RFQ 1605C5-26-Q-00042 Amendment 0002.pdf

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

E. IMPORTANT: is not is required copies to the issuing office.

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

7.ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. is extended. is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS.

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER

NUMBER IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15C. DATE SIGNED

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

16C. DATE SIGNED

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

PAGE

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

PAGESOF

Contractor

The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers to sign this document and return

SHAYLA E. BATTLE

See continuation page

US Department of Labor Customer Acquisition Services 200 Constitution Ave, NW N-2305 Washington DC 20210

US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics 4600 Silver Hill Road Room 1R105 Suitland MD 20746

CAS BLS NATIONAL OFFICE

1605C5-26-Q-00040

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

1 33

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGES

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(B)

UNIT

(D)

UNIT PRICE

(E)

AMOUNT

(F)

OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

ITEM NO.

(A)

QUANTITY

(C)

NSN 7540-01-152-8067

1605C5-26-Q-00040/0002

The purpose of this amendment is to extend the deadline for quotes to Monday, September 14, 2026 at 5:00PM ET, provide responses to questions submitted and revise the RFQ to remove option periods, clarify the NAICS code and provide page limitations for the Technical and Price Volumes.

Period of Performance: 09/25/2026 to

09/24/2027

1605C5-26-Q-00040/0002 BLS OPLC Webscraped Apparel Data

SECTION B – SF 1449 CONTINUATION PAGE

COST/PRICE SCHEDULE

CLIN Description Qty. Unit Price Total 0001 Base Period: Webscraped Apparel Data

Period of Performance: 09/25/2026 – 09/24/2027

END OF SECTION B

1605C5-26-Q-00040

SECTION C – STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

OPLC CPI Webscraped Apparel Data

I. Background The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has an ongoing interest in market data with which to analyze, evaluate, and improve the indexes it produces. The data will be evaluated by BLS staff, its employees, agents, and statistical agency partners, to aid in improving and estimating indexes for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Specifically, the BLS seeks to purchase webscraped apparel data from large national retailers.

The BLS is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring price changes in the economy and constructs indexes using data collected from both households and business establishments.

Because of the importance of BLS data, it is critical that the component indexes are accurate, timely, and relevant.

II. Scope of Work BLS intends to purchase detailed webscraped data for apparel products at large, national department stores to assist in research into price index methodologies. The stores requested are the largest U.S. apparel department stores by sales. At minimum, this needs to include Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, and JCPenney. Additional stores may be requested beyond these top grossing stores. Each observation needs to be scraped three times a month and provided within one business day of the 1st, 10th, and 20th of the month. Complete data for all three scrapes must be delivered by the vendor no later than the first calendar day of the following month.

Required Commodities for Data:

• Men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel

• Footwear

• Jewelry and watches

The necessary variables and a brief description are listed below in Table 1.

Table 1: Variables for Monthly Data File Variable Description/Scope Date Date observation collected MSA or Market National—all products available for sale in the United States

Product All apparel products (men’s, women’s, children’s/infant’s, footwear, jewelry, and watches)

Retailers Largest U.S. apparel department stores by sales: Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, JCPenney, and more as requested

Features

Every apparel product should be scraped with the following information:

- SKU/product ID

- Category and subcategories

- Offer price

- Regular price

- Third party seller (if applicable)

- Shipping fee (if possible)

- Indicator of sales ranking (if possible)

- Product description, including detailed specifications such as brand, material, sleeve length, closure, etc.

Potential vendors should be able to complete the following tasks at a minimum:

• Provide structured data scraped on/around the 1st, 10th, and 20th of the month and delivered no later than one business day following the scrape. All data must be delivered at the latest by the first business day of the following month.

• Provide data for the priorities listed above in the scope of work: men’s apparel, women’s apparel, children’s apparel, footwear, jewelry, and watches.

• Provide data covering as many products as possible that are available for sale in the United States.

• Provide data for all of the major features of each product provided as listed in Table 1.

• Provide data in a spreadsheet format in a standard file type is acceptable (i.e. CSV, SAS, txt, etc.) The vendor shall provide the specified data in a common electronic file format, such as delimited ASCII files, Excel workbooks, or SAS dataset.

• Provide data in a secure electronic manner such as secure file transfer protocol (SFTP).

Please be advised that the selected vendor may not use the Bureau of Labor Statistics name in connection with any collection of data that is being purchased under this contract. The data being purchased should be commercially available and not collected exclusively on behalf of the BLS.

The vendor will not have access to BLS data.

III. Deliverables

Description Date of Delivery A data set of variables and values as described in section II for a service/product provided at least three times a month.

Data will be ongoing, so delivery should start as soon as contract is awarded and should be delivered in full. The data file(s) shall be delivered to BLS data team via SFTP or another secure file transfer.

IV. Period of Performance The period of performance is one twelve-month base period as follows:

Base Period: 09/25/2026 – 09/24/2027

V. CIPSEA Pledge The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data.

END OF SECTION C

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

All correspondence including, but not limited to e-mails, letters, memos, reports, etc., shall at a minimum include the following markings:

1. Date

2. Solicitation Number: 1605C5-26-Q-00040

3. Project Description or subject such as “BLS OPLC Webscraped Apparel Data”

END OF SECTION D

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The Government, through any authorized representatives, has the right, at all reasonable times, to inspect, or otherwise evaluate the work performed or being performed hereunder and the premises in which it is being performed. All inspections and evaluations shall be performed in such manner as will not unduly delay the work.

Pursuant to the appropriate inspection clause as provided below, the final inspection and acceptance of each specific task under this contract shall be made by the Contracting Officer and/or Contracting Officer’s Representative.

END OF SECTION E

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

See Section C – SOW, Section IV Period of Performance

F.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Work is to be performed at the Contractor's facility.

F.3 DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall submit deliverables in accordance with the Section C – SOW, Section III Deliverables. Deliverables shall contain accurate and complete data.

F.4 NOTICE OF DELAYS

The contractor shall provide written notification to the Contracting Officer of any actual or potential situation that threatens to delay the timely performance of work under this contract. The notification shall include all relevant information and shall be made immediately upon the Contractor having knowledge of the actual or potential situation that may delay this contract.

END OF SECTION F

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA – N/A

No items in this section.

END OF SECTION G

SECTION H – SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS – N/A

No items in this section.

END OF SECTION H

SECTION I– CONTRACT CLAUSES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

FAR Clauses

I.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE. (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

https://www.acquisition.gov/

CLAUSES TITLE DATE

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services NOV 2023

(End of Clause)

FULL TEXT CLAUSES

I.2 FAR 52.217-8 – OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within five (5) days of exercising this option provision.

I.3 RFO 52.222-90 Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. (APR 2026)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

Program participation means membership or participation in, or access or admission to: training, mentoring, or leadership development programs; educational opportunities; clubs; associations;

or similar opportunities that are sponsored or established by the contractor or subcontractor.

Racially discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities means disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g., hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g., vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity's resources.

https://www.acquisition.gov/

(b) In connection with the performance of work under this contract, the Contractor agrees as follows:

(1) The Contractor will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities;

(2) The Contractor will furnish all information and reports, including providing access to books, records, and accounts, as required by the Contracting Officer, for purposes of ascertaining compliance with this clause;

(3) In the event of the Contractor's or a subcontractor's noncompliance with this clause, this contract may be canceled, terminated, or suspended in whole or in part, and the Contractor or subcontractor may be declared ineligible for further Government contracts;

(4) The Contractor will report any subcontractor's known or reasonably knowable conduct that may violate this clause to the Contracting Officer and take any appropriate remedial actions directed by the Contracting Officer; and

(5) The Contractor will inform the Contracting Officer if a subcontractor sues the Contractor and the suit puts at issue, in any way, the validity of this clause.

(6) The Contractor recognizes that compliance with the requirements of this clause are material to the Government's payment decisions for purposes of 31 U.S.C. 3729(b)(4).

(c) The Contractor must include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (c), in subcontracts at any tier, including those for commercial products and commercial services, except those where the place of delivery or performance is outside the United States.

(End of Clause)

(End of FAR Clauses) DOL Clauses

I.4 DOL 2019-1 SECTION 508 COMPLIANCE

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended in 1998 by Public Law 105-220 (the Workforce Investment Act), applies to Federal Agencies and the Contractors acting in support of the Agency. The Contractor is required to provide Section 508 systems and components when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT). The Contractor shall ensure that its system and components allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access afforded Federal employees and members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, computers, printers, software applications, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, Internet/Intranet sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines.

For all EIT procured, maintained, developed or used at DOL to include electronic documents, software, websites and webpages created or maintained by the Contractor, in order to meet Section 508 accessibility requirements, the Contractor shall:

1.Provide summary narrative text descriptions or a data tables describing each complex graphic (e.g., pie graphs, line graphs, maps, bar graphs, flow charts) in a separate comma-separated values/character-separated values (CSV) file.

2.Label each figure or graphic image with an alternate text description.

3.Contracted Contractor support staffs producing EIT deliverables must have a working knowledge of Section 508 and performing Quality Assurance Testing for Section 508; must include this information for the individuals proposed on the contract.

4.Contractors are responsible for having updated authoring and testing tools to produce Section 508 output on their own; the Government will not provide these tools.

5.Unless otherwise stated in the specification of the Contract, two digital copies of any report over 25 pages shall be delivered in media formats readable by Windows-based programs; one copy shall be formatted in Microsoft Word and the second shall be in the Portable Document Format (PDF). Color and/or black & white PDFs are acceptable. Unless permitted by the specifications, reports shall not be submitted in HTML format.

Additional information about accessibility standards related to Section 508 may be found at http://section508.gov/. The Section 508 Standards provide the minimum Government requirements.

Additional information on creating accessible .pdf files is available at http://www.section508.gov/docs/pdfguidanceforgovernment.pdf.

http://section508.gov/ http://www.section508.gov/docs/pdfguidanceforgovernment.pdf

I.5 DOL-2023-03 Submission of Invoices – BLS Accounting Version (August 2023)

A. Applicability

Contracting Officers shall insert this clause in all solicitations and awards for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For existing awards, the Contracting Officer will determine whether the contract action should be modified to incorporate the clause.

B. Definitions

None

C. Requirements

1. Electronic Invoice Submittal

Electronic Invoice Submittal Invoices for the services/goods provided under this award shall be submitted through:

___X____ The Department of Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

IPP is a Federal Government owned and operated website accessible to contractors free of charge. Information about IPP, including enrollment instructions, are available and should be obtained by the enrolled contractors directly from the Department of Treasury after award at, https://www.ipp.gov .

Per TFM Vol 1, part 4A, Chapter 200: Section 2055—Electronic Invoicing, Invoice Processing Platform (IPP)

Federal entities should consider using electronic systems and processes to streamline and improve efficiencies in government invoicing. IPP is a secure web-based electronic invoicing and payment information system provided by Fiscal Service. IPP allows federal entities to transform their existing paper-based order-to-pay processes into a streamlined electronic flow.

IPP provides a centralized location to view all transactions in the purchase-to-pay process. It transforms paper-based processes into an electronic process for both federal entities and their suppliers. IPP’s modular design allows federal entities to implement functionality in phases, according to their business needs. Federal entities use IPP to send electronic contracts to vendors, to receive electronic invoices from vendors, and for invoice routing and approval workflow. IPP uploads payment remittance information from Treasury and non-Treasury disbursed federal entities, allowing federal entities and their suppliers to view and download payment information.

A. The following instructions apply to Invoices submitted through IPP.Gov:

IPP invoice attachments SHALL NOT exceed the size limit of 10 megabytes (MB) each.

All IPP submissions should have the invoice attached to avoid rejection. However, you may submit multiple attachments of less than 10MB each with the invoices.

(i) DO NOT submit an invoice or attachment that uses shading or color.

a. An emailed Portable Document Format (PDF) image cannot have any text that has a background with any color other than white. If the image has a shaded background, it will be converted to black, and the text will be illegible.

b. An emailed Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image must be black and white.

(ii) Users SHALL NOT: submit more than one attachment per invoice and the attachment shall not exceed 10MB. Any additional attachments will not be recognized.

(iii) DO NOT submit more than one invoice at a time.

(iv) DO NOT attempt to use the Recall or Resend email message feature.

B. Electronic invoices shall be in PDF or TIFF format.

2. Paper Invoices shall be submitted via fax or U.S. mail

Paper invoices may be sent via fax to:

(202)691-7796

Mail paper invoices to:

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Room 4135 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E.

Washington, DC 20212

3. General Information

Payment due date is to be calculated from the date the invoice is received in accordance with FAR 32.905 and the instructions above.

Inquiries regarding invoices must be emailed to BLSInvoiceInquiry@bls.gov. The relevant invoice must be attached to the inquiry email and the subject line of the email must state INQUIRY, as shown in the following example:

INQUIRY: Contractor Name, DOL Agency, Contract Number, BPA Call or Order Number, Invoice Number, Invoice Amount

The contractor SHALL NOT use the DOL electronic invoicing email address for inquiries about any invoice.

Questions

All questions regarding Electronic Invoicing shall be sent to the BLS Financial Officer at

BLSInvoiceInquiry@bls.gov.

I.6 DOLAR 2952.201-70 – CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

CLAUSE

(a) The COR of the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, is hereby designated to act as contracting officer's technical representative (COR) under this contract.

(b) The COR is responsible, as applicable, for receiving all deliverables; inspecting and accepting the supplies or services provided hereunder in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract; providing direction to the Contractor which clarifies the contract effort, fills in details or otherwise serves to accomplish the contractual scope of work; evaluating performance; and certifying all invoices/vouchers for acceptance of the supplies or services furnished for payment.

(c) The COR does not have the authority to alter the Contractor's obligations under the contract, and/or modify any of the expressed terms, conditions, specifications, or cost of the agreement. If, as a result of technical discussions, it is desirable to alter/change contractual obligations or the scope of work, the contracting officer must issue such changes.

I.7 DOL 2015-03 INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPv6) (MAY 2015)

a. Any system or product that includes: hardware, software, firmware, and/or networked components including but not limited to voice, video, or data that is developed, procured, or acquired in support and/or performance of this requirement shall be capable of transmitting, receiving, processing, or forwarding digital information across system boundaries that are formatted in accordance with commercial standards of Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) as set forth in the USGv6 Profile (NIST Special Publication 500-267) and corresponding declarations of conformance defined in the USGv6 Test Program.

b. This IPv6 capable system or product shall maintain interoperability with IPv4 systems and provide the same level of performance and reliability capabilities of IPv4 systems.

c. This IPv6 capable system or product shall have available IPv4 and IPv6 technical support for development, implementation, and troubleshooting of the system.

d. This IPv6 capable system or product can be upgraded, or the Contractor will provide an appropriate migration path for industry-required changes to IPv6 as the technology evolves, at no additional cost to the Government.

e. This IPv6 capable system or product must be able to operate on networks supporting IPv4 & IPv6, as well as networks that support both.

Any system or product whose IPv6 non-compliance is discovered and made known to the Contractor/Contractor within 12 months of the start of performance shall be upgraded, modified, replaced, or brought in to compliance at no additional cost to the Federal Government.

I.8 DOL-2018-01 PRIVACY BREACH NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (APRIL

2018)

A. Applicability

Contracting Officers shall insert this clause in all solicitations and contract actions except solicitations and contract actions that are solely for the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items.

B. Definitions

“Breach” is defined as the loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or any similar occurrence where—

(1) A person other than an authorized user accesses or potentially accesses Personally Identifiable Information (PII); or

(2) An authorized user accesses or potentially accesses PII for an unauthorized purpose.

“Information” is defined as any communication or representation of knowledge such as facts, data, or opinions in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, electronic, or audiovisual forms (See Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-130, Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource).

“Information System” is defined as a discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information (44 U.S.C. 3502).

“Personally Identifiable Information” is defined as information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is http://uscode.house.gov/ linked or linkable to a specific individual. (See Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-130, Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource).

C. Requirements

(a) Contractors and subcontractors who collects or maintains Federal information on behalf of the agency, or uses or operates an information system on behalf of the agency, shall comply with Federal law e.g., FISMA 2014, E-Government Act and the Privacy Act. Additionally, the Contractor shall meet OMB directives and National Institute of Standards and Technology Standards to ensure processing of PII is adequately managed.

(b) The Contractor shall:

· Properly encrypt PII in accordance with appropriate laws, regulations, directives, standards or guidelines;

· Report to DOL any suspected or confirmed breach in any medium or form, including paper, oral, and electronic within one hour of discovery;

· Cooperate with and exchange information with DOL (Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representative) as well as allow for an inspection, investigation, forensic analysis, as determined necessary by the DOL, in order to effectively report and manage a suspected or confirmed breach;

· Maintain capabilities to determine what DOL information was or could have been compromised and by whom, construct a timeline of user activity, determine methods and techniques used to access Federal information, and identify the initial attack vector;

· Ensure staff that have access to DOL systems or information are regularly trained to identify and report a security incident. This includes the completion of any DOL mandatory training for Contractors;

· Take steps to address security issues that have been identified, including steps to minimize further security risks to those individuals whose PII was lost, compromised, or potentially compromised.

· Report incidents per DOL incident management policy and US-CERT notification guidelines.

(c) Remedy:

· A report of a breach shall not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence that the Contractor or its subcontractor (at any tier) failed to provide adequate safeguards for PII. If the Contractor is determined to be at fault for the breach, the Contractor may be financially liable for Government costs incurred in the course of breach response and mitigation efforts;

· The Contractor shall take steps to address security issues that have been identified, including steps to minimize further security risks to those individuals whose PII was lost, compromised, or potentially compromised;

· The Government reserves the right to exercise all available contract remedies including, but not limited to, a stop-work order on a temporary or permanent basis in order to address a breach or upon discovery of a Contractor’s failure to report a breach as required by this clause.

I.9 DOL 2012-1 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST CLAUSE - OCI-1

EXCLUSION FROM FUTURE AGENCY CONTRACTS (DECEMBER 2012)

This clause supplements the FAR provisions on organizational conflicts of interest, located at FAR subpart 9.500 and should be read in conjunction with these provisions. To the extent there is any inconsistency or confusion between the two provisions, the FAR provision controls.

(a) Work under task order may create a future organizational conflict of interest (OCI) that could prohibit the Contractor from competing for, or being awarded, future Government contracts.

The following examples illustrate situations in which organizational conflicts of interest may arise. They are not all inclusive, but will be used by the Contracting Officer as general guidance in individual contract situations:

(1) Unequal Access to Information. The performance of task order may provide access to “nonpublic information,” which could provide the Contractor an unfair competitive advantage in later solicitations or competitions for other DOL contracts. Such an advantage could be perceived as unfair by a competing Contractor who is not given similar access to the same nonpublic information that is related to the future procurement action. If you, as a Contractor, in performing this contract, obtain nonpublic information that is relevant to a future procurement action, you may be required to submit and negotiate an acceptable mitigation plan prior to being deemed eligible to compete on the future action. Alternatively, the “nonpublic information” may be provided to all offerors.

(2) Biased Ground Rules. Your contract with DOL may have, in some fashion, established important “ground rules” for another DOL procurement in which you may desire to be a competitor. For example, this contract may involve you drafting the statement of work, specifications, or evaluation criteria for a future DOL procurement. The primary concern, in any such situation, is that any such firm could skew the competition, whether intentionally or not, or be perceived as having skewed the competition, in its own favor. If the requirements of this DOL contract anticipate the Contractor may be placed in a position to establish important ground rules, including but not limited to those described herein, the Contractor may be precluded from competing in the related action or, if possible, may be required to submit and negotiate an acceptable mitigation plan.

(3) Impaired Objectivity. The performance of this contract may result in the Contractor being placed in a situation where it is able, or required, to provide assessment and evaluation findings concerning itself, another business division, a subsidiary or affiliate, or other entity with which it has a significant financial relationship. The concern in this case is that the Contractor’s ability to render impartial advice to DOL could appear to be undermined by the Contractor’s financial or other business relationship to the entity whose work product is being assessed or evaluated.

In these situations, a “walling off” of lines of communication between entities or divisions may be acceptable, but it also may not be sufficient to remove the perception that the objectivity of the Contractor has been tainted. If the requirements of the DOL procurement indicate that a Contractor may be placed in a position to provide evaluations and assessments of itself or other entities with which it has a significant financial relationship, the affected Contractor should notify DOL immediately. The Contractor may also be required to provide a mitigation plan that includes recusal by the Contractor from one of the affected contracts. Such recusal might include divestiture of the work to a third party.

(b) In order to prevent a future OCI of any kind, the Contractor shall be subject to the following restrictions:

(1) The Contractor may be excluded from competition for, or award of, any government contracts as to which, in the course of performing another contract, the Contractor has received nonpublic and competitively relevant information before such information has been made generally available to other persons or firms.

(2) The Contractor may be excluded from competition for, or award of, any government contract for which the Contractor actually assisted or participated in the development of specifications or statements of work.

(3) The Contractor may be excluded from competition for or award of, any government contract which calls for it to evaluate itself, any affiliate, or any products or services produced or performed thereby.

(4) The Contractor may be excluded from competition for, or award of, any government contract calling for the production or performance of any product or service for which the Contractor participated in the development of requirements or definitions pursuant to another contract.

(c) This clause shall not exclude the Contractor from performing work under any modification to this contract or from competing for award of any future contract for work that is the same or similar to work performed under this contract, so long as the conditions above are not present.

This clause does not prohibit an incumbent from competing on a follow-on competition but the Contracting Officer may require a mitigation plan or other steps as needed to ensure that there has not been an unequal access to nonpublic competitively sensitive information.

(d) The term “Contractor” as used in this clause, includes any person, firm or corporation that owns or controls, or is owned or controlled by, the Contractor. The term also includes the corporate officers of the Contractor.

(e) The agency may in its sole discretion, waive any provisions of this clause if deemed in the best interest of the Government. The exclusions contained in this clause shall apply for the duration of this contract and for three (3) years after completion and acceptance of all work performed hereunder, or such other period as the Contracting Officer shall direct.

(f) If any provision of this clause excludes the Contractor from competition for, or award of any contract, the Contractor shall not be permitted to serve as a subcontractor, at any tier, on such contract. This clause shall be incorporated into any subcontracts or consultant agreements awarded under this contract unless the Contracting Officer determines otherwise.

I.10 DOL 2012-2 CONTRACTOR'S OBLIGATION TO NOTIFY THE CONTRACTING

OFFICER OF A REQUEST TO CHANGE THE CONTRACT SCOPE

(CONTRACTOR'S OBLIGATION CLAUSE)

"(a) Except for changes identified in writing and signed by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor is required to notify, within five working days of receipt or knowledge, any request for changes to this contract (including actions, inactions, and written or oral communications) that the Contractor regards as exceeding the scope of the contract. On the basis of the most accurate information available to the Contractor, the notice shall state:

(1) The date, nature, and circumstances of the conduct regarded as a change in scope;

(2) The name, function, and activity of each Government individual and Contractor official or employee involved in, or knowledgeable about, such conduct;

(3) The identification of any documents and substance of any oral communication involved in such conduct;

(b) Following submission of this notice, the Contractor shall continue performance in accordance with the contract terms and conditions, unless notified otherwise by the Contracting Officer.

(c) The Contracting Officer shall promptly, within 5 business days after receipt of notice from the Contractor, respond to the notice in writing. In responding, the Contracting Officer shall either:

(1) Confirm that the Contractor’s notice identifies a change in the scope of the contract and directs the Contractor to stop work, completely or in part, in accordance with the Stop Work provisions of the contract;

(2) Deny that the Contractor’s notice identifies a change in scope and instruct the Contractor to continue performance under the contract; or

(3) In the event the Contractor’s notice does not provide sufficient information to make a decision, advise the Contractor what additional information is required, and establish the date by which it should be furnished and the date thereafter by which the Government will respond.

(End of clause)

I.11 DOL 2018-02 DOL MANDATORY TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR

CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEES (AUGUST 2018)

A. Applicability

Contracting Officers shall insert this clause in all solicitations and awards for services, including construction.

B. Definitions

None

C. Requirements

(1) Where required and applicable, Contractor employees, including employees of subcontractors at any tier, shall complete any DOL designated and hosted training, that the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) identifies as mandatory. Training shall be completed in a timeframe specified by the COR.

(2) Time spent on training shall be counted as regular hours worked.

D. Flowdown of requirements to subcontractors

(1) The Contractor shall ensure this clause is incorporated in all subcontracts, at any tier.

I.12 DOL 2020-01 Contractor Personnel Telework (JANUARY 2020)

A. Applicability

Contracting Officers shall insert this clause in all solicitations and awards for services, including construction.

B. Definitions

None

C. Requirements

Contractors Personnel Telework:

1. Telework for Contractor personnel may be authorized on an ad hoc or routine basis in accordance with the contract action terms and conditions, coordination between the contracting officer’s representative (COR) and the Contractor’s program manager, and written approval by the COR.

2. When authorized to telework, the following shall apply:

a. Contractor personnel authorized to telework will be provided the Department of Labor (DOL) equipment for secure authenticated access. No other equipment is authorized for use when teleworking.

b. Contractor personnel must employ appropriate safeguards and comply with all applicable DOL and Federal policies, specification/ requirements, and procedures related to Personally Identifiable Information, security, network, data, and communications.

c. The Government shall not provide or reimburse Contractor personnel for internet connectivity.

I.13 DOL 2018-03 RECORDS MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS (AUGUST 2018)

A. Applicability

The Contracting Officer shall insert this clause in all solicitations and awards in which the Contractor creates, works with, or otherwise handles Federal records, as defined in Section B, regardless of the medium in which the record exists.

B. Definitions

"Federal record" as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3301, includes all recorded information, regardless of form or characteristics, made or received by a Federal agency under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the United States Government or because of the informational value of data in them.

The term Federal record:

1. Includes Department of Labor (DOL) records.

2. Does not include personal materials.

3. Applies to records created, received, or maintained by Contractors pursuant to their DOL contract.

4. May include deliverables and documentation associated with deliverables.

C. Requirements

1. Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

2. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32(b), all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation.

3. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data.

4. DOL and its Contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of DOL or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the applicable agency schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity in consultation with the Agency Records Officer. Willful and unlawful destruction, removal, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. In the event of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must report to DOL. The agency must report the incident directly to their Agency Records Officer. The Agency Records Officer will engage the Departmental Records Officer who will follow procedures promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230.

5. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the contract. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government's behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to DOL's control or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the contract. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4).

6. The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-Contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Contractor (and any sub-Contractor) is required to abide by Government and DOL guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information.

7. The Contractor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specifically tied to or authorized by the contract and in accordance with DOL policy.

8. The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-public DOL information that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

9. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

10. [Insert the following if no other data rights clause has been included in the contract] The DOL owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which DOL shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20.

11. Training. All Contractor employees assigned to this contract who create, work with, or otherwise handle records are required to take the annual mandatory records management training, which will be provided by DOL, as directed by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). The training shall be completed in a timeframe specified by the COR.

The Contractor is responsible for confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any annual or refresher training.

D. Flowdown of requirements to subcontractors.

1. The Contractor shall incorporate the substance of this clause, its terms and requirements including this paragraph, in all subcontracts under this contract and require written subcontractor acknowledgment of same.

2. Violation by a subcontractor of any provision set forth in this clause will be attributed to the Contractor.

(End of DOL Clauses)

END OF SECTION I

SECTION J– CONTRACT DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, SPECIAL CONTRACT

REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

Attachment Number

Document Name Number of Pages

Document Type

Document Date

RFQ Attachment 1 RFQ Question and Answer - Excel 08/12/2026

END OF SECTION J

SECTION K– REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER STATEMENTS

OF BIDDERS

K.1 FAR 52.252-1 – Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference. (FEB 1998)

This solicitation incorporates one or more solicitation provisions by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. The offeror is cautioned that the listed provisions may include blocks that must be completed by the offeror and submitted with its quotation or offer. In lieu of submitting the full text of those provisions, the offeror may identify the provision by paragraph identifier and provide the appropriate information with its quotation or offer. Also, the full text of a solicitation provision may be accessed electronically at this/these address(es):

CLAUSES TITLE DATE

52.217-5 Evaluation of Options. (Provision) JUL 1990

(End of Provision)

K.2 FAR 52.204-8 – ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (JAN

2025)

(a)(1)The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is NAICS 541910 – Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (2)The small business size standard is $22.5 million.

(3)The small business size standard for a concern that submits an offer, other than on a construction or service acquisition, but proposes to furnish an end item that it did not itself manufacture, process, or produce is 500 employees, or 150 employees for information technology value-added resellers under NAICS code 541519 if the acquisition— (i)Is set aside for small business and has a value above the simplified acquisition threshold;

(ii)Uses the HUBZone price evaluation preference regardless of dollar value, unless the offeror waives the price evaluation preference; or (iii)Is an 8(a), HUBZone, service-disabled veteran-owned, economically disadvantaged women-owned, or women-owned small business set-aside or sole-source award regardless of dollar value.

(b) (1)If the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is included in this solicitation, paragraph (d) of this provision applies.

(2)If the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management, is not included in this solicitation, and the Offeror has an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM), the Offeror may choose to use paragraph (d) of this provision instead of completing the corresponding individual representations and certifications in the solicitation.

The Offeror shall indicate which option applies by checking one of the following boxes:

(i)□ Paragraph (d) applies.

(ii)□ Paragraph (d) does not apply and the offeror has completed the individual representations and certifications in the solicitation.

(c) (1)The following representations or certifications in SAM are applicable to this solicitation as indicated:

(i)52.203-2, Certificate of Independent Price Determination. This provision applies to solicitations when a firm-fixed-price contract or fixed-price contract with economic price adjustment is contemplated, unless– (A)The acquisition is to be made under the simplified acquisition procedures in part 13;

(B)The solicitation is a request for technical proposals under two-step sealed bidding procedures;

or (C)The solicitation is for utility services for which rates are set by law or regulation.

(ii)52.203-11, Certification and Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions. This provision applies to solicitations expected to exceed $150,000.

(iii)52.203-18, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Require Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements or Statements-Representation. This provision applies to all solicitations.

(iv)52.204-3, Taxpayer Identification. This provision applies to solicitations that do not include the provision at 52.204-7, System for Award Management.

(v)52.204-5, Women-Owned Business (Other Than Small Business).