National Impaired Driving Paid Media Campaign Evaluation

Action Code: S Classification Code: AS12, Transportation R&D Services; Surface transportation, public transit, and rail; Applied Research Solicitation: 693JJ923RQ000361 Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQ NAICS Code: 541910, Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling, $22.5M Point of Contract: Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph(202) 366-9568 Title: National Impaired Driving Paid Media Campaign Evaluation Description(s): The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify potential qualified Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns that may be interested in and capable of performing the work described herein to support NHTSA's efforts to decrease alcohol and drug impaired driving by evaluating the effectiveness of paid national media campaigns NHTSA welcomes all qualified certified Small Business concerns 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 project as listed below. In addition to soliciting on the open market, the government may decide to later limit its competition to those qualified GSA OASIS or MAS Schedule holding contractors. 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). NHTSA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce traffic-related health care and other economic costs. The agency develops, promotes and implements effective educational, engineering and enforcement programs with the goal of ending preventable tragedies and reducing economic costs associated with vehicle use and highway travel. Impaired driving is a major concern for NHTSA, especially impairment from alcohol, drugs and the combination of the two. Alcohol-impaired driving is a leading cause of fatal crashes in the United States, accounting for 30% of all traffic fatalities in 2020. In a prevalence study involving 7 trauma centers, 56% of drivers involved in a serious injury or fatal crash tested positive for at least one drug . Cannabis is especially concerning, with cannabis use doubling between 2007 and 2016, as states change their cannabis laws (both recreational and medicinal). During the COVID-19 pandemic, risky driving behaviors only increased; alcohol-related fatal crashes increased by 14% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drivers seriously injured or killed in crashes tested positive for at least one category of drugs significantly more in 2020 compared to 2019. To help combat the issue of impaired driving, one important countermeasure utilized by NHTSA as part of their programmatic efforts involves safety messaging campaigns; the goal of which is to raise public awareness and reduce the risky driving behaviors. Two such programs, the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" and "If you Feel Different, you Drive Different" paid media campaigns, are mandated by congress and conducted annually around the Labor Day and the winter holiday seasons. These holiday seasons are targeted in the NHTSA campaign because both are periods of increased impaired driving. This project will support NHTSA's efforts to decrease alcohol and drug impaired driving by evaluating these paid national media campaigns. The most recent evaluation of this campaign was conducted in 2012, using telephone surveys. This project will update the survey methodology, as well as the questionnaire. Given that phone survey response rates have declined significantly in recent years, NHTSA intends to use a nationally representative online panel to conduct this survey. Pre- and post-campaign survey data collection will be conducted to evaluate public awareness of the campaign messaging, and awareness of impaired driving law enforcement activities, and their impact on public awareness of the risks of driving after drinking or using drugs, as well as self-reported behaviors related to alcohol and drug impaired driving, and how these changed pre/post media campaign. The questionnaire will be updated to focus on not just alcohol-impaired driving, but drug-impaired as well which was not evaluated in previous surveys. Findings from this study will be used to assess how the paid media campaigns affect public awareness of the campaign messaging, law enforcement activities, impaired driving risks, and self-reported impaired driving related behaviors. Findings will be used to improve NHTSA's future safety messaging campaigns and to inform other agency programmatic efforts to reduce impaired driving. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to assess public awareness of the campaign messaging and the influence of campaign messaging on individual's perceptions of the risks of Driving Under the Influence (DUI)/ Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID), enforcement activities and their self-reported DUI/DUID behaviors and how these may change from pre- to post media campaign by conducting a survey with a nationally representative online panel of randomly selected individuals that drink alcohol at least occasionally. Capabilities: The Offeror shall perform work consisting of the design, administration, analysis, and reporting of a survey of respondents from a nationally representative panel on their awareness of campaign messaging, traffic enforcement, and the risks of drinking and drugged driving, and self-reported behaviors related to alcohol and drug impaired driving, and changes in awareness and behaviors since the previous surveys. NHTSA aims to collect 10,400 total survey responses across four waves. Offerors can recommend a different sample size in their proposals, with justification, but must also propose to NHTSA's goal of 10,400 total responses across four waves (n=2,600 per wave - pre- and post-campaign periods around Labor Day and the winter holidays). The survey shall be made available in English and Spanish. The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks listed in the attached draft SOW. Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement: Any interested qualified Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns 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 the closing date of this notice.