WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2

Sources Sought Notice - WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 Solicitation Number: AG-3198-S-11-0009 Notice Type: Sources Sought Synopsis: SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE This is a Sources Sought Notice for market research purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP). A solicitation is not being issued at this time and this notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) intends to solicit bids in 2011 for the procurement of a study to design, conduct, and report on a nationally representative, longitudinal study of contemporary WIC infant and toddler feeding practices. The scale of the anticipated study will be large and the role of the contractor important. Similar to the WIC Infant Feeding Practices Study-1 (conducted in 1997), in the study anticipated under this procurement data on feeding practices and behaviors will be measured for the same infants at multiple points during the year. The intended study will provide valuable information regarding contemporary WIC infant and toddler feeding practices during their first few years following birth. This includes information on the duration of breastfeeding, the age and pattern of introduction of foods other than breast milk or formula, and the age of introduction of cow's milk. The aim is to design and examine the circumstances and influences that shape a mothers infant and toddler feeding decisions and to describe the changes in feeding practices as the children develop. This study will also collect information on nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion, and support provided to participants. The anticipated objectives include: - Conduct new data collection on the feeding practices and behaviors of WIC infants; - Compare and contrast the new findings with those from the 1997 WIC-IFPS-1 study; - Expand information collection (compared to the first study) both to cover toddler feeding practices and behaviors and to include additional aspects of feeding practices and behaviors than those covered in WIC-IFPS-1; - Collect information on the nutrition education and breastfeeding promotion and support provided by WIC and other sources to the caregivers of the sampled WIC infants and toddlers; and - Assess the relative effectiveness of different nutrition education and breastfeeding promotion approaches in achieving recommended feeding patterns and behaviors. Similar to WIC-IFPS-1, in the study anticipated to be conducted under this procurement data on feeding practices and behaviors will be measured at multiple points during the years. The duration of data collection may be longer than the previous study, WIC IFPS-1, with a possible multi-year effort. The base contract will fund the design, sampling and first year data collection of infants from 0 to 400 days of age; options would allow for data collection of toddlers in future years, contingent on funding. The Government requests all interested parties submit a statement of capability outlining past work that is related to this requirement. The Statement of Capabilities must demonstrate the contractor's experience in performing large scale data collections and, specifically, the contractor's capability to: 1. Complete at least three thousand interviews with a national sample of WIC caregivers who are receiving services in at least 60 different WIC clinics in at least 14 different States. 2. Track the initial respondents and conduct at least 8 repeated interviews with the same respondents, some in-person and others by phone. 3. Work constructively and cooperatively with local WIC clinics as part of a large scale data collection project. 4. Administer, properly code, and analyze food intake records of infants and caregivers. 5. Produce reports comparable to the level of detail contained in the first WIC Infant Feeding Practices Study (see http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/published/wic/FILES/WICIFPS.PDF). Capability statements that do not specifically address each of the preceding 5 requirements will be judged incapable of meeting the requirements without further review. The determination of whether or not the contractor is capable of performing the anticipated study will be based only on the material submitted and without further inquiries to the firm or opportunities for the firm to submit additional material. Also, please include the following below with The Statement of Capabilities: ? Contractor Name ? Address ? Point of Contact (POC) ? POC phone number and e-mail address ? Statements of past performance on comparable projects ? DUNS number ? Business status (i.e. large/small business, disadvantaged, Hub Zone, woman-owned, etc.) Any information provided by industry to the Government as a result of this sources sought synopsis is strictly voluntary. Responses will not be returned. No entitlements to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges to the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses, or the Government's use of such information. The information obtained from responses to this notice may be used in the development of an acquisition strategy and future RFP. No questions will be entertained or comment responded to by the Government. Offerors capable of providing these services should submit the information requested above via e-mail to ty.sar@fns.usda.gov or renee.arroyo-LeeSing@fns.usda.gov no later than 2PM Eastern Standard Time, April 22, 2011.