Sources-Sought-RFI FINAL UPDATE.pdf

Sources Sought Synopsis

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for the Collaboration with HHS to Better Prioritize or Promote On-Site Childcare Supportive Services for HUD-Assisted Families. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is

541611.

There is no solicitation at this time. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) organization name, address, email address, website address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to 1) provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract.

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. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 5:00 pm

MDT, April 30, 2022. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to

Kathy Gatewood Clark at Kathy.L.Clark@hud.gov. Additional information on the required services is listed below.

If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact: Kathy Gatewood Clark

@ 720-672-5432

Background:

Research has shown that high quality early childcare and education (ECE) can have positive effects on the cognitive, emotional, and social development and health of children (Elango et al., 2016). A recent study investigated the long-term effects of public pre-K programs in Boston

Commented [FAL1]: I think we should strike this—we aren’t planning for multiple awards.

Commented [CJS2R1]: Agreed

(Gray-Lobe, Pathak, and Walters, 2021). Children were enrolled into pre-K programs through a randomized lottery system. Compared to children who did not enroll in pre-K, children who enrolled in pre-K were less likely to get suspended from school, less likely to skip class, less likely to get in trouble and be sent to a juvenile detention facility, more likely to graduate high school, and more likely to go to college. The pre-K children did not have significantly higher standardized test scores, suggesting that the benefits from pre-K were on developing non-cognitive skills. These effects can be greater for low-income children (Vandell et al., 2010).

Even with subsidies, high quality childcare can still be unaffordable (Lipscomb 2013). Childcare assistance is also important for parental employment. Surveys of Public Housing tenants found that childcare was the second most frequently cited barrier to parental employment (MDHA

2013; Riccio et al., 2017; Thurber et al., 2020). These results are supported by studies that have shown increased employment among low-income parents who receive subsidized ECE

(Morrissey 2017). Despite evidence that childcare can be a barrier to employment, there is a dearth of research on the access to childcare in the housing-assisted population, and there is no systematic accounting of federally supported on-site childcare programs at federally assisted housing projects.

The one known example of research to specifically study the intersection of housing assistance and childcare is Public Housing Child Care Demonstration Program, Program Assessment:

First Round (Sextant Consultants, Inc., 1992). In 1989, HUD performed a demonstration of on-site childcare and an assessment was published in 1992. HUD provided a total of $5 million in a round of 57 grants to 55 non-profits. These grants enabled non-profits to partner with Public or

Indian Housing Agencies to start on-site childcare programs at public housing sites. Most of the funds were used for renovation, equipment, supplies, and staffing. The programs relied on other sources of funding for operational costs or to subsidize costs for parents. 51 of the 57 grants successfully started up childcare programs and 44 remained in operation in 1992. The assessment included provider interviews and case studies. Respondents reported high levels of satisfaction with the programs and believed they were helpful for employment. Start-up renovation and licensing issues were the biggest problems for the programs. Although the early results were promising, no follow-up assessment has been conducted to evaluate the long-term effects.

Although relatively little is known about the childcare needs specifically among HUD-assisted families, there is a large body of literature on ECE among low-income families. Low-income families tend to use more informal care than higher-income families (Carlin et al., 2019). They tend to use informal care with relatives for infants and toddlers, while they use more formal family childcare or center-based care for preschool-age children. Higher education levels are also associated with greater use of center-based care. One study by the Urban Institute investigated the ECE preferences of low-income families (Chaudry et al., 2011). Over a third of the families preferred to use family members for care, generally due to less trust in stranger care. Trust and the relationship with the provider were identified by more than half of the families as important factors. The study noted that the expressed preferences of parents were not always the most important factors when choosing care, however. Most parents preferred ECE that provided learning opportunities for their children, however the most important factors in choosing care were often location, hours of care, and cost. Consistent with that result, more families in the Commented [FAL3]: Why is this bolded?

Commented [CJS4R3]: I recommend unbolding this study used relative care than expressed a preference for it. This is because low-income working families face significant challenges for ECE. Their employment can be unstable, at non-standard hours, and lack flexibility to accommodate ECE needs. They also have greater difficulty affording paid ECE, which can cost on average more than $9,000 per child per year (Child Care

Aware of America 2019). When families receive subsidies, however, they tend to have greater utilization of formal and center-based care (Huston, Chang, and Gennetian, 2002). Federal ECE assistance is available for low-income families and those programs are discussed in the attached

DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS).

General Description of Work:

PD&R will procure the services of a Contractor to describe 1) ECE needs, preferences, and solutions used by HUD assisted families, 2) how HUD-assisted families engage with ECE assistance programs, 3) the current availability of on-site ECE, and 4) how PHAs and Federal and state policies can support on-site ECE. The procured services will focus largely on qualitative data collection from a handful of PHAs in limited geographies. These services are necessary to develop an understanding of the challenges HUD-assisted families and PHAs face about possible solutions. Detailed descriptions of specific tasks are provided in Section 5 –

Specific Tasks and Deliverables of the attached Performance Work Statement.

Below are the characteristics of the requirements for Collaboration with HHS to

Better Prioritize or Promote On-Site Childcare Supportive Services for HUD-

Assisted Families:

1) Size status and representation of your business falls into categories such as but not limited to the following: Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Veteran Owned Small

Business (VOSB), Hubzone, Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB), SBA Certified 8(A), etc.).

2) Business is listed on GSA Schedule Contracts, etc. Please include in your submission all GSA

Schedule Contracts, etc. where your business is listed. If your firm would like to provide another

NAICS that might be also suited to projects like this may list these additional NAICS in the response to the RFI with an explanation for the addition.

3) Proven capability to support the successful execution of rigorous research and program evaluation efforts related to a broad set of policy topics in the domain of housing, workforce development, and childcare, including specific examples of large-scale social science research studies that the business has undertaken, or partnered to undertake, in the past 6 years. Examples provided should demonstrate experience and capacity with the skills, abilities, and experiences listed in this RFI, as well as any links or references to resulting publications. Please include references or links to published documents authored by the firm.

4) Ability to provide no less than 3, but no more than 6, past performance references that describe the type of contract, the work performed under the contract, the value of the contract, current point of contact for the subject contract name, including phone number, and email addresses.

5) Possession of a SAM UEI number.

6) Extensive, proven experience in conducting large-scale and rigorous research social science research, including the design and implementation of mixed-methods research that require synthesizing large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data.

7) Demonstrated experience obtaining, cleaning, linking, analyzing, and protecting large datasets of either survey data or administrative records that may include personally identifiable information

Commented [FAL5]: Jeff—I’d recommend including the fact this this study will focus largely on qualitative data collection form just a handful of PHA in limited geographies. As written, I would interpret the scope of the project to be a national view (e.g. a big survey of assisted households on childcare needs and patterns of usage).

Commented [CJS6R5]: Added a sentence to reflect this

(PII), especially HUD and HHS administrative records and the administrative records of other relevant health, employment and social service benefit programs, wage and employment records, etc.

8) Proven, deep knowledge of the statutory requirements related to Federally-sponsored data collections and the secure management of PII, including the requirement of the Paperwork

Reduction Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 and experience in developing Information Collection

Requests for review by the Office of Management and Budget and the development of Privacy

Impact Assessments and Systems of Record Act Notices.

9) Experience in qualitative research methods, including developing data collection instruments and protocols, conducting interviews and focus groups, and coding, analyzing, and synthetizing qualitative data.

10) Subject matter expertise in HUD-funded programs, such as the public housing program, the

Housing Choice Voucher program, multi-family programs, homeownership programs, and community development programs.

11) Subject matter expertise in childcare programs and assistance for low-income households, such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

(TANF), Head Start, and Early Head Start.

12) Strong writing capabilities and demonstrated experience translating large amounts of quantitative and qualitative data into effective research reports and issue briefs that are accessible to a broad variety of audiences.

13) Communication skills that support successful data collection from entities such as HUD or HHS grantees, Public Housing Agencies, and program participants.

14) Exceptional organization and managerial experience conducting large, multi-site, multi-method, and complex research efforts on time and within budget.

The tasks require a set of skill categories based on the following approximate breakdown:

Scientific 50%, Professional/Executive Admin 50%

Contemplated performance metrics:

Statements Standards/AQLs Incentive/Remedy

5.1.3 Monthly

Reporting and Ongoing Communication

a) Standard: Monthly reports are submitted by the end of the first week of each month.

AQL: Deviation of 3 business days.

Remedy:

Resubmit with corrections.

5.2 Literature

Review

a) Standard: Final Literature Review is responsive to HUD comments provided on the Draft Literature Review.

AQL: 95% of HUD comments are addressed in the Final Literature Review

Remedy: Resubmit with corrections.

5.8 Comprehensive Final Report

a) Standard: Final Comprehensive Report is responsive to HUD comments provided on the Draft Comprehensive Report.

AQL: 95% of HUD comments are addressed in the Final Comprehensive Report

Remedy: Resubmit with corrections.

5.9 Briefing and

Webinar

a) Standard: Webinar Slides are responsive to HUD comments provided.

AQL: 95% of HUD comments are addressed in the Final Webinar Slides

b) Standard: Timely and accurately reports on the work

Remedy: Resubmit with corrections.

Contemplated report requirements:

Potential report requirements include a Management and Work Plan, monthly progress reports, research design, and final report, among others

Contemplated dollar value of the project:

Potential dollar value is $849,000

Contemplated place of performance:

Primarily at the contractor’s facility conducted during the contract.

AQL: The Webinar Slides are submitted on time based on the schedule in the MWP and reflects the full substance of the requirements