Q and A.docx

Q&A to RFI RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS FOR RESEARCH STUDIES

1. Will this be a single award or will BLS be awarding contracts to multiple vendors?

a. If BLS issues a solicitation, whether intended as a single or multiple awards will be indicated at that time.

2. Can the personally identifiable information of the recruited participants be withheld from BLS project staff in order to maintain the confidentiality of participants?

a. Minimizing PII shared is acceptable but will not circumvent requirements by the vendor for storing and maintaining PII in accordance with government regulations. Vendors will be responsible for maintaining confidentiality for participants of their participation in BLS research. Vendors should also consider the possibility that respondents may disclose personally identifiable information to BLS staff. Additionally, BLS may record sessions with participants, which would result in biometric data that is considered PII.

3. Will the vendor have the authority to determine the incentive amounts or will the incentive amounts be pre-determined by the BLS study team?

a. Research that BLS will conduct with participants will be required to be reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At this time, OMB permits incentives of $50 for one hour, or $90 for 90 minutes or more to address participation burden in interviewer moderated sessions. BLS is open to innovative approaches from vendors to facilitate recruitment of quality participants.

4. Are there specific data security certifications or protocols vendors are required to meet to comply with BLS confidentiality and privacy standards?

a. If BLS issues a solicitation, confidentiality and security requirements will be included at that time.

5. Paragraph four states, “Some studies may involve focus groups lasting 1.5 hours; these participants are paid up to $90.” Can you please provide the number of focus groups, so we can provide a more accurate fee structure?

a. The number of focus groups are likely to vary each year with low volume. Past work has shown a need for as few as one, and as many as 4-5.

6. Can you provide a draft PWS?

a. A PWS will be provided at the time BLS determines to issue a solicitation. At this time, BLS is seeking information on capabilities that will be used to inform the PWS.

7. Will the bureau handle any PRA (Paperwork Reduction Act) and IRB formalities? Or is that something we should count on?

a. BLS anticipates submitting PRA clearances. BLS further anticipates that the contractor will need to provide some details concerning participant recruiting that will be used in the preparation of the PRA clearance packages.

8. Do you all anticipate a BPA where the contractor prices out each recruitment job based on specific criteria? At times, recruits could be quite different depending on participant profiles, so costs could vary.

a. See response to Question 1.

9. One population listed as potential are those who "have used the BLS.gov website or BLS data products." If the contractor was to recruit for these groups, would BLS provide the list for the contractor to recruit from?

a. Vendors should not plan on such lists being available or BLS having the ability to share any lists.

10. Can the government please provide the desired NAICS code(s) that should be in questions #2 and #2?

a. BLS is not providing a desired NAICS code. Vendors should provide the NAICS code their business falls under.

11. Can the government please provide the anticipated budget for this requirement?

a. BLS anticipates using responses to this RFI to determine the budget.

12. Is this a new requirement? If not, can the government please provide the incumbent contract information?

a. This is a new requirement. There is no incumbent.