2031JW24Q00073 Focus Groups Final.docx

RFQ 2031JW24Q00073

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 26 Weeks After Contract Award (26 Weeks ARO) Estimated Period of Performance (06/18/2024 - 1/13/2024)

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]

(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.

(End of clause)

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.

(End of clause)

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".

(End of Clause)

(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.

(End of Clause)

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

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

(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.

(End of Clause)

(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.

(End of Clause)

(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.

(End of Clause)

(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.

PART III – DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS, AND/OR ATTACHMENTS

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.[footnoteRef: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.[footnoteRef:2] [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.]

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)

2.0 Focus Group/Interview Objectives

The objectives of this FG study are to gather qualitative information from focus groups[footnoteRef:3] to better understand: [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.]

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 summary[footnoteRef:4] of the FG study results with recommendations for the content and coverage of the quantitative survey instrument on consumers’ trust in banking. [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).]

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 banking[footnoteRef:5] decisions for themselves and/or their families or households and have some basic knowledge of personal finances. [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). For the purposes of this study, the consumers’ investment decisions are not considered as banking decisions.]

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 groups/interviews must represent a wide variety of experiences (or lack thereof) with a wide variety of banking institutions (different types of banks, credit unions, fintechs, other) and banking products and services (BPS), such as:

1. checking/savings accounts,

2. different kinds of loans, and

3. payments and money transfer services.

The FG Study Research Plan should also involve the creation of homogeneous groups of participants for the purposes of collecting qualitative data based on the following potential key population categories:

1. Age: (e.g., 18-35, 35-45; 45-60; 60+)

2. Income: (e.g., low, medium, and high income)

3. Race (e.g., Black, Hispanic, White, and other non-White).

The total number of participants needed in the study is projected to be 100 individuals. The OCC reserves the right to either increase (to no more than 150 total participants) or decrease the total number of participants in the study based on the results of the information collected in the focus groups/interviews. The OCC expects that demographic and basic banking information (e.g., the range of banking products and services used) will be collected for each focus group participant. The OCC may require the Contractor to conduct one or two small focus groups and/or interviews in Spanish and limiting the number of participants to no more than 10 in total.

2.2 FG Study Topics and Questions

The OCC Project Team will work with the Contractor to develop and refine the questions for focus groups/interviews and to determine the number and structure of focus groups/interviews needed to gather information to meet the study’s objectives. The OCC’s objective is to use the qualitative research results to inform the development and content of the Quantitative Trust Survey Instrument.

As the OCC Project Team works with the Contractor to refine and prioritize the data collection, we recognize the need to balance our objectives with the need to conduct qualitative research sessions that are appropriate in length and not too difficult for participants to follow. While the OCC plans to provide an initial draft of FG questions, the Contractor must advise the OCC on the content, structure, and phrasing of FG questions for participants to ensure that the questions are neutral and unbiased, to avoid leading or influencing answers, and to elicit honest answers in the following topical areas (see Appendix):

· Perception of consumer trust in banking.

· Comparison of different consumers’ experiences, perceptions, and trust in their use of different types of financial institutions (e.g., different types of banks, credit unions, fintech, payday lenders, or alternative financial service providers).

· Events and/or factors that may impact the consumers’ level of trust in banking.

· Events and/or factors that may impact the consumers’ choice of financial institution and/or different kinds of BPS.

3.0 Scope of work

The Contractor must conduct the FG Study on Consumer Trust in Banking for OCC via virtual focus groups/interviews. The Contractor must perform all logistics related to recruiting participants, conducting, and recording the FG sessions, collecting the responses (i.e., qualitative data) from the FG participants, and paying participants. For example, the Contractor must use its own software, hardware, and facilities to carry out FG sessions. If in-person data collection is necessary, it must be done by the Contractor offsite, i.e., at the Contractor’s site. The OCC retains the data rights to all data collected during this study and is the sole owner of such data. The Contractor must:

1. Provide a project management plan that identifies project tasks, milestones, and timeline to meet the goals and objectives of the FG Study.

2. Conduct bi-weekly status meetings/updates with topics that include the following:

a. Work Accomplished,

b. Work Planned Actions Items,

c. Issues and Emerging Risks.

A Bi-Weekly Status report must be provided two days prior to each meeting and status meeting minutes must be captured by the Contractor and distributed no later than three days after each. These meetings will mainly relate to project schedule; more in-depth technical discussions will occur in other meetings.

3. Provide a research plan appropriate to meet the goals and objectives of the FG Study. The research plan must include, but is not limited to the following:

a. participants recruitment plan,

b. proposed composition for the focus groups (e.g., criteria for group homogeneity),

c. virtual gathering of data and the appropriate size of each virtual focus group,

d. the appropriate length for each focus group session,

e. a draft of the focus group questions,

f. project timeline,

g. required resources (e.g., experienced moderator/s, project manager, and support staff),

h. data analysis plan, and

i. deliverables.

The Contractor must provide a qualitative researcher who meets, at the least, the minimum requirements (see Section 6.0), who must oversee the research plan, conduct the FG study, and provide necessary feedback and guidance to the OCC throughout the project.

4. Provide a data analysis plan appropriate to the research questions posed. The data analysis plan is part of the research plan and must include, at the minimum, appropriate methods or approaches to analyze the information collected and to ensure the collected data can inform the content of the quantitative survey instrument on trust.

5. Provide all necessary materials for the FG study, including pre-screening recruitment questions, focus groups/interviews protocols, and FG moderator guides. This work must be performed in consultation with the COR.

6. Provide demographic information about FG study participants, including age, income, race, education level, and geographic location, that will serve to create homogeneous focus groups.

7. Conduct recruitment of the FG study participants and provide payments to the participants.

8. Conduct the focus groups/interviews; collect the data, analyze it, and provide necessary guidance to the OCC throughout the project.

9. Provide all data and documentation generated from the FG sessions to the OCC, including copies of audio recordings, interviewer notes, coding and analysis, and written transcripts (verbatim) in a way that protects participants’ confidentiality and/or personally identifiable information (PII). The Contractor and its subcontractors must comply with protecting sensitive information, and protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information, including PII, to which they have access.

10. Conduct data analysis in accordance with the data analysis plan.

11. Provide a comprehensive summary documenting 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. The summary results should be organized by respective homogeneous groups (e.g., age, income, and race), highlighting any common as well as distinctive consumer banking experiences and the corresponding perceptions of trust.

12. Assist the OCC with the preparation of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance materials by submitting the finalized FG protocols and guides to the OCC according to the established timeline (see Section 4.0, 5.0 and Table 1).

13. Be able to pause the data collection for evaluation and feedback.

14. Stop the data collection when the OCC deems that sufficient data have been collected to inform the FG study questions and Survey Instrument development.

The Contractor must not begin work beyond providing the project management plan, research plan, and data analysis plan until those products have been accepted by the COR and the Contractor has received written approval by the COR to move forward with the study.

3.1 Facilities and Equipment for Conducting Focus Groups or Interviews (whether virtual or in-person) The OCC’s preference is for virtual focus groups; however, the Contractor has flexibility to propose the method(s) for conducting focus groups described in this PWS as appropriate for each population group category described in Section 2.1. The Contractor must receive prior approval from the COR to use the proposed method(s) for conducting focus groups. Regardless of the method used, the Contractor must enable OCC staff to observe all FG sessions in-progress upon request. The OCC may require the Contractor to conduct one or two FG sessions in Spanish and with no more than 10 participants in total. For Spanish language FG sessions, the Contractor is responsible for:

1. Translating the focus group protocols into Spanish.

2. Providing a Spanish-speaking moderator for conducting focus groups/interviews.

3. Collecting required information.

4. Submitting the written transcripts of participants’ responses (i.e., collected data) translated into English to the OCC.

If the Contractor proposes in-person focus group/interviews, the Contractor must provide rationale and support for it to the OCC, get OCC’s approval prior to conducting any in-person FGs, and provide necessary facilities for the in-person session. This may be the Contractor’s own facility, or an alternative facility, with which the Contractor has arrangements to reserve space (at no additional cost to the OCC). If more than one moderator/interviewer must be used (e.g., to conduct FG sessions in Spanish), the Contractor must ensure that all moderators/interviewers receive the same training and there is consistency in the ways the FG sessions are conducted and in how the data are collected.

For the virtual FG sessions, the Contractor must provide means for and ensure a stable virtual connection for the session participants and the interviewer/moderator to conduct seamless data collections (via discussions or interviews).

The features of a virtual session, provided by the Contractor, must include:

a) As applicable, video platform for the participant and the interviewer/moderator that can sustain a live video feed for the duration of the data collection session and allow for all the session participants (if more than one in the case of focus groups) to interact and speak.

b) Internet connection for all participants and the interviewer/moderator.

c) Mobile or computer devices, if needed, for the participants.

d) Payment method to pay the participants securely and in a timely manner after the completion of the data collection sessions.

e) Electronic method of gathering the participants’ agreement statements and signatures for their voluntary and paid participation in the study.

If the in-person data collection (i.e., focus groups/interviews) is necessary, well-supported by the Contractor, and approved by OCC, the facility provided by the Contractor must include the following features:

a) Adequate seating. A facility or facilities that can accommodate focus groups and one-on-one interviews.

b) Internet connection. A stable, high-speed wireless internet connection that can sustain a live video feed that allows OCC staff to observe sessions remotely.

c) Observation method. A method for OCC staff to observe subjects during data collection sessions. This could be, for example, a second room from which participants are observable, or a secure video feed for remote viewing.

d) Payment method and location, if appropriate. A location in which to pay participants in private. This could be, for example, a second room in which the Contractor staff cannot be seen or heard from the data collection room where participants are completing the study.

e) This space should meet reasonable requirements for professional user research, be accessible to people with disabilities, allow audio recording, allow for data collection on desktop and/or mobile devices if necessary, and include a comfortable reception and waiting area.

f) Mobile and computer devices. As needed, the Contractor must provide mobile or laptop computer devices for data collection purposes in the facilities. These may include desktop or laptop computers, tablet computer, and mobile phones.

4.0 Projected Timeline and Milestones

Unless otherwise noted, the dates and timelines presented in this section (Section 4) reflect OCC’s estimate only. 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). The following is a list of milestones:

a) Milestone 1: finalized and approved by the OCC Research and Data Analysis Plan, finalized focus groups/interview protocols and moderator materials with finalized questions for gathering qualitative data, and the finalized PRA Clearance Package ready for submission.

b) Milestone 2: PRA Clearance and OMB approval. - Projected two months period.

c) Milestone 3: Completion of data collection and delivery of all the data to the OCC.

d) Milestone 4: Final comprehensive summary documenting 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 delivered and presented to the OCC.

The OMB review period and approval is projected to be 60 calendar days from the date of PRA clearance submission. Prior to the OCC’s submission of the PRA clearance package that includes finalized FG materials and protocols by the OCC, the Contractor must complete the following: the Project Management Plan and the Research and Data Analysis Plan; develop and finalize the questions and any other materials for conducting the focus groups; and finalize population categories for participant recruitment. Final OCC approval of the questions for the focus groups is anticipated within four to six weeks from the Kick-off meeting.

5.0 Deliverables

The Contractor must provide the following deliverables to the COR:

· After an initial (Kick-off) meeting with the OCC, the Contractor must prepare a Project Management Plan reflecting project schedule with project stages, tasks and milestones and primary resources conducting the activities.

· A Research Plan and Data Analysis Plan with any working assumptions that describes elements of the research design as specified in this PWS. Any revisions to the substance of the document after approval of the plan by the COR will require agreement from both the OCC and the Contractor.

· Documented data collection protocols (in English and in Spanish if OCC requires the Contractor to conduct Spanish FGs) and related materials, prior to conducting focus groups. The data collection protocols are subject to approval by the COR.

· Audio recording and written transcripts after completion of each data collection session (either focus group or interviews). The transcripts must be translated into English by the Contractor if the focus groups or interviews were conducted in Spanish.

· Written document that summarizes the recruitment strategy, the number of focus groups, and the demographic characteristics of the participants in each focus group conducted. It must be submitted as part of the Research Plan as well as Project Management Plan.

· Comprehensive summary documenting 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 (Section 2.2 and Appendix).

· Oral presentation by the Contractor that summarizes the data collection, results, data analysis and recommendations for the content of the quantitative Trust Survey Instrument to the OCC.

The Contractor must keep records of all the consent and release forms and proof of payment for each participant. The Contractor must not provide PII regarding focus group participants to the OCC.

Table 1. Contract Deliverables and Timeline

Deliver to COR.

Deliver to COR.

The Contractor will receive any feedback from the OCC within five (5) business days of receiving the Proposed Research Plan.

Deliver to COR.

The Contractor must provide the Interim Plan free of errors and require no substantive revisions.

New drafts must be provided no later than three (3) business days after receiving OCC team feedback.

Deliver to COR

If the analysis plan is contingent on findings in the initial rounds of focus groups, the Contractor must provide an updated and finalized analysis plan within five (5) business days of the contingency event.

Deliver to COR.

Screener questions must be provided free of errors and require no substantive revisions.

Draft screener: no later than two (2) weeks before submission of PRA package to formal PRA review.

Final screener: No later than ten (10) business days before the focus groups kickoff.

Deliver to COR.