SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND EVALUATION ON ABSTINENCE EDUCATION
- Notice Date
- 5/31/2006
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-141678
- Response Due
- 6/9/2006
- Archive Date
- 6/24/2006
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT ONLY GSA CONTRACTORS ONLY Corporate Capabilities for MOBIS: SIN 874-1, Consulting Services. Center for Research and Evaluation on Abstinence Education Description The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation will have a requirement to develop a Center for Research and Evaluation on Abstinence Education that would build capacity for sound research related to program evaluation in the field. To ensure that program evaluation is useful and credible, the research should be sound, meaning that it employs widely-accepted scientific practices for sampling, measurement, design, analysis, and interpretation of findings in relation to the strengths and limitations of the design. The Center?s activities will focus on assisting abstinence education providers during the planning and initial implementation process as they prepare to track program outputs and outcomes, and conduct evaluations. It is anticipated this project will be developed through a two-year task order. ASPE has identified four priority areas of activities for the Center: a) conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps in abstinence education evaluation and technical assistance needs; b) develop materials on abstinence education evaluation; c) deliver technical assistance and capacity building activities related to program evaluation; and d) develop several research reports related to abstinence education. The proposed Center will work to link people and resources, with the goals of stimulating greater collaboration and quality implementation and outcome evaluation research of abstinence education programs. Evaluation research is central to understanding the effectiveness of abstinence education programs and in helping ensure that the Department is continuing to fund strong programs for youth. For the purposes of this solicitation, abstinence education is characterized using the federal A-H definition found in Section 510(a)(b) of Title V of the Social Security Act and the ACF policy guidance document (see the FY 2006 Community Based Abstinence Education grant announcement, available at, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-2006-ACF-ACYF-AE-0099.html). According to the federal statutory definition, ?abstinence education? means an educational or motivational program which - (A) has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity; (B) teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children; (C) teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems; (D) teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity; (E) teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects; (F) teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society; (G) teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and (H) teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity. HHS funds three abstinence education grant programs. Grantees must adhere to the A-H legislative definition above: State Abstinence Education block grant program (known as Title V Section 510 block grants) Community-Based Abstinence Education Grant Program (CBAE) Adolescent Family Life Grant Program (AFL) The number of abstinence education grantees is growing. Currently, ASPE is playing a critical role in answering questions about the effectiveness of abstinence education, through several evaluation efforts that are underway. In addition, a significant amount of evaluation research is being conducted through Departmental program offices and their grant programs. For example, ACF and OPA sponsored an evaluation conference, ACF required in its 2006 grant announcement for Community-Based Abstinence Education program that grantees use a percentage of the funds awarded for evaluation activities, and the AFL program is now allowing programs to devote up to 25% of their grant funding to evaluation. It is important to understand the appropriateness of different research designs for answering important program evaluation questions related to program implementation, youth outcomes, and program impacts. To ensure that evaluations are useful and credible, the research should be sound, meaning that it employs widely-accepted scientific practices for sampling, measurement, design, analysis, and interpretation of findings in relation to the strengths and limitations of the design. In addition, there are many challenges specific to designing a study of programs intended to prevent risky youth behaviors, including sexual behavior (e.g., requirements for active parental consent for research with minors, sensitivity of questions related to sexual activity, mandatory reporting issues in the case of rape or incest, and protecting the confidentiality of youth?s data). However, there have been limited efforts to provide training on evaluation methodology along the continuum of evaluation approaches. It is expected that the Center will identify gaps in the field, including the perceived evaluation research needs of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. One of the goals of the Center is to stimulate collaboration between program evaluation experts and abstinence education practitioners and program experts. ASPE envisions that the Center will incorporate staff from both the program evaluation and abstinence education program fields, who will work together to build evaluation capacity in abstinence education. The Center will develop and disseminate research and evaluation materials designed to improve abstinence education research. In addition, it will provide technical assistance, training, and support on evaluation to practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders in state and local government. The Center will work to link people to resources, with the goal of stimulating quality research on issues related to abstinence education evaluation. Activities do not include overseeing or conducting program evaluations. ASPE is seeking statements of corporate interest and capabilities with respect to this project. Interested firms are encouraged to describe how their research experience and critical personnel (including subcontractors) would accomplish the identified goals of this effort. Potential offerors are encouraged to identify the staff person who would likely be proposed as the project director for this work. Statements of interest should address the ways in which the firm fulfills the following requirements: Demonstrated knowledge of academic and/or applied experience in non-experimental, quasi-experimental, and experimental program evaluation research methodologies. Demonstrated expertise in the field of abstinence until marriage education. If the offeror does not have experience with abstinence education programs, the offeror should describe a plan for addressing this gap through mechanisms such as subcontractors and technical consultants. An offeror with strong abstinence education expertise could also partner with a university or research organization with evaluation expertise provided that the offeror demonstrates how the overall organization will ensure the use of consistent and sound standards for evaluation Experience and expertise in building good working relationships with program practitioners and making technical research concepts accessible to practitioners through both written and oral communication. Demonstrated experience and expertise in developing materials, communicating and delivering technical assistance. The purpose of this is to determine whether there are sources with the requisite qualifications to perform the work described above. Any organization capable of performing the work should submit a statement of capabilities with documentation supporting its ability to meet the Governments requirement as described above by 3:00 pm EST, June 9, 2006. No solicitation document is available at this time For further information, contact Chris Ganey in Room 5-101, DHHS/PSC/SAS/DAM Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, or on 301-443-2475. Please send capability statements by e-mail to: Christopher.Ganey@psc.hhs.gov
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