Digital Infrastructure Assessment

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Eligibility:

All Applicants

Deadline:

December 9, 2016

Request for Proposals

Public media stations and their national organizations have been building infrastructure to support their digital presence, but generally not in close coordination or with common standards. CPB is seeking the services of a consultant (“Consultant”) to assess the current state of public media’s digital infrastructure, including its capacity, adaptability and flexibility to meet future needs, and to recommend ways of creating more effective and efficient uses of digital platforms, services and tools. The elements of infrastructure to be analyzed include technology standards, content delivery systems, customer relationship management and marketing platforms, donation platforms, analytics platforms, content management systems, identity management systems, social media platforms, data protection and security, data warehousing, and hosting, etc.

The Consultant will work closely with CPB and a digital taskforce made up of approximately ten public media digital leaders. The Consultant’s assessment will include detailed findings and recommendations, with accompanying rationales, and supporting plans for implementing the recommendations. It is expected that the assessment will include interviews with public media stakeholders; a detailed review of existing technologies currently used by the public media system, the public media system’s digital capacity, a comprehensive gap analysis, and an evaluation of the public media system’s ability to make changes consistent with the Consultant’s recommendations. The Consultant will be required to make in-person presentations to public media system leaders and funders, as appropriate.

The Consultant must have an extensive background in digital technology and broadcast media and significant experience in managing complex digital ecosystems, including data intelligence, audio/video delivery, and publishing/distribution systems. The Consultant must also be able to clearly and effectively communicate complex technology information to all levels of an organization. Previous experience working with public media entities is preferred, but not required.

CPB will compensate Consultant on a fixed fee basis. The project must be completed within six months of the contract’s execution. CPB may extend the term of the agreement, at its sole discretion, for two consecutive three-month terms in the event it determines that additional work is required.

Please download the Request for Proposals below for detailed information, including application requirements.
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PDF icon Request for Proposals112.94 KB

Questions from Potential Respondents, with CPB Answers:

FAQ Topic: 
General
FAQ: 

What will be the availability of CPB and the Digital Task Force throughout the project?

CPB’s team will work closely with the Consultant and be available when needed. We expect the Digital Task Force to be convened as needed, likely once or twice a month. When necessary, the Consultant will have the option of scheduling individual consultations with appropriate Task Force members.

What is the composition of the Digital Task Force?

As noted in the RFP, the Digital Task Force will consist of approximately ten individuals which will be leaders from either national public media organizations or large to medium size public media stations.

Is there an exhaustive list of systems that we must address in the assessment? If so, are they prioritized by business functions and/or application lifecycle stages?

There is not an exhaustive list of systems, but we expect them to include: technology standards, content delivery systems, CRMs & marketing platforms, commerce/support platforms, analytics platforms, CMSs, Identity management, social media, data protection and security, data warehouses, and hosting. They are not prioritized.

Does the assessment include only public media stations or external partners of NPR and PBS?

The assessment includes only public media entities. Nonetheless, the Consultant must interview external partners and vendors to identify the services they provide to public media entities.

Are there any broader dependencies that impact the timing of the project (e.g., government funding, other projects' milestones)?

We do not expect any other issues to influence the project’s timing.

For the references, is it possible to describe the work and characterize the client and provide the client contact information upon request?

We prefer that you identify the contact information for your references.