R -- Technical Services Methodology for 2002 Agricultural Census Program

This announcement is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation and a written solicitation will not be issued. The referenced solicitation (RSJ-ACR2002) shall be issued as an request for quotation and contain incorporated provisions and clauses effective through the Federal Acquisition Circular 01-09 and applied under the associated NAICS Code: 541511. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistic Service has a requirement for disclosure analysis consultant services. These services are to provide network./minimum cost flow disclosure limitation methodology to census programs within the Dept. of Agriculture. The necessary application of this methodology requires knowledgeable use of a highly technical mathematical technique that is used to protect confidentiality of respondent data in large scale data products from the Census of Agriculture. USDA plans to pursue a sole-source procurement with Robert S. Jewett, from Springfield, VA who is the author of several FORTRAN programs that will be utilized and is the only source known that is able to apply these complex methodologies to theoretically modify follow-on surveys. His expertise is derived from programming of the 1992 and 1997 Economic Census for the Dept. of Agriculture and he possesses a working knowledge of the agency's data structures as it relates to disclosure methodology. CLIN 0001 shall be for the base year and require consultant services amounting to 25 hours per week for the period beginning November 1, 2002 thru September 30, 2003 (1250 hours maximum), CLIN 0002 shall be for Option Year 1 and require consultant services amounting to 25 hours per week for the period beginning October 1, 2003 thru September 30, 2004 (1300 hours maximum), and CLIN 0003 shall be Option Year 2 and require consultant services amounting to 25 hours per week for the period beginning October 1, 2004 thru September 30, 2005 (1300 hours maximum). A copy of the Statement of Objectives is as follows: The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) requires technical services to provide network/minimum cost flow disclosure limitation methodology and the associated network/minimum cost flow disclosure FORTRAN programs. These services are required for the development of this methodology and these programs at the agency and their application to the 2002 Census of Agriculture and its follow-on programs. These technical services are required so that the agency can meet the confidentiality requirements mandated by U.S. Code, Title 7. These technical services must be completed in accordance with the Agency's time schedules for the 2002 Census of Agriculture and its follow-on surveys. Section 2.1 states the Contractor shall provide Technical Expertise and Guidance as follows: 2.1.0 Provide technical expertise on network/minimum cost flow disclosure limitation methodology and the network/minimum cost flow disclosure Fortran programs as they relate to the census of agriculture and its follow-on surveys; 2.1.1 Provide technical guidance for migrating the two-dimensional program to the UNIX environment, modifying the program where needed and testing of the program in the UNIX environment; 2.1.2 Provide technical expertise in interpreting the disclosure diagnostics as it relates to 2002 Census of Agriculture publications and consult with agricultural analysts to ensure that the methodology meets their requirements. 2.1.3 Provide technical guidance for migrating the three-dimensional program to the UNIX environment, modifying the program where needed and testing of the program in the UNIX environment; Section 2.2 state the Contractor shall provide Methodology Development, Implementation, and Validation as follows: 2.2.0 Develop the methodology and implement all program modifications so that the program is compatible with the technical and performance requirements of the Agency's computer system; 2.2.1 Develop the methodology and implement all program modifications so that the program is compatible with agricultural data and its tabular structure; 2.2.2 Develop and implement the disclosure methodology for the cross-tabulated census tables that is compatible with the census disclosure methodology and programs.2.2.3 Develop the methodology and implement the program modifications to process the census data from the highest data aggregation to the lowest data aggregation; 2.2.4 Validate and provide additional development of the input structure for the program; 2.2.5 Develop and implement a complete and thorough testing of the program including the input files, disclosure analysis and output in the census of agriculture environment; 2.2.6 Develop methodology and implement program modifications to allow for controlling complementary suppression levels under certain specified conditions; 2.2.7 Run the two-dimensional network/minimum cost flow Fortran disclosure program in the production environment for the 2002 Census of Agriculture; 2.2.8 Develop and implement disclosure methodology for the New England Summary publication that is compatible with the census of agriculture's disclosure methodology and programs; 2.2.9 Develop and implement disclosure methodology for the Congressional District publication that is compatible with the census of agriculture's disclosure methodology and programs; 2.2.10 Develop and implement disclosure methodology for the American Indian publication that is compatible with the census of agriculture's disclosure methodology and programs; 2.2.11 Develop and implement disclosure methodology for the 2002 Census of Agriculture - Release 2 publication that is compatible with the census disclosure methodology and programs; 2.2.12 Develop methodology and implement program modifications to prepare the three-dimensional disclosure program to run on the NASS system for those Census Follow-on Surveys that require higher dimensionality; Section 2.3 states the Contractor shall provide Technical Liaison as follows: 2.3.0 Work with other Agency professionals to reprogram the disclosure methodology program in another language; 2.3.1 Work with other Agency professionals to run the parallel test of the reprogrammed disclosure methodology and the Fortran programs on the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey; 2.3.2 Work with other Agency professionals to thoroughly document the network/minimum cost flow disclosure methodology for the Census of Agriculture and Follow-on Surveys. Deliverables shall be delivered and accepted at the FOB destination point: USDA/NASS, Washington, DC and shall be provided as follows: 1) 2D UNIX/Fortran network/minimum cost flow disclosure analysis program; 2) 3D UNIX/Fortran network/minimum cost flow disclosure analysis program; 3) Thorough user documentation of the network/minimum cost flow disclosure analysis methodology for a) Census cross-tabulated tables, b) New England Summary, c) Congressional District Publication, d) American Indian Publication, e) 2002 Census of Agriculture; 4) Monthly report to include an executive summary and a methodological summary to be provided throughout the required period of performance. This solicitation is applicable to the following clauses and provisions shown by reference: A) 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors? Commercial Items; B) 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items; C) 52-212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions? Commercial Items; D) 52.212-5, Contract Terms And Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items: (1) 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I (41 U.S.C. 253g and 10 U.S.C. 2402); (5) 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)(2) and (3)); (6) 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (15 U.S.C. 637(d)(4)); (7) 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting (15 U.S.C. 637(a)(14)); (8)(i) 52.219-23, Notice of Price Evaluation Adjustment for Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (Pub. L. 103-355, section 7102, and 10 U.S.C. 2323) (if the offeror elects to waive the adjustment, it shall so indicate in its offer); (9) 52.219-25, Small Disadvantaged Business Participation Program-Disadvantaged Status and Reporting (Pub. L. 103-355, section 7102, and 10 U.S.C. 2323); (10) 52.219-26, Small Disadvantaged Business Participation Program-Incentive Subcontracting (Pub. L. 103-355, section 7102, and 10 U.S.C. 2323); (11) 52.222-21, Prohibition of Segregated Facilities (Feb 1999); (12) 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246); (13) 52.222-35, Equal Opportunity for Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212); (14) 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Workers with Disabilities (29 U.S.C. 793); (15) 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans, Veterans of the Vietnam Era, and Other Eligible Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212). Please submit your technical proposal which demonstrates what is offered and explain how you intend to perform and/or accomplish the subject requirement for the term(s) requested. Also furnish this information and any documentation that can support your price quoted. In accordance with the attached Statement of Objectives, you are also required to provide a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This document shall contain: 1) a list that identifies all of the performance requirements, and 2) indicate preventative assurances to be used should identified deficiencies of the performance requirements listed are not met. The QASP must be approved by the Contracting Officer upon award. Any submissions of information challenging this procurement may be sent by email to (contact@example.gov) or by fax to +1 (555) 000-0000 and must be received by the closing date of this solicitation: October 28, 2002 (2:00PM?EST).