REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - Webscraped Apparel Data.docx

Department of Labor - OSPE Request for Information (RFI)/Sources Sought Notice Webscraped Apparel Data

SPECIAL NOTICE: SOURCES SOUGHT & REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This notice does not represent a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for information received as a result of this announcement. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and any follow-up information requests to include an invite to further explain/demonstrate aspects of their proposed approach. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Information provided in response to this RFI is submitted voluntarily and is not being requested as part of a solicitation for actual pricing.

PURPOSE OF RFI:

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information about potential vendors to obtain webscraped apparel products from several national retailers in the form of structured datasets to be delivered three times per month.

Responses to this RFI will be reviewed by DOL for their applicability to the Government’s need and determined to be “Relevant” or “Irrelevant” to the above problem. Offerors of “Relevant” responses may be requested to demonstrate their approach and/or product to a Government panel of Subject Matter Experts to help DOL determine the best approach.

BACKGROUND:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has an ongoing interest in market data with which to analyze, evaluate, and improve the indexes it produces. Specifically, the BLS desires structured datasets of webscraped apparel products at various retailers, including prices and item details, to conduct research on new CPI alternative data methodologies and collection methods.

The BLS is the principle Federal agency responsible for measuring price changes in the economy and constructs indexes using data collected from both households and business establishments. Because of the importance of BLS data, it is critical that the component indexes are accurate, timely, and relevant.

SCOPE

The BLS is looking for structured datasets with all apparel products available for sale in the United States at the largest U.S. apparel retailers, meaning men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, along with footwear, jewelry, and watches. The necessary variables and a brief description are listed below in Table 1.

Table 1: Variables for the Data File

· SKU/product ID

· Category and subcategories

· Offer price

· Regular price

· Third party seller (if applicable)

· Shipping fee (if possible)

· Indicator of sales ranking (if possible)

· Product description, including detailed specifications such as brand, material, sleeve length, closure, etc.

Table 2 is a basic example of the structure of the webscraped apparel data:

Table 2: Example of Monthly Data File

Sleeve: ___ Neck: ___ Closure: ___ Men's Suits

Outsole: ___ Heel: ___ Closure: ___ Women’s Footwear

Potential vendors should be able to complete the following tasks at a minimum:

· Provide every apparel, footwear, jewelry item available for purchase in the United States on the specified store websites three times per month for one year, starting October 2026.

· Provide data for all of the features listed in Table 1.

· Provide data in an electronic format in a standard file type (i.e. CSV, SAS, txt, etc.)

· Provide data in a secure electronic manner such as secure file transfer protocol (SFTP).

Please be advised that the selected vendor may not use the Bureau of Labor Statistics name in connection with any collection of data that is being purchased under this contract. The data being purchased should be commercially available and not collected exclusively on behalf of the BLS. The vendor will not have access to BLS data.

RFI QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Company description, discussion of company capabilities, and general summary of approach to accomplishing the requirements listed in the Scope section of this RFI.

1. Historical information (description and length of time providing this service, as well as under what North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) XXXXXXXXX) to the public and other federal agencies.

1. Describe your type of business, (i.e., small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, HUB Zone, serviced-disabled veteran-owned small business, large business, etc.), under NAICS XXXXXXXXX, which contains a size standard of XXXXXXXXXXX.

1. Does your company possess the capabilities to provide the entire range and scope of these requirements (i.e. the listed services/products, the listed data variables, the data time period)? If not, please list which requirements your company can provide and those that you cannot.

1. At what frequency is the data collected and processed?

1. How quickly can data be delivered and what is the turnaround time for the most current data (e.g., can it be delivered within one month of awarding contract)? Is there a lag in the data and if so, what is it?

1. In what format(s) can the data be provided?

1. Does your company provide technical support if issues arise with the delivered data? Do you provide continuous customer service with subject matter experts?

1. Do you provide documentation with detailed definitions of all values provided (i.e., a data dictionary)?

1. How do you sample your data? How do you collect your data? Please explain methodology.

1. What potential risks do you anticipate that could impact the requirement, whether it is performance risk, technical risk or cost? Please be specific.

RESPONSES TO RFI

RFI responses shall conform to the format below and provide the following information:

1. Cover Letter – The cover letter must include the following information:

· Company name

· Company point of contact, telephone number and email address

· Date submitted

2. Offerors shall respond to each of the general questions.

3. If the offeror chooses not to respond to a question, indicate “no response.”

4. Submit a capabilities package that include the above considerations that demonstrate capabilities and expertise related to the information outlined. As part of the market research associated with this RFI, we are also seeking pricing information. Any pricing information received is to be Rough Order of Magnitude, and is solely for information-gathering and planning purposes.

5. Marketing and/or reference materials, if included, shall be placed at the end of the response, in an appendix.

6. Responses shall not exceed 30 pages and should be submitted in Microsoft Word .doc or .docx formats, Times New Roman 11-point or 12-point font, with 1-inch margins minimum all around.

RFI SCHEDULE

Responses to the RFI shall be submitted via email to Daniel Garza, garza.daniel@dol.gov by 12:00PM EST on Friday, July 31st, 2026.

Contracting Officer – Shayla Battle Email: Battle.Shayla.E@dol.gov

Contracting Specialist – Daniel Garza Email: Garza.Daniel@dol.gov Questions regarding this RFI shall be e-mailed to the above point of contact by 12:00PM EST on Friday, July 24, 2026. Questions and answers shall be posted as an amendment to this RFI. The Government reserves the right to edit any questions as needed to protect the identity of the source, but absent this consideration, the Government intends to quote each submitted question verbatim in its response.

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for information received in response to this RFI. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Information provided in response to this RFI will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for determining how to proceed in the acquisition process for an agency-wide asset management system and may lead to the development of a Performance Work Statement for the system. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made.