National Baseline Study Research Contractor (NBSRC)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS (OJP) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE (NIJ) NATIONAL BASELINE STUDY RESEARCH CONTRACTOR (NBSRC) This Request for Information (RFI) is the initiation of market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. This announcement does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP), and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses to this notice cannot be accepted as offers. The Government anticipates the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to these services to be either 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services; or 541720 - Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities. (Note: the Government is open to industry recommendations on the appropriate NAICS code for this requirement.) Contractors must be properly registered in the Government System for Award Management at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (Public Law Number 109-162), at Title IX, Section 904(a) (codified at 42 U.S.C. § 3796gg-10 note) mandates that the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in consultation with the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), conduct a National Baseline Study (NBS) on violence against American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) women living in tribal communities. Because of the broad scope of the work outlined in the legislation and the complexity of the topic, NIJ refers to this directive as a program of research, rather than a single baseline study, because multiple research projects over a period of time are required and being commissioned to address the entire statutory mandate. The purpose of the research program is to: examine violence against AI and AN women (including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking sex trafficking, and murder) and identify factors that place AI and AN women at risk for victimization; evaluate the effectiveness of federal, state, tribal, and local responses to violence against AI and AN women; and propose recommendations to improve effectiveness of these responses. To this end, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Acquisition Management Division (AMD) is issuing this notice to identify qualified and responsible vendors, to obtain information in developing an acquisition to support NIJ's research program. Specifically, the Government seeks Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) Concerns under NAICS 541611or Women-owned Small Business (WOSB) Concerns under 541720 that will assist with implementing and managing tribal research sites under the direction of NIJ, by implementing a study of public health, wellness, and safety among AI and AN women; also referred to NIJ's National Baseline Study (NBS) on Public Heath, Wellness, and Safety. The following subject areas describe the general areas of interest or concern to support this effort: 1. Site Outreach, Selection, and Recruitment: Assisting with the selection of NBS tribal research sites and determining tribal support and willingness to participate in the NBS and identifying additional or replacement sites, if needed. 2. Study Protocol Development, Review, and Adjustment: Assisting with the refinement of the NBS questionnaire, to include drafting and maintaining all NBS documents (e.g., study manual, training materials, study protocols, individual sampling plans, marketing/outreach plan, USDOJ Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protection paperwork). 3. Data Collection: Providing, and coordinating with, local data collection services and data collection teams (e.g., site coordinators, field interviewers, interpreters), and organizing local data collection support activities (e.g., transportation, child care, behavioral health services). 4. Data Monitoring: Developing and maintaining a NBS site data collection schedule and monitoring NBS site data collections efforts, including supervising transmission of data to the NBS Data Center. 5. General Operations: Promoting efficient and effective site operations. 6. Data Analysis: Assisting with data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of NBS findings. Objectives of this requirement must be met by skilled, experienced, professional, and/or technical personnel. OJP/NIJ is seeking the following information from interested companies possessing the resources and expertise, with respect to the following items/questions: a) Describe your knowledge and understanding of the United States' and tribal justice systems and laws governing federal and tribal justice systems. b) Describe your experience with social science survey research with an emphasis on survey implementation and multi-site operations involving tribal populations, communities, and cultures. c) Describe your experience with multi-site, large-scale data collection efforts that use computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) and audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) operations involving vulnerable populations. d) Describe your experience with community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, practices, and ethical issues as it specifically relates to tribal communities. e) Describe your experience with fiscal, management, staff, and organizational capacity to provide sound support for the general areas of interest listed above. Respondents to this RFI shall provide the following information: The response to this notice is limited to ten (10) single sided pages (including all attachments, charts, etc.). In addition to answering the questions above, the response should also include the following information clearly marked on the first page of the response: • Vendor's name, address, points of contact information, website, DUNS, and cage code. • Vendor's current business designation and size status. • Vendor's applicable GWACs (i.e., Federal Supply Schedule Number) • Announcement Number - Sources Sought • Tailored capability statements addressing the general areas of this requirement, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. • Past Performance - Provide a list of previous contracts where similar services were provided. Provide customer/Government Agency contact information where these services were provided including: contact name and organization, telephone number, and email address. All responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically (via e-mail) to Amanda Hawkins, Contracts Specialist, at [email protected]. Facsimile responses will not be accepted. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Interested vendors should monitor a government point of entry site for further information. Your firm's response to this RFI is appreciated. SUBMISSION TIME AND DATE: Responses to the information provided above are due no later than Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM (Noon) Eastern Time. Responses received after this date and time may not be considered. DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES: This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and shall NOT be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any concern responding to this notice should ensure that its' response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the concern's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation MAY be published. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. The Government will NOT accept requests for meetings or briefings, and may not answer any questions posed. No phone solicitations or email with regards to the status of a potential Request for Proposal (RFP) will be accepted prior to its release. Information and materials submitted in response to this notice WILL NOT be returned. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses received nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. As a result of this notice, the Government MAY issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). There is no solicitation available at this time. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or the Government's use of such information as either part of our evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. CONFIDENTIALITY: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s). PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT: Please address any questions via email to Amanda Hawkins, at [email protected].