Response to Question & Answers (Q & A's) to Solicitation FDA-1056044 Title: Use of Social Media to Supplement and Evaluate Risk Communication Efforts with Respect to Food-borne Outbreak 1. The RFP states, "The technical proposal shall not exceed 15 pages exclusive of resumes and information about previous projects." Can the government please confirm that Relevant Experience and Past Performance are excluded from the page count, since they contain information about previous projects? Answer: The government confirms that the page limit does NOT include relevant experience and past performance. 2. The RFP requests that 1) ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories be provided and 2) a proposed price including base plus four option years. Can the government please confirm that Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3 are to be completed in the base year and priced accordingly, and that the option years pricing should only include ceiling rates? Answer: The government confirms that Task 1 and part of the consultation (Task 3) related to Task 1 are to be completed in the base year. The government cannot predict the exact timing of the work specified in Task 2 but expect that two (2) outbreaks will happen within two (2) calendar years from the award of the contract. For business proposal purposes, the government therefore suggests that offerors use the assumption that the first of the two (2) outbreaks will occur in the base year and the second of the two (2) outbreaks will occur in the first option year. In other words, please assume that about half of the work specified in Task 2 (and association consultation, Task 3) is to be completed in the base year and the other half in the first option year. 3. The RFP indicates that reports must contain "2. number of page views and unique visitors"? Such information will be difficult to obtain unless the media site indicates such information. Is this truly a required part of a report? Answer: The government agrees that it would be difficult to obtain such information unless a media site provides the information. Therefore, the government has amended the requirements under Task 1.2, Items 1, 2, and 4 (see FedBizOpps.gov announcement). 4. The RFP indicates that reports must contain "4. site profiles, in visitors’/participants’ demographic characteristics such as gender, age." Again, such information will be difficult to obtain unless the media site indicates such information. Is this truly a required part of a report? Answer: Please see answer to Question 3 above. 5. The RFP indicates that outbreaks will be covered over a 20-week period. What is the expected level of effort for each position over this 20 week period? Answer: The 20-week period is the length of time during which the government anticipates to have need for social media information about an outbreak. The expected level of effort during this period is the level of effort that an offeror anticipates to use to complete the work and deliverables as specified in the Solicitation. 6. To monitor news, can AP and Reuters be used as representative of news stories? Opinion and editorial pieces would be searched for separately. Answer: As stated in the Solicitation, the purpose of the study is to monitor and analyze a representative sample of “social” media Web sites. 7. Does the Simplified Acquisition threshold ($100K) apply to each year of the 5-year contract period? Answer: [No. It is based on the total aggregate amount of a contract. In accordance with FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures(test program). 8. How does the 2-year period of performance indicated for each of the “future” outbreaks relate to the 5-year overall period of performance? Answer: The 2-year period, beginning from the award of the contract, mentioned in the Objectives section refers to the period of time for which the government anticipates need for monitoring and analyzing two (2) future outbreaks. Please also see answer to Question 1 above. 9. For Task 1.2 - Will the FDA provide access to web log data for the outbreak periods (both past and future?) for FDA blogs, wesbsites, and social networking profiles? Contractor will need this information to discover things like number of page views, unique visitors, find incoming linked profiles, blog reactions, etc… Answer: No. The government will not provide the information in question. As a result, however, the government has amended the requirements under Task 1.2, Items 1, 2, and 4 (see FedBizOpps.gov announcement). 10. Will the contractor be allowed to access FDA accounts on Facebook or MySpace, Twitter? o Example: For the FDA Recalls Twitter user, will contractor have access private messages, hash tags, and re-tweets for http://twitter.com/FDArecalls? o Example 2: In order to access demographic information as required in Task 1.2, item 4 – contractor will need access to the FDA Facebook profile. Only limited information is available without being a ‘friend’ with a user on Facebook. Answer: No. Please see answer to Question 10 above. 11. When do you anticipate the release of Questions and Answers? Answer: Please see answer to Question 9 above. 12. Does FDA currently have a vendor performing these requirements? Answer: No. 13. Will answers to the questions due on 22 June be posted? Answer: Please see answer to Question 9 above. 14. What is the anticipated level of effort for this requirement? Answer: The government cannot anticipate the level of effort, which will vary between vendors due to their technical capabilities, experiences, and resources. 15. On page 4, under task 1.2, you specify that you're looking to obtain the number of page views and visitors: Are these metrics for A - the FDA website B - the traffic on the sites providing coverage of the FDA traffic C- the traffic generated per article on 3rd party content providers in regard to the FDA health communication. Answer: These metrics are for all sources listed in B and C only. Please also see answers to Questions 3 and 4 above. 16. What font sizes are required and should we place the resume, information about previous projects, and the business proposal in the appendix of the Technical proposal or have them as separate documents that are referenced in Technical proposal? "The offeror shall submit a technical proposal that covers the work in the scope of work. The technical proposal shall not exceed 15 pages exclusive of resumes and information about previous projects. The offeror shall submit a business proposal that includes ceiling hourly rates for all labor categories." Answer: A font size larger than 11 is preferred. Resumes and information about previous projects can be included in the proposal as separate documents that are referenced in the technical proposal. Please also see answer to Question 1 above. 17. Does that deadline extension also extend the period during which we may submit e-mail questions from the previously posted: QUESTIONS DEADLINE: All questions are to be submitted via email to [email protected], no later June 22, 2009, 4:30 pm EST? Answer: No 18. We have some minor clarification questions specific to reporting requirements noted for which there may not be specific reporting options: Task 2.2 -- The reports shall include, at a minimum, the following items: 2. Number of page views and unique visitors – Question: This data is only 100% accurately available to site owners and not public information. We can report on third-party estimates for site visitors and general (not specific) numbers of page views. Would this meet FDA’s requested reporting requirement? Answer: Thirty-party estimates for site visitors and general numbers of page views would be acceptable substitutes for 100% accurately available metrics. The proposal, however, should clearly explain the estimation methodology and, if available, any indicators of how these estimates compare to the 100% accurately available metrics. Please also see answers to Questions 3 and 4 above. 4. Site profiles in visitors’/participants’ demographic characteristics such as gender, age, parenthood status, etc…. – Question: General demographic profile data (gender, age, race, parenthood) estimates are available for many well-trafficked sites; however, these are estimated data and the details and quality of this data diminish with lesser-trafficked sites, with some sites having no such data available. As we would be reporting on all types of sites, would those types of demographic estimates and notations where such data does not exist for low visibility sites be sufficient to meet FDA’s requirements? Answer: Please see answers to Questions 3 and 4 above. 19. With regard to cost management and past performance required documentation – will clearly legible screen shots of spread sheets embedded with detailed corresponding written explanations into the RFP response document be acceptable support documentation, or do we need to submit the original spread sheets as supplemental attachments (if so, what formats/versions are acceptable)? Answer: Yes, clearly legible screen shots of spread sheets embedded with detailed corresponding written explanations into the RFP response document are acceptable support documentation.

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