The United States Embassy in Havana seeks a contractor to provide daily Cuban print, online, television, and radio news broadcast summaries of an agreed-upon range of Cuban and international media outlets.
The report must be delivered by e-mail every day no later than 7:00 a.m. Havana time. Interested parties should contact HavanaMedia@state.gov as soon as possible for additional information. Please note interested candidates should provide a sample report as part of the application process. Attached is a description of the service required.
STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)
INTRODUCTION
Monitoring, analyzing, and assessing the Cuban news is critical to the mission of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. The Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (PAS) has the responsibility to monitor, track, analyze, and assess the news stories impacting the diplomatic mission in Cuba. However, the Embassy lacks the human capacity and technological reach to provide comprehensive media monitoring to its diplomatic community. This contract is intended to supplement the embassy’s current efforts through several products including breaking news alerts, media summaries, and analysis and monitoring of Cuban media.
PROJECT SCOPE
The Embassy seeks a media monitoring contractor with experience in analyzing Cuban news through its own resources, the contractor should be able to provide the media summary service of Cuban print, online, television, and radio news sources. The summary should also include U.S. domestic and international news focused on Cuba.
SCOPE OF WORK
Currently, the Embassy seeks to enhance its capacity in monitoring Cuba related news. The objective is to give the Embassy and its senior leadership a more comprehensive view of the daily media landscape to assist in the development of its public diplomacy and public affairs strategies. The intent is to provide deeper context of news reporting through expert media analysis that extends “daily news” into issues trending, tonality, and resonance. The media monitoring also assists Embassy officials in understanding emerging political and economic issues in Cuba that are shaping national and local public opinion. The Embassy desired product is news summaries in English of Cuban print and online outlets, television, and radio news broadcasts sent daily via email to the customer-designated users before 7:00 a.m., as text in a Word document. The report should have sections by theme, and must include: the subject of each summary, the media outlet, and if broadcast, the name and time of the referenced show/emission, as well as the names and titles of presenters, interviewers, and interviewees. Summaries of media published online should include an embedded hyperlink to the original source.
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE
Period of performance shall be one base year with four optional years.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
This contract shall be performed at the contractor’s place of performance.
NEWS SOURCES
The contractor will do the report by compiling news and information from various sources that include -but not limited- the following ones.
- Cuban State publications – print and online – with a nation-wide or regional reach
- Cuban non-state and independent media, both based on the island and abroad
- International and U.S. domestic outlets reporting on Cuba
- Cuban TV and radio newscasts, especially shows with a political or economic focus
- Social media focused on news
- Press releases from Cuba-focused organizations
THE TOPICS TO INCLUDE IN REPORTS ARE:
- U.S. Embassy Havana
- United States government (especially Department of State and White House)
- United States-Cuba bilateral relations
- Statements from Cuban government officials about U.S. foreign and economic policy or relevant international events
- Summary of coverage of visits to Cuba by high-level international officials
- U.S. embargo on Cuba
- Status of human rights in Cuba
- Cuban immigration, including topics of interest to Cuban nationals residing abroad, such as remittances and third-country travel and immigration policies
- Internet access and telecommunications in Cuba
- Relevant political, economic, and social events
- Statements by other governments on their bilateral relations or their reaction to events in Cuba.
- Featured news on:
- U.S. educational and cultural issues (i.e. sports, exchanges, arts programs) related to Cuba or involving Cuban participants
- Environmental issues involving the United States and Cuba
- Security, drug trade, organized crime, corruption, copyright issues, migration, and other foreign policy issues of importance to the United States
- Political and economic analysis on the above subjects
QUALITY CHECK: Editing and proofreading of the final product before submission is required to ensure language quality and avoid duplicated information. When the news reports are similar, one news account suffices (preferably the original source) followed by a notation of all outlets that carried the item. When a news report about a similar topic has an editorial slant or additional details that differ from other accounts, the news item and source must be listed separately.
ENGLISH REQUIREMENT: The product must be delivered in English. The personnel involved in producing the report should have Level IV of English language knowledge. It is desired although not mandatory – that a native English speaker write the summary.
OTHER CONTRACT REQUIRMENTS
- Security requirements
The contractor shall provide security for its personnel while in Cuba.
Transportation, Lodging, Meals and Insurance in Cuba
The contractor shall arrange and pay for air and ground transportation (to and from and within Cuba), meals, lodging, security expenses and insurance associated with this contract.
Office
The contractor shall be responsible for providing office space for its staff.
Invoice requirements
The Contractor shall submit an original invoice and two copies to the address designated in the contract to receive invoices. An invoice must include:
(i) Name and address of the Contractor,
(ii) Invoice date and number,
(iii) Contract number, contract line-item number and, if applicable, the order number,
(iv) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price and extended price of the items delivered,
(v) Shipping number and date of shipment, including the bill of lading number and weight of shipment if shipping on Government bill of lading,
(vi) Terms of any discount for prompt payment offered,
(vii) Name and address of official to whom payment is to be sent,
(viii) Name, tile, and phone number of persons to notify in event of defective invoice,
(ix) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The contractor shall include its TIN on the invoice only if required elsewhere in this contract.
(x) Electronic funds transfer (EFT) banking information.
Invoices will be handled in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act (31 U.S.C. 3903) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR part 1315.
Invoicing and paying instructions
The contractor shall submit the original and two copies of the invoice/s, on a monthly basis, to the designated billing address indicated in this contract. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will determine if the invoices are complete and proper as submitted. The COR also will determine if billed services have been satisfactorily performed. If the amount billed is incorrect, the COR will, within seven days, request the Contractor to submit a revised invoice. Contractor shall e-mail the invoices to HavanaBillingOffice@state.gov and addressed to:
U. S. Embassy in Cuba
Att. FMO
Calzada / Ly M
Havana, Cuba
The contractor shall show Value Added Tax (VAT) as a separate item on invoices submitted for payment.
Quotations are due by November 17, 2021 before 15:00 hrs. (Havana Local time).
