Below are responses to the Frequently Asked Questions about the Impact and Engagement Lab Request for Proposals.
Submit your application to [email protected] by 11:59 PM EST on September 13, 2024.
Application Questions
Is this open to individuals and businesses located outside the US?
Yes, applicants don’t need to be based in the United States to be eligible.
OTF is not able to work with vendors within countries that the United States has trade restrictions or export sanctions as determined by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control.
What are the application procedures for offshore companies, if there are any?
The application procedure is the same for everyone, regardless of where they are based.
Any specific requirements for offshore companies that we must comply with? i.e., tax, local representative and others.
Selected partners who are based outside of the US will be required to provide a W8 tax form.
Is there a page or character limit for each section (or some guidance on what is expected for length)?
There is no character limit for each section.
Can we provide different hourly rates for junior, mid, and senior level services within the service categories, or does OTF require a single rate per service category regardless of the experience level of the personnel involved?
We require a single rate per service category.
Do you need hourly rates for designations/resources required to deliver on the various services?
We need one fully-burdened hourly rate for each service, inclusive of support activities. For example, if you wish to provide graphic design services, please provide one rate inclusive of all support activities to carry out graphic design work. We don’t want one rate for project management of graphic design projects and another rate for the actual design work.
Can a specific project be used as evidence to support multiple areas within OTF’s support categories, given that many of our projects cover multiple support areas?
Yes, a specific project may be used as evidence of qualifications for more than one Primary Support Service category.
How should we handle the requirement for biographical sketches or CVs of key staff when working with a large network of freelancers?
Please provide biographical sketches/CVs of the key individuals OTF will be engaging with from your organization on the Lab. The contract for Lab vendors includes a clause about the use of subcontractors (vendors are required to obtain OTF’s written consent prior to subcontracting any portion of the Services to be performed).
What format would you like the proposal in? What documents do you require the agency to provide? Do we need to share a signed copy of Appendix A?
You may submit a single document that contains all of the required information or separate documents, as long as all the required information is provided. The required information is cited within the RFP.
You may simply write in your application that you acknowledge and accept the Standard Provisions outlined in Appendix A.
What type of ‘groups’ or entities do you require references from? Can we provide references from any client – non-profit, government or private organization whom we have provided similar services to? Would you require this even if we opt for only providing Editorial Services and Graphic Design services?
We require references from groups who you have provided services for and who are part of the communities you aim to serve. There are no requirements on the type of client (e.g., non-profit or for profit).
All applicants must submit two letters of support, regardless of the service category they seek to provide.
Should reference letters come from OTF-supported projects only, projects that could qualify for OTF support, or simply projects in the internet freedom domain?
The reference letters do not have to be from OTF-supported projects. They may be from groups that could qualify for OTF support. Projects in the internet freedom domain would suffice, as well.
Are there any preferred languages other than English you would require translations in?
Translation services are not part of the Impact and Engagement Lab, however, it’s helpful to know the language proficiencies of vendors and their ability to provide outputs in languages other than English. We aim to help people facing censorship and surveillance in the most repressive information contexts, which includes (but is not limited to) China, Iran, and Russia.
Questions about the Lab and OTF
What is the estimated number and diversity of organizations needing support from vendors of the Lab?
The Lab has been historically under-used, so it’s difficult to concretely estimate based on previous performance. We expect a greater volume of writing/editorial and graphic design projects moving forward.
Are there samples you can share from past engagements, such as data visualizations, etc.?
You can find some samples from past engagements on our current Learning Lab page.
What can you tell us about the team size and structure for a typical engagement?
Every project is different. You could be working with a single researcher, or a small non-profit organization.
What is the estimated audience size and diversity of the projects supported by the Lab?
The Lab will support projects with a continuum of services ranging from writing/editorial support, graphic design and branding, to more complex audience engagement strategies for select projects. Because of this range and differentiated project needs, the precise audience size is difficult to estimate. Successful vendors under the audience engagement strategy will work with a Program Manager and selected projects to determine realistic target audiences.
What is the typical size and complexity of projects that OTF anticipates?
Engagements under the existing Lab have ranged from roughly $1,500 up to $50,000, and have lasted from a few weeks to seven months.
While this should not be used as a strict guideline for future engagements, we would encourage applicants to be mindful of the upper contract cap ($200,000), and to structure engagements in a way that allows them to flexibly support new partners over the full contract period.
Process Questions
What is the expected turnaround time between issuing a work order and when you need a response from IDIQ vendors?
In the case that the Lab manager fields a potential engagement to a vendor, vendors should reply regarding their interest and availability within 5-10 business days.
Selected vendors will submit scopes of work for each engagement in which they specify the start and end date of the engagement. The Lab manager will review the submitted scope of work. Once approved, the Lab manager will issue a task order for the engagement, which the vendor will need to sign. Task orders take approximately 10 business days to generate. Vendors are required to sign the task order before the start of the engagement.
How are supported organizations and service providers paired? What is the typical communication flow between OTF, the supported organization, and the service provider over the course of a project?
The Lab manager will field potential engagements to vendors based on the project’s needs and the vendor’s capacity. Once a vendor expresses interest and availability (within 5-10 business days), the Lab manager will send an introductory email or set-up an introductory call for the vendor and project. Vendors may also identify suitable Lab engagements independent of the Lab manager.
Depending on the specifics and length of an engagement’s task order, the vendor may be required to provide monthly status reports to the Lab manager. The manager may also periodically check-in with projects and vendors to inquire about an engagement’s status.
How do you expect the team’s availability to work during the contract? Will you establish a minimum monthly scope of work?
We ask in the RFP that you provide an overview of your predicted capacity to offer services under the Lab, including an estimate of how many projects you expect to be able to undertake per month or year, if selected. The Lab manager will field potential projects to vendors (and vendors are also encouraged to identify suitable Lab engagements). Each project will have a specific scope of work that includes the timeframe, budget, and specific deliverables.
Questions about Specific Services
Could you clarify what you mean by “impact measurement storytelling”?
Some projects, especially research projects, have a lot of quantitative data but they don’t have the capacity to translate this into an interesting narrative that conveys impact/value and is easy for non-technical audiences to understand. We’re looking for vendors with the ability to parse sometimes complex data into a story that engages readers.
Do language needs fall under Audience Engagement services? Specifically, would winning proposal vendors have any responsibility for language and content localization?
Translation and localization services are not directly supported by the Lab. However, vendors applying under the audience engagement category should have a strong understanding of specific contexts and experience developing and implementing external outreach and user engagement campaigns.
Is there an expectation for forging and/or facilitating on-the-ground partnerships for Audience Engagement services?
A Program Manager will work with selected vendors and projects to determine the specifics of each task order/engagement. In some circumstances, direct partnership facilitation may be advantageous.
Would a typical engagement span multiple service areas, or be more narrowly scoped?
Every engagement is unique. Some projects just need editorial support to polish a report, while others need more comprehensive support that spans multiple service areas.
What are your expectations around outreach to the internet freedom community? Are there specific audiences, regions, etc. that should be prioritized? Can you list the conferences and events that vendors may participate in?
Potential outreach could include promotion of Lab services on sector-specific mailing lists, social media promotion of the Lab services, and other forms of engagement with technology and research projects working to advance anti-censorship and privacy-enhancing technologies.
We prioritize audiences in highly repressive information contexts and also realize the challenge of reaching these individuals.
There are several sector-specific events for the internet freedom community where participation may be valuable.
Is OTF open to vendors partnering with other organizations to augment our capabilities/services offered?
OTF encourages different vendors to collaborate actively and openly. As we envision that different vendors will bring varied skill sets and perspectives to the Lab, we expect that some projects may benefit from multiple vendors’ support.
In the event of such collaborations once the Lab is active, we would ask for Task Order requests by different vendors to be submitted separately, with each vendor’s scope clearly outlined.