2027 & 2029 NCSES Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities Sources Sought

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support is seeking information from potential contractors for the FY 2027 and FY 2029 cycles of the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities, under solicitation number 49100426K0006, with responses due by July 15, 2026. This sources-sought notice is for market research only and does not constitute a solicitation or obligation to award a contract. The work involves collecting, processing, and analyzing data from U.S. research-performing institutions on the capacity and characteristics of their science and engineering research facilities, with deliverables including a detailed database, structured microdata and metadata files for the NCSES repository, cumulative data files compatible with tools like the Data Table Builder, methodology reports, technical notes, and survey overviews. All data must be handled in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, FISMA, and FIPS standards, requiring strict confidentiality protections and secure electronic delivery via authenticated FTP or similar secure transfer methods. Data must be structured in machine-readable formats with standardized schemas for tagging and metadata. A comprehensive Confidentiality Plan and Data Security Procedures document must be submitted for approval by the NCSES Chief Statistician and Contracting Officer’s Representative prior to any data access, detailing physical and network security, access controls, data use agreements, and disclosure protocols, with unannounced site inspections permitted. All contractor personnel, including subcontractors, must sign annual individual data use agreements and complete confidentiality training, while the organization must annually submit nondisclosure statements and evidence of compliance with the NSF Common Rule for Human Subjects. The contract requires implementation of integrated Quality Assurance and Quality Control plans covering the full survey lifecycle—from data collection and editing to imputation and table validation—with risk assessments tied to budget, schedule, and data quality, submitted for approval within four weeks of award. The place of performance is Alexandria, Virginia, and the North American Industry Classification System code listed is 541910, though respondents are instructed to self-certify their small business status under NAICS 541611 with a size standard of $24.5 million. Responses are limited to five pages in 12-point Times Roman font, with no pricing, marketing materials, or brochures permitted. The contractor must conduct an initial meeting with NSF and NCSES staff within two weeks of award and deliver final data tables within three weeks of receiving comments from