SOW_Misc_Small_Biz_Topics_Large_Datasets.pdf

Solicitation SBAHQ-15-Q-0030 Research on Miscellaneous Small Business Topics Using Large Datasets

Location of Work: To be completed by the contractor off-site (not at SBA headquarters)

Time to Complete the Work: Not more than one year from the date of award

Clearance Required: None

1. Introduction

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats, and it funds research into small business issues. For more information on the Office of Advocacy, including past research projects, see http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847 and http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/ for archived reports.

2. Background

The Office of Advocacy is responsible for examining the contributions and challenges of small businesses in the U.S. economy. Advocacy is constantly looking for answers to small business questions and underwrites and supports research related to the role of entrepreneurship in the economy and the examination of various issues of relevance to small business owners. To this end the Office of Advocacy seeks projects that increase the base of knowledge about the state of small firms as well as major issues facing small firms.

3. Scope

In addition to complete Statement of Work (SOW) and other documents incorporated into the contract, the contractor’s complete research proposal will be incorporated by reference into the research contract.

This is a non-personal services contract to provide services as detailed herein and in the contractor’s complete research proposal. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform this service as defined in this SOW.

The Contractor shall perform to the standards identified in this contract.

Type of Contract: The Government anticipates awarding a firm-fixed price type award.

http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847 http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/

This solicitation is for empirical research. Research proposals can use a wide range of data sources available to study small business questions. The following is an abbreviated list of possible databases for research:

Statistics of US Business (SUSB) (formerly Business Information Tracking Series

(BITS))

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Current Population Survey (CPS) Survey of Business Owners (SBO) Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) County Business Patterns (CBP) Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) International Trade Association Exporter Database

The above list is not a comprehensive list of data sources appropriate for this research, and proposals that use the above-mentioned data will not necessarily be given preference over those using alternative sources of data.

For an additional list of research on small businesses, see Advocacy’s Research Resources (http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847. Research is not limited to these options, however. Proposals that utilize timely data will be shown preference in evaluation.

The Office of Advocacy encourages bidders to submit topics of relevance to policy-makers, academics, and small business owners. Possible topics of interest are wide-ranging and are not limited to the following:

1. Current and relevant small business issues

2. International trade and small businesses

3. Small business and cybersecurity

4. Entrepreneurship and innovation

5. Encore entrepreneurs and unique challenges they may face

6. Entrepreneurship initiatives

7. Entrepreneurship and manufacturing

8. Small business in the business cycle

9. Small business share of total employment

10. Examination of family-owned businesses using the SBO

11. Hi-tech firms and job creation

12. Small business use of social networking

4. Performance Requirements

The methodology and hypotheses put forth in the proposal will clearly show how the research will be conducted, are binding upon award, and are expected to be reflected in the final report. All research team members listed in the proposal, including but not limited to subject matter and technical experts, will actively contribute through the performance of this services. The resulting final submission will fully document the analysis and conclusions to fully support the position asserted.

The final product shall contain a thorough review of the current and relevant literature, discussion of the data and findings, and overall conclusions. The report shall demonstrate policy relevance to current issues. Draft products will reflect reasonable progress toward the final product and shall be submitted according to final product formatting requirements. For other details on the final product, see the “Deliverables” and “Performance Requirement Summary” sections that follow.

5. Deliverables

Deliverables and

Meetings Due Date Format For Written Submissions

Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

Post Award Conference

10 business days after award N/A -- Phone Conference N/A CO and COR

Monthly progress reports

3rd business day of the month following initial award and each month thereafter

Microsoft Word document Via Email COR

Discussions on reports/submittals

As scheduled by request of the

COR

N/A -- Phone Conference N/A COR/Vendor

Draft(s) Report sections and data development

Months 1-3 of contract term

Microsoft Word documents and/or statistical results (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

Rough Draft of Report Months 3-4 of contract term

Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

First Draft; Peer Review Initiated

Months 4-6 of contract term

Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

Reworked, Resubmissions of First Draft Based on Peer Review

Months 6-8 of contract term

Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

Final Draft Months 8-9 of contract term

Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

Reworked, Resubmission of Proposed Final Document

Months 9-11 of contract term

Written, submitted in a Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

Final Report Submission

Month 12 of contract term

Written, submitted in a Microsoft Word documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

6. Performance Requirement Summary

Contractors must adhere to the following when submitting drafts and the final report, with the final version completed not more than one year from the date of award:

• All submissions will be presented by the prescribed timelines; presented under the prescribed methodology; in the prescribed format to the contracting officer’s representative (COR). Documents shall be clearly annotated and/or identified as either a draft or a final document.

• Contractors must seek prior written approval from the contracting officer and COR before any changes are implemented among the key personnel and other staff listed in the proposal. Individuals that the contractor proposes to use as replacements for those listed in the proposal shall satisfy the personnel experience requirements contained in the solicitation and the contractor must provide resumes for each proposed replacement as part of its request for prior written approval.

• The documented submissions related to the post award service, including the final report and all intervening drafts, must be thoroughly edited and of high professional quality before submission to the COR. These high professional quality drafts and reports shall include professional language, presentation, and citations commensurate with published research in academic journals in the relevant subject matter field and shall be free of typographical and grammatical errors.

• All research and data projects are subject to the Office of Management and Budget Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by Federal Agencies (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/fedreg/reproducible2.

pdf). Per these guidelines, peer review may range from internal Advocacy staff review to that of external reviewers in relevant fields such as academics or technical experts. Feedback from this process will be incorporated into subsequent drafts before the report can be finalized for release.

• The final report must contain an executive summary and table of contents. It must conform with the current version of one of the major style guides, such as the University of Chicago Manual of Style or the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual, in terms of grammar, style, and organization. In particular, each table and figure must have a source specified on the page; references, footnotes and bibliographies shall be formatted consistent with a major style guide; and all pages shall have page numbers, including tables and figures.

• All government agency electronic and information technology (EIT) is required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Section 508 of the ADA’s 1998 amendments requires the electronic documents posted by Federal agencies to be accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent that it does not pose an “undue burden.” To comply with this mandate, the final report must be formatted in accordance with Section 508 requirements. The Office of Advocacy will provide guidance to achieve 508 compatibility at the time of award; however, it is ultimately the contractor’s responsibility to provide all deliverables in accordance with the legal requirements for section 508 compliance.

Per the guidelines, written descriptions of all figures and charts in the final report must be provided in a separate document.

• The contractor will provide the Office of Advocacy with an electronic version of the final report within twelve months from the contract start date. The research is expected to progress along the timeline and benchmarks as noted in the Deliverables section.

• The final report must be double-spaced. The format of the electronic version must be a native word processing software format. An Acrobat (PDF) file is not acceptable.

All tables, graphics, and charts must be supplied in an editable software format. The http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/fedreg/reproducible2.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/omb/fedreg/reproducible2.pdf font size used in the document will be no smaller than 12 point for manuscript text;

10 point for tables, graphics and charts; and 9 point for footnotes.

• The Office of Advocacy will prepare a cover page carrying the following disclaimer, "The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations found in this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Advocacy, the United States Small Business Administration, or the United States Government.”

• Following approval and acceptance of the final report, the Office of Advocacy will assign a date for public release of the report. Upon release, an electronic final report, along with an Office of Advocacy-prepared research summary, will be posted on Advocacy's web site, http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847, and the report also will be available for sale at cost through the National Technical Information Service.

• The definition of small businesses should be the same as used by the U.S. Small

Business Administration’s Office of Size Standards.

• The Office of Advocacy encourages contractors to publish their findings in professional journals, if possible, but they can do so only after completing the contract. Prior to publication the Contractor must approach the Contracting Officer Representative regarding attribution to the Office of Advocacy.