Research Participant Recruiting

The Department of Labor, Office of the Senior Procurement Executive, on behalf of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Office of Survey Methods Research (OSMR), is seeking information on commercial vendors capable of providing research participant recruiting and management services. Key service requirements include identifying and recruiting eligible research participants based on study-specific criteria, screening and verifying participant eligibility, scheduling participants for virtual or in-person studies, processing monetary remuneration, managing participant information in compliance with BLS confidentiality and privacy policies, and providing real-time and periodic status updates and summary reports to BLS/OSMR. Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) will be evaluated by DOL and determined to be "Relevant" or "Irrelevant" based on their applicability to the government's needs, with offerors of relevant responses potentially requested to demonstrate their approach and product to a Government panel of Subject Matter Experts. The deadline for submitting RFI responses is April 2, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST, with questions due by March 18, 2026. Responses must not exceed 30 pages in Microsoft Word format with Times New Roman 11-12 point font and 1-inch margins, and should include pricing information for four sample projects, detailed capabilities descriptions, historical experience, business certifications, fraud prevention controls, and company recruiting metrics for calendar year 2025.

This procurement includes no set-aside designations, and there is no incumbent contractor as this represents a new government requirement. The anticipated contract type is performance-based, with an expected award in Fiscal Year 2026 structured as a one-year base period with four option years if issued. BLS anticipates conducting 200-300 participant studies annually, with individual studies ranging from 10-100 participants, with typical compensation of $50 for 60-minute interviews or up to $90 for 90-minute focus groups. Studies will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams or in-person in the Washington, DC area, with example project timelines ranging from one week for focus groups to six weeks for online interview studies. The government has not committed to issuing a solicitation following this market research phase and may result in a small business set-aside or multiple awards.