Description
THIS INITITIATIVE HAS BEEN AWARDED TO EXTRA SPECIAL INC. AS OF APRIL 27, 2021. SEE ATTACHED J&A. NOTICE OF CONTRACTING ACTION/SYNOPSIS USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION Contract Action Number 33330221CT0010123 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BELOW DESCRIBED ACTION IS NOT A FEDERALLY FUNDED PROCUREMENT. RATHER, THE DESCRIBED SERVICES WILL BE OBTAINED BY FUNDING PROVIDED TO THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION BY PRIVATE GIFT. The Smithsonian Institution intends to award a contract to Extra Special Inc. or Don Mischer Experiential*** using other than full and open competition for the scope described below, consistent with the justification set forth in 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) (the property or services needed by Smithsonian Institution are available from only one responsible source and no other type of property or services will satisfy the needs of the executive agency). The purpose of this notice is to provide a notice and synopsis of the contract action and the Smithsonian Institution’s intent and grounds to award a contract to Don Mischer Experiential as described herein. 1. Identification of Activity: Contracting for the creation, launch and operation of an integrated, multi-platform programming for the Smithsonian Institution’s “Race, Community and Our Shared Future Initiative”, which will explore how Americans understand race, its impact on communities and how that impact is shaping the nation’s future (the “Initiative”). 2. Description of Need: The Initiative is a top priority for the Smithsonian Institution (“SI”) and is critical to SI’s mission. In June 2020, SI was provided a pledged gift from a third party donor designated to be used to create programing and activities across the breadth of the Smithsonian’s museum, education and research complex and to develop external partnerships for the Initiative . Additional details regarding the SI’s need are set forth below: The scope of work is for the creation, launch and operation of an integrated, multi-platform programming and activities for the Initiative that includes, but is not limited to the following services/activities: o The creation and launch of a multi-platform*, digitally-driven, high quality initiative featuring: An array of digital programming coupled with real-time virtual town halls High quality hard copy educational and outreach materials - Educational and outreach materials are materials the content of which is provided by the Smithsonian and developed by the Contractor team contained in the locally focused deliverables that are targeted to community groups, libraries and schools to provide activities and learnings around Race and our Shared Future. Some of the materials will be targeted with K-12 audiences in mind, and thus, "learning materials." These materials will be digitally delivered. Identifcation, management and coordination of internationally known talent which consists of celebrities, scholars, academics, authors and filmmakers of note that have been identified as thought leaders and capable of being featured for various aspects of the campaign including the summits, the media materials in the affiliate and local materials, as well as acting as presenters for pop up events, and in social media features to help promote the message and extend Smithsonian's voice and reach. Production of integrated products that result in one overall branded impactful effort that is instantly updated and refreshed with new information and discussion. *Multi-platform means that all communication and materials delivered will be accessible from web and mobile channels, through social media and media, as well as in person experiences. o Talent/participant coordination and management (scholars and luminaries) o Project management o Creative design o Art direction o Media production for each initiative component. (i.e. summits, regional townhalls, local conversations, social media engagements etc.) o Technical support for long-term planning and integration of systems into internal operations o Activation of a combination of paid and earned media, leveraging the SI brand and existing partnerships for potential media o Traditional earned media outreach to launch awareness of the initiative o Virtual delivery of Summits o Three produced Summits in 2021. o Media and graphics used in the Summits to be leveraged throughout the initiative. To includes capabilities for live and virtual guests as well as live and virtual questions, discussion, and chat with the audiences. o Possibility for one or more of the Summits to be produced solely for broadcast. o Up to 50 Pop Ups to take place from May 2021 through May 2022**. o augmented reality exhibits and projection mappings. **Pop-ups are attention getting "events" that vary in scope and size that are meant to draw attention to the message and initiative. They may occur before or after a summit or in an area where a story originates. They are meant to extend the reach of the message to targeted areas that may not otherwise have access to the Smithsonian, and attract media attention as part of the event. The contractor will be responsible for identifying locations, designing activities and coordinating all aspects for the events. It is intended that the pop-ups will occur in every state. • The expectation of the gift agreement is that the programming efforts for the Initiative would have been launched in Fall 2020, with major “tentpole” events and publicity in early 2021. The initiative is designed to address race relations and other very immediate social and cultural issues. As such, it is required that the initiative start as soon as possible, but no later than the first quarter of calendar year 2021. • Efforts to attract talent to events, to develop a vibrant state-of-the-art digital presence, and to craft an extensive audience outreach strategy must begin immediately as the opening steps. Creative artists and performers, such as those required for these events, traditionally book appearances and tour schedules more than a year in advance. If a contractor is not engaged immediately, it will result in delays in reaching out to and attracting talent, which will severely impair SI’s ability to execute the Initiative. • Pricing for the services to be provided is to be negotiated. SI has estimated the pricing for the initial phase of the scope to be $2M+ with optional phases providing a potential aggregate total contract value of $18.5M. • There is no applicable technical data to be provided related to this notice or official qualification requirement issued by a SI office for this procurement. 3. Grounds and Rationale for Other than Full & Open Competition and further detail supporting SI’s intent to contract with Extra Special, Inc. on the grounds set forth in 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) can be found in the attached documentation. Generally, it is SI’s current conclusion that only Extra Special, Inc. has the unique capabilities required to satisfy the unique scope of services required by SI to meet the needs described above. See attached documentation for details. 4. Place of Performance, Washington, DC 5. This notice is not a solicitation or request for competitive proposals; however, parties that believe they are a responsible source for the entirety of the scope described above and are interested may respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill the entirety of the scope described above should submit a capability statement addressing the ability to perform all requirements outlined above . All submissions establishing the ability to fulfill all requirements outlined above will be reviewed and considered; however, there is no guarantee that any submission in response to this notice will in any way alter the Smithsonian Institution’s strategy or sole source determination described in the documentation attached. 6. If any party is interested in subcontracting opportunities, please contact the primary point of contact. Telephone responses will not be accepted. 7. Set-Aside Status: Not applicable. *** Note - previously named contractor, Extra Special Inc. also provided the services of Don Mischer Productions -