SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES, AND INNOVATION, BROADCAST TECHNOLOGIES DIVISION, ENGINEERING & TRANSMISSION DIRECTORATE

U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA

Operation and Maintenance of FM Broadcast Transmitter Systems in Rwanda

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A SOLICITATION ANNOUNCEMENT.

Synopsis:

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) anticipates issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for hosting, operational, and maintenance support of USAGM owned frequency modulation (FM) broadcast transmitter systems in Rwanda. USAGM’s Office of Technology, Services, and Innovation Broadcast Technologies Division, Engineering and Transmission Directorate (T/E/B) seeks preliminary information, for market research purposes only, from capable and reliable sources who may be interested in submitting a proposal to provide hosting, operational and maintenance support of USAGM owned FM broadcast transmitter systems in Rwanda as well as providing liaison services with Rwandan government agencies related to broadcasting.

Purpose:

The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of potential local qualified business concerns, capable of hosting and performing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of USAGM FM broadcast transmitter systems in Kigali, Karongi, and other regions of Rwanda.

Scope:

USAGM is currently licensed by the Rwanda government to provide Voice of America (VOA) programming on 104.3 MHz in the Kigali Metropolitan area and 90.2 MHz in the Karongi Metropolitan area. USAGM is also considering expanding its radio coverage to other areas of the country, pending approval from the Rwandan government.

Interested vendors must be capable of performing broadcast transmitter preventive maintenance, repair services and installation and maintenance services for both satellite and FM broadcast transmission systems including providing a climate controlled space with at least 2 meters of available floor space to host broadcast equipment systems. This climate-controlled space must be adjacent to a broadcast tower with access to reliable commercial electrical shore power and an adjacent space to host a 15 kVA standby electrical generator system.

The location must have a clear view of the Geostationary Satellite Belt to host both a

3.1 mtr C- Band and 1.8 mtr KU Band satellite antenna as well as a 1.2 mtr KU VSAT terminal. The vendor will have sufficient space on the adjacent broadcast tower in order to host a 4 bay FM antenna system.

All work performance is outside of the continental U.S. Therefore, pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.000 (b) (2), the Government setting this acquisition aside, in total or in part, for small business concerns does not apply.

Instructions:

Interested vendors that meet the requirements above are encouraged to submit a Statement of Capability (SOC) in response to this notice. The SOC must include the following:

1. At least two (2) contracts, including current point of contact information, in which the interested company served as either the prime contractor or a subcontractor that performed a substantial portion of the work described above in Rwanda.
2. Provide a statement of your firms ability to execute projects in Rwanda.
3. Years of company experience maintaining similar services in Rwanda.

The SOC must contain a cover letter including the company name, local address, point of contact, telephone and e-mail address.

Responses to this Sources Sought Synopsis shall be at the unclassified level. Participants are required to provide information via electronic transmittal (i.e., email message with appropriate attachments) with the following subject line: Sources Sought, Operation and Maintenance of FM Broadcast Transmitter Systems in Rwanda.

Questions:

All questions regarding this Sources Sought Synopsis must be addressed to: Contracting Officer, Tisa Harvin, tharvin@usagm.gov, and Contract Specialist, Terrasia Covington, tcovington@usagm.gov, by January 23, 2023, 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Response Submission:

All responsible sources may express their interest and provide capability statements to: Contracting Officer, Tisa Harvin, tharvin@usagm.gov, and Contract Specialist, Terrasia Covington, tcovington@usagm.gov by February 13, 2023, 2:00 PM EST. USAGM will not accept oral expressions of interest or telephone responses of a firms statements of interest, capabilities, or pertinent experience. All written expressions of interest shall make reference to this Notice by its title, number, and date of the publication. No other individuals are authorized to represent the Government in regards to this request. The Government will review the submitted responses and may schedule further discussions with responding vendors. USAGM may contact responding vendors individually.

This is a Sources Sought for market research purposes only. This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a follow on effort, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. This is not a Request for Quotation, a Request for Proposal, an invitation for Bid, or any other commitment by the USAGM to contract for the construction project contained in this Sources Sought. The Government will not reimburse costs incurred while developing a response to this Sources Sought. With regard to industry Sources Sought responses, USAGM Office of Contracts will not release to any firm, agency, or any individual outside the Government any information marked “PROPRIETARY” without written permission from the respondent.

Contracting Office:

330 C Street, SW, Room 4300

Washington, District of Columbia 20237

United States

Place of Performance:

Kigali Transmitting Station, Kigali, Rwanda, and Karongi Transmitting Station, Karongi, Rwanda (The Republic of Rwanda, East-Central Africa)

Primary Point of Contact:

Terrasia Covington

Contract Specialist

tcovington@usagm.gov

Phone: (301) 535-6702

Secondary Point of Contact:

Tisa Harvin,

Contracting Officer

tharvin@usagm.gov

Phone: (202) 920-2307

THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AND PROPOSALS RECEIVED AS A RESULT OF THIS NOTICE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR EVALUATED.

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