Obtain Advisory and Assistance Services to Convene a Standing Committee of Experts to Assist the Census in Reengineering the 2020 Decennial Census

The U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Management (DMD), intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to the National Academy of Sciences, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 under the authority of FAR 6.302-5(a)(2)(i) which states that "Full and open competition need not be provided for when a statute expressly authorizes or requires that the acquisition be made through another agency or from a specified source."

The Census Bureau intends to solicit and negotiate with the National Academy of Sciences, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001 to create a standing committee on Reengineering Census Operations to advise on:

a) 2020 Census Research and Testing: The Census Bureau requires the assistance of experts to assess mid-decade preparations and intensive testing for the 2020 Census, and to advise upon necessary trade-offs between cost and quality to ensure that the 2020 Census is conducted at a substantially reduced cost (per household, relative to repeating the Census 2010 design) without impairing overall census quality.

b) Economic Surveys and Censuses: The Census Bureau requires the assistance of experts to evaluate and advise on the methodologies and processes for economic surveys and censuses in order to achieve consistencies across sectors (data coherence), improved program efficiencies (processes harmonization), and complete program integration (data harmonization).

The National Academy of Sciences has been identified as the only source that can provide the measure of expertise, independence, objectivity, and audience acceptance necessary to meet the program requirements of DMD on a continuous basis.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals; however, interested parties may identify their interests and capability to respond to this requirement by 2:00 PM, EST, September 16, 2014 by email to donna.cornish@census.gov. A determination by the Census Bureau not to compete the proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Census Bureau.