Census Bureau 2010 Non-ID Operation

MARKET RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT The following Request for Information (RFI) is being issued solely for Market Research purposes in planning for the Census Bureau's 2010 Non-ID Operation that will occur between January and December of 2010. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a Request for Proposal by the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau is not accepting offers at this time nor will the information provided be evaluated or considered as an offer. This RFI does not commit the Census Bureau to contract for any supplies or services. The Census Bureau will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred by a contractor in response to this RFI. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SUMMARY The U.S. Census Bureau is currently preparing for the Puerto Rico portion of the 2010 Non-ID Clerical Operation. The requirements for the operation have been defined, and government personnel are currently developing the software applications and procedures. This operation will require the support of contractors that are fluent in Spanish (specifically, the local dialect used in Puerto Rico) and have specific local knowledge of the addressing systems utilized in Puerto Rico to perform data entry and analysis tasks. The Census Bureau is currently in the Market Research/Industry Engagement stage of this effort, in which we are engaging industry to more fully understand the abilities of companies to provide the support required by this operation. This stage will also allow potential bidders to obtain an understanding of the operation's requirements and objectives. The principal objective of this RFI is for the Census Bureau to receive information from industry, which would ensure that there are capable vendors that understand and can satisfy the Census Bureau needs for this requirement. Industry should understand that the scope and requirements for this initiative are not finalized, and the Census Bureau seeks to interact with innovative companies in order to understand the capabilities that the industry has to offer. The Census Bureau reserves the right to meet with vendors that demonstrate the best capabilities with projects similar in size, scope, and complexity to the requirements for this project. BACKGROUND For the 2010 Non-ID Operation the Geography Division (GEO) is largely responsible for the development and implementation of clerical processes, software, training, and operational procedures. For the Puerto Rico (PR) portion of the clerical processes, GEO may require the support of skilled contractor personnel who will perform data entry and analysis functions. These personnel will utilize the custom software, systems, and training that has been developed by GEO to enter, review, and analyze address data collected during the 2010 Decennial Census. The exact period of performance has not been finalized for this operation, however GEO anticipates that the clerical operation will last for a period of approximately six months beginning in early 2010. During this period of time, the daily activities of the contractor may alternate between on the job training (relating to the software and procedures that the government will provide) and production work. The operation will take place at either either the Census Bureau Headquarters located in Suitland, Maryland or at the National Processing Center located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. To accomplish GEO's mission as described above, the unique knowledge and skills provided by contractors may be required. These skills are described in the - Skill Level Requirements described below. This RFI focuses on identifying companies that have the ability to provide the specific expertise to perform the data entry/analysis functions that GEO requires for the 2010 Non-ID Puerto Rico clerical operation. SCOPE Recruit, hire, and manage, a workforce that meets the skill requirements needed to complete the Puerto Rico portion of the 2010 Non-ID Operation in the time allotted. Each individual hired by the contractor must be able to perform both the data entry and analysis functions. INFORMATION REQUESTED The following information should be provided in response to this RFI: Name and Address of the Organization; Point of contact with name, title, phone, fax and email; Brief description of the organization, business size, any special status (such as 8(a), Hub Zone, etc.), ownership, and services provided. MARKET RESEARCH QUESTIONS Please answer the following questions based on your experiences: 1. Describe your experience in recruiting, and maintaining a small (less than 30 people) data entry/data analysis staff, with specialized skills (comparable to those identified in the - Skill Level Requirements section below), for a short-term project. Also, please indicate if your company would be interested in an opportunity that was only expected to last three to six months. 2. Describe your experience with ensuring that employees meet the skill level requirements defined by an outside entity. 3. Describe your experience in providing on-site support at a Federal Government facility, or similar facility requiring strict adherence to identity verification and security procedures (both physical security and IT security). 4. Describe the approach your company would utilize to successfully manage the logistics of employing a staff at a government facility in Jeffersonville, IN or in Suitland, MD. If the approach your company would utilize for each location is different, or if your company is unable to provide the proposed support at one of the locations, please clearly state this in your response. 5. Provide as much detail as possible about the labor rates and any relocation expenses your company would anticipate to satisfy this requirement. For the purposes of this question you should assume 28 employees, and 2 managers all located on-site. If the labor rates and/or relocation expenses are different for each of the locations, please provide enough detail to both distinguish and justify any differences. 6. Provide a high level schedule (timeframe) that includes the major milestones required to recruit, screen, and deploy a staff to fulfill a requirement such as this. SKILL LEVEL REQUIREMENTS The following is a list of Skill Level Requirements for the data entry/analysis personnel that may be required: Technical Application: Experience with interactive applications using a personal computer (PC), preferably applications involving data entry and analysis. Experience working with and understanding geographic data such as online maps (e.g. Google Maps, MapQuest Maps, Microsoft Live Earth, etc.) is helpful. Comprehensive Knowledge of Puerto Rico Addressing Conventions: Extensive knowledge of the addresses and addressing systems in Puerto Rico. This experience may have been gained via work, study or residence. - Ability to identify the components that make up a Puerto Rico address. Including, but not limited to: o Urbanization o Condominium/Residential o Barrio/ Barriadas /Sector / Parcelas / Comunidades o Carretera / Ramal o KMHM (Kilometer / Hectometer) - Ability to demonstrate understanding and explain the differences between addressing conventions found in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the island. - Ability to identify which address components are more common in each of the three types of areas. - Ability to analyze Puerto Rico addresses and assess whether they are complete and sufficient for both location purposes (finding the unit on the ground) and mailing purposes (i.e. meets the USPS standards.) - Ability to illustrate how Puerto Rico address components are used in conjunction to one another and which address components are typically viewed as mutually exclusive. Communication: Experience communicating with the public and/or coworkers in an environment very similar to that of a customer service call center. - Ability to interpret verbal descriptions of address and housing locations. - Fluent in Spanish, and the local dialect used in Puerto Rico. - Ability to communicate in English, both verbally and in writing. - Ability to provide a non-technical explanation of the operation for which the respondent's cooperation is requested. - Ability to convey to the respondent why the Census Bureau is requesting information and assist the respondent in providing what is needed. Responses to this RFI should be submitted via e-mail to contact@example.gov no later than Wednesday, August 12, 2009 by 4:00 PM EST. Submissions are limited to Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF formats with font size no smaller than 12-point pitch. Text shall be presented on 8 - x 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins. Submitters are instructed to limit their responses to 20 pages.