overarching mission, the USAGM, through the broadcasting entities that it oversees, transmits news and information in 61 languages to over 100 countries around the world, reaching a weekly audience of 350 million across radio, television and the internet. With more and more people around the world turning to the internet as their primary source of information, the USAGM’s target audiences are increasingly accessing and sharing information and news content on digital platforms and via social media. At the same time, many of them live under repressive regimes where freedom of the press and expression are curtailed or nonexistent. As a result, internet freedom technologies that provide access to blocked content, safe and secure methods to source and share it, and the means for journalists to operate in hostile markets have become critically important and fundamental to carrying out USAGM’s mission. In order to distribute USAGM networks’ reliable and unbiased news content to their intended audiences in targeted countries around the world and to help provide a forum for freedom of expression and free press in closed countries, the USAGM has been involved in activities to circumvent foreign governments’ aggressive censorship of the internet since 2002. The USAGM is determined to expand internet freedom and freedom of expression by continuing to explore, develop, and fund the most secure and effective internet freedom tools through its Office of Internet Freedom (OIF), which is responsible for the USAGM’s internet freedom program. About the Office of Internet Freedom The mission of the OIF is to support the testing, deployment, and management of technologies that circumvent internet blocking, filtering, and other censorship techniques principally used by repressive regimes by overseeing the USAGM’s internet freedom program. The internet freedom program furthers the mission of the USAGM by enabling the dissemination of USAGM content through unrestricted secure access online, and by providing tools and techniques to enable the secure participation in global online forums with freedom of expression from inside closed societies. The OIF accomplishes its mission by backing technologies that embolden journalists, activists, and other citizens fighting for liberty around the world by allowing them to evade censorship and surveillance. The OIF has generally focused on funding or sponsoring internet freedom tools that provide online access, where censorship exists, to a large number of audiences around the world using web proxies and client-based software tools. The OIF backs and funds these technologies by awarding and administering contracts and other agreements that provide the public with censorship circumvention technology. Current Efforts The USAGM has in the past awarded a variety of contracts and agreements for internet censorship circumvention tools. The current USAGM Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) for Internet Censorship Circumvention Tools is one such contractual agreement. The USAGM’s current BOA supports OIF’s internet freedom initiatives by providing critical services in the following six task areas: Task Area 1: Circumvention Client Software Provision of software to circumvent internet censorship imposed by foreign governments and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) using client software technology, which, at a minimum, transparently proxies Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) traffic, and may implement transparent proxy services for additional protocol traffic, up to and including full Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. Software works on operating systems, which may include various desktop and mobile computing devices. Software allows internet users in target countries to use the client software package to circumvent the censorship of the internet within their country. Accomplished by accessing a network of servers, which are distributed globally and use a diverse set of Dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that cannot easily be discovered, enumerated, and blocked. Task Area 2: Clientless Web Proxies Provision of a network of web proxies which may be accessed by any web browser which supports Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) and which can be distributed by USAGM broadcasters. Allows internet users in target countries to circumvent the censorship of the internet within their country by accessing web proxies operated by the firm, which are distributed globally and use a diverse set of domain names and dynamic IP addresses which cannot easily be discovered, enumerated, and blocked. Proxy sites are changed regularly, based on the specifics of site blockages in the target countries. Task Area 3: Data privacy and security tools Provision of software that uses cryptography to protect user privacy for digital information stored on computers and/or mobile devices from discovery and access by parties not specifically authorized by the user. Software may provide various features including, but not limited to, secure on-device storage, anonymous access to the internet, and secure communication, but the overriding principles must be to allow for user privacy and security in countries where internet freedom is threatened. Task Area 4: Training Development and conduct/delivery of training courses in digital security and circumvention tools for journalists and stringers in various countries worldwide who produce news and other content for USAGM, as well as for trainers and other relevant personnel. Trainers may be required to conduct/deliver the training courses in several designated languages around the world. Training may require in-person, online and/or digital delivery. Task Area 5: Censorship Circumvention Technical Expertise and Support Provision of technical expertise in internet censorship circumvention to further the USAGM's other internet anticensorship initiatives. May consist of producing technical documentation and reports on the current state of internet censorship in target countries; providing computer programming and software engineering for USAGM's internal software products, open source software, or the firm’s other software; or setup, maintenance, and operation of computer systems and network devices. Task Area 6: Promotion of Internet Freedom Tools and Techniques Promotion and distribution of tools and techniques within USAGM, as well as its entities and in USAGM target regions, to provide information and awareness of the availability of such tools and techniques that allow for securely accessing and sharing USAGM broadcasting networks’ online news and other programming to counter foreign government-sponsored internet censorship controls. Objective of the Broad Agency Announcement The OIF, through its forthcoming BAA, seeks to broaden its internet freedom efforts by learning about new internet freedom techniques, tools and technologies, including those that are unknown to the USAGM that can strengthen the USAGMS’s efforts in the field of internet freedom and can lead to transformational changes and truly revolutionary advances in this field of interest. The agency may award contracts, grants and/or cooperative agreements to firms proposing new internet freedom techniques, tools or technologies of interest to the agency or may invite these firms to make oral presentations or participate in more detailed exploratory discussions[1] on the subject matter. Procurement Authority The agency will conduct all procurement actions related to the BAA under its statutory authority to conduct procurements without regard to any other provision of law relating to such procurements [See 22 U.S.C. 6204(a)(10)]. Where Congress has authorized a government entity to acquire goods or services “notwithstanding any other provision of law related to the acquisition of such goods or services…”, those transactions, by their nature, are not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), or to other procurement-related laws, such as the Competition in Contracting Act (CICA) [See 10 U.S.C. 2304, “…except in the case of procurement procedures otherwise expressly authorized by statute…”]. Because competition requirements under CICA will not apply to the procurement, GAO will not have jurisdiction over protests related to the BAA selection process or to any contract awarded under the BAA. All protests related to the procurements must be submitted directly to the contracting officer, whose final decisions are appealable to the agency’s Senior Procurement Executive. For Planning The Broad Agency Announcement will be released electronically via this Government Point of Entry (GPE) otherwise known as Beta.SAM (www.beta.sam.gov). As such, requests for advance copies of the announcement will not be granted at this time. Responses to this notice are not required. Additional information along with instructions for submitting proposals/applications in response to the solicitation will be provided in the forthcoming BAA. Potential offerors/vendors/firms are encouraged to register on www.beta.sam.gov to receive further information in reference to this presolicitation notice and the forthcoming BAA solicitation, inclusive of any announcements, and/or amendments to the solicitation after its release. Any questions regarding this synopsis should be directed to the assigned Contract Specialist, Ms. Natalie Ellis at nellis@usagm.gov. [1] The term “discussions” as used herein is not intended to have the same meaning as given in Part 15 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).