SOW_-_16-233-SOL-00591.docx

PROJECT TITLE: Building an Agenda to Reduce the Number of Children in Poverty by Half in Ten Years

Purpose:

This study will identify the elements critical to meeting the goal of reducing the number of children living in poverty by 50% in ten years. A National Academy of Sciences Consensus Committee will be created to review materials, analyze the study questions and convene for a series of meetings. The Consensus Committee will summarize the economic and social costs of child poverty, assess current federal, state and local efforts to reduce child poverty, and produce an integrated set of actionable recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half in 10 years.

Background:

The 2016 budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, Social Services and Income Maintenance Research account includes $750,000 for the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences’ Division of Health and Medicine, Board on Children, Youth and Families to provide an analysis of the macroeconomic, health, and crime/social costs of child poverty, to study current efforts aimed at reducing poverty, and to propose recommendations with the goal of reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half in 10 years.

The number of children who live in poor families, as defined by the Official Poverty measure, increased from 13.3 million in 2007 to 15.5 million children in 2014. Using the broader Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) the number of such children is somewhat lower – in 2014 there were 12.4 million children in poverty using the SPM.

Nearly 40% of American children will spend a year in poverty before they turn 18 years old. The impacts of poverty are greater when poverty is severe, occurs early in childhood or is of long duration. Poverty affects school performance and health, the risk of criminal involvement, future employment and earnings.

The purpose of this project is to convene experts for a Consensus Committee who will consider current evidence and innovation and create a policy and program strategy to reduce by half and within 10 years the number of children living in poverty. Recommendations from the Consensus Committee will be considered by HHS, the Administration and the Congress in the development of programs and policies to meet this goal.

The work of the Consensus Committee will be guided by the Appropriation language:

Part I

· Provide an analysis of the macroeconomic, health, and crime/social costs of child poverty.

Part II

· Provide an analysis of current efforts aimed at reducing poverty.

Part III

· Propose policy and program recommendations with the goal of reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half in 10 years.

The Contractor shall select 10 to 16 subject matter experts knowledgeable in the areas of study defined in the appropriation language to serve on a Consensus Committee. The Contractor shall arrange for the Consensus Committee to convene for a series of meetings to discuss the study questions, gather and review information, develop actionable recommendations, and produce a final study report.

STATEMENT of WORK

OVERVIEW OF THE APPROACH

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is assisting in carrying out the intent of the appropriation language. In support of this activity, the project will consist of the Contractor convening a Planning Roundtable followed by forming a Consensus Committee. The Committee will summarize the societal costs of child poverty; the Committee will identify effective strategies for reducing child poverty and produce non-partisan recommendations for reducing the number of child living in poverty by half in ten years.

In so doing, the Committee will present a final written report to ASPE to include: An executive summary, answers to the study questions, and an integrated set of actionable recommendations with the goal of reducing the number of children in poverty by half in ten years.

Total estimated labor hours for the project: 4,000 – 6,000 hours.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall provide oversight of the study, including Planning Roundtable and Consensus Committee activities and the production and submission of the final written report. The ASPE Task Order Officer (TOO) will work closely with appropriate staff at the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation as well as other HHS offices and agencies as necessary to provide substantive guidance to the Contractor and review work products.

SPECIFIC TASKS

The Contractor shall furnish the services of qualified professional and technical personnel, materials, other services, equipment, and facilities to complete the following tasks:

Task 1: Opening Meeting The Contractor shall meet with the ASPE TOO and other federal officials designated by the TOO in order to clarify the project objectives and requirements, review the Statement of Work and any relevant background information, and answer any questions from the Contractor. Topics to be discussed include: Invitees to the Planning Roundtable, potential experts to serve on the Consensus Committee, the selection of a Committee Chair, the charge of the Consensus Committee, methods and level of effect for each of the three study questions, plans for convening meetings, project inputs including any optional tasks undertaken by the Contractor, and the process by which ASPE shall review project work products. The opening meeting shall take place in Washington, D.C. within 2 weeks after the effective date of the Task Order, and the Contractor will provide the TOO with a draft agenda for review no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. The Contractor shall prepare a brief written summary of this opening meeting for the ASPE TOO within 1 week of the opening meeting.

Task 2 : Develop the Work Plan

Subtask 2.1 Draft Work Plan

The Contractor shall develop a draft work plan based on the objectives discussed with the TOO and HHS officials at the post-award opening meeting. The draft work plan shall specify the draft charge, the anticipated staffing resources to be committed to the study, and a detailed timeline for completing all aspects of the project. The draft work plan shall specify procedures for inviting participants to the Planning Roundtable (Task 3) and include a proposed agenda. The work plan shall specify: Procedures according to the National Academy of Sciences for appointing experts to the Consensus Committee, proposals for meetings and agenda topics, and a timeline for completing the final work products. The work plan must include detailed descriptions of the activities the Contractor will undertake to accomplish each Task within the timeframe outlined in the “Schedule of Deliverables.” The work plan must also include procedures for mitigating potential obstacles and for preventing delays in Task completion. The Contractor shall submit to the TOO the draft work plan no later than 2 weeks after the effective date of the task order.

Subtask 2.2 Final Work Plan

The contractor shall prepare a final work plan reflecting input from the TOO, discussions of participants in the Planning Roundtable and input from other reviewers within 2 weeks of the Planning Roundtable and after receiving the TOO’s comments and no later than 8 weeks after the effective date of the contract.

Task 3: Planning Roundtable

The Contractor shall follow the National Academies’ procedures to convene a Planning Roundtable of researchers, practitioners and interested parties to provide input on the nature and scope of policies and programs for reducing the number of children living in poverty within 10 years to better inform the charge, methods and make-up of the Consensus Committee. The Roundtable shall take place within 4 weeks of the award. The Contractor shall prepare a brief, written summary of the roundtable for the ASPE TOO within 2 weeks of the planning roundtable meeting. In addition, the Contractor shall incorporate the results of the roundtable, as applicable, into the final work plan (Task 2.2) and provide such information to the Consensus Committee under Task 5.1.

Task 4: Select Experts for the Consensus Committee

The Contractor shall follow National Academies’ procedures to appoint members to the Consensus Committee—to include subject matter experts knowledgeable in the area of child poverty, its macro costs, and the effectiveness of the range of current policies and programs that aim to reduce child poverty. National Academy procedures will also be followed in the selection of a Committee Chair. The TOO will provide suggestions for Committee membership. The Contractor shall form the Consensus Committee by week 12 after the task order award.

Task 5: Convene the Consensus Committee

Subtask 5.1

The Contractor shall convene the Consensus Committee for an initial meeting to begin discussions about the scope of work, including an assessment of the current state of knowledge of the costs of child poverty and the effectiveness of policies and programs that seek to ameliorate child poverty. Inputs to the work including optional tasks as outlined below may also be discussed at the initial meeting. A portion of the meeting will be open to the public to allow time for the Committee to hear from HHS, Congressional officials and other interested parties on the intent of the project and the legislation that funded the Committee.

The Contractor shall arrange for this initial meeting of the Committee to take place no later than week 16 after the effective date of the task order.

Subtask 5.2

The Contractor shall follow National Academies’ procedures to convene the Committee a minimum of 3 additional meetings of the Committee to address the study questions over the course of the contract.

Task 6: Write the Consensus Report with Recommendations

The Committee shall produce a report that includes the Committee’s analyses and recommendations for meeting the child poverty reduction goal. The report shall include the Committee’s assessment of the current state of knowledge of the macro costs of child poverty and the effectiveness of current policies and programs at reducing child poverty. The report shall include an integrated set of actionable recommendations for reducing the number of children living in poverty in the United States by half within 10 years. The report shall include a justification and clear explanation of the issues selected for examination and the findings resulting from the assessment. The report shall also include the workshop agendas, if appropriate. The report shall be subject to the National Academies’ report review process. The report shall be delivered to HHS as a prepublication (uncorrected proof) hard copy no later than 14 days prior to public release to allow HHS to prepare for the release. Upon the report’s public release, the National Academies shall post an electronic copy on the National Academy Press website that is accessible to the public. A hard-copy of the perfect bound or case bound format shall be delivered to HHS by the end date of the task order.

The final report should be written for an audience of Congressional policymakers, the Administration’s policy staff, practitioners and the research community.

Task 7: Conduct Briefing for HHS

The Contractor shall conduct a briefing for the TOO and other HHS officials on the contents and recommendations in the final report submitted for Task 6. The Contractor shall prepare all briefing materials and conduct the briefing by week 68 after the date of the task order award.

Task 8: Other Reporting Requirements

The Contractor shall provide quarterly electronic progress reports to the TOO as well as periodic communications via telephone about the progress of the study. These progress reports shall include work performed in the previous quarter, discussions of problems encountered, expected solutions, the status of progress toward completion, and milestones attained. The quarterly progress reports shall be submitted to the TOO two weeks after the end of each quarter. In addition, the Contractor shall brief the TOO (via telephone discussions) about the Committee’s closed meeting sessions within one week of the meetings.

PERIOD of PERFORMANCE:

The Period of Performance for this Task Order Contract shall be through September 30, 2017.

SCHEDULE of DELIVERABLES:

The Contractor shall prepare and submit the following deliverables no later than the required due date to the TOO:

TASK DELIVERABLE DESCRIPTION COPIES DUE DATE

Optional Task A: Conduct a Public Workshop

A public workshop with members of the Committee may be undertaken to gather information from stakeholders and members of the general public on the costs of child poverty, the effectiveness of current policies and proposals on reducing of child poverty, and policies to meet the 10 year goal. The Committee will provide an opportunity for public comment on the tasks of defining and revising the recommendations of the Committee.

Subtask A.1

The Contractor shall follow National Academies’ procedures to develop a draft agenda for a public workshop specifically structured to assess public comment on the work of the Committee. The Contractor shall submit the draft agenda for TOO review and comment.

Subtask A.2

The Contractor shall follow National Academies’ procedures for preparing a meeting summary of the public workshop. The summary will include the workshop’s presentations and papers, key issues highlighted by public comments and the Contractor’s findings and recommendations. The written summary will be included in the Committee’s final report.

Optional Task B: Commission Papers

The Contractor may commission papers and analyses from other subject matter experts, scholars, researchers, practitioners and members of the general public on topics determined by the Consensus Committee. The papers may involve summaries of existing literature or a synthesis of evidence. Invited authors will be researchers or practitioners with demonstrated expertise and experience in the relevant topic areas, and will be selected according to National Academies’ procedures. The project staff will work with invited authors to ensure timely submission of draft and final research papers, adhering as best as possible to the project timeline reflected in the final work plan. The Contractor shall assess and share the commissioned work with the Committee at one or more Committee meetings structured to allow for the analyses to be part of the discussion.

Subtask B.1

A summary of key issues and recommendations from the commissioned papers shall be included in the Committee’s final report at the end of the project. The commissioned papers shall be made available to the public as part of the Contractor’s dissemination plan for the final report.

Optional Task C: Dissemination of the Final Report

The Committee Chair, Committee members, and National Research Council staff shall disseminate the consensus report and the Committee’s recommendations in two Congressional briefings and a conference presentation. The National Research Council shall broadly disseminate the consensus report and report briefs by mail. The report shall also reside on the website of the National Academy Press where it will be widely publicized and available to the public at no cost in PDF version. The Contractor will conduct a briefing of the final report for members of Congress and Congressional staff including summary materials.

Optional Task D: Special Issue Journal or Journal Submission

The Committee Chair, Committee members, and National Research Council staff shall select from among the written reports from the project as well as commissioned papers and public input to edit and create a journal issue specific to the project. An alternative dissemination could have the Committee Chair and Committee members prepare a manuscript to submit for publication in a leading social science journal.