B -- Enhancing Public Response & Community Resilience Project (Public Needs Project)

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE REPRESENTS A MARKET SURVEY AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR INVITATION FOR BIDS. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Procurement Operations Headquarters, Science and Technology (S&T) Acquisition Division is seeking potential sources to support the DHS S&T Directorate, Human Factors Division's (HFD) Enhancing Public Response and Community Resilience project, hereafter referred to as the Public Needs project within the Community Preparedness, Response, and Recovery program area. The HFD Public Needs project will analyze all calls received into the 26 regional Texas 2-1-1 Information and Referral System ("2-1-1 System"), a free phone number for information on local public services, during, and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to inform future preparedness and response activities for catastrophic events. The Public Needs project will provide temporal and geospatial mapping of the different needs for shelter, food, and other assistance that were identified by callers into the 2-1-1 System, and deliver a standardized data entry template for all 2-1-1 Center calls. This standardized template will be made available to those states and localities that currently employ a 2-1-1 Center to manage public information needs during crises and identify areas in need of various services by quickly aggregating calls into the 2-1-1 Centers. The period of performance for the proposed contract will be for 36 months (Base + 2 Option Years). In support of this requirement, the Contractor shall complete the following tasks: Base Period Tasks: 1.) Develop a single database comprised of data from 100% of the calls received in the 26 regional Texas 2-1-1 Information and Referral System databases from 8/1/2005 through 12/31/2005. The contractor shall clearly define the categories of data to be included in the database and the manner in which the data will be coded for systematic entry, and make the database, in its entirety, available to DHS, 2.) Analyze compiled data to identify the various needs identified by callers in the 2-1-1 System, such as food, shelter, child care, and other disaster relief. The contractor shall conduct a temporal analysis of the calls to determine which needs arose at which points in time from 8/1/2005 through 12/31/2005; Option Year 1 Task: 3.) Gather the geospatial coordinates for the origin of each of the calls in the database and identify geospatial trends in the types of needs identified by callers (e.g. needs identified by callers in rural vs. urban areas). The contractor shall overlay demographic information with the geospatial information that is gathered to also examine whether different needs were identified by different subgroups of the population (e.g. socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, age, etc.); Option Year 2 Task: 4.) Use data analysis results to create a standardized data entry template that could be used as part of the 2-1-1 Centers nationwide. The development of the actual software for this capability is not part of this SOW. In support of this task, the contractor shall meet with state agencies with active 2-1-1 Centers to achieve a consensus definition regarding the essential data to collect from a caller during a disaster. The standardized data entry template shall be designed to capture this information. Contract deliverables will consist of the following: Base Period Deliverables: 1.) Documented Research Plan created in collaboration with HFD personnel, 2.) Final Report of Temporal Analysis of Needs Identified by Callers into the 2-1-1 System, an executive summary of the findings suitable for distribution to policy makers, first responders, and others tasked with emergency preparedness, response, and recovery; Option Year 1 Deliverable: 3.) Final Report of the Geospatial Mapping of Needs Identified by Callers into the 2-1-1 System; Option Year 2 Deliverable: 4.) Standardized Data Entry Template for Use of 2-1-1 File Data for Disaster Management and Recovery. Interested sources are invited to submit a one-page statement of capability (Microsoft Word) to include company name, address, and point of contact, telephone number, e-mail address, fax number, and business size (indicating whether you are a large or small business for purposes of the assigned NAICS code), and GSA Contract Number/Federal Supply Schedule identifier, if applicable. Written responses must be received no later than 4/2/2007, 5:00 PM (EST). Responses shall be e-mailed to the point of contact designated below.