2031JW24Q00073-0001 Focus Groups.pdf

(x)

2031JW24Q00073

x x copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 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.

x

OCC

Washington DC 20219

400 7TH STREET SW

Acquisitions Management Comptroller of the Currency

04/16/20240001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

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

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

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

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

04/16/2024

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

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

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

The purpose of this amendment is to answer questions submitted by prospective Quoters and make revisions to the RFQ as a result of the questions asked. The revised RFQ is attached to this standard form 30, and changes from the original RFQ are highlighted in yellow in the revised RFQ.

Period of Performance: 06/18/2024 to 01/27/2025

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

JOEY BARDEN

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

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

Q&A for Banking Trust Focus Group Study RFQ 2031JW24Q00073

# Question(s)1 Response Change to RFQ Text? Description of Change 1 Will the OCC provide a sampling list that the consultant can use to recruit focus group participants?

No No None

2 What is the anticipated incentive amount for focus group participants? The OCC estimates participants would be paid $75 each. No None 3 In order to truly showcase our wide range of expertise, would the OCC consider allowing for up to 3 past performances to be included in the Corporate Experience section?

Currently, the RFP restricts past performances to no more than 2.

Yes, the OCC will amend the solicitation to allow up to three instances. Although the OCC is only requesting instances of corporate experience for evaluation in the RFQ, not past performance.

Yes The maximum number of Corporate Experience instances that may be submitted is changed to three (3).

4 Regarding key personnel, should Quoters only provide staff information for the two key personnel listed in Section 6.0 of the RFP (Qualitative Research Specialist and Project Manager), or should we also highlight the relevant qualifications of other staff who would be supporting this effort?

You may highlight relevant qualifications of other staff who would be supporting this effort, but it is not required. Realize, these qualifications of these additional staff are to be included in the Management Approach or Technical Capability volumes of your response. They will not be considered under the Key Personnel evaluation factor if they are placed in that volume. Only the two Key Personnel will be evaluated under the Key Personnel factor.

No None

5 Will IRB approval be sought? If so, will the Quoter be responsible for supporting the IRB application process?

It is unclear as to what is being asked here. OCC will attempt to answer as it understands the question. OCC will be responsible for the PRA process. OCC itself does not have an

IRB.

No None

6 What is the anticipated budget for this project? The OCC will not divulge its exact independent government estimate; however, a rough order of magnitude is $200K - $400K. OCC will consider all quotes, even if outside this range. So, any Quoters with pricing outside this range are still highly encouraged to submit a response to the RFQ.

No None

7 Is OCC willing to include FAR 52.227-14 in the resulting award? In support of [our company’s] mission to be able to disseminate research results for public benefit, [our company’s] Survey Research Group would potentially be interested in sharing methodology at conferences or publishing results related to methods only.

OCC is open to negotiating this after we receive quotations and know specifics but will not place the clause in the RFQ at this point. Quoters should specifically tell OCC in their quote what data/process rights they want.

Yes Instructions to Quoters section and Evaluation Factors section have been revised to allow for the Quoters to submit a request for limited data and process rights to be negotiated as applicable (see revised RFQ).

8 Can OCC please clarify if the quote should be submitted in 6 separate volumes, or if all 6 volumes should be submitted in one document?

Either way is fine, as long as there is a page break between each volume and the volumes are clearly titled.

No None

9 How long does OCC anticipate the draft Trust Survey Instrument will be? The length, in and of itself, is irrelevant; however, the instrument should take no longer than 30 minutes for participants to fill out.

No None

10 Would OCC consider relevant Corporate Experience completed within the past 5-10 years?

No. Although the effort may be similar, the age of the experience would be such that the OCC’s evaluators would put so little weight on the corporate experience instance it would become essentially irrelevant.

No None

11 [RFQ] Part I. Section 1.2; Pg. 2; Text of RFQ states, “Focus Group Participant Payments (participant incentives) in accordance with the PWS.”

Question: Does OCC have a set or preferred incentive amount per participant?

See question/answer #2 No None

12 [RFQ] Part III. Section 4.0; Pg. 17; Text of RFQ states, “The final dates will be communicated, established, and agreed upon by both the OCC and the Contractor at the beginning of the work (see Table 1), but the project end date must not (without written approval of the contracting officer or force majeure) exceed 28 weeks from the start of the project, which includes projected two months for PRA Clearance submission and contingent upon approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).”

Question: Would OCC consider a period of performance (PoP) of 32 weeks? An extended PoP will provide a more realistic timeline, ensure adequate time for OMB approval (estimated to be 2 months), and account for the 6 Federal holidays within the PoP which will affect the number of working days (e.g., the project is estimated to start June 18, however June 19 is a Federal holiday).

Yes, OCC will amend the RFQ to add two additional weeks to the period of performance. Yes RFQ amended to change period of performance to 32 weeks (new estimated ending will be 1/27/2025), see revised RFQ.

1 The questions as submitted may use the term “Offer” and “Offer.” The Government is soliciting quotations (quotes), not offers. A quotation cannot be accepted to form a binding contract (see definition of “offer” in FAR part 2). The Government will be the party to provide an offer to a prospective Quoter if an award is made.

13 [RFQ] Part IV. Section 4.1.2 Vol II - Corporate Experience; Pg. 49; Text of RFQ states, “The Quoter must also demonstrate their experience and expertise in survey methodology with emphasis on the design, testing, and content of a multi-year large-scale nationally representative quantitative survey in the field of consumer financial decision-making.”

Question: Would OCC be amenable to substituting this past performance requirement for a second project/contract using qualitative or mixed methods? The focus of OCC's PWS is on qualitative methods, rather than the design, testing, and content development of a large-scale, nationally representative survey. Experience with such survey-focused projects would not demonstrate competency in qualitative research (e.g., high quality moderation, effective guide development, useful reporting) as required to successfully execute the work described in the PWS.

No, OCC does not plan to change this in the corporate experience instructions language in the RFQ for this. However, OCC points out that there is no requirement for a second project submission. That is, the RFQ allows no more than 2, so it is an "up to" evaluation factor. The OCC will amend this to allow UP TO 3 corporate experience instances that may be submitted.

No, but see question #3. None, but see question #3.

14 Would the government extend the due date for submission until May 20, 2024 @ 1:00pm

ET?

Unfortunately, the OCC cannot extend the solicitation due date. No None

15 The table in Part I, Section 1.2 (Line Item Descriptions) says that the estimated period of performance is 6/18/24 - 1/13/24. If we assume the end date is 1/13/25, this is 30 weeks.

However in Part III, Section 4.0, it is stated that the project end date must not exceed 28 weeks from the start of the project. Can the government clarify if the POP should be 28 weeks or 30 weeks?

The period of performance is 30 weeks but will be amended in the RFQ to be 32 weeks.

The OCC expects all deliverables will be finished in the 28-week period as per the deliverables table in the RFQ but has added additional time for unforeseen events, holidays, and to conduct a post-award orientation with the awardee.

No, but see question #12. None, but see question #12.

16 Did the government work with a vendor to develop the PRA package related to the Focus Group Study on Consumer Trust in Banking?

No, the OCC has been working it with internal resources. No None

17 Will the government procure services from a vendor to implement the related Annual Consumer Trust in Banking Survey?

Yes. The OCC expects to solicit on SAM.gov for that. No None

18 Will the government procure services from a vendor to conduct quantiative [sic] analyses of the results from the related Annual Consumer Trust in Banking Survey?

No, OCC plans to do this in-house. No None

19 [RFQ] Part III, Section 1.0, footnote 2; Pg. 11 of 54.

Question: The PRA package mentions both consumer FG/Interviews and industry stakeholder FG/interviews for a total of 230 respondents - are these both included in this contract or are industry stakeholder FG/interviews covered under separate project/contract?

No, the industry stakeholder FG/interviews are not included in this effort. No None

20 [RFQ] Part III, Section 1.0; Pg. 11 of 54.

Question: Will the comments from the RFI "Request for Information on Annual Consumer Trust in Banking Survey" be shared with the contractor?

Yes, the results of a request for comment (the RFI) on the Federal Register are posted to the public on the Federal Register website.

No None

21 [RFQ] Part III, Section 4.0; Pg. 17 of 54.

Question(s): Milestone 4 specifies that the final comprehensive summary should include "a draft of survey questions based on the results of the study." Can the government clarify the expectations for this component of the deliverable? Would this be a complete draft Trust Survey instrument? Would this be only a set of questions directly related to the results of the focus groups study? Relatedly, does the government have a set of draft questions for the Trust Survey instrument?

Q: Would this be a complete draft Trust Survey instrument?

A: No

Q: Would this be only a set of questions directly related to the results of the focus groups study?

A: Yes

Q: Relatedly, does the government have a set of draft questions for the Trust Survey instrument?

A: No, but OCC is working on the draft now.

No None

22 [RFQ] Part III, Section 5.0, Table 1; Pg. 19 of 54.

Question: Table 1 includes the following sentence: "The Contractor must also identify and introduce a project manager for the survey contract." Would the government clarify what effort it is referring to by "survey contract"?

OCC will amend "survey contract" to "this project." Yes OCC will amend "survey contract" to "this project." See revised RFQ.

23 [RFQ] Part III, Section 5.0, Table 1; Pg. 19 of 54.

Question: Can qualitative data delivery be proposed to happen within 5 business days of completion of all data collection or at regularly scheduled intervals during data collection, instead of within 5 business days of each FG? This will streamline the development of transcripts and removal of PII on a more consistent and efficient basis.

OCC is open to regular schedules instead of 5 business days, but the essence is that OCC does not want to wait until the end of the project to receive data.

Yes See RFQ Table 1, Deliverable “Deliver FG data, i.e., audio recordings, transcripts and notes, without PII” as revised.

24 [RFQ] Part III, Section 5.0, Table 1; Pg. 20-21 of 54

Question: The due dates for the final recruitment screener and moderator guide are described as 10 and 4 business days before the focus groups kickoff respectively, and the focus groups kickoff is scheduled for after OMB approval. However, the PRA package is described in the same table as having finalized materials including screener and moderator guide. Is the assumption that the final screener and moderator guide reflecting input from OCC will be included in the PRA package, which would mean their due date is actually no later than 3 days before submission of the PRA package for formal OMB review?

The OCC will be amending the final recruitment screener deliverable to 5 days prior to submission of PRA package.

The OCC will be amending the final moderator guide to 5 days prior to submission of PRA package.

Yes See RFQ Table 1, Deliverables “Recruitment Screener” and “Moderator guide” as revised.

25 [RFQ] Part III, Section 6.0, Table 2; Pg. 23 of 54.

Question: Table 2 includes (1) minimum qualifications and (2) preferred / highly valued qualifications. Would the government accept additional staff beyond the Qualitative Research Specialist, such as an expert advisor, that would bring the "demonstrated experience conducting research on topics related to consumer finance and use of financial products and services"?

Quoters are welcome to propose additional staff under the Management Approach or Technical Capability evaluation factors, for which they may positively affect your quote's evaluation, but this additional staff will not be considered under the Key Personnel evaluation factor.

No, but see question #4. None, but see question #4.

26 [RFQ] Part III, Section 6.0, Table 2; Pg. 23 of 54

Question(s): Table 2 includes (1) minimum qualifications and (2) preferred / highly valued qualifications. Would the government clarify how the six bullets listed as other preferred / highly valued qualifications for the Qualitative Research Specialist and the one bullet listed as as [sic] other preferred / highly valued qualifications for the Project Manager will be evaluated? For the Qualitative Research Specialist, does the proposed staff need to meet all six bullets in order to be deemed preferred / highly valued qualification? Or just one bullet? Or some other mix of bullets? Are some bullets more important than others?

Q: Table 2 includes (1) minimum qualifications and (2) preferred / highly valued qualifications. Would the government clarify how the six bullets listed as other preferred / highly valued qualifications for the Qualitative Research Specialist and the one bullet listed as as [sic] other preferred / highly valued qualifications for the Project Manager will be evaluated?

A: Providing one, some, or all these qualifications may favorably impact your quote's evaluation depending on the number of these qualifications you provide and how each provided would benefit the OCC.

Q: For the Qualitative Research Specialist, does the proposed staff need to meet all six bullets in order to be deemed preferred / highly valued qualification? Or just one bullet? Or some other mix of bullets? Are some bullets more important than others?

A: Providing one, some, or all these qualifications may favorably impact your quote's evaluation depending on the number of these qualifications you provide and how each provided would benefit the OCC.

No None

27 [RFQ] Part III, Section 7.1 and 8.0; Pg. 24-25 of 54.

Question: Section 7.1 mentions "Weekly check-in and progress update to the OCC" as well as "Bi-weekly status meetings" to discuss the bi-weekly report. Are these distinct meetings or do they overlap, i.e. every other weekly check-in will also include discussion of the most recent bi-weekly status report? Section 8.0 mentions only a bi-weekly progress report and weekly check-in meetings. It is not clear if we should assume 4 meetings every 4 weeks, or 6 meetings every 4 weeks with the COR throughout the POP.

Provided the information and deliverable requirements of the meetings are still met, they can be combined when they look like they overlap.

Yes Revised RFQ Part III, Section 7.1 to allow consolidation of the meetings when appropriate.

28 [RFQ] Part IV, Section 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4; Pg. 49-51 of 54.

Question: Would the government clarify any page length or related formatting requirements (for example, single spaced or double spaced) for each of Volume I - Technical Capability, Volume II - Corporate Experience, Volume III - Management Approach, and Volume IV - Key Personnel?

There are no page limits. No None

29 [RFQ] Part IV, Section 4.1.5; Pg. 51 of 54.

Question: Would the government provide an estimated level of effort--in dollars or hours--for the required study?

The OCC will not divulge its exact independent government estimate; however, a rough order of magnitude is $200K - $400K. OCC will consider all quotes, even if outside this range. So, any Quoters with pricing outside this range are still highly encouraged to submit a response to the RFQ.

No, but see question #6. None, but see question #6.

1NOTE: The questions as submitted may use the term “Offer” and “Offer.” The Government is soliciting quotations (quotes), not offers. A quotation cannot be accepted to form a binding contract (see definition of “offer” in FAR part 2). The Government will be the party to provide an offer to a prospective Quoter if an award is made.

RFQ 2031JW24Q00073 AMENDMENT 0001 (All changes in yellow highlight) Focus Groups Study on Banking Trust

PART I - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

1.0. GENERAL

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ), and the procurement is being conducted using the procedures found in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13.5 “Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Products and Commercial Services.” This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2024-03. This acquisition is being solicited as an unrestricted procurement (i.e., is NOT set aside for small business), and the Government is seeking maximum practicable competition to include quotes from other than small (i.e., large) businesses and small businesses. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541720 “Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities,” and the small business size standard, although not a requirement to respond to this RFQ, is $28M. FAR provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors – Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this solicitation with addendum as found in this combined synopsis/solicitation (see addendum to 52.212-1). Line item numbers and items, descriptions, quantities, units of measure, and options can be found in this document. Quoters must either include a copy of the representations and certifications found in FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services or have submitted them via SAM.gov in accordance with provision 52.212-3; even if submitted in SAM.gov, Quoters must complete paragraph b of provision 52.212-3 if it applies.

Quoters must separately complete the representation(s) in FAR clause 52.204-24 and submit them with their quote (when they apply) as these representations are not found in SAM.gov. FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services applies to this acquisition with any addendum noted in this document. FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services is applicable to this RFQ (see clauses section of this RFQ). This document may contain additional contract requirements or terms and conditions determined by the contracting officer to be necessary for this acquisition and consistent with commercial practices. All quotations submitted for this solicitation are due no later than 06 May 2024 at 1:00 PM, Eastern Time.

The point of contact and Contracting Officer (CO) for this solicitation is Joey Barden at joey.barden@occ.treas.gov.

1.1. TYPE OF CONTRACT

The contemplated contract type is hybrid labor hour (for line items 0001, 0002, & 0004) and firm-fixed-price per participant (for line item 0003), although firm-fixed-price quotes for all line items are encouraged if practicable.

1.2. LINE ITEM DESCRIPTIONS

All Deliverables Due in Accordance with the PWS Schedule Final Deliverable Due 28 Weeks After Contract Award (28 Weeks ARO)

Estimated Period of Performance (06/18/2024 - 1/27/2025)

CLIN DESCRIPTION QTY UNIT UNIT PRICE TOTAL

0001 Trust Survey - Focus Groups Study in accordance with the performance work statement (PWS). 1 LOT

0002 Recruitment in accordance with the PWS. 1 LOT

0003 Focus Group Participant Payments (participant incentives) in accordance with the PWS. 1 LOT

0004 OCC-Discretionary Tasks (Spanish Focus Groups, etc. – See PWS) 1 LOT

PART II - CLAUSES

1.0. CLAUSES

1.1. FAR CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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.

(End of Clause)

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance. (Oct 2018)

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance (Aug 2020)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023) with Alternate I

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Feb 2024)

[Clause Fill-in Portions Below in accordance with FAR 12.301(b)(4) and FAR 52.104(d)]

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Jun 2020), with

Alternate I (Nov 2021) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 4655).

(4) 52.203-17, Contractor Employee Whistleblower Rights (Nov 2023) (41 U.S.C. 4712); this clause does not apply to contracts of DoD, NASA, the Coast Guard, or applicable elements of the intelligence community—see FAR 3.900(a).

(5) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun 2020) (Pub. L. 109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

(9) 52.204-27, Prohibition on a ByteDance Covered Application (Jun 2023) (Section 102 of Division R of Pub. L. 117-328).

(11) (i) 52.204-30, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders—Prohibition. (Dec 2023) (Pub. L. 115–390, title II).

(12) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government’s Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspended, or Proposed for Debarment. (Nov 2021) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

(16) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2022) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

(20) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Feb 2024) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

(26) (i) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Feb 2024) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

(31) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (Jun 2003) (E.O.11755).

(33) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

(34) (i) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Sep 2016) (E.O.11246).

(35) (i) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jun 2020) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(36) (i) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jun 2020) (29 U.S.C.

793).

(37) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jun 2020) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(38) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O. 13496).

(39) (i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Nov 2021) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

(40) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (May 2022) (Executive Order 12989).

(Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial products or commercial services as prescribed in FAR 22.1803.)

(48) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Jun 2020) (E.O. 13513).

(55) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (Feb 2021) (E.O.’s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

(59) 52.229-12, Tax on Certain Foreign Procurements (Feb 2021).

(62) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer-System for Award Management (Oct2018) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial products and commercial services:

(1) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (Aug 2018) (41 U.S.C. chapter67).

(2) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

[Fill-in Information for clause 52.222-42 in table immediately below]

Employee Class Monetary Wage-Fringe Benefits Economist $162,629/Year – Fringe $52,041/Year Project Manager $162,629/Year – Fringe $52,041/Year Administrative Assistants $65,245/Year – Fringe $22,835/Year

(4) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards-Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29U.S.C.206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(7) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages for Contractor Workers Under Executive Order 14026 (Jan 2022).

(8) 52.222-62, Paid Sick Leave Under Executive Order 13706 (Jan 2022) (E.O. 13706).

52.222-49 Service Contract Labor Standards-Place of Performance Unknown (May 2014) [Fill-in Information for clause 52.222-49 immediately below]

(a) Places or areas: Any in Continental U.S.A.

(b) Request by: 26 April 2024

1.2. FAR CLAUSES INCORPORATED IN FULL TEXT

52.204-9 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

(JAN 2011)

(a) The contractor shall comply with agency personal identity verification procedures identified in the contract that implement Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance M-05-24 and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS pub) number 201.

(b) The Contractor shall account for all forms of government-provided identification issued to the

Contractor employees in connection with performance under this contract. The contractor shall return such identification to the issuing agency at the earliest of any of the following, unless otherwise determined by the Government:

(1) when no longer needed for contract performance.

(2) upon completion of the contractor employee’s employment.

(3) upon contract completion or termination.

(c) The Contracting Officer may delay final payment under a contract if the Contractor fails to comply with these requirements.

(d) The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in all subcontracts when the subcontractor’s employees are required to have routine physical access to a federally-controlled facility and/or routine access to a federally-controlled information system. It shall be the responsibility of the prime Contractor to return such identification to the issuing agency in accordance with the terms set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Contracting Officer.

(End of clause)

1.3. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY ACQUISITION REGULATION (DTAR) CLAUSES

1052.210-70 CONTRACTOR PUBLICITY (APR 2015)

The Contractor, or any entity or representative acting on behalf of the Contractor, shall not refer to the supplies or services furnished pursuant to the provisions of this contract in any news release or commercial advertising, or in connection with any news release or commercial advertising, without first obtaining explicit written consent to do so from the Contracting Officer. Should any reference to such supplies or services appear in any news release or commercial advertising issued by or on behalf of the Contractor without the required consent, the Government shall consider institution of all remedies available under applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 333, and this contract. Further, any violation of this clause may be considered as part of the evaluation of past performance.

1052.232-7003 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS (APR 2015)

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

(1) “Payment request” means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices” and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract.

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this clause, the Contractor shall submit payment requests electronically using the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). Information regarding IPP, including IPP Customer Support contact information, is available at www.ipp.gov or any successor site.

(c) The Contractor may submit payment requests using other than IPP only when the Contracting Officer authorizes alternate procedures in writing in accordance with Treasury procedures.

(d) If alternate payment procedures are authorized, the Contractor shall include a copy of the Contracting Officer's written authorization with each payment request.

1.4. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY (OCC) CLAUSES

(OCC) 1052.201-8000 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) DELEGATION

AND AUTHORITY (DEC 2013)

(a) The contracting officer's representative will be identified via separate letter to the contractor.

(b) Performance of work under this contract is subject to the technical direction of the COR, as delegated in writing. The term "technical direction" includes, without limitation, direction to the contractor that directs or redirects the labor effort, shifts the work between work areas or locations, fills in details and otherwise serves to ensure that tasks outlined in the work statement are accomplished satisfactorily.

(c) Technical direction must be within the scope of the specification(s)/work statement. The COR does

NOT have authority to issue technical direction that:

(1) changes any of the terms, conditions, or specification(s)/work statement of the contract;

(2) in any manner causes an increase or decrease in the contract price, or the time required for contract performance;

(3) interferes with the contractor's right to perform under the terms and conditions of the contract; or,

(4) directs, supervises or otherwise controls the actions of the contractor's employees.

(d) Technical direction may be oral or in writing. The COR shall confirm oral direction in writing within five work days, with a copy to the contract administrator.

(e) The contractor shall proceed promptly with performance resulting from the technical direction issued by the COR. If, in the opinion of the contractor, any direction of the COR, falls within the limitations in (c), above, the contractor shall immediately notify the contracting officer no later than the beginning of the next Government work day.

(f) Failure of the contractor and the contracting officer to agree that technical direction is within the scope of the contract shall be subject to the terms of the clause entitled "Disputes".

(OCC) 1052.204-8000 – PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

(AUG 2020)

(a) All contractor personnel shall provide proper identification in both oral and written communications.

Oral communications include, but are not limited to, in-person, Skype video and audio communications, and teleconference communications. Additionally, when calling into meetings contractor personnel shall identify that they are a contractor by stating their name followed by stating contractor support for their respective OCC business unit.

(b) For written communications, all contractor personnel shall use a signature block that includes identification as a contractor, the name of the contractor personnel’s company, office telephone number, alternate contact (mobile) number (if applicable), and identification of the current assigned Contacting Officer Representative (COR) as stated in the contract.

Name: [Insert Name]

Job Title: [Insert Title] (Contractor)

Company Name: [Insert Name of Company] COR’s Name: [Insert Name of the current COR] Telephone: Office: (XXX) XXX-XXXX Work Cell: Mobile: (XXX) XXX-XXXX

(OCC) 1052.215-8003 KEY PERSONNEL (APR 2014)

(a) The Contractor shall assign to this contract the following key personnel:

1. Qualitative Research Specialist

2. Project Manager

(b) During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer within 15 calendar days after the occurrence of any of these events and provide the information required by paragraph (c) below. After the initial 90-day period, the contractor shall submit the information required by paragraph (c) to the Contracting Officer at least 15 days prior to making any permanent substitutions.

(c) The Contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions complete résumés for the proposed substitutes, and any in additional information requested by the contracting Officer. Proposed substitutes shall have comparable qualifications to those of the persons being replaced. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 15 calendar days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. The contract will be modified to reflect any approved changes of key personnel.

(OCC) 1052.237-8000 NON-PERSONAL SERVICES (NOV 2022)

(a) This is a non-personal services contract. The contractor personnel rendering services under this contract are not subject, either by the contract terms or by the manner of its administration, to the supervision and control of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

(b) The OCC and contractor understand and agree that the services to be provided under this contract by the contractor to the OCC are non-personal services. The parties recognize that no employer/employee relationship exists or will exist under this contract. The contractor agrees to provide the specified services fully described herein and is accountable to the OCC only for providing such services, materials, or work ordered. For the purpose of this contract, the contractor’s personnel shall not be subject to the supervision of an OCC office or employee while engaged in the performance of its duties.

(OCC) 1052.242-8000 EVALUATION OF CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE (DEC 2010)

A. The OCC will evaluate the contractor’s performance after contract award. If this contract has option periods, interim evaluations will be conducted at the end of each option period and then a final evaluation report will be prepared at the completion of the entire contract. If this contract does not have renewal options, an evaluation will be conducted upon completion of the contract. Notwithstanding the preceding, the Contracting Officer may conduct evaluations more or less frequently, if the Contracting Officer deems appropriate.

B. Evaluations will be conducted using an electronic format as established by Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), an internet-based database of contractor performance information. The OCC will enter the information, gathered from the evaluation, into the CPARS.

C. If the contractor responds to the evaluation, and the response rebuts any or all of the ratings, the Contracting Officer will attempt to reconcile the areas of disagreement with the contractor. If agreement cannot be reached, the evaluation and response shall be reviewed at a level higher than the Contracting Officer and a final evaluation will be issued by the reviewing official. If the reviewing official finds, either all or in part, against the contractor, the contractor’s response shall become part of the final evaluation. The reviewing official’s final decision shall not be subject to dispute under the terms and conditions of the Disputes clause or subject to resolution in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Alternative Dispute Resolution clause. The reviewing official will provide the contractor with a copy of the final evaluation.

D. Any government agency authorized to access the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database will be able to view the performance information related to this contract. Any government agency may also receive a copy the contractor’s performance evaluation, and any associated comments, by contacting the OCC. The OCC will also, upon request, provide copies of any and all of the contractor’s evaluations to the contractor.

(OCC) 1052.243-8001 AUTHORIZED CHANGES ONLY BY THE CONTRACTING OFFICER

(SEP 2016)

(a) Except as specified in paragraph (b) below, no order, statement, or conduct of Government personnel who provide technical direction or in any other manner communicates with contractor personnel during the performance of this contract shall constitute a change under the “Changes” clause of this contract.

(b) The Contractor shall not comply with any order, direction or request of Government personnel unless it is issued in writing and signed by the Contracting Officer (CO) or is pursuant to specific authority otherwise included as a part of this contract.

(c) The CO is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements of this contract and notwithstanding provisions contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely the CO’s. In the event the Contractor effects any change at the direction of any person other than the CO, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in charges incurred as a result thereof. The primary CO will be identified via separate letter to the contractor. Any CO with appropriate warrant authority may direct changes through a modification to the contract.

(OCC) 1052.342-8000 CONTRACTOR’S COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN

EMPLOYMENT AND CONTRACTING (MAR 2019)

Contractor confirms its commitment to equal opportunity in employment and contracting. To implement this commitment, the Contractor shall ensure, to the maximum extent possible consistent with applicable law, the fair inclusion of minorities and women in its workforce. The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in all subcontracts under this Contract when the dollar value exceeds $150,000.

Within thirty (30) calendar days of a written request from the OCC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), or such longer time as the OMWI determines, and without any additional consideration required from the Agency, the Contractor shall provide documentation, satisfactory to the Agency, of the actions it (and, as applicable, its subcontractors) has undertaken to demonstrate its good-faith efforts to comply with the aforementioned provisions.

For purposes of this contract, “good-faith efforts” may include actions by the contractor intended to identify and, if present, remove barriers to minority and women employment or expansion of employment opportunities for minorities and women within its workforce. Efforts to remove such barriers may include, but are not limited to, recruiting minorities and women, providing job-related training, or engaging in other activities that could lead to those results.

The documentation requested by the OMWI may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:

1. A written affirmative action plan or other written program designed to ensure the fair inclusion of minorities and women in the contractor’s workforce, including outreach, recruitment, and training efforts whereby the contractor sets forth specific, results-oriented policies and procedures.

2. A list of subcontract awards under the Contract categorized by dollar, date of award, and the subcontractor’s ownership status, including whether the subcontractor is minority-owned (by race and/or ethnicity) or women-owned.

3. Documentation similar to that described in paragraph 1 with respect to each subcontractor.

4. Any other actions demonstrating the contractor’s or subcontractor’s good-faith efforts to include minorities and women in its workforce.

Consistent with Section 342(c)(3) of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (PL 111-203) (Dodd–Frank), a failure to demonstrate to the Director of the OMWI such good-faith efforts to include minorities and women in the Contractor’s workforce (and, as applicable, the workforce of its subcontractors) may result in termination of the Contract for default, referral to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, or other appropriate action.

For purposes of this clause, the terms “minority,” “minority-owned business” and “women-owned business” shall have the meanings set forth in Section 342(g) of Dodd–Frank.

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Focus Groups Study on Consumer Trust in Banking

1.0 Introduction

To support the development of a robust quantitative survey on consumer trust in banking and bank supervision, the OCC requires a series of focus group/interview discussions to obtain an in-depth understanding what consumers mean when they say they “trust” or “distrust” banks and the role of trust in banking.1 OCC anticipates the results from the focus group/interview discussions will help identify: the specific types of financial services for which trust is highly influential in a consumer’s decision to bank; the sources of (dis)trust; reasons consumers may choose a particular financial institution; and whether consumers have different perceptions of trust across different types of financial institutions. OCC anticipates these discussions will help the OCC refine the quantitative survey to help ensure that the results reflect an accurate understanding of consumers’ trust and its role in banking.2

The Contractor is required to conduct a focus group/interview (FG) study intended to inform a consumer trust survey instrument, enabling the OCC to better understand, measure, and track consumers’ trust in banking.

This PWS describes the requirements and expectations for the Contractor in the following sections:

1. The objectives of the FG study (Section 2.0)

2. The requirements for the selection of the participants into the FG study (Section 2.1)

3. The topics and research questions that the FG study aims to address by collecting the qualitative data (Section 2.2)

4. The scope of work (Section 3), including the required capabilities and the Contractor provision of equipment and facilities.

5. The projected timeline and milestones (Section 4)

6. The expected deliverables, including a detailed Table 1 on deliverables (Section 5)

7. Key personnel requirements (Section 6)

8. Methods for monitoring the Contractor’s performance (Section 7)

9. Project management (Section 8)

1 The OCC issued a request for information and public comment on a proposed annual quantitative survey on trust in banking (88 FR 37917), which closed in October 2023. See Federal Register :: Request for Information on Annual Consumer Trust in Banking Survey.

2 The OCC issued a PRA notice on the proposed information collection. See Federal Register :: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Information Collection for Qualitative Research on Consumer Trust in Banking and Bank Supervision.

PART III – DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND/OR ATTACHMENTS

2.0 Focus Group/Interview Objectives

The objectives of this FG study are to gather qualitative information from focus groups3 to better understand:

1) how consumers think about trust in banking and whether/how consumers’ trust differs based on the type of financial institution;

2) what factors influence consumers’ trust in banking;

3) the relationship between consumers’ trust and their decisions related to banking products and services (BPS).

The Contractor must meet the following objectives:

1) collect qualitative data from focus groups/interviews that address the FGs study objectives and questions on consumers’ experiences in banking, their perceptions of trust in banking, and factors influencing one’s level of trust.

2) analyze collected data to produce a comprehensive summary4 of the FG study results with recommendations for the content and coverage of the quantitative survey instrument on consumers’ trust in banking.

OCC intends to use the collected information to:

1) prepare one or more reports for public dissemination on the results of the FG Study,

2) inform OCC’s design and content of the Quantitative Survey Instrument(s) on consumer trust in banking.

The Contractor agrees all data, analysis, and materials produced as part of this contract become the sole property of the U.S. Government, and the Contractor retains no rights to them.

2.1 FG Study Participants Requirements

It is important that the qualitative research information is collected from individual adults that have had experiences with making banking decisions to ensure participant responses reflect real-life experiences, not hypothetical. To this end, the recruiting process should include pre-screening questions to determine whether potential participants are responsible for making banking5 decisions for themselves and/or their families or households and have some basic knowledge of personal finances.

The OCC also expects to gather information from consumers with different backgrounds. The Contractor must propose a recruiting plan and strategy to ensure an appropriate mix of participants for the FG study with the goal of understanding any differences in their responses.

Given that the focus of the study is on consumer banking, the participants in the focus

3 Throughout this PWS, the term focus group refers to focus groups and/or interviews. The final data collection protocol will be determined by the approved approach for data collection.

4 A comprehensive summary must document the results and key findings of the focus groups/interviews that addresses FG study research questions and informs the content of the quantitative Trust Survey Instrument, including, but not limited to, a draft of survey questions based on the results of the study (see Section 2.2 and Appendix for more detail).

5 In the context of this study, banking decisions refer to consumers’ decisions where to keep their money (i.e., checking/savings accounts), where and what type of loan to get (e.g., mortgage, personal loan, credit card, auto loan, small short-term loan, etc.), how to pay the bills (payment services), how to transfer money (money transfer services).