Conduct Analyses of Technological and Economic Trends

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for market research purposes. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR A REQUEST FOR QUOTATIONS. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of conducting a prospective (strategic planning) study, which is very broad in terms of required disciplines and experience, to include but not limited to technology assessment, high-tech industry behavioral and structural analyses, microeconomic modeling of complex technology development and commercialization patterns, high-tech industry survey and data collection techniques, and quantitative and qualitative analyses of technology infrastructure gaps that are retarding advancement of new manufacturing technologies. The result of this study will include (1) detailed assessment of the existence and nature of gaps associated with the efficient domestic development of highly complex emerging manufacturing technologies, focusing on the three topical areas (advanced robotics and automation systems, advanced printing and additive manufacturing, and computer simulation (virtual measurement) for advanced manufacturing), (2) qualitative assessment of these gaps in terms of industry investment criteria and research mechanisms used, (3) the quantitative rankings of these gaps, and (4) assessments of the implied government policy responses with respect to targets of specific phases in the research and development (R&D) cycle and subsequent scale-up (capital formation). After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for NIST's requirements, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a contract action for this work. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that results would be conducted as a small business set-aside. The successful offeror must possess substantial analytical competences and research experience in the following categories: (1) Technology assessment, including the ability to disaggregate the relevant technologies into private and public elements (2) Industry structure and behavior analysis, including the ability to understand and characterize the relationships between corporate strategy and investment patterns in public-good technology elements (infratechnologies, standards) and the ability to obtain original data from designated industries through scoping interviews (3) Analytical methodology development, including the ability to (a) characterize technology, structural and financing gaps in private-sector investment, (b) define appropriate metrics that reveal investment/underinvestment patterns, (c) demonstrate that the metrics/variables are appropriate for survey design and eventual quantitative analysis, and (d) select appropriate time series for "gap" estimation (4) Survey techniques/data collection strategies that maximize accurate responses from industry (5) Selection and execution of one or more modes of data collection (6) Report writing Economic Focus. The contractor shall assess the nature and patterns of technology evolution in the three subject areas and estimate the annual potential cost savings for the three technology areas from improved technical infrastructure, specifically (1) new technology platforms and (2) infratechnologies and associated standards. Technology and Industry Focus. The Contractor's emphasis shall be on those technology platforms and infratechnologies that are assessed to have large potential economic impact. Technology platforms include both generic product and process technologies that will serve as the basis for future product and process innovations. Infratechnologies to be analyzed include techniques, methods, models, and databases used by industry to define, conduct, and assess R&D for both product and process development, and to facilitate technology diffusion and marketplace transactions by assuring compliance with product/process specifications. The Contractor shall include all industries that are projected to be innovators and direct users of advanced manufacturing technologies, such as advanced robotics and automation systems, advanced printing and additive manufacturing, and computer simulation (virtual measurement) for advanced manufacturing. Baseline Data: The Contractor's major focus shall be industry impact data including investment (R&D and "fixed private investment" as defined by BEA--especially hardware and software), subsequent productivity trends, and ultimate market growth potential. For the purposes of this study, the industries to be studied must be those that are either suppliers or users of the relevant technologies, as described above. Productivity/Cost/Innovation/Market Penetration Impacts: The Contractor shall rank the resulting gap analyses associated with advanced manufacturing platform technologies and infratechnologies/standards in terms of potential reductions in labor, equipment, and material costs, as well as the realization of the overall market potential of the subject technologies. This shall be accomplished in the following tasks: Phase I: Task A: Technology and Industry Analysis. The contractor shall describe and assess technical and economic trends, and project future developments for "smart manufacturing." Using this broad and cross-cutting technology platform as a point of departure, the contractor shall describe, characterize, and assess the relevant Industry technology elements and supporting infratechnology investment trends; provide initial ranking and assessment of the strategic importance of each category individually and as an entire infrastructure, and analyze underinvestment patterns for each of the three case studies. The contractor shall then place the analysis in the context of competitive trends (R&D, capital formation, sales) in the domestic and global economies, emphasizing product, process and infratechnology investment and resulting market share patterns. The contractor will use conventional research techniques and scoping interviews as data sources. The contractor shall provide a Technology and Industry report to NIST to become part of the final report that includes: 1. Description, characterization and assessment of the technological and economic trends relating to smart manufacturing as an evolving ubiquitous technology platform 2. Descriptions of the nature of the relevant technologies and supporting technology infrastructure (technology platforms and infratechnologies /associated standards) for the three areas of advanced manufacturing technology 3. Characterization and analysis of the economic roles and leverage of technology infrastructures for each case study 4. Documentation of major investment trends by technology area, covering all tiers in the relevant of supply chains 5. Initial characterization and ranking of infratechnologies and gaps relative to need, including equipment, methods, interfaces, data, and IT infrastructure 6. Specific product categories most likely to be affected by these infratechnologies 7. The completed background case studies that illuminate the above analysis factors Task B: Economic Analysis Framework. The contractor shall develop an Economic Analysis Framework for the desired economic analysis based on background research, the Technology and Industry report, scoping interviews and other sources of expertise to develop hypothesized underinvestment scenarios and associated metrics to drive data collection. The Contractor shall produce an Economic Analysis Framework report and include it as part of the final report that includes: 1. Framework for analysis of the economic consequences of inadequate technology infrastructure (technology platforms and infratechnologies) that is a. produced from literature reviews, initial informal industry interviews, and consultations with NIST and industry experts b. built on a taxonomy of product and service impact categories, their characteristics, and interactions with technology platforms and infratechnologies c. focused on hypothesized barriers/costs for each impact category from inadequate technology infrastructure 2. Impact/cost measures and impacted industry segments, selected based on hypothesized significance of impact and feasibility of obtaining impact data directly from industry 3. Final selection of industries in the relevant supply chains projected to be associated with the emerging technologies in the three case studies REPORT REQUIREMENTS: In accordance with stakeholder guidance in the "Written Documents/Reports" section above, the Contractor shall produce a report that presents the three case studies embodying technology and industry trends and gap assessments and the economic analysis framework. Phase II: This is an OPTIONAL LINE ITEM. It may not be exercised at time of award. The Government will reserve the right to exercise at a later date. Upon the fully executed modification to exercise this option, Task C. The contractor shall conduct industry data surveys 1. Design broad surveys of agreed upon industry segments in each tier of the target supply chain 2. Obtain OMB clearances by providing COR with appropriate OMB forms and supporting statements 3. Conduct surveys Task D. The contractor shall write a final report (draft to be approved by NIST) that 1. Describes the U.S. sectors/industries studied 2. Describes the relevant technology platforms and infratechnologies in terms of their roles, economic importance, and market characteristics and current inadequacies 3. Presents both quantitative and qualitative findings from the surveys and other information sources, emphasizing costs of inadequate technical infrastructure 4. Assesses interactions of relevant investment trends with corporate strategies, interactions with long-term technological and market trends, impacts of and needs for standardization, and the overall potential NIST contributions to infratechnology development and standardization NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, especially small businesses, and small businesses in the socio-economic categories. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 541690, as those domestic sources having average annual gross receipts that do not exceed $14.0 Million for the past three years. Please include your company's size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice. Companies that can provide such services are requested to email a detailed capability statement describing their abilities to marie.gilliam@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. Your capability statement may be tailored to the above requirements. You may also include a sample (or reference to) report that your company has prepared that is similar in nature to this work to demonstrate your experience. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of your company which is experienced in providing the described services, the address, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 2. Indication of whether your services are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 3. Any past performance information that you consider relevant to this effort. 4. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.