Social Security Administration, Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 21207-0696

B -- SPECIAL STUDIES AND ANALYSIS -- NOT R&D SOL SSA-RFP-96-2567 POC Elizabeth Clark Tel: (410) 965-9565 The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a requirement for quick-turnaround, short-term research and evaluation studies on SSA program issues which involve the performance of a variety of research and evaluation studies associated with the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI), the Disability Insurance (DI), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and related programs. Contractor support will be required for a total of 5 years (a 12- month base year and 4 12-month options). The contractor would be required to perform tasks involving the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of studies, projects, and analyses related to the mission of the SSA. Such functions and activities would be diverse and complex, and would require the contractor to have, or be able to acquire, the resources and expertise to perform these functions on an almost immediate basis. The contractor would be required 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 such as: (1) providing a comprehensive literature review on current knowledge in an area of great current policy interest and little previous visibility; (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, meeting, 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 contractor'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, the modelling of policy effects on individuals, the assessment of the effectiveness of policy and programmatic interventions; and trust fund projections. The contractor 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 poverty status of the target populations of SSA's programs; the disability determination process; work incentives for SSDI and SSI beneficiaries; the estimation 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 the OASI-DI Trust funds; demographic, epidemiological, labor market and other environmental factors affecting trends in program 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. It is planned that an RFP will be issued on or about April 10, 1996 with proposals due 30 days later. Parties interested in receiving a copy of this solicitation must request a copy in writing and reference solicitation number SSA-RFP-96-2567. FAX requests (INSTEAD OF WRITTEN REQUESTS) may be sent to the attention of Elizabeth Clark at FAX number (410) 956-9560. Telephone requests or inquiries will not be acknowledged. (0066)

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