Social Policy Research Associates, Inc.

Social Policy Research Associates Inc., doing business as S P R, is a research, evaluation, and technical assistance firm specializing in workforce development, education, social services, and public policy. The company provides a wide range of services to federal government agencies, including program evaluations, research studies, data analysis, and technical support for various initiatives. S P R has extensive experience working with agencies such as the Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Through both prime contracts and subcontracts, S P R delivers services to support evidence-based policymaking and program improvement across multiple social policy domains.

Through federal contract awards, S P R has provided diverse services to government agencies. For the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, the company has conducted evaluations of workforce development programs such as the Workforce Data Quality Initiative and the Dislocated Worker Grant Program. S P R has also performed research and analysis on nutrition assistance programs for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, including studies on SNAP customer service strategies and employment and training programs. For the Department of Housing and Urban Development, S P R has evaluated housing assistance programs such as the Emergency Housing Voucher Program. Additionally, the firm has operated the Workforce Policy Development Center for the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. Many of these contracts were awarded as small business set-asides, with S P R serving as both a prime contractor and subcontractor on various projects. The company's work often involves data collection, analysis, evaluation design, technical assistance, and report writing to support federal agencies in assessing and improving their programs.

S P R's involvement in federal grant awards has primarily been as a subrecipient. The company has supported state workforce agencies in implementing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs, providing services such as employment counseling, work experience programs, and occupational training. In this capacity, S P R has assisted with the delivery of adult, dislocated worker, and youth services through local workforce development councils. The firm has also contributed to research projects funded by federal grants, including a study on the Second Chance Act (SCA) reentry program for the National Institute of Justice. For this project, S P R assisted with data collection, analysis, and reporting on program impacts related to recidivism, employment, and other measures of participant well-being. These grant-funded activities showcase S P R's ability to support both direct service delivery and research initiatives across various social policy areas.

Social Policy Research Associates Inc. holds a significant Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the Department of Labor's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, valued at $99 million. This BPA, awarded in September 2023 and running through September 2028, allows S P R to provide evaluation services across DOL agencies and programs. Under this vehicle, S P R can receive task orders to perform program evaluations, research, data collection, and analytics to assess the effectiveness and impacts of DOL's workforce development, education, training, employment, and labor economics initiatives. This BPA leverages S P R's expertise in social science research and evaluation, enabling the firm to provide a variety of fixed-price, labor hour, and time and materials task order services to support DOL's Chief Evaluation Office and the Department's performance measurement and evidence-building requirements. The BPA's scope and value underscore S P R's significant role in supporting federal evaluation and research efforts in the labor and workforce development domains.

Research, Evaluation, Training and Technical Asistance in Workforce Development, Education, Social Services, and other social science research.