The GAP is accepting bids for Media Services. The term of this award covers a five year period with an initial 3-years awarded and the possibility of a 2-year extension, provided performance is on track. Please read this complete ebid, all email notices, and the Sorcity Member Agreement, in full, so you understand the bid guidelines and are properly prepared for this bid if your company qualifies and would like to participate.
 

The Buyer would like to establish a long-term relationship with one Supplier who is able to provide the quality and service-levels outlined in this bid document.  It is anticipated that some of the print monitoring services described below could start as early as November, 2010, however the majority of this is expected to start in February 2011. All other required services, including broadcast monitoring and providing a database, should start in April 2011.

Any additional services provided in this category will be treated as increased volume under this ebid award, and governed under the same terms as this Event.

Although price is an important element of this award, this is not a price-only decision. Other factors to be considered include; quality, service-levels, responsiveness, terms and conditions, and relationship.  After the bidding ends, the Buyer may contact several low bidders so they have an opportunity to discuss their capabilities, and additional benefits, before an award is made (see Key Dates below).  
 

PLEASE NOTE: 

Any direct contact with the Buying Organization regarding this opportunity, prior to, during, or after the Online Bid Event, until the Buyer contacts you, will cause you to be in violation of the bid process and be eligible for penalties (see Sorcity Member Agreement).

The service levels listed in this bid document are expected to be the minimum purchasing requirements during the next 3-years, based on the last 12-months of actual usage. Current suppliers should know that the Buyer does not intend to award a price higher than what they are currently paying, so bid aggressively.

BID STRUCTURE:

If you are able to provide and bid on all services listed, and meet all terms and conditions stated, then you are invited to bid in this Online Bid Event (ebid). You may not bid otherwise.  

Bids will Only be accepted through this ebid.  Bidding in any other manner, or attempting to sell directly to one of the Buyer's locations, will disqualify you  for this business for the term of the award and will remove you from good standing with the Buyer and Sorcity for future business.  We look forward to your participation and help in maintaining the integrity of this fair and objective bid process.

1. Please comply with the instructions in the Bid Notice email you were sent informing you of this opportunity.

2. For the current scope of work, service levels, and requirements listed in this bid document, you are to place your total fee price for the 3-year term online. 

3. Your price should be inclusive of all fees, including any rebates or discounts, for the 3-year term based on GAP's needs and volume listed.  However, there may be some additional needs or reports identified over the term, in which case the awarded supplier must provide similar offerings at similar ebid price points, for any service not currently included that may be added, or expansion of current services, such as additional; article pages, broadcast clips, or reporting criteria, required during certain seasons.

CURRENT SCOPE:

The awarded supplier will need to be able to provide media intelligence to GAP to provide their business executives and employees with news coverage regarding public & investor relations, marketing, and corporate communications.  The following is a list of tasks GAP currently utilizes to accomplish this objective, and in which you will need to be able to provide, either through your core competency or via 3rd party integration.

1. Monitor news coverage

2. Create and distribute press materials

3. Build targeted lists of journalists, editors, bloggers, etc

4. Create reports

5. Track specific campaigns

6. Research topics including; Technology, Business/Finance, Healthcare, Consumer, & Travel/Tourism

REQUIREMENTS:

Requirements specific to this purchase include:

Summary – You should be able to save news clips online for easy access and have the capability to send via e-mail to selected GAP employee(s) depending on search criteria, with ability to expand coverage, or provide immediate summaries and reports, during certain seasons (holiday, sale periods, etc), if needed for selected brands.  You should be able to provide notifications in quick summary format and full text or scanned image, if requested. GAP also prefers if you are able to provide coverage in the U.K. & Canada, although this is not required.

1. Media Monitoring – Provide notifications including up to 6,000 article pages annually, via email to employees when GAP is mentioned in the media from various publications. All data sources where coverage is needed, is typically available in electronic format.

   1. Print: (must include Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, & Barrons)

      1. Top 200 Daily/Weekly newspapers

      2. News Wires

      3. Consumer/Trade and business magazines & journals

   2. Online:

      1. News related internet sites

      2. Electronic editions of newspapers/trade publications

      3. Blogs, social networking sites, online forums, etc

      4. GAP also prefers if you can include Bloomberg, Busineswire.com, & PRNewswire.com, although this is not required

   3. Broadcast - Record and summarize news programs from the top 20 broadcast markets and provide notifications of news stories via email, which should include URL links for quick viewing online.

2. Media Database – Provide online platform for at least 3-named users to be able to:

   1. Pull media clips

   2. Access media contacts and information for journalists, industries, & topics

   3. Access detailed profiles for contacts in consumer and business & finance verticals, which should include information such as how to pitch, interests, background and general insight as to how to build communication

   4. Create target lists of columnists/journalists/bloggers/etc

   5. Distribute press releases and report on distribution activities

   6. Create projects using management/CRM tools

3. Reporting – GAP will need the ability to distribute reports internally regarding the number of times in the news & impact. Reports should be able to be split by brand if requested.

4. Comprehensive Product Training

KEY DATES:   Anticipated for Award (U.S. Central Time)

The Seller must honor the Bid Price until April 2014.

We appreciate your participation in this this ebid opportunity!

PLACE YOUR BID HERE:
(Bid Box will appear here on Opening Bid Day, once you have logged into your account after registering and receiving the Access Code, per the Key Dates above.)