This notice is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) section 5.201 to notify the public of a proposed contract action. The North American Identification Classification System (NAICS) code applicable to this procurement is 515112. Introduction: The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) intends to contract by means of other than full and open competition and enter into a sole source contract in accordance with FAR 6.302-4 “International Agreement” with Hi-Tech Broadcast Inc., C/O: Shirely Trust Company Limited, 90 Main Street, Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands, British. Description: The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), will be issuing a new contract with a Base period of six (6) months plus four (4) twelve-month option periods for provide all personnel, supplies, and equipment necessary to perform Operation and Maintenance services needed to provide a 24/7 broadcasting presence in the FM band, in Beit Mery, Terbol Bekaa, Jabal Safi, Bosite, Deir Al Achayer, and Al Qubyyaz, Lebanon. The USAGM operates and maintains an FM network in the Middle East Region and as part of this network, the USAGM seeks to continue to operate 6 FM Stations in Lebanon, via a service contract. Broadcast System and Program Feed Program The Contractor shall be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the following FM Stations, including all transmitting equipment and related satellite receiving facilities, each day of the contract term, unless stated otherwise: BROADCASTER TRANSMISSION FACILITY POWER FREQUENCY 1 Beit Mery 10 kW 87.7 MHz 2 Terbol Bekaa 5 kW 87.7 MHz 3 Jabal Safi 5 kW 87.7 MHz 4 Bosite 5 kW 87.7 MHz 5 Deir Al Achayer 20 kW 87.7 MHz 6 Al Qubyyaz 15 kW 87.7 MHz In the event that any FM transmitter system or its individual components fail, the Contractor shall promptly begin trouble-shooting/repairs within three (3) hours of the failure to restore broadcast service to full power operation as soon as possible. Definition of Operation and Maintenance Tasks Operation and maintenance tasks as each FM broadcast station shall include but not be limited to: 1. Providing personnel for preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance of the broadcast equipment, program feed equipment, air conditioning equipment, and power generating equipment. 2. Payment of electricity and any other utility charges. 3. Payment of facility leases, annual frequency and licensing fees. 4. Security of the broadcast and program feed equipment. Program Monitoring – shall consist of the following basic minimum monitoring points: the satellite feed as received from the satellite; the feed to the transmitter input; the transmitter output; and off-air alarm and notification. Program monitoring shall verify correct audio presence, quality and fidelity. The Contractor shall monitor each broadcast site at least once daily. Technical Monitoring – shall consist of the following transmitter technical and operational parameters, minimum points shall include the following: 1. Monitor satellite signal level 2. Any transmitter fault, fold-back or other indications of abnormal transmitter operation; 3. Primary Mains Voltage, Critical Transmitter Voltage/Current Readings; 4. Status of Ancillary/Support Equipment; 5. Conduct periodic visual inspections of the broadcast system FM Broadcast System and program Feed Corrective/Preventive The Contractor shall provide maintenance support for the USAGM FM transmission systems installed in Beit Mery, Terbol Bekaa, Jabal Safi, Bosite, Deir Al Achayer, and Al Qubyyaz, Lebanon. The Contractor’s primary responsibility shall be to ensure that the broadcast signal is on the air with a minimum of downtime caused by failures or out-of-specification conditions. The only acceptable vendor identified for this service is: Hi-Tech Broadcast Inc., C/O: Shirely Trust Company Limited, 90 Main Street, Road Town, Tortola, Virgin Islands, British. This notice of intent is not a request for capability statements or competitive proposals. However all capability statements received within fifteen (15) days of the issuance of this notice may be considered by the agency. Any response to this notice must provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete this procurement based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government. For questions concerning this notice, please contact David Wallace via email at
[email protected] . No telephone responses of an interested firm’s statements of interest or capabilities will be accepted by the USAGM for this notice.