[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]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M