SSN Attachment 1 - Sources Sought Notice Decennial Program Management.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau Decennial Census Management Division 2030 Decennial Program Management

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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (SSN):

In accordance with RFO FAR Part 10, the combined Request for Information (RFI)/ Sources Sought Notice (SSN) is issued solely for Market Research purposes only. The purpose of this notice is to identify potential small businesses with the capabilities, and experience to provide project and program management support services for the U.S. Census Bureau (USCB) Decennial Census Directorate.

The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement:

541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.

INTRODUCTION:

The USCB Associate Directorate for Decennial Programs is responsible for the management and execution of the 2030 Census Program. Decennial program offices execute their respective projects and activities through Integrated Project Teams (IPTs). The USCB requires contractor support to provide various program and project management expertise to support the IPTs in the planning, development, execution, monitoring, and control of the 2030 Census Program.

The 2030 Census is a vastly complex and interconnected program with planning and testing that takes place over years. During the 2020 Census, USCB had to rapidly adapt and change its projects to adjust to new projects and requirements as well as unplanned for events like natural disasters and a pandemic. Therefore, while Program and Project Management is at the core of USCB needs, the USCB also requires subject matter expertise specific to large scale data operations to ensure mission success. Previous unplanned projects have included providing support to develop a Crisis Management Plan, development of operational threat monitoring in the Fusion Center, as well as support for monitoring incoming responses to the Census. Additionally, the USCB requires staff with subject matter expertise or knowledge in Census’ operational areas including Enumeration, Self- Response and Data Products. With the anticipation that requirements under this contract may evolve rapidly, including the need to stand up new projects or initiatives related to 2030 Census on compressed timelines, USCB is seeking responses to understand the extent of small businesses’ capabilities to rapidly scale their workforce to meet surge requirements, which should be assumed to be providing 10 or more qualified personnel within a rapid mobilization window.

For more information on the 2030 Census and the operational areas that enable us to execute our mission success at USCB, you can visit 2030 Census Operational Plan which has all the information on our UCSB’s operational design.

TASK AREA REQUIREMENTS:

The Decennial Management Division (DCMD) serves as the centralized management office for the 2030 Census Program. This includes planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Program.

DCMD holds overall accountability for budget, schedule, and scope at both the program and project levels, and monitors the readiness of all projects required to execute the 2030 Census. In addition, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade/2030/planning-management/plan/2030-census-operational-plan.html

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DCMD provides the subject matter expertise needed to develop 2030 Census operations, ensuring alignment across all program activities. DCMD's structure includes the following core task areas:

1. Program and Project Management

2. Budget and Cost Management

3. Earned Value Management (EVM)

4. Quality Assurance and Quality Control

5. Risk and Issue Management

6. Performance Metrics and Data Analytics

7. Change and Configuration Management

8. Lessons Learned Management and Process Improvement

The DCMD may require contractor support across eight (8) core task areas to support DCMD in the operation of the 2030 Census Program. The contractor is expected to provide their services in a collaborative Government/Contractor work environment, with support needed in any task area mentioned above.

The DCMD anticipates fluctuating staffing requirements throughout the period of performance, with specific needs driven by program priorities, operational demands, and evolving mission requirements. Interested vendors must be capable of maintaining a baseline staffing level of no fewer than approximately ten (10) full-time personnel along with a surge capability to rapidly scale staffing support up to approximately seventy (70) qualified personnel, if required.

2020 Census Historical Context: The USCB relied on multiple contracts to provide program and project management support for 2020 Census operations. Although the overall scope remained relatively stable, evolving requirements periodically created new projects that required the rapid onboarding of personnel with diverse expertise. This demonstrated a critical need for a flexible contract support vehicle that can quickly scale and adapt to emerging mission needs without creating unnecessary delays or increasing risk to the broader program. The USCB also anticipates that needs may arise potentially including large-scale data collection efforts and in other areas such as Crisis Management Support, Risk and Threat Analysis, or other emerging areas like Artificial Intelligence.

RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Interested small businesses are requested to submit their response to this notice by Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 3:00pm EST to kaihli.m.charles@census.gov and paul.w.boesch@census.gov.

The email subject line shall be marked “2030 PM Support SSN – [Contractor Name]”

Response shall be prepared using 8.5” x 11” page format, 12-point font size in Times New Roman font, single-spaced with margins of no less than 0.5 inches on all sides and submitted in Microsoft Word file format.

mailto:kaihli.m.charles@census.gov mailto:paul.w.boesch@census.gov

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Your Company’s response must be organized in the following sections and include the requested information described below:

• Section 1: Company Overview

• Section 2: Capabilities

• Section 3: General Feedback

A. Company Overview: This section shall not exceed one (1) page and include the following:

1. A brief description of your company;

2. Socio-economic status, business size, and size standard/applicable;

3. Existing Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) and/or Government-Wide Acquisition Contract

(GWAC) vehicle(s);

4. Eligible North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes;

5. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number;

6. Web Page URL; and

7. Identify applicable contract vehicle and contract number currently available to acquire the services described through this notice.

B. Capabilities: This section shall not exceed ten (10) pages and include the following:

Attached to this notice is Attachment 2 - Draft Performance of Work Statement (PWS) outlining the anticipated project and program requirements. Please review the PWS in determining your company’s capability.

1. Capabilities: Provide detailed description of your company’s capabilities in response to the requirements contained in the attached PWS. If your company lacks capabilities in a particular task area, explain how you would overcome the lack of capabilities to fulfil that portion of the requirement (i.e., teaming, subcontracting, etc.).

2. Surge Staffing: Provide detailed description of your company's capabilities to meet surge staffing needs. Surge staffing should be assumed to provide at least ten (10) qualified personnel in program and project management or subject matter expertise supporting large-scale data collection operations or other specialized program areas, as needed to support large-scale data collection operations. Response should include the vendor’s capabilities regarding recruitment, hiring, retention, and onboarding including estimated timelines for providing additional personnel and any assumptions or limitations that may affect the vendor’s ability to meet rapid staffing increases such as background investigations, security clearance processing, and training. Also describe no more than three (3) relevant experience example(s) where your company successfully scaled staffing to meet a similarly urgent and large-scale requirement.

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3. Relevant Experience(s): Provide detailed description of relevant experiences example(s) within past five (5) years identifying the degree of involvement, the scope, size and complexity of the effort, period of performance, contract number, and point of contact at the requisite Federal agency. Additionally, indicate whether the performance was as a prime or a subcontractor provider. Each example shall include specific experience in performing similar work defined in the attached PWS, for large-scale data collection operations or other programs similar in scope and complexity to the requirements within the attached PWS.

C. General Feedback: This section shall not exceed two (2) pages and address the following topics:

1. Provide any general feedback or recommendations in response to the attached PWS.

2. Provide recommended performance measures that may ensure successful contract performance.

3. Provide recommended measures that may ensure successful management of costs.

4. Provide how your company can work within a firm fixed price contracting structure while ensuring best practices and industry tools and recommendations regarding reporting and disseminating reports as required in attached PWS.

DISCLAIMER:

This SSN is issued solely for planning purposes only and does not constitute as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Further, the USCB is not seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals at this time. Response to this notice does not constitute an offer and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in responding to this SSN. All costs associated with responding to this SSN will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this SSN does not preclude participation in any future solicitation if one is issued. Responses to this SSN will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the result of the Government’s review.

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information shall be included in your Response.

The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including but not limited to AI assisted writing tools and automated content generators, is expressly discouraged for the preparation of your company’s response to this SSN. All narratives should be the original work of the Respondent, demonstrating their unique expertise, capabilities, methodologies, and other strategies.

END OF NOTICE