Additional_Information.pdf

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24 & 30

1. REQUISITION NUMBER

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

SAQMMA16Q0030

2. CONTRACT NO. 3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE 4. ORDER NUMBER 6. SOLICITATION ISSUE

DATE

12/02/2015

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

a. NAME

Terence G. Lord

b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (No collect calls) 703-875-4801

c. EMAIL lordtg@state.gov

8. OFFER DUE DATE / LOCAL

TIME

12/15/2015 10:00:00

CODE LMAQM

OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MANAGEMENT (A/LM/AQM)

PO BOX 9115, ROSSLYN STATION

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

ARLINGTON, VA 22219

9. ISSUED BY X UNRESTRICTED OR SET ASIDE: % FOR

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS (WOSB)

ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS: 541910

SIZE STANDARD:

10. THE ACQUISITION IS

SEE

SCHEDULE

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINATION

UNLESS BLOCK IS MARKED

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS

RATED ORDER UNDER DPAS

13b. RATING

X RFQ IFB RFP

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

INRRMCODE15. DELIVER TO

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

2201 C Street N.W.

RM 2911 - HST

WASHINGTON, DC 20520

CODE16. ADMINISTERED BY

FACILITY

CODE

CODE

Contact Duns Telephone No.

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR INRRMCODE18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

2201 C Street N.W.

RM 2911 - HST

WASHINGTON, DC 20520

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN

OFFER SEE ADDENDUM

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS

CHECKED

19. ITEM NO. 20. SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

21. QUANTITY 22. UNIT 23. UNIT PRICE 24. AMOUNT

See Line Items Section

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

See Line Item Detail

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

X 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCES FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4, FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE X ARE NOT ATTACHED

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4, 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA ARE ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN __1__ COPIES TO

ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH

OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE

TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED.

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. OFFER DATED . YOUR OFFER ON

SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5) INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH

ARE SET FORTH HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF THE CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT)

Terence G. Lord 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 02/2012)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

SAQMMA16Q0030

19.

ITEM NO.

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

21.

QUANTITY

22.

UNIT

23.

UNIT PRICE

24.

AMOUNT

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN

RECEIVED INSPECTED ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED: _________________________________

32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32c. DATE 32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT

REPRESENTATIVE

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE 32f. TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

PARTIAL FINAL

33. SHIP NUMBER 34. VOUCHER NUMBER 35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

COMPLETE PARTIAL FINAL

36. PAYMENT 37. CHECK NUMBER

38. S/R ACCOUNT NUMBER 39. S/R VOUCHER NUMBER 40. PAID BY

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT 42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER 41c. DATE

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42c. DATE REC'D (YY/MM/DD) 42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 02/2012) BACK

001 Offerors shall propose a firm-fixed price for non-severable public opinion research services in response to the attached Technical Specifications/Statement of Work.

0.00 LT

Doc Ref No:

Delivery

Date

FOB:

B-010 TYPE OF CONTRACT

It is anticipated that this solicitation will result in the award of a firm-fixed price purchase order for non-severable commercial services (FAR 12) utilizing simplified acquisition procedures (FAR 13).

(end of clause)

Clause Title

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions--Commercial Items (Dec 2014)

52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference (Feb 1998)

52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders--Commercial Items (Apr 2015)

(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 ac-quisitions of commercial items:

(1) 52.209-10, Prohibition on Contracting with Inverted Domestic Corporations (Dec 2014)

(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)(Public Laws 108-77 and 108-78 (19 U.S.C. 3805 note)).

(b) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (b) that the Contracting Officer has in-dicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement provisions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

(1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government (Sept 2006), with Alternate I (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4704 and 10 U.S.C. 2402).

__ (2) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Apr 2010) (41 U.S.C. 3509)).

___(3) 52.203-15, Whistleblower Protections under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (June 2010) (Section 1553 of Pub. L. 111-5). (Applies to contracts funded by the American Recovery and Rein-vestment Act of 2009.)

SAQMMA16Q0030

Line Item Summary

Solicitation Number:

SAQMMA16Q0030

Contract Number: Title: Focus Group Project in Australia

Date of Solicitation:

12/02/2015

Line Item No. Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Total Cost

__ (4) 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jul 2013) (Pub. L.

109-282) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

__ (5) [Reserved].

__ (6) 52.204-14, Service Contract Reporting Requirements (Jan 2014) (Pub. L. 111-117, section 743 of Div.

C).

__ (7) 52.204-15, Service Contract Reporting Requirements for Indefinite-Delivery Contracts (Jan 2014) (Pub.

L. 111-117, section 743 of Div. C).

X (8) 52.209-6, Protecting the Government's Interest When Subcontracting with Contractors Debarred, Suspen-ded, or Proposed for Debarment. (Aug 2013) (31 U.S.C. 6101 note).

__ (9) 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Jul 2013) (41 U.S.C. 2313).

__ (10) [Reserved].

__(11)(i) 52.219-3, Notice of HUBZone Set-Aside or Sole-Source Award (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011) of 52.219-3.

__(12)(i) 52.219-4, Notice of Price Evaluation Preference for HUBZone Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (if the offeror elects to waive the preference, it shall so indicate in its offer) (15 U.S.C. 657a).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jan 2011) of 52.219-4.

__ (13) [Reserved]

(14)(i) 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 644).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Nov 2011).

__ (iii) Alternate II (Nov 2011).

__ (15)(i) 52.219-7, Notice of Partial Small Business Set-Aside (June 2003) (15 U.S.C. 644).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 1995) of 52.219-7.

__ (iii) Alternate II (Mar 2004) of 52.219-7.

__ (16) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)).

__ (17)(i) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (Oct 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Oct 2001) of 52.219-9.

__ (iii) Alternate II (Oct 2001) of 52.219-9.

__ (iv) Alternate III (Oct 2014) of 52.219-9.

__ (18) 52.219-13, Notice of Set-Aside of Orders (Nov 2011)(15 U.S.C. 644(r)).

__ (19) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)).

__ (20) 52.219-16, Liquidated Damages--Subcon-tracting Plan (Jan 1999) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)(F)(i)).

__ (21) 52.219-27, Notice of Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Set-Aside (Nov 2011) (15 U.S.C. 657 f).

__ (22) 52.219-28, Post Award Small Business Program Rerepresentation (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 632(a)(2)).

__ (23) 52.219-29, Notice of Set-Aside for Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Concerns (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

__ (24) 52.219-30, Notice of Set-Aside for Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns Eligible Under the WOSB Program (Jul 2013) (15 U.S.C. 637(m)).

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

__ (26) 52.222-19, Child Labor--Cooperation with Authorities and Remedies (Jan 2014) (E.O. 13126).

__ (27) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015).

__ (28) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Apr 2015) (E.O. 11246).

__ (29) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jul 2014)(38 U.S.C. 4212).

__ (30) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

__ (31) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jul 2014) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

__ (32) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O.

13496).

X (33)(i) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O. 13627).

__ (34) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Aug 2013). (Executive Order 12989). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items or certain other types of commercial items as prescribed in 22.1803.)

__ (35)(i) 52.223-9, Estimate of Percentage of Recovered Material Content for EPA-Designated Items (May 2008) (42 U.S.C. 6962(c)(3)(A)(ii)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf items.)

__ (ii) Alternate I (May 2008) of 52.223-9 (42 U.S.C. 6962(i)(2)(C)). (Not applicable to the acquisition of com-mercially available off-the-shelf items.)

__ (36)(i) 52.223-13, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Imaging Equipment (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and

13514).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-13.

__ (37)(i) 52.223-14, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Televisions (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-14.

__ (38) 52.223-15, Energy Efficiency in Energy-Consuming Products (Dec 2007) (42 U.S.C. 8259b).

__ (39)(i) 52.223-16, Acquisition of EPEAT®-Registered Personal Computer Products (Jun 2014) (E.O.s 13423 and 13514).

__(ii) Alternate I (Jun 2014) of 52.223-16.

__ (40) 52.223-18, Encouraging Contractor Policies to Ban Text Messaging While Driving (Aug 2011) (E.O.

13513).

__ (41) 52.225-1, Buy American--Supplies (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83).

__ (42)(i) 52.225-3, Buy American--Free Trade Agreements--Israeli Trade Act (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 83, 19 U.S.C. 3301 note, 19 U.S.C. 2112 note, 19 U.S.C. 3805 note, 19 U.S.C. 4001 note, Pub. L. 103-182, 108-77, 108-78, 108-286, 108-302, 109-53, 109-169, 109-283, 110-138, 112-41, 112-42, and 112-43.

__ (ii) Alternate I (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (iii) Alternate II (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (iv) Alternate III (May 2014) of 52.225-3.

__ (43) 52.225-5, Trade Agreements (Nov 2013) (19 U.S.C. 2501, et seq., 19 U.S.C. 3301 note).

__ (44) 52.225-13, Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases (June 2008) (E.O.'s, proclamations, and statutes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury).

__ (45) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Jul 2013) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

__ (46) 52.226-4, Notice of Disaster or Emergency Area Set-Aside (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C. 5150).

__ (47) 52.226-5, Restrictions on Subcontracting Outside Disaster or Emergency Area (Nov 2007) (42 U.S.C.

5150).

__ (48) 52.232-29, Terms for Financing of Purchases of Commercial Items (Feb 2002) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

X (49) 52.232-30, Installment Payments for Commercial Items (Oct 1995) (41 U.S.C. 4505, 10 U.S.C. 2307(f)).

__ (50) 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (51) 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer--Other than System for Award Management (Jul 2013) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (52) 52.232-36, Payment by Third Party (May 2014) (31 U.S.C. 3332).

__ (53) 52.239-1, Privacy or Security Safeguards (Aug 1996) (5 U.S.C. 552a).

__ (54)(i) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C.

Appx. 1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631).

__ (ii) Alternate I (Apr 2003) of 52.247-64.

(c) The Contractor shall comply with the FAR clauses in this paragraph (c), applicable to commercial services, that the Contracting Officer has indicated as being incorporated in this contract by reference to implement pro-visions of law or Executive orders applicable to acquisitions of commercial items:

[Contracting Officer check as appropriate.]

__ (1) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014)(E.O. 13495).

__ (2) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (3) 52.222-42, Statement of Equivalent Rates for Federal Hires (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C.

chapter 67).

__ (4) 52.222-43, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards-Price Adjustment (Multiple Year and Option Contracts) (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (5) 52.222-44, Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Labor Standards--Price Adjustment (May 2014) (29 U.S.C. 206 and 41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (6) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Main-tenance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (7) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain Services--Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

__ (8) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2014)(E.O. 13658).

__ (9) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

__ (10) 52.237-11, Accepting and Dispensing of $1 Coin (Sept 2008) (31 U.S.C. 5112(p)(1)).

(d) Comptroller General Examination of Record. The Contractor shall comply with the provisions of this para-graph (d) if this contract was awarded using other than sealed bid, is in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold, and does not contain the clause at 52.215-2, Audit and Records--Negotiation.

(1) The Comptroller General of the United States, or an authorized representative of the Comptroller General, shall have access to and right to examine any of the Contractor's directly pertinent records involving transac-tions related to this contract.

(2) The Contractor shall make available at its offices at all reasonable times the records, materials, and other evidence for examination, audit, or reproduction, until 3 years after final payment under this contract or for any shorter period specified in FAR Subpart 4.7, Contractor Records Retention, of the other clauses of this contract.

If this contract is completely or partially terminated, the records relating to the work terminated shall be made available for 3 years after any resulting final termination settlement. Records relating to appeals under the dis-putes clause or to litigation or the settlement of claims arising under or relating to this contract shall be made available until such appeals, litigation, or claims are finally resolved.

(3) As used in this clause, records include books, documents, accounting procedures and practices, and other data, regardless of type and regardless of form. This does not require the Contractor to create or maintain any record that the Contractor does not maintain in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to a provision of law.

(e)(1) Notwithstanding the requirements of the clauses in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this clause, the Con-tractor is not required to flow down any FAR clause, other than those in this paragraph (e)(1) in a subcontract for commercial items. Unless otherwise indicated below, the extent of the flow down shall be as required by the clause--

(i) 52.203-13, Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (Apr 2010) (41 U.S.C. 3509).

(ii) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (Oct 2014) (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(2) and (3)), in all subcon-tracts that offer further subcontracting opportunities. If the subcontract (except subcontracts to small business concerns) exceeds $650,000 ($1.5 million for construction of any public facility), the subcontractor must in-clude 52.219-8 in lower tier subcontracts that offer subcontracting opportunities.

(iii) 52.222-17, Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers (May 2014) (E.O. 13495). Flow down required in ac-cordance with paragraph (l) of FAR clause 52.222-17.

(iv) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Apr 2015)

(v) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (Mar 2007) (E.O. 11246).

(vi) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Veterans (Jul 2014) (38 U.S.C. 4212).

(vii) 52.222-36, Equal Opportunity for Workers with Disabilities (Jul 2014) (29 U.S.C. 793).

(viii) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Veterans (Jul 2014) (38 U.S.C. 4212)

(ix) 52.222-40, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act (Dec 2010) (E.O.

13496). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (f) of FAR clause 52.222-40.

(x) 52.222-41, Service Contract Labor Standards (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xi)__(A) 52.222-50, Combating Trafficking in Persons (Mar 2015) (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O 13627).

__(B) Alternate I (Mar 2015) of 52.222-50 (22 U.S.C. chapter 78 and E.O 13627).

(xii) 52.222-51, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Mainten-ance, Calibration, or Repair of Certain Equipment-Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xiii) 52.222-53, Exemption from Application of the Service Contract Labor Standards to Contracts for Certain

Services-Requirements (May 2014) (41 U.S.C. chapter 67).

(xiv) 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (Aug 2013).

(xv) 52.222-55, Minimum Wages Under Executive Order 13658 (Dec 2014) (Executive Order 13658).

(xvi) 52.225-26, Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United States (Jul 2013) (Section 862, as amended, of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008; 10 U.S.C. 2302 Note).

(xvii) 52.226-6, Promoting Excess Food Donation to Nonprofit Organizations (May 2014) (42 U.S.C. 1792).

Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (e) of FAR clause 52.226-6.

(xviii) 52.247-64, Preference for Privately Owned U.S.-Flag Commercial Vessels (Feb 2006) (46 U.S.C. Appx.

1241(b) and 10 U.S.C. 2631). Flow down required in accordance with paragraph (d) of FAR clause 52.247-64.

(2) While not required, the contractor may include in its subcontracts for commercial items a minimal number of additional clauses necessary to satisfy its contractual obligations.

(End of clause)

L-001 Required Submittal Contents

The quote should include the below information. The two requested volumes shall be separate and distinct. There shall be NO pricing information contained in the technical volume. If pricing information is contained in the technical volume it may be deemed non-responsive.

VOLUME I: TECHNICAL

A) Qualifications:

• Describe the qualifications and experience of the firm and project team, including the project manager and methodo-logist; include description of comparable focus group projects conducted in Australia.

• Indicate any portion of work that will be done by subcontractors and identify the subcontractors

B) Local research conditions:

• General appraisal of the state of public opinion research in Australia, including any specific topics which are too sens-itive to cover;

• Any requirements for government approval of the survey project or questionnaire.

C) Focus group composition and recruitment procedures

• Selection of participants

• Quotas to be employed

• Fieldwork procedures for recruiters

• Protocol for supervision of recruiters

• Follow-up contact and reminders for participants

D) Fieldwork:

• Selection, qualifications and training of moderator(s)

• Scheduling and assignment of group discussions, including whether focus group sessions will occur during the day or in the evening and on which days of the week

• Description of focus group facility/facilities

• Proposed composition of groups, including optimal size

• Incentives for participants and rejected participants

• Methods for recording audio and video

• Description of moderator debrief after each group discussion, methodological report, and final analytical report

E) Data Management:

• Confirmation that the Contractor will provide high quality audio and video of group discussions.

• Discussion of feasibility of recordings in electronic format

• Description of tabulated file of demographic profiles of each group/participant and responses to screening question-naire.

• Description of tabulated file of responses to follow up questionnaire

• Description of short summary report of each group discussion, methodological report, and final analytical report.

F) Description of delivery method(s) of all required materials

G) Schedule:

Please provide information about any scheduling constraints you may have for the proposed fieldwork period. Estimate the number of working days required to complete each of the following:

• Development and formatting of the screening questionnaire, discussion guide and follow-up questionnaires

• Recruitment and selection of participants

• Fieldwork – group discussions (number of groups per day)

• Preparation and submission of the transcripts, tabulations of screening and follow-up questionnaires, short summary reports, methodological report and final analytic report.

VOLUME II: FIRM FIXED PRICE

A) Proposed Firm-Fixed Price:

• Provide a complete firm-fixed price quote. All bids shall be stated in U.S. Dollars (USD). Failure to com-ply with this will result in your quote not being considered for award. This price must include a total price for transcription of group discussions – not per word or per page.

L-002 Instructions for Quoters

Submitting your quote. Submit your company’s quote via email to the address specified in the associated combined synopsis/soli-citation announcement on www.fbo.gov. You may submit more than one quote. If you do, the Government will evaluate each separ-ately.

Submission deadline. The Govenrment must receive your quote via email (LordTG@state.gov) by the deadline specified in Block 8.

The Government will not consider any quote that we receive after the deadline unless we receive it before we issue a purchase order and considering it will not delay our purchase. In case of an emergency that delays our operations and makes submission or receipt of your quote impossible, the Government will extend the deadline by one working day.

Terms and content of your quote. Your quote must be based on the terms of this RFQ. The Govenrment reserves the right to reject any quote that is not based on these terms in every respect. Your quote must contain all of the information described below.

Issuance of purchase order. Your quote should contain your best terms. The Contracting Officer may reject any or all quotes. After the evaluation of quotes, the Contracting Officer may negotiate final terms with one or more quoters of the Government’s choice be-fore issuing a purchase order. The Contracting Officer will not negotiate with any quoters other than those of the Government’s choice and will not use the formal source selection procedures described in FAR Part 15.

The Contracting Officer may issue a purchase order to other than the quoter with the lowest price. The Government reserves the right issue an order for less than the quantity on which your quote is based, at the quoted price, unless you tell us that you will not accept an order on that basis.

Information to be submitted. Put the following information on the first page of your quote:

1. the number of this RFQ;

2. your company name, address, DUNS number (see below) and telephone number;

3. your price and any discount terms;

4. acknowledgement of any amendments to this RFQ; and

5. a statement that you assent to all terms of this RFQ.

Beginning on the second page of your quote, provide the following information in the following order:

1. a detailed description of the product or service that you will provide, including any product or service literature that you wish to give us;

2. the terms of any express warranty;

3. your payment address;

4. references to current or former customers who will attest to the quality of your product or service in the within the past three years, including (i) customer name, (ii) customer address, (iii) contract or purchase order numbers, (iv) persons to contact, and (v) telephone numbers.

Product samples. If this RFQ requires that you submit product samples, you must deliver them to us at the location specified for our receipt on or before the deadline for submission of your quote. The Government will not pay for the samples, and we will return them to you only upon request and at your expense, unless they are destroyed during testing.

Availability of Government Documents. If the descriptions in this RFQ of the products or services we want to buy refer to any Gov-ernment specification, standard, or commercial item description, you may obtain a copy of any such documents from the places listed in Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.212-1, paragraph (i).

System for Award Management (SAM). In accordance with FAR 4.1102, unless exempted by the Contracting Officer, offerors MUST register in SAM before issuance of a purchase order at www.SAM.gov. If you do not register by the time the Government is ready to make an award your offer will not be selected. Once registered, you must remain registered throughout performance until fi-nal payment. Go to https://www.acquisition.gov for information on SAM registration and annual confirmation.

DUNS Number (Data Universal Numbering System Number). Place the annotation “DUNS” or “DUNS+4” next to your name and address on the first page of your quote followed by the DUNS or DUNS+4 number that identifies the quoter’s name and address.

If you do not have a DUNS number, contact Dun and Bradstreet to obtain one. If you are located within the United States, you may contact Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or via the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

If you are located outside the United States, you must contact the local Dun and Bradstreet office for a DUNS number. Tell Dun and Bradstreet that you are a quoter for a Government contract when contacting the local Dun and Bradstreet office.

The DUNS+4 is the DUNS number plus a 4-character suffix that you may use at your discretion to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts (see FAR Subpart 32.11) for your company.

M-001 Evaluation

(a) The Government anticipates award of a purchase order resulting from this solicitation to the responsible of-feror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following items will be taken into consideration:

- Quality of Sampling Design - including, but not limited to, the appropriateness of the proposed sampling method to the target population. The Department will evaluate this factor to determine whether or not the sampling design meets all stated criteria of the aforementioned work requirements.

- Quality of Data Collection Procedures - including, but not limited to, training and supervision of recruitment interviewer, moderator experience, and quality of focus group facilities and recording devices. The Department will evaluate this factor to determine whether or not the data-collection procedures meet all stated criteria of the aforementioned work requirements. A satisfactory procedure is one with sufficient quality control checks in place to insure that data are collected and recorded with full respect to garnering the most valid and reliable data from each respondent.

- Time-frame for Delivery of Results - including, but not limited to, an appropriate amount of time in the field for the method chosen and delivery of initial deliverables within a reasonable time frame for the method chosen. The amount of time between the initial delivery of the discussion guide through to the delivery of clear transcripts.

- Past Performance and Relevant Experience - a review of recently provided services for similar work. The Client strongly prefers that the prime contractor have direct experience recruiting and facilitating focus groups in Australia. In addition, the Contracting Officer may use past performance information in making a determina-tion of responsibility.

- Proposed Firm-Fixed Price - A price reasonableness evaluation will be conducted. As adequate competition is anticipated, a comparison of the offeror's firm-fixed prices shall suffice to determine price reasonableness.

Non-price factors, when combined, are more important than price.

(b) Reserved.

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an of-fer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received be-fore award.

(End of provision)