Law Enforcement Technical Assistance to Increase Seat Belt Use: Lessons Learned

Action Code: S Classification Code: A Solicitation: DTNH2215RQ-00321 Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQ NAICS Code: 541720, Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities, $20.5 Million. Point of Contract: Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph(202) 366-9568 Title: Law Enforcement Technical Assistance to Increase Seat Belt Use: Lessons Learned Description(s): The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify potential qualified certified 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) concerns that may be interested in and capable of performing the work described herein to provide technical assistance, develop and implement multi-facted seat belt enforcement projects, data collection and analysis, training, and various ad hoc support services to multiple States and communities, specifically law enforcement agencies. NHTSA welcomes all qualified 8(a) SDBs with the appropriate NAICS Code and past experience to submit their Corporate Capability Statements that demonstrate their ability to successfully accomplish the goals of the proposed types of projects as listed below. NHTSA does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this notice or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made; and no formal evaluation of the information received will be conducted by NHTSA. NHTSA may; however later on issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). However, should such a requirement fail to materialize, no basis for claims against NHTSA shall arise as a result of a response to this notice. BACKGROUND: The Office of Impaired Driving and Occupant Protection test and evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures designed to change driver's and other vehicle occupant's behaviors, in support of the Agency's motor vehicle and traffic safety goals. According to the nationwide seat belt use surveys over the last 5 years, the average seat belt use rate has remained relatively constant at 87 percent, with the use rate having made a notable increase from 84 percent in 2011 to 86 percent in 2012, as measured by NHTSA's National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS). NOPUS is a national probability-based survey, which is independent from State belt use surveys. While this use rate is commendable, the percent of vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes that are unrestrained remains near 50 percent nationally. High unrestrained-fatality rates persist nationwide and in some States are as high as 70 percent. A recent review of data shows that a disproportionate number of unrestrained occupants are killed in motor vehicle crashes in States with seat belt use rates at or above the national seat belt use rate of 86 percent. The argument or assumption could be made that when use rates are high, the number of unrestrained fatalities should be proportionately low; instead the figures do not follow this logic. In fact, in 2012, there were 21,667 occupants of passenger vehicles (passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs) who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Looking only at occupants where the restraint status was known, 52 percent were unrestrained at the time of the crashes. The data also indicates that a larger percentage of the unrestrained fatalities occurred at night. According to research, the use of a seat belt is 45 percent effective in reducing the likelihood of death in a motor vehicle crash; great gains are yet to be achieved and thousands of lives saved by increasing the seat belt use rate throughout the country. The implementation of a multi-faceted program including a variety of strategies such as enforcement, education, awareness, earned media, and the use of highly-visible seat belt observations, and the dissemination of the observation results may serve as a means for increasing seat belt use and reducing unrestrained fatalities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project would be to provide technical assistance for up to eight law enforcement sites (varying in size and type, in secondary law to low performing primary law states) to implement a multi-faceted approach and assess the efficacy of these combined strategies on seat belt use rates, unrestrained vehicle occupant fatalities, and the overall impact on law enforcement support for seat belt enforcement. Capabilities: The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks and characteristics given below: Ability to become familiar with past NHTSA efforts to provide technical assistance, develop and implement multi-facted seat belt enforcement projects, data collection and analysis, training, and various ad hoc support services to multiple States and communities, specifically law enforcement agencies. Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement: Any interested qualified small business firms should submit their Corporate Capability Statement, which demonstrates the firm's ability and past experience in no more than 10 pages to perform the key requirements described above to the identified NHTSA point of contact listed herein. Any proprietary information should be marked as such. All respondents are asked to certify the type and size of their business organization is in-line with the requirements of this Sources Sought Notice, and must be received no later than 4 calendar days from the date of publication of this notice.