RFP_18-07_Research_Analytical_Services.pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

(THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)

PAGE

OF

PAGES

1. REQUEST NO.

RFP # 18-07

2. DATE ISSUED

2/14/2018

3. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NO.

18-0110

4. CERT. FOR NAT. DEF.

UNDER BDSA REG. 2

AND/OR DMS REG. 1 >

RATING

5A. ISSUED BY

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA)

400 7th St. SW, 3rd floor Washington DC 20506

6. DELIVER BY (Date)

5B. FOR INFORMATION CALL: (Name and telephone no.) (No collect calls)

LATRINA BAKER (202) 682-5618

7. DELIVERY

FOB DESTINATION OTHER (See Schedule)

8. TO: NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE 9. DESTINATION (Consignee and address, including ZIP Code)

10. PLEASE FURNISH PROPOSALS TO THE ISSUING OFFICE IN BLOCK 5A ON OR BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS (Date)

Please Furnish Proposals no later than:

5:00 PM EST, FEBRUARY 26, 2018

IMPORTANT: This is a request for information, and quotations furnished are not offers. If you are unable to quote, please so indicate on this form and return it to the address in Block 5A.

This request does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the submission of this quotation or to contract for supplies or services. Supplies are of domestic origin unless otherwise indicated by quoter. Any representations and/or certifications attached to this Request for Proposals must be completed by the quoter.

12. SCHEDULE (Include applicable Federal, State and local taxes)

ITEM NO.

(a)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(b)

QUANTITY

UNIT

(d)

UNIT PRICE

(e)

AMOUNT

(f)

Proposals are requested to provide analytical services for the NEA’s Office of Research & Analysis as needed. All services are requested as described in this Request for Proposal (RFP).

NAICS: 541720

PSC: B599

QUESTIONS DEADLINE:

E-mail to bakerl@arts.gov by 5:00 PM EST, FEBRUARY 20, 2018.

PROPOSALS DEADLINE:

Proposals must be e-mailed to bakerl@arts.gov by the time stated above.

*Faxed proposals will not be accepted.

SEE

PRICING

SCHEDULE

ON PAGE 4

SEE

PRICING

SCHEDULE ON

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT >

10 CALENDAR DAYS

20 CALENDAR

DAYS

30 CALENDAR DAYS

CALENDAR DAYS

14. NAME AND ADDRESS OF QUOTER (Street, city, county, State, and ZIP Code) 15. SIGNATURE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN

PROPOSAL

16. DATE OF PROPOSAL

17. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 18. TELEPHONE NO. (Include area code)

Standard Form 18 (Rev. 6-95) mailto:bakerl@arts.gov mailto:%20bakerl@arts.gov

Feb 14, 2018

Subject: NEA Request For Proposal (RFP) 18-07 | Research Analytical Services

Dear Prospective Offeror:

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation issued in accordance with FAR Part 13. The NEA invites contractors to submit proposals for the services described in this RFP.

Enclosed you will find a statement of work/solicitation seeking proposals to provide analytical services for the Office of Research & Analysis.

SET-ASIDE: This acquisition is a 100% small business (SB) set-side in accordance with FAR 6.203.

Only small businesses eligible under the SB program will be eligible for award. Offers received from vendors that are not small business concerns shall be considered nonresponsive and will be rejected.

Notes:

1. Please read all sections of this RFP, including (but not limited to):

a. Section B, (supplies/service and prices)

b. Section C (description of work);

c. Section E, (inspection and acceptance);

d. Section F (deliverables schedule);

e. Section G (contract administration data);

f. Section H (Special Contract Requirements);

g. Section K (Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors

h. Section L (important guidance/requirements regarding proposal submissions and the agency budget, etc.); and

i. Section M (evaluation criteria).

j. One (1) attachment to this RFP.

2. This RFP in no way obligates the Government to award a contract, nor does it commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in preparing and submitting your proposal.

QUESTIONS DEADLINE: Questions concerning this proposal must be submitted only via email to bakerl@arts.gov by 5:00 PM EST, February 20 2018.

PROPOSALS DEADLINE: Proposals must be submitted only via email to bakerl@arts.gov by 5:00 PM EST, February 26, 2018.

Sincerely, Latrina Baker Latrina Baker Contracting Officer National Endowment for the Arts

Enclosures:

Part I – The Schedule

Section B, Supplies/Service and Prices Section C, Description/Specifications/Statement of Work Section D, Preservation, Packaging and Marking - Not Applicable Section E, Inspection and Acceptance Section F, Deliveries or Performance Section G, Contract Administration Data Section H, Special Contract Requirements

Part II – Contract Clauses

Section I, Contract Clauses

Part III – List of Documents, Exhibits, and Other Attachments

Section J, List of Attachments

Part IV – Representations and Instructions

Section K, Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offerors Section L, Instructions, Conditions and Notices to Offerors Section M, Evaluation Factors for Award

Section Left Blank Intentionally

PART I

SECTION B

SUPPLIES/SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 GENERAL

The NEA seeks a contractor to provide severable, commercial analytical services as needed for the agency’s Office of Research & Analysis. For further details, see Section C.

B.2 PRICING

All unit prices are firm fixed rates.

Item Price/Hr Quantity (Hrs) Total Price Analytical Services*

GRAND TOTAL:*

*Notes:

1. All-inclusive figure (including, but not limited to, any and all overhead, related costs, travel, etc.).

2. The NEA is a federal agency and exempt from sales tax.

3. Vendors shall expand on/include additional pricing/related information as needed (see Sections L &

M).

B.3 CONTRACT TYPE & TERM

B.3.1 Contract Type

This is a Firm Fixed Price contract

B.3.2 Contract Term

Period of Performance: Start: Date of Award* End: Contract Start Date** + 8 Months

*The start date for the period of performance is flexible and may be adjusted based on NEA staff and contractor schedules.

**The contractor shall adhere to the delivery schedule in Section F which allows for a total of 8 months for the work required.

SECTION C

DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 STATEMENT OF WORK

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) Provide analytical services as needed in support of the NEA’s Office of Research & Analysis

(ORA).

C.2 GENERAL SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Contractor(s) shall have the ability to provide upon request analytical services, including, but not limited to, data dashboard development and maintenance, GIS mapping, and descriptive quantitative analyses and reporting of administrative data. The efforts anticipated in this Statement of Work (SOW) require a combination of quantitative skills, subject matter expertise, and technical experience to support quantitative analyses and methodologies for specific unique analytical tasks.

The purpose of this SOW is to provide a flexible means to obtain functional and technical capabilities to support analytical requirements at the NEA. Over the life of the contract, the number and type of projects will vary based on internal and external factors. These projects are expected to range in size and complexity from small projects that involve update existing reports and dashboards, to projects of a more analytically demanding nature that may require the Contractor(s) to conduct complex analyses or GIS map and which may involve manipulating large databases. Anticipated projects include:

• Updates internal dashboards and metrics that present trends in NEA grant awards activity and also maps this activity to Census-defined parameters to analyze and report the Agency's impact on discrete geographical areas and in relation to socioeconomic and other demographic characteristics associated with those areas. The NEA uses Tableau for its internal dashboards, while Excel is used for metrics reporting.

• Creates or updates GIS maps as required. The NEA uses ArcGIS for its mapping and geocoding activities.

• Adapts and implements templates for reporting customized information about the Agency's performance to senior staff and other NEA offices and divisions, using compelling data visualizations, including but not limited to interactive maps, graphs, and charts, and concise and readable narrative.

• Responds to ad-hoc requests for analysis and reporting of quantitative and, to a lesser degree, qualitative information from the NEA internal datasets on grant awards and cooperative agreements. Ad-hoc requests often require a response within one business day.

http://www.arts.gov/ https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/NEAStrategicPlan2014-2018.pdf

• Provides thorough documentation of analytical processes used for all assigned tasks.

Documentation includes written record of analytical processes and copies of analytical worksheets and/or programming code.

• Provides upon request other services, including but not limited to technical assistance, fact-checking, and creation of tables and charts.

C.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

It is anticipated that the work will be performed remotely. Any arrangement otherwise will be reached based on mutual agreement between the contractor and NEA.

C.4 WORK PLAN

Following the award of the contract, the Contractor shall provide to the Project Director a work plan outlining the Contractor’s timeline and planned actions necessary to comply with the contract requirements.

C.5 DATA OWNERSHIP / PERMISSION / ETC.

C.5.1 The Government will retain ownership of and unlimited rights to all products (data, videos, scripts, etc.) created during the performance of this contract.

C.5.2 The contractor shall ensure that it abides by all applicable copyright laws and, if required, shall obtain the necessary permission/licensing for any and all works utilized in the performance of this contract that are owned by third parties, by working with the NEA’s Office of General Counsel to ensure all required permissions and licensing are obtained in writing, in proper form, and prior to delivery of final products to the NEA.

C.5.3 The contractor shall ensure that all data collection activities associated with this contract are in compliance with applicable Federal regulations, including the Paperwork Reduction Act.

C.6 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY / SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

C.6.1 General

Electronic versions of all tables, charts, graphs, and data visualizations should be submitted in the program that was used to create them (e.g., Excel, Photoshop, Illustrator, Tableau). The contractor must also submit all raw data files and logs of data management and analysis codes in raw / .txt formats specifying the statistical program for which codes were written. The contractor shall work with NEA staff to determine an appropriate and compatible file format to use (possible acceptable formats likely include .xls and .tiff). The contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compatibility of all submissions.

Special requirements shall apply to all electronic deliverables the contractor submits under this contract due to the fact that the NEA reserves the right to upload any such electronic products to the NEA website (during contract performance and/or afterwards). The product should be supported by all desktop and portable computers as well as all mobile devices, including tablets and mobile phones. The product should be supported by ALL mobile operating systems, such as iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile. The product should be responsive. It should adapt to screen size to produce the optimum user experience on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. The product should be optimized to integrate seamlessly with the NEA’s Drupal 7-based website, taking advantage of Drupal’s strengths and considering its constraints.

The product should conform to any NEA website design specifications, including conforming to column widths within the design as necessary. Specific technical guidance will be provided by the NEA’s web support contractor at the appropriate stage in the development process. The product should conform to the specified style and UX guidelines. The NEA will provide a design style guide and guidance on UX preferences at the appropriate stage in the development process. Should the contractor have questions about the applicability of these requirements to a specific deliverable, the contractor shall submit the question to the project director.

SECTION E

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

a. All work under this contract is subject to inspection and final acceptance by the Contracting

Officer or the duly authorized representative of the Government.

b. The Project Director is a duly authorized representative of the Government and is responsible for inspection and acceptance of all items to be delivered under this contract.

See clause 52.246-4 Inspection of Services—Fixed-Price (AUG 1996). This clause 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 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Start: Date of Award* End: Contract Start Date** + 8 Months

F.2 TIMELINE FOR PERFORMING CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

In general, expected delivery times for each project is variable, but will not be shorter than two business days; specific delivery times will be negotiated with the contractor on a case-by-case basis.

a. Satisfactory performance of the contract shall be deemed to occur upon delivery and acceptance by the Contracting Officer, or the duly authorized representative, in accordance with the negotiated delivery schedule of the contract.

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 along with an updated delivery time-frame. 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. Deliveries shall be made as immediately as possible after the written notification.

SECTION G

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 PROJECT DIRECTOR

G.1.1 Upon award, a Project Director and a Technical Lead will be designated to coordinate the technical/program aspects of this contract and inspect items/services furnished hereunder;

however, he/she does NOT have the authority to:

1. Make changes to contract terms and conditions;

2. Direct the contractor to perform work or make deliveries not specifically required under the contract;

3. Waive or relax the Government’s rights with regard to the Contractor’s compliance with the specifications, price, delivery or any other terms or conditions of the contract;

4. Make any commitments or approve any actions that would create any financial obligation on the part of the Government; or

5. Issue direction that constitutes a “change” as defined in:

FAR 52.243-1, Changes – Fixed Price;

FAR 52.243-2, Changes – Cost Reimbursement;

FAR 52.243-3, Changes – Time and Material and Labor Hour;

FAR 52.243-4, Changes; or, FAR 52.243-5, Changes and Changed Conditions.

If, in the opinion of the Contractor, any instruction or direction issued by a Government representative constitutes a change to the contract or constitutes a “Change Order” as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the Contractor shall follow the instructions identified in FAR 52.243-7 Notification of Changes.

G.1.2 The NEA Project Director is authorized to inspect and accept all deliverables, direct the contractor within the scope of the statement of work and monitor contract performance. The Technical Lead, and other supporting NEA staff, and staff from the American Housing Survey may be consulted to review deliverables. The Project Director is also authorized to inspect, accept, and certify (but NOT reject or deny) invoices for payment in accordance with enclosed payment terms. If there is a dispute regarding any invoices, the Project Director must immediately contact the Contracting Officer and return the invoice with the rationale to reject or deny payment in accordance with the performance associated with the invoice for further processing.

G.1.3 The Project Director for this contract shall be:

To be determined at time of award National Endowment for the Arts

400 7th St. SW Washington, DC 20506

(202) 682-XXXX

G.1.4 The Contracting Officer for this contract shall be:

Latrina Baker

National Endowment for the Arts 400 7th St. SW, 3rd floor Washington, DC 20506

(202) 682-5618

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 INVOICE REQUIREMENTS

G.2.1 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 (FEB 2007), and 52.232-34 Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Other Than Central Contractor Registration (May 1999), upon submission of electronic commercial invoices to the NEA.

G.2.2. 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

National Endowment for the Arts Finance Office, 2nd floor

400 7th St. SW Washington, DC 20506

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.

mailto:NEAINVOICES@ARTS.GOV

PLEASE NOTE:

The 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 SAM account may be found here: https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list.

G.3 TECHNICAL MATTERS

The Contractor shall accept technical direction during the period of performance from the Project Director, providing such direction is within the scope of the contract.

The Project Director is authorized to perform the following activities:

• Interpret the Statement of Work;

• Direct the performance of the Contractor’s efforts within the scope of the Statement of Work;

• Accept all deliverables;

• Control all Government technical interfaces with the Contractor;

• Review and investigate any delays or proposed contract changes and make recommendations to the Contracting Officer regarding corrective action; and

• Monitor Contractor performance.

The Project Director is not a Contracting Officer and is not authorized to modify any terms of the contract or to authorize expenditures beyond the funded amount of the contract. The Project Director is authorized to perform functions listed above only insofar as those functions are exercised in a manner consistent with the Statement of Work and terms and conditions of this contract.

SECTION H

SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1.1 Private Use of Contract Information and Data

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

H.1.2 Prohibition against Soliciting and Performing Personal Services

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

B. Personal service contracting is described in Section 37.104 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations

(FAR). There are a number of factors, when taken individually or collectively, which may constitute https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/ https://www.fsd.gov/app/answers/list 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?

C. The government and the Contractor understand and agree that the support services to be delivered under this contract are non-personal 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.

D. 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.

E. 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.

PART II

SECTION I

CONTRACT CLAUSES

9.505-4 Obtaining Access to Proprietary Information

(a) When a contractor requires proprietary information from others to perform a Government contract and can use the leverage of the contract to obtain it, the contractor may gain an unfair competitive advantage unless restrictions are imposed. These restrictions protect the information and encourage companies to provide it when necessary for contract performance. They are not intended to protect information-

(1) Furnished voluntarily without limitations on its use; or

(2) Available to the Government or contractor from other sources without restriction.

(b) A contractor that gains access to proprietary information of other companies in performing advisory and assistance services for the Government must agree with the other companies to protect their information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. The contracting officer shall obtain copies of these agreements and ensure that they are properly executed.

(c) Contractors also obtain proprietary and source selection information by acquiring the services of marketing consultants which, if used in connection with an acquisition, may give the contractor an unfair competitive advantage. Contractors should make inquiries of marketing consultants to ensure that the marketing consultant has provided no unfair competitive advantage

52.204-9 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)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (JAN 2017) - Incorporated By Reference

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

Orders- Commercial Items (JAN 2017)

(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 (Nov 2015)

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

(3) 52.233-4, Applicable Law for Breach of Contract Claim (OCT 2004) (Pub. L. 108-77, 108-78)

(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:

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

X (57) 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 15 days.

(End of Clause)

52.219-6 -- Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (NOV 2011)

(a) Definition. “Small business concern,” as used in this clause, means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the size standards in this solicitation.

(b) Applicability. This clause applies only to--

(1) Contracts that have been totally set aside or reserved for small business concerns; and

(2) Orders set aside for small business concerns under multiple-award contracts as described in 8.405-5 and 16.505(b)(2)(i)(F).*

(c) General.

(1) Offers are solicited only from small business concerns. Offers received from concerns that are not small business concerns shall be considered nonresponsive and will be rejected.

(2) Any award resulting from this solicitation will be made to a small business concern.

(d) Agreement. A small business concern submitting an offer in its own name shall furnish, in performing the contract, only end items manufactured or produced by small business concerns in the United States or its outlying areas. If this procurement is processed under simplified acquisition procedures and the total amount of this contract does not exceed $25,000, a small business concern may furnish the product of any domestic firm. This paragraph does not apply to construction or service contracts.

(End of Clause)

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

52.243-1 - Changes – Fixed-Price (AUG 1987) Alternate III (APR 1984)

(a) The Contracting Officer may at any time, by written order, and without notice to the sureties, if any, make changes within the general scope of this contract in the services to be performed.

(b) If any such change causes an increase or decrease in the cost of, or the time required for, performance of any part of the work under this contract, whether or not changed by the order, the Contracting Officer shall make an equitable adjustment in the contract price, the delivery schedule, or both, and shall modify the contract.

(c) The Contractor must assert its right to an adjustment under this clause within 30 days from the date of receipt of the written order. However, if the Contracting Officer decides that the facts justify it, the Contracting Officer may receive and act upon a proposal submitted before final payment of the contract.

(d) If the Contractor’s proposal includes the cost of property made obsolete or excess by the change, the Contracting Officer shall have the right to prescribe the manner of the disposition of the property.

(e) Failure to agree to any adjustment shall be a dispute under the Disputes clause. However, nothing in this clause shall excuse the Contractor from proceeding with the contract as changed.

(f) No services for which an additional cost or fee will be charged by the Contractor shall be furnished without the prior written authorization of the Contracting Officer.

(End of Clause)

52.243-7 - Notification of Changes (JAN 2017)

(a) Definitions. “Contracting Officer,” as used in this clause, does not include any representative of the Contracting Officer.

“Specifically Authorized Representative (SAR),” as used in this clause, means any person the Contracting Officer has so designated by written notice (a copy of which shall be provided to the Contractor) which shall refer to this subparagraph and shall be issued to the designated representative before the SAR exercises such authority.

(b) Notice. The primary purpose of this clause is to obtain prompt reporting of Government conduct that the Contractor considers to constitute a change to this contract. Except for changes identified as such in writing and signed by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall notify the Administrative Contracting Officer in writing promptly, within 7 calendar days from the date that the Contractor identifies any Government conduct (including actions, inactions, and written or oral communications) that the Contractor regards as a change to the contract terms and conditions. On the basis of the most accurate information available to the Contractor, the notice shall state –

(1) The date, nature, and circumstances of the conduct regarded as a change;

(2) The name, function, and activity of each Government individual and Contractor official or employee involved in or knowledgeable about such conduct;

(3) The identification of any documents and the substance of any oral communication involved in such conduct;

(4) In the instance of alleged acceleration of scheduled performance or delivery, the basis upon which it arose;

(5) The particular elements of contract performance for which the Contractor may seek an equitable adjustment under this clause, including --

(i) What contract line items have been or may be affected by the alleged change;

(ii) What labor or materials or both have been or may be added, deleted, or wasted by the alleged change;

(iii) To the extent practicable, what delay and disruption in the manner and sequence of performance and effect on continued performance have been or may be caused by the alleged change;

(iv) What adjustments to contract price, delivery schedule, and other provisions affected by the alleged change are estimated; and

(6) The Contractor’s estimate of the time by which the Government must respond to the Contractor’s notice to minimize cost, delay or disruption of performance.

(c) Continued performance. Following submission of the notice required by paragraph (b) of this clause, the Contractor shall diligently continue performance of this contract to the maximum extent possible in accordance with its terms and conditions as construed by the Contractor, unless the notice reports a direction of the Contracting Officer or a communication from a SAR of the Contracting Officer, in either of which events the Contractor shall continue performance; provided, however, that if the Contractor regards the direction or communication as a change as described in paragraph (b) of this clause, notice shall be given in the manner provided. All directions, communications, interpretations, orders and similar actions of the SAR shall be reduced to writing promptly and copies furnished to the Contractor and to the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer shall promptly countermand any action which exceeds the authority of the SAR.

(d) Government response. The Contracting Officer shall promptly, within 4 calendar days after receipt of notice, respond to the notice in writing. In responding, the Contracting Officer shall either –

(1) Confirm that the conduct of which the Contractor gave notice constitutes a change and when necessary direct the mode of further performance;

(2) Countermand any communication regarded as a change;

(3) Deny that the conduct of which the Contractor gave notice constitutes a change and when necessary direct the mode of further performance; or

(4) In the event the Contractor’s notice information is inadequate to make a decision under subparagraphs (d)(1), (2), or (3) of this clause, advise the Contractor what additional information is required, and establish the date by which it should be furnished and the date thereafter by which the Government will respond.

(e) Equitable adjustments.

(1) If the Contracting Officer confirms that Government conduct effected a change as alleged by the Contractor, and the conduct causes an increase or decrease in the Contractor’s cost of, or the time required for, performance of any part of the work under this contract, whether changed or not changed by such conduct, an equitable adjustment shall be made --

(i) In the contract price or delivery schedule or both; and

(ii) In such other provisions of the contract as may be affected.

(2) The contract shall be modified in writing accordingly. In the case of drawings, designs or specifications which are defective and for which the Government is responsible, the equitable adjustment shall include the cost and time extension for delay reasonably incurred by the

Contractor in attempting to comply with the defective drawings, designs or specifications before the Contractor identified, or reasonably should have identified, such defect. When the cost of property made obsolete or excess as a result of a change confirmed by the Contracting Officer under this clause is included in the equitable adjustment, the Contracting Officer shall have the right to prescribe the manner of disposition of the property. The equitable adjustment shall not include increased costs or time extensions for delay resulting from the Contractor’s failure to provide notice or to continue performance as provided, respectively, in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this clause.

NOTE: The phrases “contract price” and “cost” wherever they appear in the clause, may be appropriately modified to apply to cost-reimbursement or incentive contracts, or to combinations thereof.

(End of Clause)

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

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 all FAR clauses may be accessed electronically at the following link:

http://www.acquisition.gov/far/.

(End of clause)

PART III

SECTION J

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment Title Description 1 GPAT (dated 2/14/2018; 4 pgs.) GPAT (Government Product/Service

Accessibility Template) applicable to this project. (For offerors to fill out and submit along with proposal.)

PART IV

SECTION K

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

Each offeror must also have their representations and certifications filed online in SAM (System For Award Management found at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/). 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 (NOV 2017) 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.

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

SECTION L

INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

52.212-1 Instruction To Offerors--Commercial Items (JAN 2017)

(a) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code and small business size standard. The NAICS code for this requirement is 541720. The small business size standard for a concern which submits an offer in its own name, but which proposes to furnish an item which it did not itself manufacture, is $20,500,000.00.

(b) Submission of Offers.

1. Proposals

Proposals shall be no more than 15 pages, single spaced, in 12-point font. This page limit is exclusive of resumes, appendices, and all other attachments and supplemental materials.

Submissions shall include at a minimum each of the following:

The offeror’s understanding of the project and proposed approach through a discussion of the rationale and purpose of the project;

The offeror’s technical approach to completing the tasks and deliverables associated with this project in terms of:

o Description of intended work under each task, including the proposed research design, cost-effective plans for collecting the information and accessing the data needed to address the research questions (we do not anticipate the use of restricted data for this contract, however the proposal shall include a proposed approach to access restricted data if restricted data is needed to respond to the research questions), identifying the appropriate variables, analyzing and synthesizing data from all sources, and communicating findings to policymakers, researchers, and the public;

o Proposed approach to all deliverables;

o How the offeror will meet deadlines stated in the RFP; and o Identification of potential challenges and strategies for addressing them.

Qualifications for the offeror, including subcontractors, as related to the evaluation criteria.

o Names and qualifications of key project personnel, including the lead project manager(s). Resumes / C.V.s for all key personnel must be submitted (highlight relevant experience and any special permissions or clearances to conduct research with federal datasets, as appropriate);

o Subject matter expertise in socio-demographic and cultural factors related to housing and neighborhood choice;

o Subject matter expertise in arts and cultural amenities and their relationship to community development;

o Organizational capacity and experience, including the demonstration of organizational experience with projects of a similar scope and magnitude to what is described in the statement of work;

o Submit 2-3 work samples; and o Submit professional references for at least two (2) completed projects similar in scope to the one described in this RFP.

The offeror’s work plan should include the identification of all potential lead staff.

2. Pricing Data

The hourly rate submitted must be an all-inclusive rate (offerors must ensure that it is inclusive of all travel, overhead, etc.)

Offerors shall fill out the pricing table in Section B.

3. Budget

The NEA’s estimated budget for this project is up to $9,000.

4. Section 508

All deliverables shall meet Section 508 requirements. Specifically, electronic documents delivered as a result of this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of identified Section 508 requirements for accessibility. Documents delivered must include a completed GPAT, a sample of which is included as a part of this solicitation (Attachment 1).

5. Attachments

Please see the one (1) attachment to this solicitation for reference while drafting responses to the

RFP.

6. Representations and Certifications

A completed copy of the Representations and Certifications (see Section K).

(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. However, the Government 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. (Applies to offers exceeding $3,500, and offers of $3,500 or less if the solicitation requires the Contractor to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. The offeror shall enter, in the block with its name and address on the cover page of its offer, the annotation “DUNS” or “DUNS+4” followed by the DUNS or DUNS+4 number that identifies the offeror’s name and address. The DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that may be assigned at the discretion of the offeror to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see FAR Subpart 32.11) for the same concern. 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. An offeror located outside the United States must contact the local Dun and Bradstreet office for DUNS number. The offeror should indicate that it is an offeror for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office.

(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)

(a) 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, taking into account price and other factors. For each evaluation factor, a point scoring system will be used to rank all proposals, using a total rating scale of 100 points. The evaluation will include three (3) major areas:

1. Personnel Qualifications (35 points)

2. Personnel Experience/Past Performance (35 points)

3. Price (30 points)

In order to select the winning proposal:

Proposals will be evaluated by a technical evaluation team in accordance with a 'best value' evaluation method.

Each proposal evaluated will be given a score for each evaluation criterion listed above, ranging from 0 to the maximum allowable for each category (with a maximum of 100 points for all categories).

Category scores will be summed up to receive a total score for each proposal to determine the proposal providing the best value.

As reflected in the weighted scoring stated above, the two (2) technical factors combined are more important than price.

Additionally, the agency may rank offerors from best to worst by making paired comparisons, trading off the marginal differences in capability and price. If one offeror has both the better capability and the lower price, then that offeror will be the better value. If one offeror has the better capability and the higher price, then the technical evaluation panel will decide whether the marginal difference in capability is worth the marginal difference in price. If the technical evaluation panel considers the better capability to be worth the higher price, then the more capable, higher-priced offeror will be the better value. If not, then the less capable, lower-priced offeror will be the better value.

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.acquisition.gov/

Responses to this solicitation will only be considered for award after it has been determined that the proposal adequately addresses the requirements for Section 508. Only proposals which contain adequate information to document their responsiveness to the Section 508 requirements (e.g. a completed GPAT, VPAT or equivalent and supporting documentation) will be eligible for any additional merit consideration.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Personnel Qualifications (35 points)

The contractor provides evidence of the following personnel qualifications:

a. Deep knowledge of data-mining and extraction techniques, coding, and the ability to manipulate complex variables within multiple datasets for the purpose of performance measurement analysis and reporting.

b. Knowledge of the grant data variables and datasets internal to the NEA and/or previous experience in analyzing Federal grants data at other agencies.

c. Advanced skills in applying appropriate analytical techniques when undertaking analyses of quantitative and qualitative data.

d. Advanced skills in customizing and implementing user-friendly reporting templates for reporting performance measurement data to other researchers, senior agency management, and the general public, as required.

e. Strong proficiency with Stata, R, Tableau, ArcGIS, and Microsoft Word and Excel.

Contractor must have their own access to Stata, R, Tableau, and Microsoft Office. The NEA will provide the contractor with access to its online ArcGIS account.

f. Effective coordination, organizational, and analytical skills so that work is done in an effective, collegial, and timely manner.

g. Oral and writing skills to communicate effectively, adapt and interpret quantitative and qualitative data, and to prepare and present analyses, findings, and recommendations (whether in narrative or graphic form) in a clear and concise manner.

2. Personnel Experience/Past Performance (35 points)

The contractor shall provide evidence of the following:

a. The contractor provides evidence of having conducted tasks similar to the work outlined in the

Scope of Work (with examples cited). The contractor provides links to a sample dashboard and a sample GIS map created by the contractor. Resumes/qualifications for all proposed personnel (including subcontractors) are provided.