[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36875-36876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17584]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Voice of America; Development Office; VOA Computerized
Pronunciation Guide Project Development
ACTION: Request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Voice of America Office of Development announces a
solicitation for proposals to participate with VOA in technical
development and commercial marketing of the VOA Pronunciation Guide, a
computerized digital audio pronunciation reference system. The system
provides current and authoritative pronunciation of names, places and
things found in international news reports. VOA has completed concept
and initial design. The Guide is suitable for commercial marketing to
media, business, home, government and educational organizations in the
United States and abroad as an on-line service, network or stand-alone
service. Applicants must demonstrate hardware and software expertise
and competency in addition to marketing capability. Organizations
should suggest options for cooperation with VOA in terms of cash
benefits, cost sharing, provision of goods or services or exchanges in
kind.
Overall authority for VOA to solicit proposals is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-256
as amended, also known as the Fullbright-Hays Act, and The U.S.
Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, as amended, known as
the Smith-Mundt Act. Proposals must conform to requirements and
guidelines outlined in the Solicitation Package.
ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All communications with VOA concerning
this announcement should refer to the above title and reference number
B/VOA-95-1.
DATES: Deadline for proposal: All copies must be received at VOA by 5
p.m. Washington time on Friday October 13, 1995. Faxes documents will
not be accepted, nor will documents postmarked on Friday, October 13,
1995, but received on a later date. It is the responsibility of each
applicant to ensure that proposals are received by the above deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Voice of America Development Office, Room 3340, 330 Independence
Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20547, telephone: 202-401-8526, FAX: 202-401-
2374, EMail: mkennedyusia.gov. to request a solicitation package which
includes more detailed award criteria, all application forms, and
guidelines for preparing proposals. For specific questions or concerns
regarding the solicitation, contact VOA Senior Development Officer
Margaret Kennedy. Interested applicants should read the complete
Federal Register announcement before addressing inquiries to VOA or
submitting their proposals. Once the RFP deadline has passed,
representatives of the VOA may not discuss the competition in any way
with applicants until after the Bureau proposal review process has been
completed.
ADDRESSES: Applicants must follow all instructions given in the
Solicitation Package and send only complete applications to: Voice of
America, Ref.: B/VOA-95-1, Office of Development, Room 3340, 330
Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Overview
VOA is the preeminent authority on the pronunciation of foreign
names and places for American media. VOA seeks assistance to complete
its interactive, digital audio system to provide its professional staff
with fast and accurate pronunciations for international names commonly
found in international news. This system provides users with precise
visual and audio guidance using a specially-designed international
phonetic alphabet and spoken pronunciations by VOA's language experts.
The prototype currently in use at VOA uses Foxpro for Windows with a
SoundBlaster 16 sound card and runs on a stand-alone IBM compatible
computer. With modification, it could run on Macintosh or a network.
VOA's current index has 50,000 entries updated daily. The guide
provides text references for honorifics, second reference and other
useful information. The index can be expanded and tailored for
specialized needs.
Guidelines
This solicitation is for a proposal for joint creation of a
commercial reference system based on the prototype currently in use at
VOA. VOA maintains the integrity of the data base on a 24 hour basis
through the expertise of its own editors and language experts.
A proposal should clearly state how the applicant would work with
VOA to develop hardware and software to facilitate commercial access to
the VOA Pronunciation Guide. Proposals may include an on line service,
network and/or stand-alone product.
Proposals should address hardware options to implement practical
data entry, storage and retrieval, compression system and software as
well as project management. Proposals should include geographical
marketing areas. Applicants should refer to the Program Objectives,
Goals and Implementation section of the Solicitation Package for
greater detail regarding special conditions and other program
information.
[[Page 36876]]
Review Process
VOA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to the USIA
Office of Contracts for review. The VOA Director will have final
authority on choice of successful applicant.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank
ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation.
1. Accommodation of VOA objectives: The concept and current
application of the VOA Pronunciation Guide are served by the proposal.
2. Institutional Record and Capacity: The proposal should
demonstrate an ability by the applicant to provide sufficient hardware
and software capacity and expertise to develop and maintain technical
integrity of the system, and define the extent of public access
available. The proposal should also demonstrate ability to provide
support services including marketing, billing, project management and
data capacity.
3. Impact: Ability to make the Pronunciation Guide available to
potential users outside the United States is demonstrated. VOA seeks
the widest possible availability. Ability to provide benefit to VOA in
terms of services, exchanges, or cash should be evident.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in the RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any VOA representative. Explanatory information
provided by VOA that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of RFP does not constitute a commitment on the part
of the Government to go forward with the project.
Notification
All applicants will be notified of the results of the review
process on or about December 13, 1995.
Dated: July 17, 1995.
Geoffrey Cowan,
Director, Voice of America.
[FR Doc. 95-17584 Filed 7-17-95; 8:45 am]
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