Amend0004 Attach 4 QuestionsAnswers for MarketingSupportServices.pdf

Number RFQ/PWS Section No.

Section Title or

Page No.

Question Response (Government use)

1 Solicitation Amendment 0002 Page 4 What is the acquisition strategy and competitive basis of solicitation It is full and open competition after exclusion of sources (set-aside for small business)

Source data: For the topical infographics and the metropolitan fact sheets, will HUD or Census provide the specific data tables or extracts, or should the contractor pull from the published AHS and RHFS releases? For the 50 base-year metropolitan fact sheets, will HUD specify which metropolitan areas, or does the contractor propose them?

The contractor should pull from the AHS (American Housing Survey (AHS) - AHS

Table Creator) and RHFS table creator (RHFS) applications. The contractor may pull statistics from AHS and RHFS Public Use File (PUF) microdata, but that is not required. The fact sheets will be for all 25 metro areas that can be estimated using the 2021 AHS.

3 Solicitation Amendment 0003

Publishing: The tasks say "create and publish." Does the contractor publish directly to HUD channels such as HUD USER, or deliver final files for HUD to publish? Who controls the publishing channels and social accounts?

The PWS should say “Create.” The contractor will not publish directly to HUD’s channels. This also applies to Deliverable that indicate “Create and Promote.” They should only say “Create.” Please refer to Amendment 0003 PWS for correction.

Brand and templates: Will HUD provide brand guidelines, templates, or a style guide for the infographics, fact sheets, and reports, or should the contractor propose the design system for HUD approval?

HUD will provide branding guidelines and the PD&R style guide but will be open to suggestions for changes to the design system.

Review cycles: How many rounds of government review and revision should offerors assume per deliverable, and what is the typical HUD turnaround time for feedback?

As noted in the PWS, deliverables will undergo a maximum of 3 rounds of government review (assuming all government comments in the 3 rounds are addressed sufficiently). Weeks for government review are noted in the deliverables table in the PWS.

Section 508: Is there a specific conformance target and testing tool HUD uses for acceptance of accessible PDFs and the interactive infographic?

See PD&R style guide (https://www.huduser.gov/portal/About/style-guide-for-reports.pdf) and Digital Accessibility at HUD | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of

Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Questions about 508 compliance should be directed to 508@HUD.gov.

Interactive infographic (option year): Is there a required hosting environment, content management system, or technology constraint, and will HUD host the final interactive product?

HUD or the Census Bureau will host the final interactive product. HUD notes that

JSON and/or HTML 5 compliant scalable vector graphics (SVG) are the most 508 compliant methods. Power BI is also broadly supported at HUD for interactive displays of data. The contract will have latitude to propose an approach in the technical submission and PD&R will coordinate with HUD's Office of the Chief

Technology Officer (CTO), Office of the Chief Data Officer, Office of Public Affairs

(OPA) and Customer Experience (CX) office as appropriate.

8 Solicitation Amendment 0003

Labor categories and key personnel: Please confirm the minimum education and experience requirements for the six labor categories and the key personnel (Sections H.1 and G.5 through

G.7). May relevant experience substitute for the stated education requirements?

Please refer to Amendment 0003 for corrections to H1 in pricing sheet, and G5 through G7 mentioned in PWS. H1 and G5-G7 were removed. Please refer to

Amendment 0003 PWS and Pricing sheet for correction.

Federal Supply Schedule rates: The RFQ states offerors shall not propose rates exceeding their

Federal Supply Schedule rates. Please confirm this applies only to offerors who hold an FSS contract, and does not disqualify offerors without one.

Yes, this applies to offerors who hold an FSS and does not disqualify offerors without one.

Pricing workbook: Is the Multiple Year Rate Summary tab required given the single base year and single option year, and are fully burdened (loaded) labor rates acceptable in Attachment 3?

It is prefered to fill out the summary page because this page summarizes the total amounts for the base plus option year totals.

AI clauses: The solicitation includes detailed AI System monitoring and evaluation clauses. Please confirm whether these apply to this marketing effort when no AI System or AI Service is being delivered to or operated for the Government, and whether the contractor's internal use of common software tools triggers them.

Yes, the AI clauses are agency specific and they do apply to this action. As described in the clauses, if AI is being used, it needs to be cleared by the agency before use. If internal use of software tools triggers use of AI, the agency should be notified as to what tools and in what capacity they are being used.

One technical question regarding the deliverables in PWS Section 5.5: for the 25 interactive metropolitan area fact sheets included in CLIN 0005AA, does HUD have a preferred technology platform or file format (e.g., HTML/JavaScript, Tableau, ArcGIS, Adobe Animate), or will the contractor have latitude to propose an approach in the technical submission?

HUD notes that JSON and/or HTML 5 compliant scalable vector graphics (SVG) are the most 508 compliant methods. Power BI is also broadly supported at HUD for interactive displays of data. The contract will have latitude to propose an approach in the technical submission and PD&R will coordinate with HUD's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Office of the Chief Data Officer, Office of

Public Affairs (OPA) and Customer Experience (CX) office as appropriate.

Marketing Support Services for Solicitation Number: 86615426Q00017

13 Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing this work?

Currently, there is no incumbent. This is technically a new procurement; however, the government has procured these services once before under contract number

DU203NP-15-D-07 Science, Policy, & Regulatory Support Services.

Has the Government established an Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE) or anticipated budget range that can be shared?

IGCE price range cannot be shared, this is not a construction acquisition where an estimate can be shared according to FAR 36.203. IGCE under the FAR overhaul is considered controlled unclasified information (CUI) which stays internal to the government and is not shared to vendors.

15 RFQ Amendment 0002 Are there any additional amendments or questions and answers anticipated prior to the proposal due date?

Yes, there is a new amendment 0002 published July 6, 2026 to clarify that the acquisition strategy of this action is Full and Open Competition after exclusion of sources (Set-Aside for Small Business).

16 Pricing sheet Amendment 0003 Labor Categories: Are offerors expected to propose their own labor categories and qualifications, or does HUD have preferred or minimum labor categories for this effort?

Yes, offerors are expected to propose their own labor categories, as this project is outcome based. Please refer to amendment 0003 Pricing Sheet, which removes labor categories for the offerors to propose their own labor categories.

Key Personnel: Does HUD require identification of key personnel at the time of proposal submission? If so, are resumes required?

Yes, HUD requires identification of key personnel once the offeror has been selected. Resumes are required no later than five business days after contract award. The key personnel shall include the Project (Contract) Manager and an

Alternate Project (Contract) manager.

Section 508: Does HUD require offerors to demonstrate prior Section 508 experience in the proposal, or is a description of the proposed accessibility approach sufficient?

Please demostrate section 508 compliance by demostrating prior experience, and/or by describing accessibility approach.

Artificial Intelligence: The solicitation references the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). What is the approval process?

Compliance with the AI requirements (AS-2603) is a requirement for eligibility of contract award. However, offerors are not required to obtain approval of specific AI tools as part of proposal submission. The successful contractor will submit its planned AI use to the Government for written authorization, and no AI System may be used in performance without prior written Government approval. The requested information should go to the COR / CO who can email it to ai@hud.gov. For existing contractors who are requesting to add new AI capabilities, these submissions should go through the same process: through the COR / CO who should email it to ai@hud.gov.

Housing Survey Subject Matter Expertise: Does HUD expect the contractor to provide personnel with direct experience supporting the American Housing Survey (AHS), Rental Housing Finance

Survey (RHFS), or other HUD/Census housing surveys, or will demonstrated experience communicating complex statistical and research data be considered sufficient?

HUD does not expect the contractor to provide personnel with direct experience supporting the American Housing Survey (AHS), Rental Housing Finance Survey

(RHFS), or other HUD/Census housing surveys. Demonstrated experience communicating complex statistical and research data is sufficient.

Interactive Infographic: For the required interactive infographic, does HUD have a preferred software platform or delivery format (e.g., HTML, Power BI, Tableau, ArcGIS StoryMaps, Adobe, or another platform)?

HUD notes that JSON and/or HTML 5 compliant scalable vector graphics (SVG) are the most 508 compliant methods. Power BI is also broadly supported at HUD for interactive displays of data. The contract will have latitude to propose an approach in the technical submission and PD&R will coordinate with HUD's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Office of the Chief Data Officer, Office of

Public Affairs (OPA) and Customer Experience (CX) office as appropriate.

Government Furnished Information: Will HUD provide all underlying datasets, graphics standards, branding guidance, historical publications, and source materials necessary to produce the required deliverables?

Yes

Monthly Reports: Is there an existing template for the required monthly progress reports, or should the contractor propose a reporting format?

There is not an existing template for the required monthly progress reports. The contractor should propose a reporting format (for example, the format should include task summaries, issues and risks, and next steps, due dates for deliverable, submitted dates for deliverables, and the date they were accepted by

HUD).

24 PWS

Section 1.10 &

Section 5.1.3

Meetings: Aside from the kickoff meeting, are recurring status meetings anticipated? If so, what frequency should offerors assume for planning purposes?

The Contractor and HUD shall meet monthly at a minimum (Section 5.1.3), but may meet more frequently, as appropriate, to review Contractor performance, requirement status, etc. (Section 1.10).

Travel: Amendment 0001 changed the place of performance to the contractor's facility. Should offerors assume that all meetings may be conducted virtually unless otherwise directed by the

Government, or should travel be included for any anticipated in-person meetings?

All meetings will be conducted virtually unless otherwise directed by the

Government.

Revision Cycles: Should offerors assume the revision cycles identified in the PWS represent the maximum expected number of Government review cycles for each deliverable?

Yes, assuming the Contractor has sufficiently addressed all of HUD’s comments by the end of these cycles.

Option Year: Should offerors assume that the level of effort, staffing, and management approach for the option period will be substantially similar to the base period unless otherwise noted in the

PWS?

Yes

Ownership of Work Product: Will all deliverables, including source files (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, PowerPoint, and editable graphics), become Government property upon acceptance?

Yes

29 PWS, Section 6 Deliverables

Government Review Time: For scheduling purposes, is there an expected Government review and comment period for draft deliverables that offerors should assume when developing the project schedule?

Government review time is included in the Deliverables table.

30 Solicitation Amendment 0003

The PWS is dated September 2024, and the required deliverables reflect that date (e.g., 50th

Anniversary article for the AHS, Strategic Plan for 2021). Does HUD intend the contractor to repeat this work, or will an updated PWS/deliverables be issued based on a September 2026 date?

The PWS is dated April 22, 2026 on the title page. The footer was not updated.

The most recent data released for the AHS is from 2023 and the most recent data released for the RHFS is from 2024. The 50th Anniversary article for the AHS is still relevant and does not repeat work that has already been conducted. The Strategic

Plan description should be updated to indicate 2026 and beyond, but will cover new topical areas added to the AHS since 2021. Note: there was no AHS collected in

2025 (only a small field test). The next AHS 2-year data will be available in late

2028, after the end of the contract. The first AHS 1-year data will be available in late 2027. Thus, there is the possibility that those data could be incorporated into the option year infographics. Please refer to Amendment 003 for date corrections.

31 Evaluation Criteria

"Under the Technical Approach evaluation criteria, the solicitation states:

“For all key personnel proposed, the proposal provides the name, role in the study, summary of their qualifications, number of hours to be dedicated to each task and sub-task. The proposal includes a chart indicating the named key personnel and associated labor category by hours and by task for all staff hours.”

However, under the Management Plan requirements, the solicitation states:

“The offeror shall submit a Management Plan that details key positions and responsibilities

(position/role and not individuals to be named to such position/role).”

These two sections appear to provide different instructions regarding whether individuals must be identified.

Can the Government clarify whether offerors are required to identify and name individuals proposed for key personnel positions, or whether it is sufficient to describe the positions/roles only?

Additionally, are resumes or other qualification documentation for proposed key personnel required as part of the proposal submission?"

Under the management plan, the vendor can identify a position in example Program

Manager and propose position/roles not individual names. Once selected the vendor will be asked the names of the key personnel. The quote only requires key positions and responsibilities (i.e., Program Manager), once a vendor is selected the government will ask for specific key personnel names.

Will there be bilingual or multilingual materials? If so, what languages should offerors anticipate supporting?

There will not be bilingual or multilingual materials.

Interactive fact sheets/infographics — format & hosting. For the 25 interactive 2021 AHS metropolitan fact sheets (A013) and the interactive infographic (A021): What deliverable format does HUD expect (e.g., Tableau Public workbook, packaged Power BI, self-contained HTML, or embed on huduser.gov)? Will HUD host the interactive files, or must the contractor host them, and for how long?

The interactive files will be hosted by HUD or the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD notes that JSON and/or HTML 5 compliant scalable vector graphics (SVG) are the most

508 compliant methods. Power BI is also broadly supported at HUD for interactive displays of data. The contract will have latitude to propose an approach in the technical submission and PD&R will coordinate with HUD's Office of the Chief

Technology Officer (CTO), Office of the Chief Data Officer, Office of Public Affairs

(OPA) and Customer Experience (CX) office as appropriate.

Section 508 for interactives. Does HUD require the interactive deliverables to meet the same

Section 508/WCAG standard as the static PDFs, and is there a specific conformance level or testing artifact (e.g., an ACR/VPAT) HUD wants submitted with each?

HUD requires interactive deliverables to meet the same Section 508/WCAG standard as static PDFs. The ACR should indicate that the deliverable supports the accessibility standard.

35 PWS, Section 5 Section 5, Specific

Tasks

Level of effort / IGCE reference. Can HUD share the estimated labor mix or total level of effort it anticipates for this requirement, or the incumbent's approximate hours, to help offerors propose a realistic level of effort?

This is a performance based acquisition, the government wants innovation, telling the industry exactly how many hours to complete the tasks is up to the company.

The PWS lists tasks to be done, and how often to be done, please refer to section

5 of the PWS titled "Specific Tasks"

Page count of the pricing/labor volume. Confirm that the labor mix/level-of-effort matrix and the

Attachment 3 pricing sheet are excluded from the 15-page Technical Approach limit (the addendum says exhibits/matrices are excluded — requesting confirmation this includes the LOE matrix).

Attachment 3 pricing sheet is excluded from the 15 page technical approach limit.

Sole proprietor / single-person firm. Does HUD have any concern with, or additional documentation required from, an offeror proposing to self-perform all labor categories as a single-person small business (no subcontractors)?

It is fine, as long as the single person firm is able to submit a realistic level of effort and complete the outcome based tasks listed in the PWS. The government is interested in quality outcome based results.

Style guide & templates. Beyond the PD&R "Guidelines for Preparing a Report for Publication," will

HUD provide brand templates or the source files for the 2017/2019/2021 sample fact sheets and infographics referenced in the PWS?

HUD will provide brand templates. HUD does not have Microsoft Word drafts of all fact sheets, infographics, and other deliverables, but will provide those that are available (some are only in PDF format).

39 Could you please provide the name of the incumbent.

Currently, there is no incumbent. This is technically a new procurement; however, the government has procured these services once before under contract number

DU203NP-15-D-07 Science, Policy, & Regulatory Support Services.

40 Could we please get the current contract/task order number and the value. There is no current contract/task order number.

41 Solicitation Amendment 0003

Set-aside status. Amendment 0002 removed the "Sole Source" language from the SF 1449 and the Best Value Evaluation Process and Award section. Could you please confirm that this requirement is now a competitive small business set-aside? One paragraph in the current document still references a sole source small business set-aside, so we want to be certain of the competitive basis before responding.

Yes, this requirement is a competitive small business set-aside.

Federal Supply Schedule requirement. The solicitation states that offerors shall not propose rates exceeding those awarded under their Federal Supply Schedule contract. Could you please confirm whether an active GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract is required to quote, or whether open market quotations will also be accepted?

This requirement is full and open competition set aside for small business.

43 Solicitation Amendment 0003

The QASP (Attachment 2) identifies social media outreach and management, webinars, listserv engagement, and GitHub repository creation as 100%-performance-standard activities. These do not appear as standalone, numbered deliverables in PWS Section 5. Please confirm whether these activities are separate deliverables requiring their own labor/pricing allocation, or whether they are embedded within the existing numbered tasks?

The activities (Social Media Outreach, Webinars, Listserv Engagement, and GitHub repository creation) were removed from the PWS, but not from the QASP. They are not embedded within the existing numbered tasks. The QASP is revised, please refer to Amendment 0003.

44 PWS, Section 6 Section 6, Deliverables Can the Government provide estimated annual quantities for each deliverable type (short articles, fact sheets, static and interactive infographics) under each CLIN?

Annual quantities are included in the Deliverables tables (Section 6) under the

Column “QTY.” A001 through A013 (and A025 and A026) are for the Base Year of the Contract. A015 through A022 are for the Option Year of the Contract. A014 is for both years of the Contract. A023, A024, A027, and A028 are as directed or as needed by the Government.

45 PWS Deliverables Is there an anticipated maximum number of Government review cycles per deliverable? 3 rounds, as noted in the PWS.

Does the Government anticipate the contractor conducting original audience research, or should the contractor rely on existing HUD analytics and research?

The Government does not anticipate the contract conducting original audience research. The contract should rely on existing HUD analytics and research.

Regarding the on-site place of performance: are contractor personnel expected on-site full time, on a hybrid schedule, or as requested?

The place of perfomance will be in the contractor's facility.

Can the Government identify any level-of-effort assumptions (deliverable counts, audience segments, meeting cadence) that quoters should use in developing a firm-fixed-price quotation?

Deliverable counts are included in the deliverables table. In addition to the

Orientation Meeting and the Transition Out meeting, meetings will occur at a minimum monthly.

49 PWS, Section 6 Section 6, Deliverables Can the Government provide estimated annual quantities for each deliverable type (short articles, fact sheets, static and interactive infographics) under each CLIN?

Annual quantities are included in the Deliverables tables (Section 6) under the

Column “QTY.” A001 through A013 (and A025 and A026) are for the Base Year of the Contract. A015 through A022 are for the Option Year of the Contract. A014 is for both years of the Contract. A023, A024, A027, and A028 are as directed or as needed by the Government.

50 PWS, Section 6 Section 6, Deliverables Approximately how many short articles does HUD expect to be produced annually?

The quantities are in the Deliverable table in Section 6 of the PWS. There are two base year short articles (one on the 50th Anniversary of the AHS”) and two option year short articles.

51 PWS Deliverables Is there an anticipated maximum number of Government review cycles per deliverable? 3 rounds, as noted in the PWS.

Does the Government anticipate the contractor conducting original audience research, or should the contractor rely on existing HUD analytics and research?

The Government does not anticipate the contract conducting original audience research. The contract should rely on existing HUD analytics and research. We cannot conduct listening sessions or in-depth interview, or create on-line questionnaire to collect aggregate data about our users, for more than 9 people.

Doing this for more than 9 people requires OMB approval, which cannot be achieved within the time frame of this procurement.The market research is going to have to be more general in nature, relying upon review of other products and best practices.

Are the Metropolitan Fact Sheets and Infographics expected to be developed from existing HUD data, or is the contractor expected to perform additional research and analysis beyond the published survey datasets?

Metropolitan Fact Sheets and Infographics are expected to be developed from existing HUD data. No additional research and analysis is expected beyond the published survey datasets.

Does HUD anticipate updating existing reports and graphics, or creating entirely new products during the base year?

HUD anticipates the products produced in the base year to be a combination of updates to existing reports and graphics and entirely new products.

Can HUD provide additional detail regarding the expected scope and level of effort for CLIN 0004

("Create an AHS Strategic Plan: 2021 and Later Report")? Specifically, is HUD seeking a communications/marketing strategy, a program strategy, a data dissemination strategy, or a broader strategic plan for the American Housing Survey?

The deliverable is an update of the following report: Strategic Plan: 2015 and

Beyond. It will include the addition of Topical and Core AHS content since 2021 and descriptions of methodological changes to the AHS that began in 2026. HUD will provide an outline and some narrative content, the contractor will provide additional narrative content, including an update the communications/marketing strategy.

Does HUD have an anticipated outline, template, or prior version of the AHS Strategic Plan that offerors may reference?

The prior version of the AHS Strategic Plan can be found here: Strategic Plan:

2015 and Beyond.

Approximately how many stakeholder interviews, workshops, or planning sessions does HUD anticipate will be required to develop the Strategic Plan?

The development of the Strategic Plan will not include interviews, workshops, or planning sessions with stakeholders. We cannot conduct listening sessions or in-depth interview, or create on-line questionnaire to collect aggregate data about our users, for more than 9 people. Doing this for more than 9 people requires OMB approval, which cannot be achieved within the time frame of this procurement.The market research is going to have to be more general in nature, relying upon review of other products and best practices.

Will HUD provide access to internal subject matter experts and program leadership for interviews and strategy development? If so, approximately how many?

Yes, there will be approximately 10 personnel.

59 Solicitation, Amendment 0001 Regarding the on-site place of performance: are contractor personnel expected on-site full time, on a hybrid schedule, or as requested?

The place of perfomance will be in the contractor's facility. Please review

Amendment 0001 for correction.

60 Solicitation, Amendment 0001

The solicitation states that services will be performed onsite at the Government facility. Does HUD anticipate routine onsite support throughout the period of performance, or will onsite attendance primarily be required for kickoff meetings, planning sessions, and presentations?

The place of perfomance will be in the contractor's facility. Please review

Amendment 0001 for correction.

61 Can HUD estimate the anticipated number of onsite meetings during the base year? None, place of performance is set for contractor's facility, and virtually.

Would HUD permit virtual participation for recurring status meetings and strategy workshops when appropriate?

Yes. All meetings and strategy workshops may be virtual.

Will HUD provide existing branding standards, templates, Section 508 guidance, and style guides for all publications?

Yes

Will HUD provide access to existing survey usage metrics or user analytics that should inform the

Strategic Plan and outreach recommendations?

TBD, this will depend on approvals

Can HUD identify the primary stakeholder organizations that will review and approve deliverables

(e.g., PD&R, Census Bureau partners, program offices)?

PD&R and Census Bureau partners

Can the Government identify any level-of-effort assumptions (deliverable counts, audience segments, meeting cadence) that quoters should use in developing a firm-fixed-price quotation?

Deliverable counts are included in the deliverables table. In addition to the

Orientation Meeting and the Transition Out meeting, meetings will occur at a minimum monthly.

Can HUD provide an estimated level of effort, historical annual value, or anticipated funding range for this requirement?

Average historical annual value has been $371,505, but previous requirements have also included the development and production of webinars, listserv posts, and social media messages.

Is there an incumbent contractor currently performing these services? If so, will a transition period and knowledge transfer be provided?

There is no current incumbent

69 Solicitation Amendment 0002 Page 63

Beyond technical acceptability, are there specific evaluation considerations for demonstrating experience with strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, housing research, or federal survey programs?

There are not specific evaluation considerations beyond those discussed in the

“Evaluation Factors for LPTA Acquisitions” that are discussed starting on page 63 of the solicitation and address the technical approach, management plan, and price.