2026-2028 SED Sources Sought.pdf

National Science Foundation Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 7th Floor Alexandria, Virginia 22314

SOURCES SOUGHT

2026-2028 Survey of Earned Doctorates

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP). IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL

NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY

FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD

A CONTRACT, TASK ORDER, OR OTHERWISE AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR THE PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS

ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. THE INFORMATION REQUESTED BY

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT WILL BE USED BY NSF TO FACILITATE DECISION MAKING AND

WILL NOT BE DISCLOSED OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." NSF is conducting market research to identify qualified, experienced, and interested sources to support the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES).

The NSF encourages all qualified businesses (large and small), including joint ventures, to respond to this Sources Sought. Additionally, small businesses in all socioeconomic categories (including, 8(a) Business Development Program, Small Disadvantage Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone, Service‐Disabled Veteran‐Owned, Women‐Owned Small Business concerns) are encouraged to respond to help make a final small business set‐aside determination, if any.

The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541611, which has a size standard of $24.5 Million.

Please see the attached Specifications to provide a capability statement that adheres to the requested information below.

Interested and qualified vendors should submit a response to this Sources Sought.

Please follow the instructions and include all content requirements below:

a. Instructions:

1. Responses should be concise and compliant with the content requirements.

2. Responses must not exceed 5 pages.

3. Responses should be provided in 12‐point font with a Times Roman font type.

4. Generic sales brochures, videos, and other marketing information materials will not be reviewed.

5. Do not submit cost or price information with the response.

6. Provide relevant, applicable references, including references performed under a joint venture, of previous work or solution implementations that relate to the NSF’s requirement.

b. Content:

1. Cover Page with Corporate Information as follows:

Corporate Information:

i. Company name and address

ii. Name of company representative, business title and email

iii. Small business socioeconomic status under NAICS Code 541611

iv. UEI Number

v. Applicable contract vehicles your company has (e.g., Federal Supply

Schedules (FSS), Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts) available for use by NSF

2. Demonstration of Your Capability by answering the following questions:

• Organization’s experience in conducting national-level federal government surveys of individuals requiring multi-mode and multi-stage data collection

• Organization’s capability to provide proficient and expert support in Web and

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview survey data collection systems, coordinate data processing support, and devise a comprehensive management plan to successfully carry out three (3) annual cycles of the survey that are on-going at any given time

• Organization’s ability to supply a capable and experienced survey staff with knowledge of the technical issues associated with administering large scale multi-mode data collection effort and to provide clear database documentation, and methodological and analytic studies

• Organization’s experience in the state-of the-art database development and maintenance practices that reflect an understanding of the confidentiality, data security, and access issues for highly restricted data files.

If your firm has the potential capability to perform these contract services, please respond to this sources sought with your submission by November 25, 2024.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged. Any questions related to the preparation of a response to this Sources Sought shall be submitted in writing to the point of contact listed below.

NSF may contact respondents to this Sources Sought for additional information or one‐on‐one due diligence sessions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above‐listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought by November 25, 2024 at 10:00AM ET. All responses under this Sources Sought must be emailed to Derek Bowks, dbowks@nsf.gov.