Questions and Answers _ Customer Satisfaction.pdf

CUI//BUDG#

Question # Category Question Response 1 GENERAL PROGRAM Is there a current incumbent performing these services? If so, please provide the contract number and current period of performance. No 2 GENERAL PROGRAM Will historical survey data be provided to the successful contractor? Survey questions will be provided 3 GENERAL PROGRAM How many annual survey responses have been collected during each of the previous three years? ~ 1200 - 1500 annually 4 GENERAL PROGRAM Are historical trend analyses required to remain statistically comparable to prior years? Yes 5 GENERAL PROGRAM Is continuity of existing customer satisfaction metrics required? No 6 GENERAL PROGRAM Has BEA established target CSAT thresholds or performance benchmarks? Yes 7 GENERAL PROGRAM Are there any known changes to the BEA website planned during the period of performance that may impact survey deployment? No

8 GENERAL PROGRAM

Is this procurement a recompete of an existing customer satisfaction survey contract for bea.gov? If so: (a) is there an incumbent vendor currently providing these services? (b) will the incumbent be required to provide a data transition plan or data transfer to the new vendor? (c) is there existing survey data or historical CSAT trend data that the new vendor will receive access to for continuity of benchmarking?

No. BEA contracted for these services in the past, but does not have a current contract in place.

9 GENERAL PROGRAM

Will BEA provide an existing OMB Control Number and supporting documentation, or is the contractor expected to prepare and submit a complete Information Collection Request (ICR) package? Yes

10 GENERAL PROGRAM Is there an existing customer satisfaction survey currently deployed on BEA.gov? No

11 GENERAL PROGRAM

Can the Government confirm whether there is an incumbent contractor currently providing customer satisfaction data collection and analysis services for BEA’s website? If so, please provide the incumbent’s name and contract number. No, there is not a current contract in place.

12 GENERAL PROGRAM Does BEA require a VPAT or other Section 508 compliance documentation as part of the quotation? No 13 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Is BEA currently utilizing the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology or another proprietary methodology? Yes, ACSI methodology has been used in the past and is required.

14 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Does BEA require continued use of any existing satisfaction index methodology? Yes 15 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Are offerors permitted to propose alternative customer satisfaction measurement methodologies? Yes 16 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Will BEA provide existing survey instruments for reference? We can provide the questions previously used 17 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Approximately how many survey questions are currently deployed? Zero - the survey is not currently active.

18 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Are demographic or audience segmentation questions currently used? Yes, they were used in the past.

19 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Are there any required survey questions that must remain unchanged? No 20 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Are multilingual surveys required? No 21 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Does BEA anticipate adding custom questions during the performance period? No 22 SURVEY METHODOLOGY What percentage response rate has historically been achieved? We do not have that information

23 SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Will the Government provide any existing software licenses, survey platforms, or cloud infrastructure for use on this contract, or should offerors include all necessary licensing and hosting costs in their pricing? No

24 SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Does BEA have a preferred respondent invitation methodology (e.g., pop-up intercept, slide-in invitation, exit survey, embedded banner, or static feedback link), and are there any restrictions regarding survey invitations displayed on BEA.gov? Yes, pop-up/exit.

25 SAMPLE PLAN What is the current survey invitation rate (pop rate)?

We do not have that information because we are not currently running surveys

26 SAMPLE PLAN Are there existing cookie-duration requirements? No 27 SAMPLE PLAN Are there specific webpages that must always be included in sampling? Yes 28 SAMPLE PLAN Are there specific webpages that must always be excluded from sampling? No

29 SAMPLE PLAN Is the survey currently invitation-based only, or is a persistent feedback link also available?

It has been done in the past by the survey code that takes a sample of visitors/page and presents them the survey. The vendor creates that sample rate. BEA has no requirement.

30 SAMPLE PLAN Does BEA require page-level reporting? No 31 SAMPLE PLAN Does BEA require audience-segment reporting? Yes 32 SAMPLE PLAN What is the approximate annual website visitor volume and page view volume? 2.5M Unique Visits; 6M Page views

33 SAMPLE PLAN

Does BEA require post-stratification weighting or missing data imputation in the analysis and reporting deliverables? Will BEA provide visitor segmentation benchmarks or web traffic data needed to support a weighting strategy? Will CSAT performance be benchmarked against external federal standards (e.g., OMB benchmarks, ACSI federal norms), and if so, does BEA expect the vendor to procure access to those benchmarking datasets?

BEA followed the ACSI methodology. BEA is not aware of how post-stratification weighting or imputation is used. Previous contractors have done this in the past as part of their methodology. BEA has used the ACSI to compare its score to successful CSAT. BEA expects that the vendor would acquire these benchmarks.

34 SAMPLE PLAN

The SOW states that BEA-developed non-model questions 'may be deleted, modified, or replaced at appropriate intervals.' How frequently are modifications anticipated? Is the intent to support structured periodic updates (e.g., quarterly review cycles), or does BEA anticipate a more dynamic approach such as A/B testing of question variants? Will the vendor be responsible for evaluating the psychometric impact of question changes over time?

No, not frequently. We do not understand what is meant by a psychometric impact. BEA expects the vendor to provide all impacts of questions over time.

35 SAMPLE PLAN

Is the sample plan required to produce a statistically representative sample of bea.gov visitors — including associated post-stratification weighting strategies — or are responses from any willing site visitors sufficient? Does BEA have specific subgroup sample size targets (e.g., by page type, user segment, or visit purpose)? Responses from any willing site visitors are sufficient

36 SAMPLE PLAN

Can BEA provide approximate monthly unique visitor counts and total page view volumes for bea.gov (or direct the vendor to publicly available web analytics data) to inform sample plan development? Specifically, the vendor needs traffic volume data to validate the feasibility of collecting at least 25,000 responses per year at a reasonable pop rate without creating undue burden on visitors. 2.5M Unique Visits; 6M Page views

37 SAMPLE PLAN/PERFORMANCE

Does BEA's web infrastructure impose Content Security Policy (CSP) restrictions or other security controls that would limit or restrict placement of third-party JavaScript on bea.gov? If so, please describe any approved script loading mechanisms, whitelisting procedures, or alternative integration methods BEA's web team would support. No

38 SAMPLE PLAN/PERFORMANCE

The SOW states the vendor shall 'provide the necessary code to be placed on the BEA website for the data collection' and shall specify the survey pop rate, page view criteria, cookie duration, and pages for survey appearance. Please confirm: is it BEA's expectation that the vendor's code will contain the survey trigger logic (pop rate, cookie suppression, page view threshold), or will BEA's web team implement the trigger logic independently and the vendor need only provide the survey URL/link for loading?

The vendor will provide BEA with the code that instantiates the survey.

BEA will publish this code to the BEA website.

39 DATA ANALYTICS What customer satisfaction indices are currently reported? None 40 DATA ANALYTICS What driver-analysis methodology is currently used? None 41 DATA ANALYTICS Are there specific statistical techniques required for driver analysis? Not sure, we expect vendor to propose 42 DATA ANALYTICS Are open-ended comments currently coded manually, automatically, or through hybrid analysis? Manually 43 DATA ANALYTICS Does BEA require sentiment analysis? Not sure, we expect vendor to propose 44 DATA ANALYTICS Are there required reporting formats currently in use? No

45 DATA ANALYTICS What reports are delivered today and at what frequency?

In the past, monthly reports and OMB scaled 5 point score provided quarterly

46 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Does BEA currently utilize the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology or another established customer experience measurement framework for customer satisfaction reporting? If so, will historical survey instruments, benchmark scores, and reporting methodologies be made available to the successful contractor?

Yes, ACSI methodology should be used. Historical data will not be provided.

47 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Regarding OMB/Paperwork Reduction Act clearance: does BEA currently hold an active OMB information collection approval (ICR) for a website customer satisfaction survey that the new vendor would operate under, or is the vendor expected to initiate and shepherd a new OMB clearance package from scratch? If an existing active ICR is in place, please provide the OMB Control Number. Yes - 0690-0030

48 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

The SOW states the vendor will provide code to be placed on bea.gov for data collection. Does BEA have an existing preferred or approved survey platform (e.g., Qualtrics, Medallia, ForeSee/Verint), or is the vendor expected to independently select and procure a third-party platform? If a preferred platform exists, will BEA provide platform licenses or access credentials? Yes, ForeSee

DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

The SOW states that BEA will provide 'detailed instructions for complying with FedRAMP requirements to secure an ATO/ATU.' Will these instructions be provided prior to contract award? What is the anticipated timeline for securing the ATO/ATU, and will this affect the survey deployment start date? No. Cloud services must maintain a FedRamp authorization.

49 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Please confirm the applicable Section 508 / web accessibility conformance level required for the survey instrument and reporting portal — specifically whether WCAG 2.0 AA, WCAG 2.1 AA, WCAG 2.2 AA, or another standard is expected. Additionally, will BEA conduct its own Section 508 accessibility testing prior to go-live approval, and if so, what is the expected review timeline? WCAG 2.0 AA, Contractor should ensure

50 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Beyond compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, are there specific restrictions on incidental data the survey instrument may collect (e.g., IP addresses, browser metadata, or geolocation)? Will the vendor be required to conduct or support a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) as part of the ATO/ATU process? No

51 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

The SOW does not mention qualitative research activities. Is there any expectation for the vendor to conduct focus groups, cognitive interviewing, or user testing to support survey instrument development, validation, or iterative refinement during the performance period? No

52 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

The SOW states the vendor will 'make recommendations regarding changes on the website.' Is the vendor's scope strictly limited to providing data-driven recommendations, or is there an expectation that the vendor will assist in prioritizing, scoping, or implementing requested website features? If implementation support is anticipated, would this require web development capabilities in option years? Yes. Data driven only, BEA will implement on separate timeline

53 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

The SOW references 'model' questions and 'non-model' questions, stating that non-model questions 'may be deleted, modified, or replaced at appropriate intervals.' Does BEA have an existing standardized customer satisfaction survey instrument or model question set (e.g., from a prior contract or a federal benchmarking program such as ACSI) that the new vendor is expected to maintain or build upon? If so, will this instrument be provided to offerors prior to award or post-award? Yes. Provided post-award

54 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT

Does the BEA Website Customer Satisfaction Data Collection & Analysis Notice ID: 1331L526BEASurvey require collecting information PII (Personal Identifying Information) such as name and email? No

55 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Is the incumbent portal contractor-hosted or Government-hosted? Contractor-hosted 56 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Will the successful contractor be required to transition existing portal users? Yes 57 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Does BEA require single sign-on integration? No 58 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Are there specific browser or accessibility requirements beyond Section 508? No 59 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Are there requirements for data export formats? No 60 PORTAL REQUIREMENTS Is there a required retention period for collected survey data? 5 years 61 USABILITY REVIEW Will BEA identify the ten pages and four use cases for evaluation? Yes

62 USABILITY REVIEW

The SOW scopes the usability audit as an expert heuristic evaluation of 10 key pages and 4 primary use cases. Should this evaluation also incorporate passive behavioral or UX metrics (e.g., session recordings, clickstream analytics, page dwell time), or is it strictly limited to the expert heuristic review?

Does BEA currently have web analytics infrastructure in place (e.g., Digital Analytics Program [DAP], Google Analytics)? Heuristic review only. BEA uses Google Analytics

63 USABILITY REVIEW Does BEA require moderated usability testing or only expert heuristic review? Only heuristic review.

64 USABILITY REVIEW Are usability recommendations expected to include implementation roadmaps? No 65 USABILITY REVIEW Will prior usability assessments be made available? Yes

CUI//BUDG#

66 USABILITY REVIEW

67 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Is the contractor required to provide a FedRAMP-authorized survey platform? Yes 68 FEDRAMP / SECURITY If FedRAMP authorization is required, what minimum impact level is required (Low, Moderate, High)? Low 69 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Does BEA currently maintain an Authority to Operate (ATO) or Authority to Use (ATU) for the incumbent platform? Yes 70 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Is the successful contractor expected to support a new ATO/ATU package or maintain an existing authorization? BEA has an existing authority

71 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Will BEA provide existing security documentation for transition purposes?

The availability of existing security documentation depend on BEA's transition process and any applicable security and information sharing requirements. This will be confirmed during transisition planning.

72 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Does BEA require access to CSP security packages through FedRAMP Marketplace authorization reuse? No

73 FEDRAMP / SECURITY

SOW Section 4 requires the vendor to provide a cloud-hosted reporting portal that allows up to 25 users to interrogate the collected data, and Section 3 states the vendor "will assist BEA with [the FedRAMP ATO/ATU] process as needed." Please confirm the intended authorization boundary for the reporting portal: (a) BEA will sponsor and grant the Authority to Operate or Authority to Use, with the vendor providing supporting documentation and assisting BEA's authorization process; or (b) the vendor must deliver the portal on a cloud service offering that already holds, or must independently obtain and maintain, a FedRAMP authorization. This determines the security authorization approach and the proposed pricing B

74 FEDRAMP / SECURITY

Does BEA require the survey platform and reporting portal to possess a current FedRAMP Authorization, or is the contractor only required to support the ATO/ATU process? Required to have current authorization

75 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Are Privacy Threshold Assessments (PTAs) or Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) expected contractor deliverables? No

76 FEDRAMP / SECURITY

Regarding FedRAMP compliance: is BEA seeking a vendor whose survey platform already operates on FedRAMP-authorized infrastructure at time of award (i.e., the vendor currently has an ATO or operates under a FedRAMP-authorized CSP), or is BEA seeking a vendor who will assist BEA in obtaining an ATU for a platform not yet FedRAMP-authorized? Please clarify the expected FedRAMP authorization status of the vendor's platform at time of award. BEA seeks vendor that already operates under FedRAMP CSP

77 FEDRAMP / SECURITY Are there specific Department of Commerce cybersecurity, authentication, or access-control requirements applicable to the reporting portal? No

78 FEDRAMP / SECURITY

Would BEA consider an offeror technically acceptable if the proposed platform is not currently FedRAMP-authorized but supports the FedRAMP compliance process? No

TRANSITION / INCUMBENT Will the incumbent be required to provide transition assistance? There is no incumbent 79 TRANSITION / INCUMBENT Is there an anticipated transition period prior to full operational responsibility? No 80 TRANSITION / INCUMBENT Will historical reporting structures, dashboards, and survey logic be provided to the awardee? No

81 TRANSITION / INCUMBENT Are there any known deficiencies or desired improvements in the current solution that BEA would like offerors to address?

We need a FedRAMPED solution, incumbent moved away from FedRAMP

82 DELIVERABLES

The SOW requires the vendor to provision a cloud-hosted reporting portal for up to 25 users. Does BEA have specific security requirements for this portal beyond FedRAMP authorization — for example, PIV/CAC authentication, data residency in a specific cloud environment (e.g., AWS GovCloud, Azure Government), or specific data encryption standards? No

83 DELIVERABLES

In the event of contract expiration, non-renewal of an option year, or termination: (a) what format does BEA require for final data transfer (e.g., CSV, SPSS, Excel)? (b) What is the expected transition period during which the vendor must support data handoff to BEA or a successor vendor? (c) Is the vendor expected to maintain data accessibility in the reporting portal for any period after contract end?

Excel format for ending of contract, 1 week for transition, no access to portal.

84 DELIVERABLES Are there restrictions regarding cloud providers, data residency, or hosting locations? No 85 DELIVERABLES Does the Government have an estimated level of effort, expected staffing profile, or recommended labor categories for this requirement? No

86 DELIVERABLES/REPORTING PORTAL

Regarding the cloud-hosted reporting portal supporting 'up to 25 users': (a) does BEA require 25 simultaneous concurrent user sessions, or 25 total named user accounts with individual login credentials? (b) Is single sign-on (SSO) integration with BEA's existing identity management system (e.g., PIV/CAC card authentication or an agency SSO provider) required or preferred for portal access? 25 total; no need for PIC/CAC integration

87 PROPOSALS

The RFQ specifies a 5-page limit for Section 1 (Technical Quotation) and a 3-page limit for Section 2 (Price Quotation). The Business Cover Page is required 'to be included with Section 2.' Please confirm: does the Business Cover Page count toward the 3-page Section 2 limit, or is it in addition to the 3-page limit (i.e., Section 2 = 1-page cover + 3 pages pricing = 4 pages total)? The cover page does not count towards the page limit.

88 PROPOSALS Are named personnel resumes required at proposal submission, or is an unnamed personnel approach acceptable for this solicitation? Named personnel resumes are required.

89 LOCATION

Can the Government confirm if all work may be performed remotely, or are there any minimum onsite presence requirements beyond what is stated in the Statement of Work? Yes, all work is performed remotely.

90 PRICING

Will the Government provide a specific pricing template or format for the price quotation, or should offerors structure pricing at their own discretion within the three-page limit? No, the vendor should provide pricing within the 3-page limit.

91 PERFORMANCE

Given the 1-year base period with 4 option years, is the intent for the core survey instrument and CSAT methodology to remain relatively stable, or does BEA anticipate an iterative approach — for example, annual re-validation of the psychometric model, re-norming of CSAT indices, or evolution of the driver analysis framework?

BEA is not aware of these methodology questions and whether they are needed or required. BEA expects a level of consistency to ensure apple to apples comparisons to acquire CSAT.

92 PERFORMANCE

The SOW specifies a usability audit as a base-period deliverable. Is the usability audit expected to be repeated in option years? If so, will the scope (10 pages, 4 use cases) remain constant, or will it be redefined collaboratively at the start of each option year? Yes, scoped out each year

BEA Questions