Social Security Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21207-0696 Attn:1-E-4 GWNO/Ms. Elizabeth Clark

B -- 599--OTHER SPECIAL STUDIES AND ANALYSES POC Ms. Elizabeth Clark tel: (410) 965-9465 The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking qualified potential sources to provide expert services in performing quick-turnaround, short-term research and evaluation studies associated with the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI), the Disabilty Insurance (DI), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and related programs. The vendor would be required to perform tasks involving the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of studies, projects, and analyses related to the mission of SSA. Such functions and activities would be diverse and complex, and would require the vendor to have, or be able to acquire, the resources and expertise to perform these functions on an almost immediate basis. The vendor would need to be able to provide the expertise needed to produce highly credible, independent, technically high-quality and objective assessments of policy options facing the Agency, broad trends in the economy and society affecting the programs administered by the SSA, and programmatic responses to the challenges facing the Agency. Typically, a research and evaluation study might involve any combination of several categories of work functions and activities: (1) Providing a comprehensive literature review on current knowledge in an area of great current policy interest and little previous visability; (2) Conducting policy evaluations based on readily available administrative and/or survey data; (3) Conducting focus group discussions, case studies, and other qualitative analyses; (4) Designing survey instruments and supporting OMB documentation on a quick turnaround basis; (5) Putting together expert panels, meetings, conferences and volumes of studies to address issues of current policy interest and other methods of disseminating information to policy makers, the research community, and the public; (6) Providing analytic support in designing demonstrations and large scale data collection efforts; (7) Providing data base management, programming, systems analysis, statistical, actuarial; and econometric support to conduct short-term evaluations and designing studies by SSA staff. Because of the diversity and unpredictability of specific policy issues of interest to the Agency, and to assure the efficiency of assistance to SSA, it would be essential that a vendor's staffing and resources provide the ability to address a wide range of issues and apply a broad range of techniques in a flexible manner. Research and evaluation studies addressing policy issues might include, but might not necessarily be limited to, issues related to: the economic status of the aged, persons with disabilities, and other population groups, modelling of policy effects on individuals, the assessment of the effectiveness of policy and programmatic interventions; and trust fund projections. The vendor should have expertise in many of the following areas: the basic eligibility process and determination of benefits for both OASDI and SSI; the factors affecting the labor force status, income, and proverty status of the target populations of SSA's programs; the disability determination process; work incentives for SSDI and SSI beneficiaries; the simulation of the costs and outcomes of legislative and policy alternatives; the economic and organizational issues facing Agency operations; state-of-the art econometric and statistical methods of analyzing relevant micro and aggregate data; sample design and variance estimation appropriate to complex methods of sample selection; microsimulation modelling as a tool of policy analysis; actuarial methods and financing of OASI-DI Trust funds; demographic, epidemiological, labor market and other environmental factors affecting trends in progam caseloads; program interaction; alternative program designs; and the major administrative record and survey data bases relevant for the analysis of SSA research and evaluation issues. Vendors capable of providing the above cited services are invited to submit complete information and capability statements citing specific experience relevant to this requirement. In addition, pertinent company background information consisting of at least 3 references where similar services described herein have recently and/or are currently being performed shall be provided. Reference information shall include the name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact who is knowledgeable of the nature of the services being performed. Interested parties must respond in writing within 15 calandar days from the date of this publication and refer to POLICY/ECLARK in the response. No contract award will be made on the basis of responses received. However, this information will be used in SSA's assessment of capable sources. The Government does not intend to pay for information received. Requests for copies of a solicitation will not be honored or acknowledged. (0216)

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