Federalism Briefing Request for Quotation

Description of Services Requested

The contractor will provide an overview of U.S. federalism, including the inter-relationships among the branches of government at all levels in this decentralized system, to international visitors and program participants. They must also be able to answer group questions regarding federalism following the presentation. Presentations may be catered to the group’s topic of interest or specialty.

Technical and/or Functional Requirements

The contractor must clearly present U.S. federalism to the group and be able to answer a variety of questions about U.S. government from international visitors. The presentation may include a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, or other similar materials.

Deliverables and Timing

Meridian representatives will directly contact the contractor to schedule federalism briefings as needed. The briefings may last anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the time allotted by the Meridian representative. The contractor is strongly encouraged to allow time for participant questions during or after the presentation.

Fees and Expenses

On International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) projects, the U.S. Department of State authorizes $300 per federalism briefing presentation. Additional Meridian programs’ cost structures may vary depending on the program. The contractor will be notified in advance of the cost structure offered for the presentation.  Please include in your response to this RFQ a) confirmation that you agree to the specified price for IVLP federalism briefings and b) what your pricing structure will be for non-IVLP programs, if different.

Awarding the Quote

Quotes will be evaluated based on the contractor’s level of expertise, previous experience with the IVLP and similar groups, additional skills (including but not limited to languages spoken for the presentation), and availability for services during 2022, with two possible one-year extensions through 2023 and 2024, depending upon Meridian’s need and satisfaction with the contractor’s performance.

Questions regarding the services provided should be directed to Ellen Manwaring, Operations Manager at emanwaring@meridian.org no later than the question/inquiry submission deadline December 29, 2021.

Quotations for the above services will be accepted from December 20, 2021 – January 5, 2022. Quotations will be evaluated based on their ability to provide the services outlined above and their price competitiveness. Meridian may contract with multiple vendors on a non-exclusive basis, and vendors will be notified of their selection status on January 7, 2022. Services will go into effect on January 12, 2021.

General Terms

  • Your quote must remain valid for a period not less than 30 days after December 31, 2021.
  • Meridian reserves the right to accept or reject any quotations, cancel the bidding process and to reject all quotations at any time prior to the award of the contract.
  • For in-person federalism briefings, the selected contractor must comply with Meridian, local and federal COVID-19 safety precautions, which will be included in the contract document. The contractor may be required to show proof of vaccination prior to presenting.
  • Selected contractors will adhere to Data Processing Agreement terms and to prohibition on use of certain telecommunication and video surveillance services or equipment as defined in Section 889(a)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) and as more specifically defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.204-25 “Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.”