Pursuant to the authority at FAR Subpart 5.203(a) and in accordance with FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), this notice serves as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) preliminary notice of intent to negotiate on a sole sources basis with Mary Bilinski, Vienna VA, for mortgage borrower survey consultation services. FHFA requires the services of a mortgage finance expert with subject matter expertise in mortgage finance survey design to assist the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) in managing the implementation of the National Survey of Mortgage Borrowers (NSMB). The NSMB and associated services are part of the National Mortgage Database (NMDB) project, a joint effort of the FHFA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The individual will provide expertise in mortgage borrower survey questionnaire design and testing timeframes, and assist FHFA and CFPB by coordinating with third parties to ensure quarterly surveys stay on plan, on budget, within the agreed upon timelines, and according to project specifications. The FHFA/CFPB NSMB is directly modeled on the Freddie Mac prototype questionnaire that Ms. Bilinski developed for Freddie Mac. Ms. Bilinski is uniquely qualified to perform the same functions and duties for FHFA as she is currently performing for Freddie Mac. She has managed complex survey projects, and in the case of the Freddie Mac surveys, her expertise and efforts have contributed directly to Freddie Mac achieving an unusually high 60 percent response rate to a mail survey. Ms. Bilinski is the only known contractor with both the mortgage finance and mortgage borrower survey experience and expertise that meets the FHFA's requirements outlined above. For the last three years as a consultant, Ms. Bilinski's experience in overseeing the design, execution and analysis of a national mortgage origination survey for the Freddie Mac prototype national mortgage database makes her uniquely qualified to perform these services for FHFA. In that capacity Ms. Bilinski has coordinated exchanges of data between Freddie Mac and various companies, including Experian, ICF, Inc. and more recently, Westat to facilitate three separate surveys of mortgage borrowers. Each of these surveys required special handling to comply with Fair Credit Reporting Act and Privacy Act requirements. This experience is critical to possessing the expertise required to assist FHFA with the NSMB efforts. In accordance with FAR 5.207(c)(16)(ii), vendors that feel they can meet the Government's requirement detailed below may submit a capability statement which shall be considered by the agency. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. 1. Contractor must possess demonstrated, current subject matter expertise in mortgage finance. 2. Contractor must possess demonstrated, current subject matter expertise in mortgage borrower survey and questionnaire design. 3. Contractor must possess experience in survey implementation under the constraints of the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA). 4. Contractor must possess demonstrated ability to manage complex survey projects including coordinating with third party entities (to include credit repositories and marketing research firms) and government agencies in addition to possessing the necessary subject matter expertise in mortgage finance. 5. Contractor must possess demonstrated experience in coordinating exchanges of data between credit bureau and survey fulfillment contractors subject to the constraints of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, to ensure that personally identifiable information (PII) is not divulged, and the survey mailing is executed on time and according to project specifications. 6. Contractor must possess recent working knowledge of the design, execution and analysis of Freddie Mac national mortgage borrower surveys, to include coordinating exchanges of data between Freddie Mac and private companies such as Experian, ICF, Inc. or Westat, in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Privacy Act requirements. A purchase order will be awarded on a level of effort basis with a maximum of 300 hours per year. The Government anticipates a one-year performance period and up to two one-year option periods. Specific tasks will be performed quarterly, with an expectation that no more than 75 hours of work will be performed during a quarter. Government estimate is $100,000-$150,000 over a three-year period. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541910, Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling. The small business size standard is $14M. The Government intends to conduct the procurement on a sole source basis using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, and FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. This is not a solicitation for competitive response. A solicitation is not available. Written expressions of interest with detailed capability and qualifications statement demonstrating the required experience and expertise will be considered by FHFA if submitted to the Contracting Officer not later than September 13, 2013 at noon Eastern Time.
