NEARFP15-28._2017_SPPA_Execute_Planning_Study_2_components_Planning_Phase__Pilot_Study.docx.pdf

May 21, 2015

Reference: Execute two components: the planning phase - develop the survey and the pilot study -test and finalize the survey instrument.

Subject: Request for Proposal

Solicitation Number RFP 15-28

Dear Offeror:

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) invites contractors to submit proposals for the services described in the attached statement of work, under the authority of Part 12 of the Federal Acquisition

Regulation.

Enclosed you will find a Statement of Work to execute two components: the planning phase, during which the contractor will develop the survey through research, literature, interviews with appropriate individuals, etc.; and the pilot study, during which the contractor will test and finalize the survey instrument for the

NEA's Office of Research and Analysis.

Questions concerning this proposal shall be submitted via email to HARRISL@ARTS.GOV by 5:00 p.m.

(EST) May 27, 2015. Please submit your proposals by June 12, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. (EST). This RFP in no way obligates the U.S. Government to award a contract, nor does it commit the U.S. Government to pay any cost incurred in preparing and submitting your proposal.

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforms to the solicitation and is most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. In order to select the winning offeror, NEA will rank offerors from best to worst. In addition to the narrative assessments prepared by the Evaluation Team for each evaluation factor, a point scoring system will be used to rank all technical proposals. The point scoring system uses a rating scale of 100%.

NEA, however, will not select an offeror for award on the basis of a superior capability without consideration of price. NEA intends to make one award under this solicitation.

This procurement is a total small business set-aside. The North American Industry Classification Systems

(NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541910 with a small business size standard of $15.0M. We anticipate awarding a 12 month contract, with the period of performance starting July 1, 2015; however, the actual period of performance will be determined at the time of award.

Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must be delivered via email.

Proposals that are mailed, hand-carried, or faxed will not be accepted. Proposals must be received by the closing date and time stated above. Please refer any questions concerning this request to Latonca M.

Harris at (202) 682-5476 or by email at HARRISL@ARTS.GOV.

Sincerely, Latonca M. Harris

Latonca M. Harris

Contracting Officer

Grants & Contracts Office mailto:harrisl@arts.gov mailto:harrisl@arts.gov

Enclosures:

Section B, Supplies/Service and Prices

Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work

Section D, Preservation, Packaging and Marking

Section E, Inspection and Acceptance

Section F, Deliveries or Performance

Section G, Contract Administration Data

Section H, Special Contract Requirements

Section I, Contract Clauses

Section J, List of Attachments

Section K, Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors

Section L, Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors

Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award

SECTION B

SUPPLIES/SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 General

The contractor shall execute two components: the planning phase, during which the contractor will develop the survey through research, literature, interviews with appropriate individuals, etc.; and the pilot study, during which the contractor will test and finalize the survey instrument for the Office of Research and Analysis, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), located at 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC.

B.2 Contract Term

Period of Performance: Date of award through one year with the option to extend the services (52.217-8).

*The contractor must have all major deliverables finished and submitted by the date stated above

B.3 Pricing

(a) All unit prices are firm fixed prices that include all costs, including but not limited to labor, fringe benefits, overhead, G&A, and profit necessary to provide the planning phase and pilot study required in the solicitation.

(b) The following pricing tables and CLINs are organized by components.

ITEM

No.

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES QTY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

0001 Planning Phase for the 2017

Survey of Public

Participation in the Arts

1 Lot

FIRM FIXED PRICE

GRAND TOTAL

AMOUNT FOR

PROJECT:

NTE $

ITEM

No.

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES QTY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

0002 Pilot Study for the 2017

Survey of Public

Participation in the Arts

1 Lot

FIRM FIXED PRICE

GRAND TOTAL

AMOUNT FOR

PROJECT:

NTE $

*NEA agrees to release some payments to the contractor consistent with the submission of deliverables during the task order period. The contractor may invoice according to the following schedule:

Task Cost Quantity Total

Completion and Approval of Task C.3.6 within 6 months after award.

$ 1 Lump

Sum

Completion and Approval of Task C.3.11 within 12 months after award. Present final report based on recommendations from the NEA Project Director.

$ 1 Lump

Sum

GRAND TOTAL: $

SECTION C

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 BACKGROUND

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, regional arts organizations, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.

As part of its Strategic Plan for 2014-2018, the NEA has pledged "to promote public knowledge and understanding about the contributions of the arts" (Strategic Goal 3). In pursuit of this goal, the

NEA's Office of Research & Analysis (ORA) seeks to:

(1) Investigate the value of the U.S. arts ecosystem and the impact of the arts on individuals and communities;

(2) Identify, cultivate, and publish new and existing data sources in the arts; and

(3) Elevate the public profile of arts-related research.

In 2017, ORA at NEA plans to conduct its seventh Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

(SPPA) in cooperation with the United States Census Bureau and as a supplement to the Bureau's

Current Population Survey (CPS).

The SPPA is the nation’s largest periodic survey of adult participation in arts and cultural activities;

previous SPPAs occurred in 1982, 1985, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2008, and 2012. Although the survey was fielded by the U.S. Census Bureau in each of those years except 1997, it previously was a supplement to the CPS only in 2002, 2008, and 2012.

ORA is seeking a Contractor to execute a Planning Study including two components: a rapid (4-to-

6-month) Planning Phase and a rapid (4-to-6-month) Pilot Study. This Planning Study, as described in the tasks and deliverables below, offers an opportunity to examine the broad array of arts participation issues of most concern to the field and ensure that the 2017 SPPA addresses the maximum number of survey items possible while also minimizing burden. The goal is to produce reliable estimates of arts participation rates across a variety of demographic and geographic characteristics of adults in the United States.

http://www.arts.gov/ http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/NEAStrategicPlan2014-2018.pdf http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/studies/35527 http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/studies/35168

In the Planning Phase, the Contractor will:

Produce a brief Literature Review (15-20 pages) synthesizing published and "gray" literature detailing various uses and limitations of SPPA data for research and arts-related practice and policy since 2000;

Produce a Stakeholder Report (8-10 pages) based on a) one-on-one, in-person interviews with NEA senior management and discipline directors (maximum = 15) and b) three focus groups (no more than nine individuals per group), each representing a different category of

NEA stakeholder: arts practitioners (across various disciplines); cultural funders or policy-makers; and cultural researchers, to obtain their perspectives on the SPPA. The report will summarize the interviews and focus group meetings, which will be designed to identify current research needs concerning arts participation, and suggestions for specific SPPA questions and/or modules.

Develop the 2017 SPPA Survey Instrument Draft based on a) ORA's working assumptions

(to be provided to the Contractor at the start of the project period); b) findings from an independently commissioned report on the efficacy of the 2012 SPPA survey instrument

(this report will be provided to the Contractor at the start of the project period); and c) the research and results yielded by the tasks described in the two preceding bullets. The drafted instrument will also include a briefing memo that discusses each recommended change to the 2012 survey instrument and characterizes its strengths and weaknesses in the context of the SPPA’s overall ability to serve the data needs of arts organizations, policy-makers, and researchers while minimizing burden on respondents and working within the rules and regulations of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Upon conclusion of the Planning Phase, the Contractor will conduct a Pilot Study. In this study, the

Contractor will refine, test, and finalize the 2017 SPPA Survey Instrument (all survey items to be used in the 2017 SPPA), and develop a Pilot Study Report and Presentation (15-25 slides) that summarizes the Planning Phase and results from the Pilot Study as well as any implications and recommendations for the SPPA or other studies on arts and cultural participation.

C.2 SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor will conduct a Planning Study for the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the

Arts that consists of two main phases: A Planning Phase and a Pilot Study (more detail on these phases and the expected deliverables are presented below):

Overall, the Planning Study for the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts will yield recommendations concerning the specific survey items to be used in the 2017 survey instrument.

The recommendations will be based on a review of extant literature about the SPPA since 2000, an assessment of arts-participation data needs for the survey’s primary users (e.g., arts/cultural researchers, policy-makers, foundations, state/local arts agencies, arts service organizations, field experts, and the NEA), ORA's working assumptions, as well as the results of a pilot study aimed to test the developed survey instrument.

Planning Phase

During the Planning Phase, the Contractor will produce a Literature Review (15-20 pages) synthesizing published and "gray" literature detailing various uses and limitations of SPPA data for research and arts-related practice and policy since 2000. The synthesis will include reviews of journal articles, conference papers, media coverage, and reports or presentations from arts funders or practitioners. The literature review will make conclusions about the value and utility of the SPPA for arts and cultural practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers.

The Contractor will also conduct one-on-one, in-person interviews of a cross-section of NEA senior management and discipline directors (maximum = 15), and three focus groups (no more than nine individuals per group), each representing a different category of NEA stakeholder: arts practitioners

(across various disciplines); cultural funders or policy-makers; and researchers. The interviews and focus group meetings will be designed to obtain different perspectives on the SPPA and on current research needs concerning arts participation, and to identify suggestions for specific SPPA questions and/or modules. In advance of these interviews and focus groups, the Contractor will prepare background materials for the stakeholder interviews with NEA staff and with focus groups representing arts/cultural research, policy, and practice. After the interviews and focus groups, the

Contractor will prepare a Stakeholder Report (8-10 pages) that summarizes findings.

Next, based on a) ORA's working assumptions (to be provided to the Contractor at the start of the project period); b) findings from an independently commissioned report on the efficacy of the 2012

SPPA survey instrument (also to be provided to the Contractor at the start of the project period);

and c) the research and results yielded from the Literature Review and Stakeholder Report, the

Contractor will develop a 2017 SPPA Survey Instrument Draft with an accompanying briefing memo.

Imperative to the design of the 2017 instrument is that all survey interviews must be completed within 10 minutes (the same as in 2012). To the extent possible, the 2017 survey should maintain the integrity of the 2012 instrument, but it may add, drop, or reorganize survey items, while minimizing burden for respondents.

New topics/questions for the 2017 SPPA survey currently under consideration include:

Creative behavior outside the arts

Arts participation among parents and/with their children

Resources used by respondents to find out about arts activities

Barriers to arts participation (e.g., health, financial, geographical, social)

Survey items drawn from non-U.S. surveys in order to attempt cross-national comparisons

Survey items that cover specific arts disciplines more extensively than in the 2012 instrument

To be submitted to ORA along with the 2017 SPPA Survey Instrument Draft, the Contractor will prepare a briefing memo that discusses each recommended change to the 2012 survey instrument and characterizes its strengths and weaknesses in the context of the SPPA’s overall ability to serve the data needs of arts researchers and practitioners while minimizing burden on respondents and working within the rules and regulations of OMB's OIRA and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pilot Study

The Contractor will be responsible for developing the required documents for OMB clearance of the Pilot Study; conducting a small random-digit dial survey (between 100 and 300 respondents, depending on the scope of the new survey) to pilot-test the new instrument as necessary; conducting cognitive tests of new survey item wording (9 or fewer interviews); and finalizing the 2017 survey and the required documents for OMB clearance.

The Contractor will also prepare and present to the Project Director, ORA staff, and other NEA staff, a Pilot Study Report with an accompanying Presentation (15-25 slides in PowerPoint) on the overall results of the Planning Study, including the final 2017 SPPA survey instrument, a description of the arts participation data needs of primary interest to the arts and cultural sector, and an outline or description of potential approaches to capturing that information, if not possible through the SPPA survey.

C.3 DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

The primary goal of the Planning Study is to make recommendations that will allow ORA and the

Contractor to collaboratively revise the 2012 SPPA instrument in light of new needs from arts/cultural practitioners, funders, policy-makers, and researchers. The Contractor will perform the following tasks for this project:

C.3.1

Attend a kick-off meeting with the Project Director and the ORA team (either in-person or via video/teleconference) within 2 weeks of contract award to discuss the SPPA's background and history, notable concepts and themes in recent research about arts participation, and to clarify logistical and technical issues regarding the contract. At this meeting, the Contractor will obtain a list of NEA staff (maximum = 15) to be interviewed, and also a list of potential external stakeholders to include in the focus group interviews. These external stakeholders are to include arts practitioners (across various disciplines); cultural funders or policy-makers (to include local, state, and regional arts agencies); and researchers. The researchers may represent expertise not only in arts and cultural research; they also may come from such diverse fields as cognitive psychology, health and human development, economics, or urban/rural planning and design.

C.3.2

Prepare a detailed timeline and work plan for accomplishing the remaining tasks of the project, incorporating input from the kick-off meeting. The work plan should include biweekly project updates submitted to the Project Director via email.

C.3.3

Prepare a draft package of materials to be sent to the Project Director prior to the meeting described in C.3.4, below. The materials should include the following:

a) A brief (15-20 single-spaced pages) Literature Review to be conducted by the Contractor (with the assistance of the Project Director and ORA team) to identify books, journals and journal articles, gray literature, dissertations, working papers, NEA Research: Art Works grantee papers, or newspaper articles that have drawn from the NEA’s SPPA results over the years, as well as other existing research literature focused on arts participation. The literature review will make conclusions about the value and utility of the SPPA for arts/cultural practitioners, funders, policy-makers, and researchers. A strong focus should be on research published since http://arts.gov/artistic-fields/research-analysis/research-art-works-grants-final-papers http://arts.gov/artistic-fields/research-analysis/research-art-works-grants-final-papers

2000, though significant and pivotal research prior to 2000 may be included. The Project

Director will provide lists from prior literature search efforts that have identified publications using SPPA data, including literature highlighted on the NEA National Archive of Data on Arts

& Culture (NADAC), as well as the following items, all to be provided by the Project Director after award:

a. Methods Evaluation of the 2012 SPPA (to be provided by Project Director);

b. Measuring Cultural Engagement: A Quest for New Terms, Tools, and Techniques (a summary of a joint research symposium titled "Measuring Cultural Engagement amid

Confounding Variables: A Reality Check," held at the Gallup headquarters in

Washington, DC, June 2-3, 2014);

c. The Changing Landscape of Art Participation: A Synthesis of Literature and Expert

Interviews (a 2014 report by NORC and the Cultural Policy Center at University of

Chicago, with support from The James Irvine Foundation); and

d. When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance (2015).

b) Prepare draft lists for approval by the Project Director of interview questions for NEA staff and for external stakeholders to gain insights on current and emerging priorities in their field and how the SPPA 2017 might be able to meet some of those needs. Based on the literature review from C.3.3.a and the external stakeholder list from C.3.1, propose a list of external stakeholders to invite to participate in the focus groups, and include a decision tree for non-response or refusals from potential participants and that ensures appropriate diversity (U.S. regional, demographic, organizational or individual characteristics) in each focus group. Also prepare a draft email inviting potential stakeholders to participate in the focus groups. Draft a clearance package for the Stakeholder focus groups for submission to OMB, if deemed necessary.

C.3.4

Coordinate and facilitate a) semi-structured interviews with NEA staff and b) three focus groups, each representing a different category of NEA stakeholders: arts practitioners; cultural funders or policy-makers; and researchers, as outlined in C.3.1.

a) Contact NEA staff interviewees, schedule the interviews, and distribute the materials; lead the interviews; and arrange for transcription or other modes of recording the interviews. The interview subjects will be chosen based on consultation with ORA as described in C.3.3.b.

These meetings should be conducted in person at the NEA offices in Washington, D.C., and the

Contractor is required to submit the full schedule of interviews to the Project Director for approval prior to conducting the interviews.

b) Contact focus group members, schedule the meetings, and distribute the materials; lead the focus groups; and arrange for transcription or other modes of recording the interviews. The focus group members will be chosen based on consultation with ORA as described in C.3.3.b.

These meetings can be conducted by video or audio conference, and the Contractor is required to submit the full schedule and rosters of focus groups to the Project Director for approval prior to conducting the focus groups.

http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/index.jsp http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NADAC/index.jsp http://arts.gov/publications/measuring-cultural-engagement-quest-new-terms-tools-and-techniques http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/irvine-literature-review.pdf http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/irvine-literature-review.pdf http://arts.gov/publications/when-going-gets-tough-barriers-and-motivations-affecting-arts-attendance

C.3.5

Produce a Stakeholder Report (8-10 pages) that describes the aggregated results of the stakeholder interviews and focus groups (individual interviewees and focus group members should not be identified with any specific comment or feedback) and submit it to the Project Director for approval. Include in the report a draft list of survey items that may be included in the planning study for the SPPA 2017 as well as appendices that list the interviewees and the focus group members. This deliverable will be shared with the Census Bureau, but will not be shared with the public. The NEA reserves the right to terminate the contract following this deliverable.

C.3.6

With feedback provided by the Project Director and the Census Bureau within approximately 10 business days from the delivery of C.3.5, prepare a final set of survey items for a “pilot” survey instrument. Included with the 2017 SPPA Survey Instrument Draft, the Contractor will discuss each recommended change to the 2012 survey instrument modules, characterize its strengths and weaknesses in the context of the SPPA’s overall ability to serve the data needs of arts researchers and practitioners, while also minimizing burden on respondents and working within the rules and regulations of OMB's OIRA and the Census Bureau. For the types of arts participation survey items that cannot be addressed in the 2017 survey for reasons such as the limitations inherent in general population surveys such as the CPS and the SPPA, outline potential alternative national data-collection approaches. In addition, draft the OMB First Register Notice for the SPPA 2017 Study.

Deliverables submitted in C.3.6 will be shared with the Census Bureau. The NEA reserves the right to terminate the contract following this deliverable.

C.3.7

Draft and submit for approval by the Project Director a clearance package for the Pilot Study for submission to OMB. Following OMB approval (approximately one week from submission of the

OMB documents for Fast Track approval), cognitively test the survey instrument with a selection of

NEA staff, as well as conduct the pilot survey (approximately 100-300 completed responses).

C.3.8

Tabulate, analyze, and draft a Pilot Study Report on the test survey results for approval by the

Project Director. This report should include a discussion of how the instrument functioned and any implications or recommendations for the final 2017 survey instrument. Include any qualitative and quantitative information yielded from the cognitive tests and the pilot survey, as well as a revised version of the 2017 survey instrument. In addition, draft the OMB Second Federal Register Notice for the SPPA 2017.

C.3.9

Revise the deliverables in C.3.8 based on feedback provided by ORA staff. The Project Director will provide feedback within approximately 10 business days from the delivery of C.3.8. The

Contractor is expected to provide a second draft to the Project Director within 10 business days; the

Project Director will provide feedback for the second draft within 5 business days of receiving the second draft; the Contractor is expected to provide a third and final draft of the Pilot Study Report and 2017 survey instrument within 5 business days of receiving feedback from the Project Director on the second draft.

C.3.10

Prepare and submit for approval by the Project Director a Pilot Study Presentation (15-25 slides in

PowerPoint) outlining the specific revisions to the 2012 SPPA survey instrument, based on all work conducted above. Also include the updated SPPA 2017 instrument. In addition to preparing the

PowerPoint, present the PowerPoint to ORA and the NEA staff at an in-person meeting at NEA.

C.3.11

Given feedback on the PowerPoint and SPPA 2017 instrument provided at the in-person meeting, revise and submit for approval by the Project Director a finalized Pilot Study Presentation and the

SPPA 2017 instrument, as necessary. Deliverables will be shared with the Census Bureau.

SECTION D

PRESERVATION, PACKAGING AND MARKING

PACKAGING AND MARKING

Not Applicable.

SECTION E

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

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

(End of clause)

E.2 52.246-4 Inspection of Services—Fixed-Price (AUG 1996)

E.3 Inspection and Acceptance

FAR Clause 52.246-4 Inspection of Services – Fixed Price, will govern inspection and acceptance of all services performed by the Contractor. The Contractor is responsible for carrying out its obligations under this contract by controlling the quality of all services rendered and ensuring performance of all contract requirements.

SECTION F

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 Timeline for Performing Contract Requirements

Delivery Schedule

F.1.1 Complete Task C.3.1 within 10 days after the award.

F.1.2 Complete Task C.3.2 within 15 days after the award.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/

F.1.3 Complete Task C.3.3 within 3 months after the award.

F.1.4 Complete Task C.3.4 within 4 months after the award.

F.1.5 Complete Task C.3.5 within 5 months after the award.

F.1.6 Complete Task C.3.6 within 6 months after the award.

F.1.7 Complete Task C.3.7 within 7 months after the award.

F.1.8 Complete Task C.3.8 within 8 months after the award.

F.1.9 Complete Task C.3.9 within 10 months after the award.

F.1.10 Complete Task C.3.10 within 11 months after the award.

F.1.11 Complete Task C.3.11 within 12 months after the award.

F.2 Term of Contract

The contract term is for 12 months from the date of award as shown in Section B. All work is expected to be completed within 12 months of award.

F.3 Notice to the Government of Delays

Required services shall begin at time of award in accordance with the Statement of Work. The Contractor is responsible for carrying out its obligations under this contract by controlling the quality of all services rendered and ensuring performance of all contract requirements. To this end, the Contractor shall establish, maintain, and manage quality control throughout the life of this contract. In the event the Contractor encounters difficulty in meeting performance requirements, or when the contractor anticipates difficulty in complying with the contract delivery schedule or completion date, or whenever the Contractor has knowledge that any actual or potential situation is delaying or threatens to delay the timely performance of this contract, the Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer and the Project Director, via telephone and follow-up in writing, giving pertinent details. The contractor shall provide these services within 24 hours of written notification. However, this data shall be informational only in character, and this provision shall not be construed as a waiver by the Government of any delivery schedule or date, or any rights or remedies provided by law or under this contract.

F.4 Deliverables

The contractor shall provide information regarding the content and format for each deliverable. Acceptance of all written documents and receipt of the data tabulations will be based upon the NEA Project Director’s review and approval. The Contractor shall provide any additional reports that may be requested by the

NEA Project Director.

SECTION G

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 NEA Project Director

G.1.1 Upon award, an NEA Project Director will be designated to coordinate the technical aspects of this contract and inspect items/services furnished hereunder; however, he/she shall not be authorized to change any terms and conditions of the resultant contract, including price.

G.1.2 The NEA Project Director is authorized to certify (but not to reject or deny) invoices for payment in accordance with enclosed payment terms. The authority to reject or deny performance and associated invoice payment is expressly reserved for the Contracting Officer.

G.1.3 The NEA Project Director for this contract is:

To be determined at time of award

National Endowment for the Arts

Constitution Center

400 7th Street, SW, Third Floor

Washington, DC 20506

(202) 682-XXXX

G.1.4 The Contracting Officer for this contract is:

Latonca M. Harris

Constitution Center

400 7th Street, SW, Third Floor

(202) 682-5476

Written communications shall make reference to the award contract number and shall be mailed to the above address.

G.2 Invoice Requirements

G.2.1 Written communications shall reference the contract number and shall be e-mailed to the Contracting

Officer/Project Director as necessary. Project-related questions may be directed to the Project Director while contract/cost related questions must be directed to the Contracting Officer. Questions regarding any changes to the contract whatsoever must be directed to the Contracting Officer.

G.2.2 Payment for actual work and services rendered under this contract will be made by the National

Endowment for the Arts via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and in accordance with the contract clause

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (SEPT 2013), and 52.232-33 Payment by

Electronic Funds Transfer— System For Award Management (JUL 2013), upon submission of commercial invoices to the Endowment Finance Office, Second Floor.

The office that will make the payments due under this contract (i.e., the designated payment office) is shown below. Invoices shall be emailed to the email address below:

NEAINVOICES@ARTS.GOV

Finance Office, Second Floor

Constitution Center

400 7th Street, SW

To constitute a proper invoice, the following information and/or attached documentation shall be included with the invoice.

(1) Name and address of the Contractor.

(2) Invoice date.

(3) Contract number.

(4) Period covered by the invoice.

(5) Number and description, quantity, unit price and extended total for the period covered applicable to Section B, Supplies/Services and Prices.

(6) Cumulative amounts billed by to date.

(7) Name and address of Contractor official to whom payment is to be sent (must be the same as that in the contract or in a proper notice of assignment).

(8) Taxpayer Identification Number.

(9) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number.

Please note:

The successful contractor is required to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at:

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. (This was previously known as CCR - the Central Contractor

Registration.)

Assistance with creating/registering a SAM account may be found here:

https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list.

SECTION H

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 Contract Type

This is a Firm Fixed Price Commercial Item Contract.

H.2 Special Contract Requirements

Private Use of Contract Information and Data

Except as specifically authorized by this contract, or as otherwise approved by the Contracting Officer, information and other data developed or acquired by or furnished by the Contractor in the performance of this contract, shall be used by the Contractor only in connection with the work under this contract. The contractor must obtain permission through a written request to the Contracting Officer and approval from the NEA’s General Counsel Office prior to releasing any data for use outside of the performance of this

NEA contract.

In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.227-14(b) Rights in Data-General, the

Contractor shall guarantee strict confidentiality of the information and data that is provided by the mailto:NEAINVOICES@ARTS.GOV https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list

Government during the performance of the contract. The Government has determined that some of the information and data that the Contractor will be providing during the performance of the contract is of a sensitive nature and cannot be disclosed in any manner.

H.3 Prohibition against Soliciting and Performing Personal Services

1. The performance of personal services under this contract is strictly prohibited.

2. Personal service contracting is described in Section 37.104 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR). There are a number of factors, when taken individually or collectively, which may constitute personal services. Each contract arrangement must be judged in light of its own facts and circumstances, but the question relative to personal services is: Will the Government exercise relatively continuous supervision and control over the contractor personnel performing this contract?

3. The government and the Contractor understand and agree that the support services to be delivered under this contract are nonpersonal services in nature; that is, no employer-employee relationships exist or will exist under the contract between the government and the contractor or between the Government and the contractor’s employees.

4. Contractor personnel under this contract shall not:

1. Be placed in a position where they are appointed or employed by a Federal employee, or are under the supervision, direction, or evaluation of a Federal employee.

2. Be placed in a Federal staff or policy making position.

3. Be placed in a position of supervision, direction, or evaluation over NEA personnel, or personnel of other contractors, or become a part of a government organization.

Employee Relationship

1. The services to be performed under this contract do not require the contractor or its employees to exercise personal judgment and discretion on behalf of the government.

2. Rules, regulations, direction, and requirements which are issued by NEA management under their responsibility for good order, administration, and security are applicable to all personnel who enter a Government installation. This is not to be construed or interpreted to establish any degree of Government control which is inconsistent with a non-personal services contract.

3. The Contractor shall immediately advise the Contracting Officer if the contractor or its employees are directed by any Government employee to perform work that the Contractor believes constitutes personal services.

SECTION I

CONTRACT CLAUSES

52.204-9 Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel.

As prescribed in 4.1303, insert the following clause:

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)

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 may be accessed electronically at this Internet address: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/.

(End of clause)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items. (MAY 2015) (Incorporated By

Reference)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive

Orders- Commercial Items. (MAY 2015)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with the following Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clauses, which are incorporated in this contract by reference, to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Dec 2014)

(2) 52.233-3, Protest After Award (AUG 1996) (31 U.S.C. 3553).

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/current/html/Subpart%204_13.html#wp1074728

(3) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Public Laws 108-77, 108-78

(19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(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 items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

X (25) 52.222-3, Convict Labor (June 2003) (E.O. 11755).

X (50) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer— System for Award Management

(JUL 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

(End of Clause)

52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days.

(End of Clause)

52.227-14 Rights in Data-General. (MAY 2014) (Incorporated By Reference)

52.246-4 Inspection of Services -- Fixed-Price (AUG 1996) (Incorporated By Reference

SECTION J

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Wage Determinations Online - www.wdol.gov. Department of Labor Wage Determination Number: 2005-

2103 REV (15) Date of Revision: 12/22/2014 Area: Washington, DC Click on the following hyperlink.

http://www.wdol.gov/wdol/scafiles/std/05-2103.txt?v=15

SECTION K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

The Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically (filed online) via the System for Award Management

(SAM) website accessed through https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/). If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (p) of this provision. If an offeror is experiencing technical difficulties during this process and is not registered at the time of proposal submission, a manually filled copy of the clause

52.212-3 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items (DEC 2014) must be turned in along with the proposal. This shall not count towards any stated page limits for the proposal.

Registering an active account in SAM is REQUIRED for contract award. For assistance with creating a SAM account, please visit the link in the paragraph above.

SECTION L

52.212-1 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS--COMMERCIAL ITEMS (APR 2014)

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541910 with a small business size standard of $15.0M.

(b) The proposal should be no more than 15 pages, single spaced, in 12-point font and submissions shall include at a minimum:

Overview of the Project

Technical Approach

The offeror’s methodology and procedures to accomplish the activities reflected in the statement of work, quality control plan, handling of sensitive data to avoid the appearance of an organizational conflict of interest, and meet the government’s requirements and concerns.

Work Plan

Provide a detailed work plan that addresses the successful completion of the tasks enumerated above.

Description of Qualifications

Discuss past performance, qualifications of your firm, and proposed key personnel. Include subject matter expertise, if applicable.

Proposed Pricing Data (Section B)

Past performance of at least two (2) references, including name and telephone number of point of contact for contracts successfully performed by the Contractor in a Federal setting (similar efforts).

(c) Period for acceptance of offers. The offeror agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 30 calendar days from the date specified for receipt of offers, unless another time period is specified in an addendum to the solicitation.

(d) NA

(e) NA

(f) NA

(g) Contract award (not applicable to Invitation for Bids). The Government intends to evaluate offers and award a contract without discussions with offerors. Therefore, the offeror's initial offer should contain the offeror's best terms from a price and technical standpoint. The Government, however, reserves the right to conduct discussions if later determined by the Contracting Officer to be necessary. The Government may reject any or all offers if such action is in the public interest; accept other than the lowest offer; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

(h) NA

(i) NA

(j) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number. The offeror shall enter, on the cover page of its offer with its name and address, the annotation “DUNS” followed by the DUNS number that identifies the offeror’s name and address. If the offeror does not have a DUNS number, it should contact Dun and

Bradstreet directly to obtain one. An offeror within the United States may contact Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or via the Internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. The offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office. Also, enter your General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Service Schedule Number.

(k) System for Award Management. Unless exempted by an addendum to this solicitation, by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the

SAM database prior to award, during performance and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation. If the Offeror does not become registered in the SAM database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer will proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered Offeror. Offerors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the SAM database accessed through https://www.acquisition.gov.

(l) Debriefing. If a post-award debriefing is given to requesting offerors, the government will do so in accordance with this provision. (End of provision)

SECTION M

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation--Commercial Items (OCT 2014)

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price (Contractor’s Firm Fixed

GSA Schedule Pricing) and other factors considered. In order to select the winning offeror, NEA will rank offerors from best to worst. In addition to the narrative assessments prepared by the Evaluation Team for each evaluation factor, a point scoring system will be used to rank all technical proposals. The point scoring system uses a rating scale of 100%. The evaluation will include four major areas: Overview of the Contractor's Understanding of the Project & Proposed Approach (35%); Description of

Personnel Qualifications in Conducting Literature Reviews, Interviews, and Focus Groups (20%);

Description of Personnel Qualifications in Federal Survey Methodology (35%); and Pricing Data

(10%).

A written notice of award, emailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party.

1. Overview of the Contractor's Understanding of the Project & Proposed Approach (35%)

The proposal demonstrates:

a. An understanding of the aims of the project and the NEA's needs;

b. Knowledge and a clear understanding of the NEA itself and the artistic disciplines it serves;

c. An understanding of the SPPA methodology and its use by arts organizations, policy-makers, and researchers; and

d. Demonstration of experience in working rapidly, effectively, and accurately, producing key deliverables within relatively short time-spans; ability to process high volumes of information and insights and produce compelling, action-able work plans and recommendations. Work samples must be included, including professional references that http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.acquisition.gov/ can attest to the criteria.

2. Description of Personnel Qualifications in Conducting Literature Reviews, Interviews, and Focus

Groups (20%)

The proposal provides evidence of the specific qualifications and skills of the Contractor and their familiarity and experience with (work samples must be included, including professional references that can attest to the criteria):

a. Conducting literature reviews and environmental scans to inform research questions pertaining to individual or societal behavior patterns and/or public policy issues; and

b. Facilitating evidence-based dialogues involving people with varying levels of technical or subject-matter expertise to achieve a specific purpose or outcome.

3. Description of Personnel Qualifications in Federal Survey Methodology (35%)

The proposal provides evidence of the specific qualifications and skills of the Contractor and their familiarity and experience with the following activities or concepts (work samples must be included, including professional references that can attest to the criteria):

e. Formulating, designing, testing, and using nationally representative survey instruments for multiple data-user needs; and

f. Rules and regulations of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and the Census Bureau for conducting federal surveys.

4. Pricing Data (10%)

The proposed budget is appropriate to the administration of the project. The Government will evaluate the contractor’s proposed prices to make a determination that the costs are fair and reasonable in relation to the services provided. The contractor shall provide a reasonable breakdown of their costs to allow the Government to make an assessment of the various components of the overall price.