U.S. Information Agency, International Broadcasting Bureau, Office of Personnel and Administration, Contracts and Procurement Division, Room 1645, 330 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20547

B -- EVALUATION OF VOA BROADCASTS IN EASTERN EUROPE AND FORMER SOVIET UNION POC Technical Point Contact: William Bell, Tel.: 202-205-0205, FAX.: : 401-1494, Contracting Officer: Lorraine Mullen, 202-260-2933. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) subject to availability of funds. The International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), Contracts and Procurement Division, is seeking quotations for qualitative evaluations of the Voice of America's broadcasts in the following languages: Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Armenian. These evaluations shall be obtained through the use of focus groups in each country, as outlined below. Purpose of study: To provide VOA management with in depth analysis of audience's attitudes towards VOA programs and towards international radio programs in general. Studies will focus on reactions to specific VOA programs, overall image of VOA and other international broadcasters, and attitudes towards and use of different media, both foreign and domestic. Focus groups selection criteria: Groups shall be comprised of 9 10 people and approximately equal numbers of men and women. All discussants should have at least a complete secondary education. At least two representatives from each of the following age groups should be chosen: 16 -- 25, 26 -- 35, 36 -- 45, 46 -- 60. For each location, two groups shall be comprised of individuals who have listened to the Voice of America at some time in the past, but who are not regular listeners at present. The other two groups shall be comprised of individuals who listen regularly (at least once each week) to at least one international radio station, and at least half of whom listen regularly to the VOA. Design: Contractor shall conduct four focus groups in each of the following locations: -- Warsaw, Poland -- Budapest, Hungary -- Bratislava, Slovakia -- Bucharest, Romania -- Zagreb, Croatia -- Belgrade, Serbia -- Kiev, Ukraine -- Yerevan, Armenia -- Moscow, Russia -- (one other provincial city, TBD, in Russia) Participants will be asked to listen to VOA programming over the air on the day prior to their participation in the focus group. Moderators will be provided with a detailed discussion guide, outlining the issues of specific interest to VOA. Contractor responsibilities: The contractor shall perform the following tasks: -- Ensure that panel members are able to listen to VOA programs prior to the focus group session. -- Prepare complete discussion guide for approval by VOA, based on thorough consultation with VOA Office of Research and relevant language services, as well as contractors on knowledge of the target audience; -- Translate and reproduce focus group discussion guides; -- Identify and recruit appropriate participants, according to the criteria outlined in this RFP; -- Conduct focus groups according to criteria outlined in this RFP; - -- For each country, provide a brief report on the media environment in each country, with particular emphasis on factors that may bear on listening to foreign radio broadcasts. -- For each country, provide a summary and analysis of the groups' views on issues of interest to VOA. Such issues will include, but not belimited to: Evaluations of the production style, presentation, and content of specific programs. General evaluation of relevance, timeliness, and usefulness of VOA broadcasts. Qualitative comparison of VOA programs and those of other international broadcasters. Views as to the continuing relevance (or lack thereof) of VOA and other international broadcasters in the present media environment. Suggestions, based on group discussions, of possible strategies for strengthening the competitive position of VOA in each market. -- Submit final report in English to VOA, in hard copy, and on 3.5 inch computer diskette in WordPerfect. Report will contain appropriate direct quotations from focus groups to illustrate points made in report. - -- (tentative) Provide complete videotapes of each focus group session. (Note: bidders are asked to submit price quotes for arranging videotaping of the sessions. VOA will decide whether to include this requirement based on bid information.) Based on prices and budget consideration, VOA reserves the right to award contracts for all or only some of the countries identified in this RFQ. Vendors should therefore submit bids on a "per country" basis, along with a total price for the entire group of countries. Preference will be given to vendors who can perform the requested work in all of the countries listed. Selection criteria: Following will be the principal criteria used in selecting the vendor(s) for this project: -- Demonstrated experience in conducting qualitative research on broadcast media. -- Demonstrated experience in conducting research in the countries listed in this RFQ. Due date: Focus groups should be conducted within 4 weeks of final award. Final reports will be due no later than 12 weeks after the conclusion of each set of focus groups. Quotes should be submitted no later than May 30, 1997. In addition to addressing points noted above, response should also provide details on any subcontractors who would be engaged to work on these projects. Please submit any questions concerning technical requirements to: William Bell, Director of Research, International Broadcasting Bureau at (202) 205-0205 or by fax at (202) 401-1494. Proposal and price quotation should be faxed to Lorraine Mullen, Contracting Officer, at (202) 205-1921. The price quote must be on a separate page from the proposal. (0129)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0011 19970513\B-0001.SOL)