6212020EQ0007_SOW_FINAL.pdf

SBAHQ-16-Q-0061

Research on Miscellaneous Small Business Topics on Minority Entrepreneurship

Statement of Work

Type of contract: The government anticipates awarding a firm-fixed price type award.

Location of Work: To be completed by the contractor off-site (not at SBA headquarters) Period of Performance: Not more than one year from the award date Clearance Required: None

1. Introduction The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy 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, visit http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847

2. Purpose The purpose of this study is to conduct an empirical analysis of an issue relevant to minority small business entrepreneurship.

3. 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 research 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. Of particular interest to the Office of Advocacy is the role of minority entrepreneurship in the small business economy. To this end the Office of Advocacy seeks projects that increase the base of knowledge about minority entrepreneurship and minority business ownership in the small business economy.

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

4. Scope

4.1 Additional terms. Any additional terms must be submitted with the proposal. No additional terms or agreements will be considered following award.

4.2 The research contract will incorporate by reference the contractor’s complete research proposal, the complete Statement of Work (SOW), and additional documents.

4.3 This is a nonpersonal 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

4.4 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:

• Business dynamism

• Issues relevant to veteran entrepreneurship

• Analysis of regional patterns in new business formation

• Small business contributions to the US economy

• Student debt and trends in entrepreneurship

• Microloans and small businesses

• Examination of family-owned businesses using the SBO

• Small business use of social networking and how that affects their competitiveness

5. Performance Requirements

5.1 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.

5.2 The final product should contain a thorough review of the current and relevant literature, discussion of the data and findings, and overall conclusions. The report should demonstrate policy relevance to current issues and demonstrate a significant contribution to the literature or data universe. Deliverables as listed in the final deliverable schedule will reflect reasonable progress toward the final product and should be submitted according to final product formatting requirements, meaning all deliverables should be thoroughly proofread and edited, written clearly and concisely and free of grammatical and typographical errors. For other details on the http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/847 final product, see the “Deliverables” and “Performance Requirement Summary” sections that follow.

6. Deliverables

6.1 Final Deliverable Schedule. The following is a general set of deliverables and deadlines for the delivery of those deliverables. More specific deliverables and a more specific deliverable schedule shall be finalized following the award of the contract and shall be mutually agreed upon by the Contractor, Contracting Officer, and Contracting Officer Representative at the Kick-off meeting for the contract. The deliverables and deliverable schedule shall be based on the milestones identified in this section, the accepted proposal, and the specific term of the contract upon award, including specific due dates within the contract term. Any changes made to the list of deliverables or deliverable deadline schedule shall be formally incorporated into the contract through a contract modification.

Deliverables Timetable

Deliverable Due Date Format For Written

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

Post Award Conference – discuss expectations, procedures/invoicing, and deliverables milestones

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, including passback and edits

As scheduled by request of the COR (possible bi-weekly calls)

N/A -- Phone Conference

N/A COR/Vendor

Detailed Contract Deliverables Milestones

I. Draft(s) Report sections and data development (includes I.a and I.b)

Months 1-3 of contract term

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

Via Email COR

Format For Written

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

a. Outline – establishes planned overarching structure for report

Microsoft Word document

Via Email COR

b. Initial Briefing – contractor presents outline, projected research path, and any preliminary findings.

Microsoft Word or Powerpoint Document

Via Teleconference or in Person

COR and internal staff including Advocacy editors

II. Rough Draft Sections of Report (includes II.a)

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

a. Draft Introduction, Literature Review, & Data Discussion sections – submitted for COR and editorial review in complete or nearly complete form.

documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

III. First Draft Sections; Peer Review or External Consultation Possibly Initiated (includes III.a and III.b)

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

a. Draft Methodology section

- submitted for COR and editorial review, including:

preliminary model & results, descriptive statistics/cross-tabulations, preliminary graphics, preliminary discussion of results formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

b. Polished Draft Methodology section – submitted for COR and editorial review, including:

polished methodology, model, results, and discussion formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

IV. Reworked Resubmissions of First Draft, Peer Review or External Consultation Likely Initiated (includes IV.a and IV.b)

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

a. Polished Discussion, Draft Executive Summary & Policy Implications – submitted for COR and editorial review, including: polished discussion of results & graphics/tables, draft ES, draft policy implication discussion formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF files or locked files)

Via Email COR

b. First Draft including all report sections and Peer Review or External Consultation – complete first draft submitted for COR, editorial, and peer review or external consultation formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

V. Final Draft Passback (includes V.a and V. b)

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

a. Peer review or external consultation and COR, editorial feedback distributed

– contractor will receive comments

Microsoft Word or PDF Via Email COR to contractor

b. Response to peer review or external consultation – submitted for COR review, including comments accepted and declined with brief explanation.

Written, submitted in a documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom

VI. Reworked, Resubmission of Proposed Final Document (includes VI.a and VI.b)

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

a. Final round of comments distributed – contractor will receive final substantive comments following internal review of first draft, peer review/external comments, and contractor responses to peer review/external comments.

Microsoft Word or PDF Via Email COR to contractor

b. Final Passbacks of Draft Report – submitted for COR and editorial review, including final revisions in response to comments/edits.

Written, submitted in a documents and formatted in accordance with specifications (no Adobe Acrobat PDF

Submissions Transition Method

Transmitted to Whom files or locked files)

VII. Final Report Submission – completed final product.

No later than day before end of contract term.

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

6.2 Progress of Deliverables. Deliverables must show significant progress relative to each previous deliverable and must be consistent with the requirements in Section

7.1.7 of the Statement of Work. SBA’s Office of Advocacy will not cover the costs associated with rejected deliverables.

6.3 Acceptance of Deliverables. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) shall review submitted deliverables over a reasonable amount of time and shall make an express determination of whether to accept or reject the deliverable. Acceptance of deliverables may be contingent upon whether timely and accurate incorporation of COR feedback has been incorporated.

7. Performance Requirement Summary

7.1 Contractors must adhere to the following when submitting intermediate and final deliverables, with the final version completed within the contract term:

7.1.1 Adherence to Contract Terms. 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.

7.1.2 Deliverables. The contractor will provide the Office of Advocacy with an electronic version of the final deliverable within the contract term. All of the deliverables listed in the deliverables chart of this SOW and any subsequent modifications to the contract, including all drafts identified as deliverables, shall be created in accordance with the terms and conditions detailed in this document. The research is expected to progress along the timeline and benchmarks as noted in the Deliverables section and as incorporated into the contract.

7.1.3 Contract Team.

7.1.3.a Key Personnel. Key personnel shall have the technical skills requisite to the project. This requires a minimum of advanced technical training in applied economic and econometric analysis and demonstrated experience as subject matter experts. For example, a Ph.D. in Economics or survey methodology would be considered acceptable. Offerors shall submit resumes that demonstrate these minimum qualifications for key personnel, such as project leads.

7.1.3.b Changes in Contract Team. 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.

7.1.4 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements. When surveys or new information collections are necessary, contractors must meet the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act where applicable. In order to do so, the contractor will need to anticipate within the performance term the required public notice and OMB review for information collections under the PRA. The creation of a new information collection will require the contractor to develop survey procedures; identify appropriate respondents; provide clarification of the collection process;

provide realistic estimates of the response rates; and work to develop an appropriate survey instrument (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg_infocoll). It is the contractor’s responsibility to prepare any materials necessary to obtain PRA clearances associated with the work to be performed.

7.1.5 Data Quality and Transparency Requirements. 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, data source disclosure and robustness checks will be required for any research or data project, including all data coding necessary to replicate findings and datasets derived through coding and query and used in support of analysis, unless otherwise limited by special access agreements. 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.

7.1.6 Data Rights. Rights in Data under FAR 52.227-14-15 shall apply to this contract.

7.1.7 Editing and Proofreading Requirements. The documented submissions related to the post award service, including the final report and all intervening deliverables, 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.

7.1.8 Style Requirements. The final report must contain an executive summary and table of contents. It must conform to 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.

7.1.9 ADA Section 508 Requirements. 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 according to 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.

7.1.10 Formatting Requirements. Final reports 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 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.

7.1.11 Disclaimer. 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.”

7.1.12 Product Release. If the contracted product is a complete publishable report, 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.

7.1.13 Definition of Small Business. Within the research product, the definition of small businesses should be the same as that of the proposal and should be consistent with either the general definition of small businesses (less than 500 employees), the definition of small business established by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Size Standards, or a reasonably justified definition of small business as substantiated in the contractor’s proposal.

7.1.14 Future Publication and Attribution. 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 (COR) regarding attribution to the Office of Advocacy.

Attribution should cite the SBA contract number under which the research was performed.