Exper Panel on the Roles of Women and New/Beginning Farmers

Amendment 01 Changes the location for the place of performance to Washington, D.C. Pursuant to FAR 6.302-1 and 41 USC 253(c)(1) Only One Responsible Source, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS), intends to award a sole source requirement to form an Expert Panel on the Roles of Women and New/Beginning Farmers with the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) located in Washington D.C. The support service to be provided NASS is to address four (4) questions. 1) Do the items currently being reported in the Census of Agriculture adequately capture the participation of women and new/beginning farmers? 2) With the Data currently being collected, what additional information could/should be reported? 3) Do these items fully meet the needs of stake holders and 4) If the panel in collaboration with NASS determines the current and potential report based on data currently being collected do not sufficiently capture the participation of women and new/beginning farmers, what information should be reported? The vender awarded this requirement shall have experience and knowledge of the NASS mission. The contractor shall provide a Project Manager who has at least 15 years of statistical experience in government, industry, academia or a combination of these sectors as well as at least five (5) years of administrative experience. The Project Manager shall be available on March 1, 2015. The contractor shall develop a list of panel participants. The panelists are to be drawn from the academic, government, and agricultural sectors and have recognized expertise in economics, sociology, statistics, policy, and agriculture. Schedule a meeting of the expert panel to be held no later than April, 2015; make travel arrangements for the expert panel members to attend the meeting; the contractor shall develop background materials in collaboration with NASS staff and provide copies to the panel members two weeks prior to the meeting. Facilitate the expert panel meeting; conduct one or two teleconferences after the meeting so that the panel can finalize recommendations and provide a written summary of the expert panel's final recommendations no later than September 1, 2015. It is anticipated that the panel's recommendations will lead to revisions to the 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaire. NISS is the only known available source for this support and time is of the essence. THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT AND IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. This notice is for information purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Potential sources who believe they can provide the service identified above are invited to submit substantiating documentation, in writing, to the identified point of contact below. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. No telephonic communications will be accepted in response to this notice. A determination by the Government to compete this proposed contract based on responses to this notice is solely at the discretion of the Government. NAICS Code is 541712. The business size standard is 500 employees. The anticipated date of award is February 20, 2015. All information and inquires shall be directed to the point of contact Alvenia K. Pitts, NLT 9am on February 17, 2015 at Alvenia.pitts@ars.usda.gov.