USAGM- VOA 365 (Persian) HD Video content on Yahsat Y1A

Amendment / Modification

This amendment provides responses to vendor questions and requests for clarification regarding solicitation 951700-26-R-0021.

• The amendment addresses questions about whether the opportunity is a recompete and clarifies the status of a related RFI.

• The solicitation closing date and time remain unchanged.

• No further questions or clarifications will be accepted.

• Offerors are required to sign and return this amendment to the issuing office.

• Recompete Status: This contract is a recompete. The current contract number is 951700-21-C-0031.

• Related RFI: A previous posting titled "VOA 365 (Persian) HD Video content- Yahsat Y1A" was an RFI for market information and no contract has been awarded for it. This posting does not replace or augment any other actions.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), in support of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The government is seeking to procure satellite capacity and managed teleport services for uplinking one (1) High Definition (HD) video channel with stereo digital program audio, two (2) VOA Radio Persian MPEG-1, Layer II audio channels, and one (1) optional Standard Definition (SD) video channel with stereo digital program audio. These services are to be transmitted on Yahsat Y1A @ 52.5° east.

• Satellite capacity for VOA Persian TV (HD) with program audio (6.500 Mbps), 2 x VOA Radio Persian (0.300 Mbps each), and optional Radio Farda TV (3.300 Mbps *Optional).

• Total bitrate requirement of 10.100 Mbps.

• Services to be Free to Air (FTA) on an MPEG Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite (DVB-S) or DVB-S2 Multiple Channel per Carrier (MCPC).

• Content for uplinking will be provided via the public Internet protected by Zixi or SRT error-correction protocol.

• Contractor must provide 24/7/365 Network Operations Center and Technical Support Call Center.

• Deliverables include: Monthly Reports, Monthly Invoices, Outage Reports, Escalation Charts, Key Personnel Information, and ongoing technical advice.

• Contract Type: Not specified, but implied to be a services contract.

• Period of Performance: One (1) Base Year (April 19, 2026 - April 18, 2027) with two (2) Option Years (April 19, 2027 - April 18, 2028 and April 19, 2028 - April 18, 2029).

• Place of Performance: Contractor's Teleport(s), currently identified as Usingen, Germany for uplink.

• Estimated Value: Not specified.

• Contractor Questions Due: April 7, 2026, 10am EST.

• Answers to Questions Anticipated: April 09, 2026.

• Proposals Due: April 13, 2026, 10am EST.

• Submission Method: Email only to bvandiver@usagm.gov and dwallace@usagm.gov.

• Evaluation Criteria: Best Value with Tradeoffs, based on four equal factors: Technical Design and Implementation, Operations and Management Approach, Past Performance, and Price (each 25%).

• NAICS Code: 517410 Satellite Telecommunications.

• Set Aside: Not Applicable.

• This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; no separate solicitation document will be issued.

• Proposals must be submitted in standard PDF searchable format.

• Hyperlinks within the quote are prohibited.

• The contract will be awarded to the offeror whose proposal offers the best value to the government.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet containing a pricing template for the opportunity. Bidders should use this template to provide their pricing details for the services requested.

• Clin #: Unique identifier for each line item.
• One Time Setup Cost: Costs incurred once at the beginning.
• Cost Per Mb.: Cost per megabit for satellite capacity.
• Monthly Recuring: Monthly recurring charges.
• Base Year: Pricing for the initial contract year (April 19, 2026 - April 18, 2027).
• Option Year 1: Pricing for the first option year (April 19, 2027 - April 18, 2028).
• Option Year 2: Pricing for the second option year (April 19, 2028 - April 18, 2029).
• 3 Year Contract Price: Total price for a three-year period (likely Base Year + Option Year 1 + Option Year 2).
• Service Descriptions: Details include Yahsat Y1A satellite capacity and teleport services for VOA Persian TV (HD) and VOA Radio channels, as well as Zixi Contribution Service for VOA program delivery.
• Optional CLINs: Items 3 and 4 for both base and option years are marked as optional, specifically for Radio Farda TV capacity and Zixi service.

This pricing template is critical for bidders to understand the cost structure and to submit their proposals. It outlines the specific services, their associated costs (one-time, recurring, per Mb), and the breakdown across the base year and two option years. Bidders must carefully complete this template to accurately reflect their pricing for satellite capacity and contribution services for VOA and Radio Farda TV.