Census Bureau's Survey Methodologist Draft Requirements

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 10, the following Notice is issued solely for Market Research purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal or a commitment to issue a Request for Proposal by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau is not requesting or accepting offers at this time. Information received in response to this notice will not be evaluated or considered by the Government as an offer. The Census Bureau is not responsible for any administrative cost incurred by respondents for answering to this announcement. TITLE: Census Bureau's Survey Methodologist Draft Requirements BACKGROUND: The contract will primarily support the Research and Methodology Directorate but will be available for use by other Census Bureau directorates. The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. Our core business is comprised of conducting periodic censuses and large-scale surveys. The full range of activities includes sample design and estimation, questionnaire design, geographic infrastructure update, data collection, processing, and dissemination. The strategic direction is to improve the value of our contributions to the American public in general and to our customers who directly depend on our products and services. The Center for Survey Measurement (CSM) advises relevant Census Bureau sample survey and census programs in the formulation, planning, general direction, and review of broadly based methodological research projects; provides technical leadership and support to the Census Bureau in the design and presenting of questionnaires and instruments for census and sample surveys; and undertakes investigations toward understanding non-sampling and measurement error and their sources and effects, especially those related to social and behavioral factors. CSM conducts a range of activities that supports the following : - Human Factors & Usability - Language and Cross-Cultural Research - Questionnaire Development and Evaluation - Emerging methods - Social Science Research The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the United States Code. These laws not only provide authority for the work we do, but also provide strong protection for the information we collect from individuals and businesses. Title 13 provides the following protections to individuals and businesses: - Private information is never published. It is against the law to disclose or publish any private information that identifies an individual or business , including names, addresses (including GPS coordinates), Social Security Numbers, and telephone numbers. - The Census Bureau collects information to produce statistics. Personal information cannot be used against participants by any government agency or court. - Census Bureau employees are sworn to protect confidentiality. People sworn to uphold Title 13 are legally required to maintain the confidentiality of data. Every person with access to Title 13 data is sworn for life to protect the information and understands that the penalties for violating this law are applicable for a lifetime. o Violating the law is a serious federal crime. Anyone who violates this law will face severe penalties, including a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.