Request for Services
1.1 Invitation to Submit
This Request for Services (“RFS”) is an open invitation to all qualified vendors to put forward a submission for the provision of services to the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) as intended by the Request for Proposals issued by APH and the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) guidelines. In responding to this RFS, you will be deemed to have taken into account all of the provisions of the RFS. If you intend to put forward a submission and to be considered in this process, please notify APH of your intention within fifteen days of posting this RFS. APH welcomes questions regarding this RFS and encourages potential vendors to contact us by email with any questions or concerns not covered below.
1.2 The Services
Information about APH and its requirements are set out in Supplement A (APH's Information and Requirements).
1.3 Type of Contract
The selected Vendor will be expected to enter into a Time and Materials contract, with total budget not to exceed $25,000.00. This single-term contract could also be renewed under mutual agreement.
1.4 Definitions
Unless otherwise specified in this RFS, capitalized words and phrases have the meanings set out in the Master Agreement.
"Business Day" means any working day, Monday to Friday inclusive, excluding APH holidays, namely: New Year's Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day and Friday following; Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
"Vendor" means the applicant submitting the response to this RFS.
1.5 Interpretation
All references to days in this RFS and in your submission are to Business Days, unless expressly set out otherwise.
2.1 General Information and Instructions
2.1.1 Timetable
The RFS timetable is tentative only and may be changed by APH in its sole discretion. The following is the schedule for this RFS:
- Issue Date of RFS: 2/11/2013
- Requested Submission Date: 4/1/2013
- Anticipated Start Date: 5/1/2013
2.1.2 Parties Shall Bear Their Own Costs
The parties will bear their own costs associated with or incurred through this RFS process, including any costs arising out of or incurred in: (a) the preparation and issuance of this RFS; (b) the preparation and making of a submission; or (c) the conduct of interviews, negotiations or other activities related to this RFS process.
2.1.3 Inquiries
APH welcomes inquiries regarding this RFS. Please direct inquiries by email (no phone calls) to APH Representative by 3/4/2013. APH will provide responses to all questions by 3/25/2013 via email.
2.2 Vendor Submissions
2.2.1 Submissions Made Only in Prescribed Manner
To be eligible for consideration, you must be a Vendor that has completed and submitted the Submission Form set out in Supplement B (Submission Form), and thereby acknowledge your acceptance of terms and conditions of this RFS.
You must demonstrate in your submission that each proposed consultant has the knowledge, experience and all other qualifications for the proposed Role, and will be able to provide the requested services. You must provide the APH with the opportunity to interview each proposed consultant, and must not charge APH in connection with any interview.
You must also complete and submit the Pricing Schedule set out as Schedule A with the Submission Form.
Important note: You must complete the Pricing Schedule as a separate electronic file in your proposal submission.
The Pricing Schedule must set out the full legal name of the Vendor; a list of each Role (including level) proposed; the full legal name of each consultant proposed for each Role (by level); the number of days proposed for each Role (including level) to achieve completion of the proposed services within the timeframe specified by APH; the proposed Per Diem Rate for each consultant in each Role (by level); a sub-total for each Role (number of days x Per Diem Rate); and a Ceiling Price that is not more than the sum of those sub-totals.
You must identify all subcontractors that you propose to use, and must also identify which consultant(s) are provided by which subcontractor.
You must not provide services outside of normal APH working hours, except at the request of APH’s management.
The proposed Per Diem Rate for each consultant in each Role must not exceed the applicable Maximum Per Diem Rate.
You must specify the number of days required to complete the services.
You should provide your submission by e-mail to APH Representative. All submissions submitted by Vendors by e-mail to APH Representative are deemed received once the e-mail has entered into the e-mail inbox of APH Representative. Submissions are to be directed only to APH Representative. APH shall not be responsible for any e-mail delivery issues or technical problems with regard to the submissions.
2.2.2 Amending or Withdrawing Submissions
You may withdraw or amend your submission at any time prior to the execution of a Time and Materials contract. However, such withdrawals or amendments may adversely impact your selection as a Vendor or eligibility to participate in future RFS processes.
2.2.3 Evaluation of Submissions
2.2.3.1 Evaluation
Submissions will be evaluated on the basis of the Vendor’s response to all information requested in this RFS, including but not limited to the proposed pricing, the qualifications of the consultant(s) proposed, the detailed workplan/timeframe proposed for completion of the services, and the quality of the proposal. A successful Vendor may be selected to enter into a Time and Materials contract based on this RFS and the Vendor’s submission.
2.2.3.2 EDGAR Procurement Standards
When evaluating submissions, APH shall give a preference to small businesses, minority-owned firms, and women's business enterprises, whenever possible. These businesses must provide proof of their respective category with their submissions.
2.3 Execution of Agreement
2.3.1 Selection of Vendor
The Vendor selected by APH will be expected to enter into a Time and Materials contract. The agreement execution process is subject to the Terms of Reference set out in Section 2.6 and will not constitute a legally binding offer to enter into a contract on the part of the Vendor or APH before the execution of a Time and Materials contract.
2.3.2 Failure to Enter Into a Statement of Work
The selected Vendor is expected to enter into a Time and Materials contract on or before the Anticipated Start Date set out in subsection 2.1.1. The failure to do so may result in the selection of another Vendor and may adversely impact the Vendor’s eligibility to participate in future RFS processes.
2.4 Conflict of Interest
You must not engage in any Conflict of Interest. In this Request for Services, "Conflict of Interest" includes, but is not limited to, any situation or circumstance where:
(a) in relation to the Request for Services process, the Vendor has an unfair advantage or engages in conduct, directly or indirectly, that may give it an unfair advantage, including (i) having, or having access to, information in the preparation of its submission that is confidential to APH and not available to other Vendors; (ii) communicating with any person with a view to influencing preferred treatment in the Request for Services process; or (iii) engaging in conduct that compromises, or could be seen to compromise, the integrity or competitiveness of Request for Services process and render that process non-competitive and unfair; or
(b) in relation to the performance of its contractual obligations in a contract with APH, the Vendor’s other commitments, relationships or financial interests (i) could, or could be seen to, exercise an improper influence over the objective, unbiased and impartial exercise of its independent judgment; or (ii) could or could be seen to compromise, impair or be incompatible with the effective performance of its contractual obligations.
2.6 Terms of Reference
These provisions apply to this RFS:
(a) this RFS process is not intended to create a formal legally-binding procurement process and shall not give rise to the legal rights or duties applied to a formal legally-binding procurement process; if you are the successful Vendor, you will be expected to enter into a Time and Materials contract with APH;
(b) neither party shall have the right to make claims against the other with respect to this RFS process, the selection of any Vendor, the failure to be selected to enter into a Time and Materials contract, or the failure to honor submissions prior to the execution of a Time and Materials contract;
(c) no legal relationship or obligation regarding the procurement of any services shall be created between any Vendor and APH prior to the execution of a Time and Materials contract;
(d) APH may make public the names of any or all Vendors; you consent to APH’s collection of the information as contemplated under this RFS for the uses contemplated under this RFS;
(e) APH may elect not to consider a Vendor whose submission contains misrepresentations or any inaccurate, misleading or incomplete information; APH may cancel this RFS process at any time;
(f) you agree to all of the terms of the procurement process set out in this RFS.
Supplement A—APH's Information and Requirements
1.1 Contact Information
APH: National Instructional Materials Access Center, American Printing House for the Blind
APH Representative: Julia Myers
Title: NIMAC Project Director/Director, Resource Services
Email address: jmyers@aph.org
1.2 Project Information
Project Name: National Instructional Materials Access Center
Service Category: Project Evaluation
Project Start Date: 5/1/2013
Project End Date: 12/31/2013
1.3 Background Information
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 created the NIMAC repository as the national repository to house NIMAS files. The same legislation named APH as the organization to house the repository and also requires states to adopt the NIMAS file format for source files for accessible materials for their K-12 students. The NIMAC receives and catalogs publishers' electronic files of print instructional materials in the NIMAS format. We provide a searchable database and web interface, and create NIMAC user accounts for publishers, State Coordinators, Authorized Users, and Accessible Media Producers. State and local education agencies direct publishers to submit NIMAS files to the NIMAC by including language to this effect in the purchase agreements and adoption contracts for print books. NIMAC is not authorized to require files from publishers, but we are happy to help users follow up with publishers regarding files users believe should be in the NIMAC.
1.4 APH’S Requirements
Scope of Services and Deliverables
In order to ensure cost-effective, efficient, and impartial evaluation, the NIMAC is required to contract an external independent evaluator to evaluate the project performance. The NIMAC, with the contractor, is required to:
- Collect the data according to the NIMAC evaluation plan (see Supplement C); (please note that the NIMAC database system itself collects most of the data to be used in the evaluation);
- Review, analyze and manage the summative data for evaluation and report generation;
- Schedule and coordinate reliability checks on major summative data collections identified in the NIMAC evaluation plan;
- Adhere as much as possible to the NIMAC evaluation plan and to the timeline, keeping the Project Officer informed of the need and reasons for any changes; and
- Use the outline for the summative evaluation report provided by OSEP to draft the summative evaluation report, and respond to substantive and methodological comments and other edits suggested by the Project Officer (and other reviewers) in a subsequent draft of the report—this process may require a series of discussions in order to arrive at the final report version.
Administrative Services and Supplies
All administrative services and supplies used by the Vendor to complete the Services will be provided to APH at no additional charge.
Travel, Meal and Accommodation Expenses
APH is not responsible for any travel, meal or accommodation expenses incurred by the Vendor that are not pre-approved in writing by APH. The Vendor shall list travel, meal and accommodation expenses as separate line items on its invoices, and shall support all such expenses with receipts.
Supplement B - Submission Form
Request for Services Number: RFS120926MD02
To: American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
(a) The full legal name of the Vendor is:
(b) Please identify any other relevant name under which the Vendor conducts business:
(c) The Vendor’s address, telephone number and email address are:
(d) Please identify the contact person for this RFS and provide their telephone number and email address:
(e) Please describe the qualifications and experience of the Vendor to conduct the evaluation outlined in the NIMAC evaluation plan attached in Supplement C. Please include in this description:
- the education, training, and experience of the project staff who would be assigned to work on this project (please submit project staff vitae with the submission form);
- examples of similar evaluations conducted by the project staff who would be assigned to work on this project; and
- the contact information for three references for evaluations conducted by the Vendor within the last 5 years.
(f) Please describe the approach the Vendor will use to conduct the evaluation outlined in the NIMAC evaluation plan attached in Supplement C. Please include a description of:
- how the Vendor will implement the evaluation plan (e.g., methodologies, actions, time frames, communication plan, management plan);
- how the Vendor will inform APH of the Project status, including progress reports and any other types of reports, and the content and frequency of reports; and
- the quality control plan or process which the Vendor will use to monitor and report on its performance for APH.
(g) Please complete and submit the Pricing Schedule set out as Schedule A with the Submission Form. The Pricing Schedule must be completed as a separate electronic file.
Supplement C – NIMAC Evaluation Plan
Goal: To receive and maintain a catalog of print instructional materials prepared in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), as established by the Secretary, made available to such center by the textbook publishing industry, state educational agencies, and local education agencies.
| Activities | Outputs | Performance Measures and Annual Targets | Data Sources | Timeline for Data Collection and Analyses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide outreach and training (e.g., presentations, webinars, documentation) to publishers and other vendors about NIMAC | Number and types of outreach activities | The number of FTP/DVD batch deliveries that are delayed due to procedural errors by publishers and vendors (i.e., not following standard batch submission procedures). (Annual Target: reduce by 10%) |
NIMAC/OverDrive Batch Queue Report | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Ongoing as training and documentation are provided. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Review NIMAS file sets to ensure they meet the federal standard established for the NIMAS file format and provide feedback to publishers and other vendors for those NIMAS file sets that do not meet the federal standard and/or do not contain accurate and complete required metadata (i.e., are rejected) |
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Possible Future Measures:
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| Provide access to NIMAS files free of charge in each state and territory that opts to coordinate with the NIMAC |
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The percent of coordinating states (via their authorized users) provided access to NIMAS files free of charge. (Annual Target: 100%) |
NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
Goal: To provide access to print instructional materials, including textbooks, in accessible media, free of charge, to blind or other persons with print disabilities in elementary schools and secondary schools, in accordance with such terms and procedures as the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) may prescribe.
| Activities | Outputs | Performance Measures and Annual Targets | Data Sources | Timeline for Data Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog and certify NIMAS file sets | Number and percentage of certified file sets by content type | The percent of certified NIMAS file sets that are cataloged and available to users. (Annual Target: 100%) |
NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Maintain a searchable database with a web interface | Availability of searchable, web-based user interfaces to the repository system for publishers, State Coordinators, Authorized Users (AUs), Accessible Media Producers (AMPS), the general public, and NIMAC administrative staff | The number of days per year that the NIMAC database is available. (Annual Target: 365 days) | NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Provide publishers, State Coordinators, Authorized Users (AUs), and Accessible Media Producers (AMPS) access to catalogued NIMAS files |
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| Allow downloading of NIMAS files by Authorized Users (AUs), Accessible Media Producers (AMPS) and publishers | Number of unique file sets downloaded overall and by user type | The number of unique NIMAS file sets downloaded. | NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Provide technical assistance to users experiencing difficulties accessing NIMAS files |
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The percent of technical assistance user queries that NIMAC responds to within two business days. (Annual Target: 100%) |
NIMAC Productivity Report | Ongoing as requests for assistance are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Convene groups of NIMAC stakeholders to discuss issues related to NIMAC | Number of meetings by stakeholder group (e.g., NIMAC User Group, NIMAC Advisory Council) |
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Goal: To develop, adopt and publish procedures to protect against copyright infringement, with respect to the print instructional materials provided under sections 612(a)(23) and 613(a)(6).
| Activities | Outputs | Performance Measures and Annual Targets | Data Sources | Timeline for Data Collection |
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| National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) files accessed from the NIMAC are watermarked to show their origin from the NIMAC and digitally "fingerprinted" to show which account was used to access the NIMAS file |
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| States and territories that register with NIMAC sign the Coordination Agreement with the NIMAC that includes the definitions and language from IDEA concerning the purposes for which the files may be used and includes the relevant definitions as provided in IDEA | Number of state coordinators who have signed Coordination Agreement | The percent of state coordinators who have signed a Coordination Agreement. (Annual Target: 100%) |
NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |
| Authorized Users and Accessible Media Producers authorized to access the NIMAS file sets sign the Limitation of Use Agreement, which includes language that affirms the copyright of the content still resides with the copyright owner |
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| NIMAS file sets include copyright information and a rights statement | Number of NIMAS file sets include copyright information and a rights statement | The percent of NIMAS file sets that include copyright information and a rights statement. (Annual Target: 100%) |
NIMAC system | Ongoing as NIMAS file sets are received. Data will be analyzed annually in August. |