Consultation and Administrative Services for TV Digital Grants
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Please supply a copy of the current DDF Grant Application, or a link to the online form.
There is no current grant round open. An application would be developed with the consultant and would include general and specific applicant information as determined by the grant announcement.
2. Will the consultant be required to certify that submissions for grant applications meet FCC guidelines and will not present regulatory issues of any kind?
The consultant should be knowledgeable of FCC requirements and make appropriate recommendations based on information and certifications provided by applicants.
3. Referencing 3.2, please provide a sample of the "business points" which are typical in CPB contracts, or a complete contract with the sections the consultant is expected to supply highlighted.
The "business points" referenced will include (1) a statement of work which is a narrative document in word format usually 2 pages in length, (2) a budget in excel that lists each line item to be purchased or used as an in-kind match, as well as grant match specifications and general applicant information, and (3) a schedule in excel that documents the timeline with major project tasks and dates defined.
4. How will the consultant's review of pricing (reference 3.3) be expected to be done? For instance, in some cases package pricing on large transmitter orders will generate a significantly lower price than a small station might be quoted on a single transmitter. Is the consultant expected to verify pricing by comparison pricing, or other methods? Will the consultant have access to data from previous CPB DDF (or other) grants?
The consultant's knowledge and expertise of the market, as well as market research, will be used to advise on pricing aspects of grant applications. The applications are unique and there is no package pricing component.
5. Has this work been performed by a consultant in the past, and if so is the information relevant to that contract public record?
The work has been performed by a consultant previously. The contract is not public record.
6. Can you identify the selection criteria? Will price be the deciding factor, or are all proposal attributes to be assigned a weighting? Will any outside consultants be involved in evaluating these responses?
CPB will not be posting the selection criteria.
7. Is it expected that a contract would be for a fixed price, or based on hourly or daily billing?
CPB reserves the right for a fixed price contract but requires an itemized budget with the proposal. Please see section 5.5 of the RFP.
8. How many applications are expected in each of the two competitions? What is the anticipated value of awards?
Application totals fluctuate. CPB expects between 30 and 70 applications for each application period. The anticipated total award amount for FY2007 funds can be up to $17 million.
9. Besides the two listed in the RFP (Iowa DTV symposium, and the annual PBS technology conference), how many venues would there be for promoting the grant program?
CPB anticipates no more than five.
10. Is there a requirement for the contractor to arrange for independent engineering/technology reviews of submitted proposals in addition to the primary engineering consultant or will that be handled by the grant review panel?
It is the consultant's primary responsibility to review and make recommendations on proposals. CPB will seek second independent opinions as necessary.
11. Will the contractor be involved in identifying members to reside on the grant review panel?
The consultant will be involved and be expected to recommend members of the public TV system. CPB will make final decisions.
12. Will CPB or the contractor disburse grant funds?
CPB will disburse grant funds.