NBSRC_QAs.pdf

Number Question TET Answer 1 The FBO page states the deadline for quote submissions is February 28 at 1pm ET, and the solicitation states quotes shall be submitted via e-mail NLT 12:00PM EST Tuesday, February 28, 2019. Which is the correct time for the deadline?

The FBO post has been amended to reflect the new submission deadline of March 5, 2019 at 1:00pm EST.

2 Would DOJ extend the proposal due date until March 14, 2019, or a minimum of 3 weeks after response to questions are posted?

The FBO post has been amended to reflect the new submission deadline of March 5, 2019 at 1:00pm EST.

3 Will the awarded NBSRC contractor be excluded from pursing the NBS Data Center Contractor opportunity, and vice versa?

No.

4 There appears to have been an earlier iteration of this work awarded as a grant. Is the previous contract holder for the NBSRC able to bid on this opportunity?

Yes.

5 Was the data collection effort completed under the earlier iteration of the NBS?

No.

6 Are there findings from the earlier iteration of the National Baseline Study (NBS) available?

No.

7 If no, would DOJ be able to provide context for why the data collection was not completed and/or findings are not available?

The baseline study was significantly delayed as a result of ensuring that the Federal Government followed all research guiding principles and practices to include obtaining all the necessary tribal nation approvals from participating tribes (i.e., tribal resolutions, tribal institutional review board approvals, and participatory agreements). The previous contract period of performance was for a three-year period and could not be extended.

8 How does DOJ define sex trafficking? The term “sex trafficking” (22 USC § 7102(10)) means the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.

9 How does DOJ define human trafficking? Human Trafficking is a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and its subsequent reauthorizations define human trafficking as: a) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or b) The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. (22 U.S.C. § 7102(9)).

10 Is there an incumbent contractor and if so, will there be a transition plan for transfer of files, records and existing knowledge?

There is no contractor currently performing any work.

11 What protocols are in place for transitioning this contract from the incumbent to the awarded contractor?

There is no contractor currently performing any work. The Government will provide direction on all tasks.

12 Has the data collection instrument (survey) for this iteration of the NBS already been developed?

Yes.

13 Can the survey be provided to offerors? No.

14 Does DOJ anticipate that the NBSRC will review the survey to identity whether any modification may be needed?

Yes.

15 Is the sampling design set? Yes.

16 Does DOJ anticipate that the NBSRC will review the design for potential adaptations or modifications?

No.

17 On page 6 of the solicitation, it states that “The Offeror shall anticipate at least five outreach contacts per household during the recruitment phase.” Is there a cap on the number of outreach attempts?

Yes, the cap is 5.

18 On page 6 of the solicitation, it states that “The NBSRC will offer respondents compensation for their NBS time and effort.” Does DOJ have a level or range of compensation in mind for the respondents?

Yes, $35 per participant.

19 Is compensation based on FULL completion of survey (e.g. respondents may opt out of some questions; can they still be compensated)?

Participants will be compensated for participating regardless if they are unable to complete the entire survey.

20 Does DOJ foresee compensation to the tribes agreeing to participate in the study?

No.

21 On page 6 of the solicitation, it states that “This approach is expected to result in more than 1,500 completed interviews.” How did DOJ arrive at this number?

The estimate is based on the total number of sites, the number of households within each site, and the number of survey respondents within each household.

22 On page 6 of the solicitation, it states that “The multistage sampling plan provides a practical and accurate approach that will involve enlisting at least 40 tribes,” and page 8 states “Following preliminary contact with selected sites, it may be necessary to reassess and consider the need to replace particular sites due to lack of local interest. NIJ fully anticipates the recruitment process to be a careful balancing act, recognizing that tribal nations may be reluctant to participate in the study. Therefore a second, third, or fourth cycle of enlistment may be required.” Given the need to enlist at least 40 tribes, how many backup/replacement tribes should bidders estimate when recruiting additional tribes for lack of local interest or reluctance to participate?

Based on the previous work, we estimate a low number of replacement sites.

23 Have the tribal nations already been selected? Yes.

24 If yes, have the tribal nations already agreed to participate? At last contact, yes.

25 Task 1: How long does DOJ anticipate the onboarding of field interviewers to take, outside of the 40 training hours?

Length of time for onboarding of field staff is dependent upon the vendor/contractors technical approach.

26 Task 1: Will the interpreters be expected to also complete the same training as the field interviewers?

Yes.

27 Task 1: Are the curricula and the training materials adaptable for tribal communities?

Yes.

28 Task 1: Does DOJ have a preference on the skill set of individuals recruited for field interviewers?

Yes.

29 Would students at tribal colleges be considered? Yes.

30 Task 2: Please clarify the timeline for recruitment. Does DOJ expect 40 tribal nations to agree to participate by the end of Option Year 3 of the contract?

Yes.

31 Task 2: On page 8 of the solicitation, it states “When possible, a NIJ representative will accompany the NBSRC on recruitment site visits to enlist tribal participation, and for project monitoring and problem-solving purposes, as necessary, throughout the study period.” Is a site visit planned for every site as part of the recruitment process?

When possible, NIJ staff will travel to participate on site recruitment and data collection trips.

32 Task 2: On page 8 of the solicitation, it states “The Contractor shall expect a constant field presence of USDOJ representatives.” Is there any flexibility in terms of the role DOJ will play in actively being involved in relationship building with tribal nations?

No.

33 Page 8 of the solicitation emphasizes that the contractor should expect a constant field presence of USDOJ representatives and that NIJ reserves the right to contact each of the tribal sites directly. It may be the case, however, that some tribal nation relationships may be best served by a lighter touch by US government officials.

This study is under the direction of the National Institute of Justice.

34 Task 2: Can DOJ provide additional information as to the steps DOJ has already undertaken to foster relationships with potential participating tribal nations?

In general, tribal nations were contacted initially using multiple modes (i.e., email, fax, and mailed correspondences) followed by telephone calls to request in-person meetings with tribal governments and program staff. In most cases, presentations were made at tribal council meetings, tribal institutional review boards, and community assemblies.

35 Task 2: On page 9 of the solicitation, in the first paragraph, DOJ calls out data sharing and access, and pages 13 & 14 state the government controls all data without acknowledgement of tribal sovereignty and data sovereignty. Tribal cooperation may be more likely if government shares the tribes’ data. Does DOJ foresee data sharing to be bi-directional, from the tribes to DOJ, as well as from DOJ to the tribes?

Yes, with caveats (see below).

36 That is, will DOJ share a tribe’s collected/analyzed data with the tribe? Data tribes voluntarily agree to provide (e.g., housing lists) belong to the tribes; however, the combined study data are the property of the Federal Government. Data collected with Department of Justice funds are protected by Title 42 of the United States Code, Subsection 3789g (42 U.S.C. §3789g), and Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 22 (28 CFR Part 22).

37 Task 2: On page 9 of the solicitation, it states, “the Contractor will create a community profile for each participating tribe…” How many pages should the contractor expect for each community profile?

The length of the community profile is contingent upon the information to be conveyed.

38 Task 2: On page 10 of the solicitation, it states the contractor will be responsible for “Drafting site visit reports describing the reason for the visit, the findings, and any recommendations.” How long is each site visit report expected to be, e.g., approximate page length?

The site visit report length is contingent upon the information to be communicated.

39 Task 2: Page 9 of the solicitation states, “The Contractor shall work closely with NIJ to identify approximately 40 tribal study sites from a pool of federally recognized tribal nations with recognized tribal land.” Is it mandatory that any participating tribe have federally recognized land?

No.

40 Task 2: Is there a limit on the number and length of onsite recruitment trips?

No.

41 Does DOJ see tribal Institutional Review Board (IRB) as part of Task 2 (e.g., arranging access to community by securing participatory agreements, etc.) or as part of Task 3?

Task 3.

42 Task 3: How much time is DOJ estimating for a national IRB approval and potential tribal IRBs?

The contractor will be required to submit a copy of their institution’s IRB approval to NIJ prior to the initiation of any research activities that are not exempt from the requirements of 28 CFR Part 46. If the contractor has a current Federalwide Assurance (FWA) number, they must apply to their own institution’s IRB. Should the contactor not have a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ approved human subjects review program as indicated by a current FWA number, they will be required to find an IRB and apply to have the project approved. Alternatively, the contractor can search for commercial IRBs that review research on the Web. While NIJ does not endorse or recommend the use of any particular commercial IRBs, NIJ does accept the findings of commercial IRBs that review studies for compliance with the DOJ human subjects’ protection and confidentiality regulations. NIJ’s Human Subjects Protection Officer (HSPO) will review the IRB approval documentation to ensure that the IRB has reviewed the study protocol in compliance with the DOJ human subjects protection regulations (28 CFR Part 46) and the informed consent documentation is in compliance with the DOJ privacy regulations (28 CFR Part 22). The NIJ HSPO will accept the findings of the awardee’s IRB provided the findings comply with the DOJ regulations cited above. The time for IRB approvals is contingent upon the contractor’s technical approach.

43 Task 3: Does DOJ have a preferred IRB? See response above.

44 Task 4: Is this project eligible for expedited OMB process? No.

45 Task 4: Will NBSRC be simply supporting the National Baseline Study

Data Center Contractor (NBSDCC) in this task?

The NBSRC and NBSDCC will assist NIJ with this task.

46 Task 4: On page 11 of the solicitation, it states that the NBSDCC will work with NIJ on the OMB package. In the next paragraph, the solicitation states NBSRC and NBSDCC will assist in preparing the OMB information collection request, including drafting and submitting all OMB clearance packet materials. Are the OMB package responsibilities to be shared equally (50/50) between both NBSRC and NBSDCC, or will the NBSRC supply NBSDCC with all needed materials for both Parts A and B, so NBSDCC can create the package?

The NBSRC and NBSDCC will assist NIJ with this task by providing the necessary materials and documentation to complete the task.

47 Task 4: Has the OMB approval already begun under previous contracts for the National Baseline Study, and if so will our efforts build upon this, or are we starting the OMB process from the beginning?

The OMB package will be submitted within 3 months of the awarding of contracts for the National Baseline Study.

48 Task 4: How much time should the contractor anticipate for getting through DOJ OMB approval?

The complete review and approval process can take anywhere from 6-12 months, depending on the number of requests currently in process and the data collection subject matter.

49 Task 5: On page 11 of the solicitation, it states “Contractor may need to secure other service support to include transportation and/or childcare for respondents and behavioral health specialists who may be called upon to assist distressed respondents and field staff.” Does DOJ have guidance/suggestions on how many behavioral health specialists should be budgeted for each site?

No.

50 Task 5: Does this task constitute beta testing of the survey? Yes.

51 How many beta testers does DOJ suggest? Two.

52 For how long a period should beta testing occur for government purposes?

Approximately for a two-week period.

53 Task 5: On page 12 of the solicitation, it states, “The NBSRC will contact the NBSDCC at least four weeks before the initiation of each data collection effort. At that time, the NBSDCC will provide feedback to the NBSRC, inform the NBSRC of any procedural changes in data collection protocol processing, and obtain and record information on any significant changes at the site.” When NBSDCC alerts NBSRC of procedural changes in data collection protocol, will this trigger updates to the study protocols, manuals, and materials under Task 1?

Yes.

54 Task 8: What are the DOJ’s preferred research methodologies for the deliverables described in this task?

See page 18 of the Deliverables and Delivery Schedule table.

55 Task 8: Will NBSRC be simply supporting the National Baseline Study Data Center Contractor (NBSDCC) in this task?

Yes.

56 Task 8: On page 13, of the solicitation, it states “The NBSRC shall participate in the analysis and preparation of research findings along with NIJ and the NBSDCC as requested by the COR and NIJ NBS Project Director.” Could DOJ please quantify “as requested”?

DOJ cannot quantify at this time.

57 Task 8: On page 14 of the solicitation, it states, “special analyses are periodically requested for reports and briefings for senior USDOJ officials or in response to special requests by the General Accountability Office, other Federal agencies, as well as the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. For purposes of this quote, Offerors can assume a minimum of three requests per year.” Is there a maximum number of requests DOJ can make per year?

No.

58 Will these requests for special analyses begin in Option Year 1, once reporting and analysis activities begin?

No.

59 Task 8: On page 14 of the solicitation, it states Task 8 includes “Conducting data analyses.” Could DOJ provide more information about the types and levels of analysis the NBSRC should anticipate (e.g., levels of complexity of the analyses, descriptive versus multivariate regression, etc.)?

The contractor must have staff with demonstrated expertise in conducting complex data analysis, estimation, and modeling—including variance estimation, survey weighting, and non-response adjustments. For further clarification, see page 22 of the RFQ.

60 Task 9: On page 16 of the solicitation, it states “it will be necessary for the Contractor’s relevant personnel to travel occasionally to meet with NIJ staff in Washington, DC.” How many trips to DC to meet with NIJ staff should the Contractor budget for each year?

Please refer to the price worksheet.

61 Will these trips be part of the minimum of one conference and one NIJ meting per year, with a maximum of four per year?

Please refer to the price worksheet.

62 Task 9: On page 16 of the solicitation, it states “the Contractor may be called upon to provide occasional briefings on the study.” How many special briefings, with related PowerPoints and other briefing materials, shall offerors budget for?

Please refer to the price worksheet.

63 Will these trips be part of the minimum of one conference and one NIJ meting per year, with a maximum of four per year? Page 16 of 57

Please refer to the price worksheet.

64 Will the government consider expanding the page limitation for the Technical Approach volume to 20 pages?

Yes. The RFQ has been amended to allow 20 pages for the Technical Approach.

65 On Page 19 of the solicitation, there is a table of tasks per year. Task 4 OMB Quote Preparation and Submission is included in all years. Is it expected that the survey instrument will be altered each year and the package will need to be resubmitted, or will this task be removed from the option years?

Once OMB approval has been received and the study has approval for the full study period of performance, the task will be removed for subsequent option years unless OMB requires follow-up information.

66 In Option Year 4, the Pricing Worksheet has less than half the number of hours when compared to option years 1-3. Will Tasks 2, 3, and 4 be removed from Option Year 4 requirements?

Tasks for select option years will be adjusted as needed.

67 In the Pricing Worksheet: There is only one item listed for ODC “Travel.”

Is the contractor to add line items for other needed ODCs, such as conference call lines, webinars, copying materials, meeting rooms and AV for trainings, etc.?

Yes.

68 There is one line for Publication Support. Can the contractor separate out these labor categories (writers, editors, graphics/slide prep) that have different labor rates, or will the rate need to be averaged?

Yes.

69 Are the % break downs per labor category suggestions or expectations for each role?

The break downs are suggestions based on previous work.

Sheet1