Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) Quality Control Center

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing the personal injury and property losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA relies on data to measure the characteristics and needs of the highway safety environment. Data is essential to reducing the human and economic cost of motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA has several different information collections that collect real-world crash data that support research, problem identification, developing effective countermeasures, identifying NHTSA program and rulemaking needs, developing and evaluating traffic safety programs, evaluating new technologies, and supporting NHTSA highway safety grants. In the late 1970s, NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) devised a multidisciplinary approach to meet NHTSA's data needs that used a combination of census, sample-based and State reported data to provide nationally representative traffic crash data on a timely basis. NHTSA created two types of data collection efforts: records-based systems and crash investigation-based systems. The records-based systems involved coding crash data from crash records and included the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS-GES). The Crash investigation-based systems involved on-site crash investigation combined with coding crash data and analysis of additional information, such as medical or vehicle crashworthiness. Over time, NHTSA's data collection has evolved. In 2015, NHTSA created two new data systems to replace the NASS-GES. These are the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), respectively. Under these data systems, NHTSA uses primary samples units (PSU) to collect certain information from police crash reports (PCRs) and other motor vehicle crash information. The CISS operates two main programs: CISS PSU Operations and CISS Quality Control Center (QCC). PSU Operations manages the everyday operations of the PSU's while the QCC manages the technical aspects of the work produced by those PSUs. This solicitation applies only to the CISS-based Quality Control Center (QCC).1 This procurement will provide for the quality control of CISS cases and the training development and technical guidance of personnel at the thirty-two (32) CISS PSUs listed in Table 1. Cases are the work product from PSU Crash Technicians that contain the data elements, images and records collected during investigations. It is not the role of the QCC to code the cases, but QCC personnel will have the ability during review to override the coded data and provide feedback to the PSUs. This contract does not include the day-to-day administration or management of the PSU's The objective of this Contract is to provide timely, efficient and effective support for the Quality Control Center (QCC) for NHTSA's Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS). The activities include the establishment and operation of the QCC, the training development and technical guidance of personnel at the thirty-two (32) CISS PSUs - which includes timely and thorough reporting using CISS Data Systems - and the participation in and oversight of special studies and training programs (if exercised). The purpose of this Contract is to acquire services to enhance and execute a cohesive program of on-going quality control and evaluation, training resource development and maintenance and quality control support: To ensure timeliness, accuracy, consistency, and completeness in coding and data entry among all coding staff; To ensure proficiency in the use of information crash data retrieval tools; and To maintain and continue the standardization across all data collection PSUs. Please see attached RFP