Multimedia Advertising

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, quotes are being requested, and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2026-01 dated 13 Mar 2026. This solicitation number W91ZRS26QA005 is for the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG). The USPFO for Connecticut intends to award a Firm-Fixed Price contract for Multimedia Advertising. This request is due by 12 August 2026 at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). This solicitation is 100% small business set aside. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541890 – (Other Services Related to Advertising. The small business standard size for NAICS 541890 is $19 million for average annual receipts.

Instructions to Offerors

1. All questions shall be in writing. Questions may be faxed to Leslie Fedler at 860-386-4070 or emailed at leslie.a.fedler.civ@army.mil. Questions must be submitted No Later Than 07 August 2026.
2. All quotes are due no later than 1:00 p.m. eastern time, 12 August 2026. Quotes may be faxed to Leslie Fedler at 860-386-4070 or emailed to leslie.a.fedler.civ@army.mil.
   1. It is your responsibility to make sure your quote is received. The fact that the contracting office did not receive your quote due to an error on the fax machine or email address does not change the due date or time.

Basis for Award

Award shall be made to a single offeror.  The Government will award a contract resulting from   this solicitation to the offer responsible, whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The Government has the right to use Government contracts that the vender has previously won as their past performance rating.

Price Evaluation

The price should be fair and reasonable. Price realism will be used. The contractor should as part of the quote have all costs explained in their quote. Proposals will be evaluated on the Best Value and proposals. A quote which does not have the price break down and that does not include all costs the Government shall consider the quote non-responsive.

The determination that a quote is reasonable will be based on competitive quotation/offers and historical history.

The most important is price.

The Contracting Officer will evaluate products on the basis of information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer. The Government is not responsible for developing the comparison from insufficient information provided.

Sam’s Registration: Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database before an award can be made to them. If the offeror is not registered in the SAM, they may do so through the SAM website at http://www.sam.gov.

Payment shall be paid thru the wide area workflow program. All payments are net 30 days. All Offerors must accept this as payment. The wide area workflow website is https://wawf.eb.mil/.

Offers must include a completed copy of FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications Commercial Items (OCT 2010) with its offer.

Offers must include a completed copy of FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (AUG 2020) with its offer.

The Government contract supersedes all other terms and agreements from any other vendor. The only award will be from the Government.

Performance Work Statement

 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

1.0 General:

This contract is to provide the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) the ability to advertise at the State and local level using: Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements (TV and radio broadcasts) at a 4 to 1 ratio and digital advertising campaigns, including the Fairfield DMA. The twelve-month digital advertising campaign will place ads within Google Display Network, Meta Platforms, Tik Tok, Snap Chat, Geofencing, and/or other platforms based on return-on-investment reviews. The vendor is tasked with procuring ad space across all media channels and orchestrating placements. The primary objective is to reach the CTARNG target demographic of 17–24-year-olds, then 25–35-year-olds who are willing to serve in Connecticut as CTARNG members.

CTARNG’s objective is to have radio, television, social, local and display advertising to enhance CTARNG’s image in the minds of potential recruits and their influencers, resulting in qualified recruitment leads. This contract will further CTARNG’s objective by increasing public awareness of ARNG, clarifying public understanding of CTARNG’s mission, and improving the public’s perception of the Guard at the State and local level.

The CTARNG will provide .30 and .15 second TV and radio spots to the vendor. Social media and display ads will be provided to the vendor. It is the vendor’s responsibility to purchase ad space for all media categories and coordinate placement. The paid broadcasts will air in a variety of markets (large and small) throughout Connecticut during desirable time slots between 6:00AM and 12:00 AM (Midnight) local standard time. Additional broadcasts will be placed as available according to the NCSA program to ensure 4 to 1 ratio (4 for the cost of 1), including the Fairfield DMA.

1.1 Scope: The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision and quality control necessary, except as specified in Paragraph 3.0 as Government Furnished, to perform ARNG with PSA services as defined in this PWS.

1.2 Reserved

1.3 Period of Performance (PoP): The PoP for this Task Order is 12 months, and the anticipated start date of performance is 15 July 2026.

1.4 General Information:

1.4.1 Quality Control (QC): The contractor shall create and maintain an effective QC Plan (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall create and implement procedures to identify, prevent and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor QCP is the means by which it assures itself that its work complies with the requirements of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall create QC procedures that address the areas identified in Technical Exhibit 1, Performance Requirements Summary (PRS). After Government acceptance of the QCP, the contractor shall obtain the Contracting Officer’s (KO) acceptance in writing of any proposed changes to its QCP.

1.4.2 Quality Assurance (QA): The Government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards shall be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and acceptable quality level(s) (defect rate(s)).

1.4.3 Recognized Holidays: The Vendor shall determine the manner in which the requirements set forth in this PWS are to be accomplished. However, the SBA is being notified the Government may not be available on recognized Federal Holidays, with the exception of any automated system generated airtime. A list of federally recognized holidays is available on http://www.opm.gov/policy-data- oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal- holidays.

1.4.3 Place and Performance of Services: The Contractor shall have a point of contact (POC) available between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST Monday through Friday, except on recognized U.S. holidays. Contractor’s place of performance shall be at the Contractor’s facility. However, the Contractor is allowed to have in-person meetings with Government personnel, and at a location other than the Contractor’s facility, if they determine the meetings are needed to ensure the below tasks are met. The Government will provide the Contractor with any necessary Government personnel rosters upon award. The Contractor shall at all times maintain an adequate work force for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the work force are essential.

1.4.4 Security Requirements: The Contractor shall comply with all applicable installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures, which may be obtained from the Marketing Non- Commissioned Officer (MNCO). The Contractor shall also provide all information required for background checks to meet installation access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency Services or Security Office. The Contractor shall ensure compliance with all personal identity verification requirements as directed by Department of Defense (DoD), Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) and/or local policy. Should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) change, the Government may require changes in Contractor security policies or processes.

1.4.4.1 COMSEC/IT Security: All communications with DoD organizations are subject to communications security (COMSEC) review. All telephone communications networks are continually subject to intercept by unfriendly intelligence organizations. DoD has authorized the military departments to conduct COMSEC monitoring and recording of telephone calls originating from, or terminating at, DoD organizations. Therefore, the Contractor is advised that any time Contractor personnel place or receive a call, they are subject to COMSEC procedures. The Contractor shall ensure wide and frequent dissemination of the above information to all employees dealing with DoD information. The Contractor shall abide by all Government regulations concerning the authorized use of the Government's computer network, including the restriction against using the network to recruit Government personnel or advertise job openings.

1.4.4.2 Reserved

1.4.4.3 Protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII): The Contractor shall protect all PII encountered in the performance of services in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 224.103 and DoDD 5400.11, Department of Defense Privacy Program, and DoD 5400.11-R. If a PII breach results from the Contractor’s violation of the aforementioned policies, the Contractor shall bear all notification costs, call-center support costs, and credit monitoring service costs for all individuals whose PII has been compromised.

1.4.4.4 Reserved

1.4.5.4.1 Background Investigation Requirements: (not a requirement under this contract) The Contractor shall ensure that all Contractor personnel are eligible to obtain CACs; (and other eligible populations as specified in “DTM-08-003 Attachment 3, paragraph 3a”). The Contractor shall obtain CAC cards for applicable personnel when the MNCO determines that it is in the interest of the Government. Also, the Contractor personnel shall have received a favorable FBI fingerprint check and must have submitted to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) a National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI) or equivalent/higher investigation. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to ensure that all employees requiring an initial background investigation complete a Personnel Security Investigation Portal (PSIP) form, at the earliest possible date and that this form is forwarded to the MNCO immediately. The MNCO will review the form for completeness and accuracy and forward to the National Guard Bureau Personnel Security manager who will initiate the investigation process via the PSIP. Contractor personnel will then receive two e-mail messages; the first will confirm that the request has been received by the Office of Personnel Management, and the second will provide instructions for the completion of the appropriate form via the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system. Upon completion of the e-QIP questionnaire and submittal of all required documents, including fingerprint card to the security manager, the background investigation (BI) will be initiated. The Contractor shall ensure all instructions regarding background investigation processing, including those provided verbally, by e-mail or via a Government system are complied with immediately. The Contractor is cautioned that the entire process from submitting the PSIP form to return of the FBI fingerprint check may routinely take from 2-6 weeks and shall factor this lead time into its hiring/placement process. The Contractor shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that Contractor employees meet CAC eligibility standards upon assignment to the contract and shall be held responsible for delays, failure to meet performance requirements or decreases in efficiency in accordance with the applicable inspection clause.

1.4.5.4.2 Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS): (not a requirement under this contract) The Contractor is responsible for processing applications for CACs for every Contractor employee who deploys with the military force OR who has a need to access any Government computer network in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.204-9, "Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel."

The Contractor is responsible for managing requests for new or renewal CAC cards in sufficient time to ensure that all Contractor employees have them when needed to perform work under this contract. The norm is at least ten calendar days advance notice to the Trusted Agent (TA), unless there are extenuating circumstances approved by the MNCO or KO.

It is recommended that a "Corporate Facility Security Officer" (FSO) be designated to serve as your firm's single point of contact for Background Investigation (BI), the TASS application process and other CAC- and security-related matters. If an FSO is not established, each Contractor employee requiring a CAC will be required to process their own applications.

CAC applications shall be processed through TASS. The Contractor's FSO or Contractor employee shall submit requests for a CAC via email to the designated TASS Trusted Agent (TA) before accessing the TASS website.

The Government will establish a TASS application account for each CAC Request and will provide each Contractor employee with a USER ID and Password, via email, to the FSO. The FSO or Contractor employee shall access the TASS account and complete the CAC application (entering/editing Contractor information as applicable) at: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/tass/.

The FSO or Contractor employee will submit completed applications in TASS and will follow up to ensure that the TA is processing the request.

A CAC cannot be issued without evidence that the FSO has initiated a National Agency Check with Written Inquires (NACI).

The Government will inform the Contractor's applicant, via email, of one of the following:

a.Approved.* Upon approval, the information is transferred to the DEERS database, and an email notification is sent to the Contractor with instructions on obtaining their CAC. The Contractor proceeds to a Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System (RAPIDS)station (RAPIDS Site Locator: http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/).

b.Rejected.* The Government, in separate correspondence, will provide reason(s) for rejection.

c. Returned. Additional information or correction to the application is required by the Contractor employee.

*The Contractor shall maintain records of all approved and rejected applications.

At the RAPIDS station, the RAPIDS Verification Officer will verify the Contractor by SSN and two forms of identification. Identity source documents must come from the list of acceptable documents included in Form I-9, OMB No. 115-0136, "Employment Eligibility Verification." Consistent with applicable law, at least one document from the Form I-9 list shall be a valid (unexpired) State or Federal Government-issued picture identification (ID). The identity documents will be inspected for authenticity and scanned and stored in the DEERS upon issuance of an ID. The photo ID requirement cannot be waived, consistent with applicable statutory requirements. The Verification Officer will capture primary and alternate fingerprints, picture and updates to DEERS and will then issue a CAC.

Issued CACs shall be for a PoP not longer than three (3) years or the individual's contract end date (inclusive of any options), whichever is earlier.

The Contractor shall return issued CACs to the DEERS office upon departure or dismissal of each Contractor employee. The Contractor shall obtain a receipt for each card and provide to the TA/MNCO.

1.4.5.5 Reserved

1.4.5.6 Reserved

1.4.5.7 Reserved

1.4.5.8 Reserved

1.4.6. Physical Security: The Contractor shall safeguard all

Government property provided for Contractor use. At the close of each work period, Government facilities, equipment and materials shall be secured.

1.4.7. Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the KO in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Subpart 42.5. The KO, MNCO, and other Government personnel as appropriate, may meet periodically with the Contractor to review the Contractor’s performance. At these meetings, the KO will apprise the Contractor of how the Government views the Contractor’s performance and the Contractor shall apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. The Contractor shall resolve outstanding issues raised by the Government. Contractor attendance at these meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

1.4.8. Contract Manager (CM): The Contractor shall designate a CM who shall ensure performance under this contract. The name of this person and an alternate, who shall act for the Contractor when the CM is absent, shall be designated in writing to the KO. The CM or alternate shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The CM shall work through the MNCO, (or the KO if an MNCO is not assigned), to resolve issues, receive technical instructions and ensure adequate performance of services. The CM shall ensure that Contractor employees do not perform any services outside the scope of the contract without an official modification issued by the KO. The CM shall ensure Contractor employees understand that services performed outside the scope of the contract are performed wholly at the expense of the Contractor.

1.4.9 Shipping Costs: The Contractor will NOT be reimbursed for the costs of shipping training aids. The Contractor shall propose shipping costs as part of the proposal. The proposed shipping cost will be part of the Contractor’s overhead within the firm-fixed pricing provided.

1.4.10 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract. All digital campaigns, commercials, accounts, ads, and ad text produced under this contract shall be owned by CTARNG. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software produced under this contract shall be Government-owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the Contractor without written permission from the KO. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

1.4.11 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): The Contractor and Subcontractor personnel performing services under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the creation of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent OCIs, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The Contractor shall notify the KO immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the KO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The Contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the KO and in the event the KO unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the KO may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the Contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI. The Contractor shall also disclose to the Government any instance of a recommended media property or related service being one that the Contractor has no-charge or discounted access to via a barter or internal programmatic trading desk (or similar) arrangement.

2.0 Definitions and Acronyms:

2.1 Definitions: 2.1.1 CONTRACTOR: A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER (KO): A person with authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts/contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the Government.

2.1.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR): An employee of the U.S. Government designated by the KO to monitor Contractor performance. Such appointment shall be in writing and shall state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4 DEFECTIVE SERVICE: A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with PWS.

2.1.5 DELIVERABLE: Anything that can be physically delivered and includes non- manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6 KEY PERSONNEL: Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7 PHYSICAL SECURITY: Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8 QUALITY ASSURANCE: The Government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP): An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of Contractor performance.

2.1.10 QUALITY CONTROL: All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to assure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11 SUBCONTRACTOR: One that enters into a contract with a prime Contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the Subcontractor.

2.1.12 WORKDAY: The number of hours per day the Contractor provides services in accordance with the contract.

2.1.13 WORK WEEK: Monday through Friday, unless specified otherwise.

2.1.14 A/B TESTING: an experiment where two or more variants of the same ad are shown to users at random, and statistical analysis is used to determine which variation performs better for a given conversion goal.

2.1.15 AD GROUP: a group of specific keywords.

2.1.16 AD SPEND: the amount of money spent on advertising a given activity, product, or service.

2.1.17 CLICK FRAUD: an internet crime where a person, computer program, or automated script is maliciously used to register clicks on pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements.

2.1.18 CLICK SHARE: the estimated share (as a percentage) of all achievable clicks that your ad has achieved.

2.1.19 CONTEXTUAL TARGETING: the process of matching ads to relevant sites in the Google Display Network using your ad keywords or selected interest topics.

2.1.20 CONVERSION TRACKING: the process of tracking when a prospect has completed an action chosen by the advertiser and determining where their click came from. In our case, this is when a prospect requests more information on the NYARNG.

2.1.21 COST PER CLICK (CPC): the price you pay for every ad click in your campaign. This determines the time your ad is served.

2.1.22 COST PER MILE (CPM): the price you pay for everyone thousand (1,000) impressions of your ad.

2.1.23 DEFECTIVE SERVICE: A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the Performance Work Statement.

2.1.24 DELIVERABLE: Anything that can be physically delivered and includes non- manufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.25 DEMOGRAPHIC TARGETING: the process of narrowing advertising audience by multiple factors including but not limited to, age or gender.

2.1.26 GEO-TARGETING: the practice of delivering ads to a user based on their location.

2.1.27 GOOGLE DISPLAY NETWORK: a group of partnered websites that serve targeted ads based on interest.

2.1.28 GOOGLE SEARCH NETWORK: a group of search-related websites and apps where ads can appear based on when someone searches with terms related to one of your keywords.

2.1.29 IMPRESSIONS: a single, non-unique view of your advertisement.

2.1.30 IMPRESSION SHARE: the percentage of impressions that your ads receive compared to the total number of impressions your ads were eligible to get.

2.1.31 KEYWORD: words or phrases you select that are used to match your ads with the terms people are searching for.

2.1.32 PAY-PER-CLICK: a model of internet marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.

2.1.33 NIL: Name, Image, Likeness. NIL refers to the ability of student-athletes and individuals to profit from their own name, image, and likeness.

2.2 ACRONYMS:

AQL Acceptable Quality Level

AR Army Regulation

ARNG Army National Guard

AT Awareness Training

AUP Acceptable Use Policy

CAC Common Access Card

CFP/M/E Contractor Furnished Property, Materials, Equipment CID

Campaign Identifications

CM Contract Manager

CMRA Contractor Manpower Reporting Application COMSEC Communications Security

COR Contracting Officer Representative

CPM Cost Per Million

DAM Digital Access Management

HQDA Headquarters, Department of the Army

DEERS Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System DFARS Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement DMA Designated Marketing

Area

DoD Department of Defense

DTM Directive Type Memorandum

FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation

FDO Fee Determining Official

GFP/M/E/S Government Furnished Property, Material, Equipment and

Services

IA Information Assurance

IDIQ Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity

IS Information Systems

IT Information Technology

JTR Joint Travel Regulation

KO Contracting Officer

MNCO Marketing Non-Commissioned Officer MSR Monthly Status Report

NASBA National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations NCSA Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements

NIL Name, Image, Likeness

NGR National Guard Regulations

OCI Organizational Conflict of Interest

OPSEC Operations Security

PEP Public Education Partnership

PII Personally Identifiable Information

POC Point of Contact

PoP Period of Performance

PRS Performance Requirements Summary

PSA Public Service Advertising

PWS Performance Work Statement

QA Quality Assurance

QAE Quality Assurance Evaluator

QAP Quality Assurance Program

QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

QC Quality Control

QCP Quality Control Program

ROI Return on Investment

R&R Recruiting and Retention

RRB Recruiting and Retention Battalion

SBA State Broadcasters Associations

SRSC Strength Support Readiness Center

3.0 Government Furnished Property, Material, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S): The Government will provide, incidental to services being provided, the following: (1) National Guard Regulations (NGR) 601-1; (2) ARNG Style Guide/Graphic Standards (“Style Guide”); (3) Electronic Roster of RRC’s and State contacts; (4) National Guard-specific trademarked logos; (5) Marketing Non-commissioned Officer contact roster, (6) all pre-recorded radio and television commercials, digital graphics and videos. The vendor will provide ad text and convert content creatives.

4.0 Contractor Furnished Property, Material, Equipment (CFP/M/E):

4.1 General: Except for those items specifically stated to be Government-Furnished in Paragraph 3.0, the Contractor shall furnish everything required to perform these services as indicated in Paragraph 1.1 and throughout this PWS.

5.0 Requirements: The Contractor shall perform the following tasks: General: The following Section 5.1 to 5.10.2 are relevant for “PSA In-Home.

5.0.1 This contract is to provide the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) the ability to advertise at the State and local level using: Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements (TV and radio broadcasts)and digital advertising campaigns, including within the Fairfield and Hartford DMA. The twelve-month digital advertising campaign will place ads within Google Display Network, geofencing, Meta Platforms, Tik Tok, Snap Chat and/or another platform based on return-on-investment reviews. The primary objective is to reach the CTARNG target demographic of 17–24-year-olds, then 25-35 year-olds who are willing to serve in Connecticut as CTARNG members.

5.0.2 The contractor will provide comprehensive geofencing services including design, implementation, and optimization of geofencing campaigns targeting specific geographic areas and audiences. Develop and deploy geofences tailored to predefined geographic locations and objectives set by Marketing NCO. Contractor must monitor geofencing campaigns in real-time to track audience engagement and campaign performance. Contractor must optimize campaign parameters and messaging based on real-time data insights. Provide comprehensive analytics and reporting on campaign performance, including reach, engagement, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). Deliver regular performance reports with actionable insights to improve future campaign effectiveness.

5.1 The Contractor shall comply with: (1) ARNG Style Guide/Graphic Standards (“Style Guide”), and (2) Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508) which is viewable online http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and- standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508- standards/section-508-standards. This Style Guide will provide all ARNG Approved Logo(s).

5.2 The Contractor shall draft a Monthly Status Report (MSR). The Contractor shall draft a summary of all tasks undertaken during the previous month and any specified tasks identified in the PWS into a MSR. The written report shall be submitted monthly to the MNCO no later than the end of every following month via email. A sample of the MSR shall be submitted to the MNCO for review and approval within seven (7) business days after award. The MSR shall, at a minimum, consist of the following: (1) a section breaking down monthly activities by state,; (2) a detail of tasks accomplished performance standard and task; (3) Deliverables completed; (4) critical actions/issues; (5) problems/issues encountered; (6) program recommendations; (7) breakdown of spots aired by Designated Marketing Area (DMA);(8) list of digital media placement; (9) any tasks referencing the MSR below.

5.3 The Contractor shall use only Army National Guard specific trademarked logos. The Government will also make available the current video/photo library, a library containing approved creative pictures, banners, electronic imagery, and videos for Contractor use. The MNCO will provide access to current site library at the Post-Award Meeting. The library is managed by the Government. All Contractor created advertising shall be approved by the MNCO prior to any posting. All Contractor approved imagery and videos shall be uploaded to the library by the Contractor on a monthly basis. All advertising video/photo content conversions will be formatted by the contractor to meet production requirements. All advertising and content produced and using the National Guard trademarked logos shall be the property of the ARNG.

5.4 The Contractor shall work with the Government (CTARNG and SRSC) to ensure updated usage agreements for any relevant release of rights/claims are established and correctly reflected in the traffic instructions prior to distribution. The Government will provide talent releases to Contractor for verification that all talent has been cleared/verified. The Contractor shall keep a record of all agreements, and a full list shall be included in the contract’s first MSR and only changes to that list in the follow-on MSRs.

5.5 The contractor is tasked with providing comprehensive services covering NIL management, brand partnerships, marketing, compliance, and reporting to effectively manage and monetize the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights of student- athletes and local Social Media Influencers that align with the CTARNG branding and Army Values.

5.6 The Contractor shall distribute announcements or spots in different languages (English and Spanish - depending on individual SBA agreements and/or State requests approved by the Marketing Non- Commissioned Officer - MNCO). The Contractor shall confirm any additional announcements/ materials requested meet contractual requirements.

5.6.1 The Contractor shall provide usage arrangements for PSA In- home materials to be allowed for web-streaming. The Contractor shall indicate in the traffic instructions which materials being provided to the SBAs and PSA In-home Media Providers are suitable for web streaming.

5.6.2 The Contractor shall provide usage arrangements for PSA Billboards throughout the State, as approved by the MNCO. The Contractor shall ensure that all advertisements and branding are consistent with the ARNG Branding guidelines and campaigns.

5.7 Digital Campaign Specifications:

5.7.1 Digital campaigns will include micro-targeting audiences related to age, gender, household, interests, and other factors.

5.7.2 Administrative Cost: Administrative costs related to creating and managing this deliverable should be formulated by the contractor and not taken from the ad budget.

5.7.3 Ad Budget and Payment: The total monthly spending across all platforms needs to be broken by month, by category. Prospective contractors should include these ad budgets per month in their quote. All Google and Social Media Ad budgets should be included in the total package cost. Connecticut has an estimated total of about 380,000 17- to 24-year-olds which is our primary target demographic. Our secondary market of 25–35-year-olds is estimated at 500,000. We intend to reach our primary demographic at least 25x over the course of the year and our secondary market 5x over. We expect to generate at least 20 million impressions over 12 months.

5.7.4 Campaign Ownership: The contractor will create the campaign in an CTARNG owned Google Ads account. All campaign assets will be transferred to RRBN at the completion of the contract. Contractor will provide CTARNG with access to dashboards for data analysis.

5.7.5 Initial Campaign Creation: Based on the in-person strategy meeting with the Marketing NCOIC, the contractor will create the digital advertising campaign and outline the specific demographic of the target audiences based on each campaign. Creative for the display ads, social media posts and YouTube video placements will be provided by the Marketing NCOIC. Additional creative assets may be supplied by the Marketing NCOIC at the request of the contractor. The digital advertising campaign will be approved by the Marketing NCOIC prior to campaign start.

5.7.6 Location: All campaigns will be geo-targeted to run only within the state of Connecticut, unless otherwise determined by the Marketing NCO for specific campaigns at Active-Duty Installations. The Marketing NCO must be able to choose specific locations for ad to spend within Connecticut to geo-target based on address and radius size. The contractor must be able to exclude advertising from specific physical locations or website categories. This will begin before the campaign runs. These parameters may be updated at any time with a five-day advance notice from the Marketing NCO.

5.7.7 Quarterly in-person: The vendor’s account representative will meet on-location at (375 Smith St, Middletown CT 06457) with the Marketing NCO or NCOIC and associated staff to cover campaign strategy and goals within the first two weeks after contract being awarded, and once per quarter for a total of 4 meetings during the twelve month contract.

5.7.8 Monthly Analytics Reporting: The contractor will provide monthly in-depth analytic reports at the campaign, ad group, and keyword level. It will include specific parameters (where applicable) such as total impressions, impression share, click share, and quality-score breakdowns.

5.7.9 Monthly Campaign Recommendations: The contractor will provide a monthly overview of the most effective (as defined by clicks and conversions) platforms, ad groups, ads, and keywords. They will submit a recommendation report on how advertising effectiveness and keyword quality score can be increased via conference call with the Marketing NCOIC.

5.7.10 Weekly Campaign Management: The contractor will modify the campaign on a minimum of a weekly basis to increase advertising effectiveness. This will consist of implementing the recommendations as outlined in the monthly campaign recommendations reports. Example actions include bid management, A/B testing, pruning low performing keywords, and budget management.

5.7.11 Campaign Modifications: The Marketing NCO or NCOIC may request modifications to any campaign parameter including keyword lists, ad copy, and budget allocation with a five-day notice. Any requested campaign modifications will NOT modify the overall contract parameters in any way. Any changes to the contract that involve funding or period of performance MUST be approved by the Contracting Officer in advance via a written modification to the contract.

5.7.12 The Contractor shall ensure “NATIONALGUARD.com” and/or “1-800-GO-GUARD” is advertised on all advertising placements. All digital advertisements will have an embedded hyperlink to www.nationalguard.com. Unique trackable links will be provided to the contractor by the MNCO in order to help track return on investment.

6.0 Applicable Publications: Publications applicable to this PWS are listed below. The Contractor must abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and local policies, and procedures.

Publication (Chapter/Page)

Date of Publication

Mandatory or Advisory

Website/Location

NGR 601-1

04-01-2025

Mandatory

http://www.apd.army.mil/

JTR

05-01-2024

Mandatory

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/refer

ence.cfm#J

ARNG Style Guide/graphic

standards

Current

Mandatory

MNCO will provide

Example of Quote:

Break down quote

Bullets to list everything you are providing for a service

You must be able to come in person to meetings

You must have the NAICS 541890

If the above information is not included in your quote it will be considered non-responsive.  

The following provisions are included in this acquisition: FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting; FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (AUG 2020); FAR 52.204-26, Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation;  FAR 52.211-6, Brand Name or Equal; FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-2, Evaluation—Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-3 Alt I, Offerors Representations and Certifications (OCT 2010); FAR 52.217-5, Evaluation of Options; FAR 52.222-48, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Maintenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment---Certification; FAR 52.222-52, Exception from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services---Certification; FAR 52.237-1, Site Visit; DFARS 252.203-7005, Representation Relating to Compensation of Former DoD Officials; DFARS 252.203-7998 (DEV), Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements---Representation (DEVIATION); DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls; DFARS 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting; DFARS 252.209-7992 (DEV), Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction Under Any Federal Law---Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations (DEVIATION); DFARS 252.225-7000, Buy American-Balance of Payments Program Certificate; DFARS 252.225-7031, Secondary Arab Boycott of Israel; DFARS 252.225-7035, Buy American---Free Trade Agreements---Balance of Payments Program Certificate; DFARS 252.225-7035 Alt I, Buy American---Free Trade Agreements---Balance of Payments Program Certificate (Alternate I); DFARS 252.225-7035 Alt IV, Buy American---Free Trade Agreements---Balance of Payments Program Certificate (Alternate IV); DFARS 252.225-7049, Prohibition on Acquisition of Commercial Satellite Services From Certain Foreign Entities---Representations : 252.239-7098, Prohibition on Contracting to Maintain or Establish a Computer Network Unless Such Network is Designed to Block Access to Certain Websites—Representation (DEVIATION 2021-O0003) (APRIL 2021),The following clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards; FAR 52.204-18, Commercial Government Entity Code Maintenance; FAR 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment;  FAR 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations; FAR 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Items; FAR 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Condition Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Commercial Items (DEVIATION); FAR 52.212-5 Alt II, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--- Commercial Items  (Deviation 2013-O0019) (APR 2015) Alternate II  (APR 2015);  FAR 52.219-6, Notice of Small Business Set – Aside; FAR 52.219.28, Post Award Small Business Program Representation: FAR 52.222-3, Convict Labor; FAR 52.222-19, Child Labor---Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies; FAR 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities; FAR 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity; FAR 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities; FAR 52.222-41, Service Contract Act of 1965, (wage determination no. 1996-0239, revision no. 25, date of last revision 02/03/2011); FAR 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires; FAR 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons; FAR 52.223-5, Pollution Prevention and Right to Know Information; FAR 52.223-18, Encouraging Policy to Ban Text Messaging While Driving; FAR 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases;  FAR 52.232-18, Availability of Funds; FAR 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Contractor Registration; FAR 52.232-39, Unenforceability of Unauthorized Obligations; FAR 52.232-40, Providing Accelerated Payments to Small Business Subcontractors; FAR 52.233-3, Protest After Award; FAR 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim; FAR 52.237-2, Protection of Government Buildings, Equipment and Vegetation, FAR 52.252-2; DFARS 252.201-7000, Contracting Officer’s Representative; DFARS;   252.203-7000, Requirements Relating to Compensation of Former DoD Officials; DFARS 252.203-7002, Requirement to Inform Employees of Whistleblower Rights; DFARS 252.203-7999 (DEV), Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements (DEVIATION); DFARS 252.204-7009, Limitations on the Use or Disclosure of Third-Party Contractor Information;   DFARS 252.204-7011, Alternative Line  Item Structure; DFARS 252.204-7012 Safeguarding of unclassified Controlled Technical Information: DFARS 252.204-7015, Disclosure of Information to Litigation Support Contractors; DFARS 252.211-7003, Item Unique Identification and Valuation; DFARS 252.223-7006 Prohibition on Storage and Disposal of Toxic and Hazardous Materials; DFARS 252.223-7008, Prohibition of Hexavalent Chromium; DFARS 252.225-7001, Buy American and Balance of Payments Program; DFARS 252.225-7048, Export-Controlled Items; DFARS 252.232-7003 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports; DFARS 252.232-7006, Wide Area Workflow Payment Instructions; DFARS 252.232-7010, Levies on Contract Payments; DFARS 252.237-7010, Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by Contractor Personnel; DFARS 252.244-7000, Subcontracts for Commercial Items; DFARS 252.247-7023 ALT III , Transportation of Supplies by Sea;  Provisions and Clauses for this synopsis/solicitation can be found at https://www.acquisition.gov.    

 (End of clause)