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

70 -- OCR/ICR DATA COLLECTION SERVICES SOL SSA-RFQ-97-3084 DUE 052297 POC Andrew Klimas Tel: (410) 965-9493 INTRODUCTION: The Social Security Administration (SSA) is interested in receiving quotations from firms that can provide the OCR/ICR services described below. This is a combined synopsis/request for quotations numbered SSA-RFQ-97-3084 for commercial item services prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6 as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. THIS IS THE ONLY ANNOUNCEMENT. Quotations are being requested; a separate, written request for quotation will not be issued. This procurement is being conducted as simplified acquisition in accordance with FAR Part 13. This acquisition is a 100% small business set-aside. Quotations received from other than small businesses will not be considered. The standard industrial classification code for this acquisition is 7379 with average receipts not exceeding $18 million for the preceding 3 years. This request for quotation and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 90-46. Quotations in response to this request shall be submitted by May 22, 1997, 3:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, to the address provided herein, to the attention of Andrew Klimas. REQUIREMENT: The purpose of the prospective order is to provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Workforce Analysis (OWA) within the Office of Human Resources with data-collection services to assist OWA in evaluating the Disability Redesign Full Process Model. Specifically, the services provided will include developing Optical Character Recognition(OCR)/Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) scannable task time data collection forms, reading (scanning) the forms, editing data and converting the data collected to databases for OWA's analysis. These services will replace time-consuming manual calculations and data keying. BACKGROUND: An outside contractor, hired by SSA to assess the Full Process test and evaluation procedures (i.e., a Disability Redesign Initiative), has recommended that OWA pursue the possibility of using OCR/ICRtechnology to collect study data in place of the currently planned manual procedures. Study participants have expressed discontent with the labor-intensive manually-completed and calculated forms. The need to key data from the forms is also a resource problem for OWA. It should be noted that the contractor recommending this technology does not provide these services. OWA believes that this technology offers definite benefits to the Agency but OWA does not have access to (nor expertise with) such technology for the purpose of job task data collection. SCOPE OF WORK: Accuracy of the data is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the contractor is expected to provide the following services using OCR/ICR technology based on neural network and other pattern recognition techniques. 1) The contractor is to design up to 8 color-coded variations of a job ticket whose purpose is to collect case task times and other case-related data. OWA will provide detailed specifications of the data collection forms at a face-to-facemeeting with the contractor. (Close approximations of the forms are available for price quotation purposes.) Each variation of the forms must have a unique identifier that enables the data to be sorted by casetype. (The identifier is a database field that becomes part of the record and enables both the contractor and OWA to sort by case type.) The forms must be two-sided and processable using OCR/ICR technology. The purpose of color coding is for participants to quickly and visually distinguish which form they are completing. Therefore, the color coding of the forms can be limited to a specific section and does not have to be the entire form. The forms will be prong-filed in claims folders and will pass through several workstations when the work on a claim is being done, so they must be designed to withstand abuse and still be machine readable. OWA expects approximately 30 lines of dataper form with about 17 characters of data per line; there will be a total of about 35,000 forms. (It is possible that the contractor may need to reprint a small quantity of some of the forms during the course of the study period.) The forms are expected to be printed and mailed to approximately 75 locations by the vendor. Study sites will return the completed forms to OWA for review. After the review, OWA will forward the forms in monthly batches to the contractor for processing. 2) The contractor is responsible for scanning/inputting all data collected and is further responsible for any editing, verification of data, and resolution of improper values required to ensure accuracy. 3) After all data have been input, edited, verified and resolved, the contractor will provide OWA with an electronic file in .DBF format containing all information collected; the electronic file must contain the mathematical calculations for the elapsed task times and task time summaries in each case. At the contractor's option, the file can be delivered via e-mail. 4) The contractor will provide OWA with the first database within 3 weeks of receiving thefirst batch of completed forms. Thereafter, the contractor will provide an updated database on a monthly basis. DELIVERABLES: INITIAL MEETING -- Within 5 working days following the acceptance of the order, the contractor will meet with OWA personnel at SSA headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, to receive the model data collection forms and to receive specific instructions about the tasks required. INITIAL PROTOTYPE FORMS -- Within 9 calendar days following the initial meeting, the contractor shall deliver prototypes of each of the 8 job ticket variations to OWA for review. FINAL PROTOTYPE FORMS -- Within 7 calendar days following the OWA-directed revisions to the initial prototype job tickets, the contractor shall deliver 2 final prototype copies of each of the 8 job ticket variations. PRINTING AND MAILING -- Upon OWA's acceptance of the final prototype job tickets, but no later than July 9, the contractor shall have completed the printing and mailing of the forms to the study sites in the quantities specified by OWA. INTERIM DATABASE(S) -- As the batches of completed forms sent monthly by OWA are processed, the contractor will provide OWA with an interim database within 21 calendar days following the receipt of the completed forms from OWA. Subsequent monthly batches of forms shall be processed and a new, updated database, which will be a cumulative database of all forms received to that point, will be delivered to OWA within 21 calendar days. FINAL DATABASE -- Within 28 calendar days following receipt of the final batch of completed forms, the contractor will provide OWA with a full and final database of all data accumulated during the course of the project. PERIOD OF PROCESSING PERFORMANCE: OWA expects to begin submitting completed forms to the contractor during the month of October 1997 and continuing for approximately 21 months thereafter. RFQ INSTRUCTIONS -- The following provisions at FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors -- Commercial, (tailored) apply to this acquisition: (b)1 through (b)9, (b)11, (c), and (g). There are no addenda to these provisions. The provisions at FAR Part 52.212-2, Evaluation -- Commercial Items apply to this acquisition. The Government will award a purchase order resulting from this request for quotation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to this request for quotation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. Lowest price among technically acceptable offers will be the sole evaluation criteria. A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer's specified expiration date, the Government may accept an offer, whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt. Offerors are advised to include a copy of the provision at FAR Part 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications -- Commercial Items, with their offer. The provisions at FAR Part 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items, apply to this acquisition. There are no addenda to these provisions. The following provisions at FAR Part 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders -- Commercial Items (tailored), apply to this acquisition: (a)(1), (a)(2), and (b)(1) through (3), (b)(5) through (b)(11). (0126)

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