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 -- FOCUS GROUPS TO EVALUATE THE VOA BROADCASTS IN MOROCCO, EQYPT, JORDAN, SAUDI ARABIA, AND KUWAIT POC Technical Point of Contact: Robert Goehrig, Tel.:(202)205-5422; Fax.: (202)401-1494; Contracting Officer: Lesley D. Isaac, (202) 205-5337. B -- FOCUS GROUPS TO EVALUATE THE VOA BROADCASTS IN MOROCCO, EQYPT,, JORDAN, SAUDI ARABIA, AND KUWAIT. This is a Request for Quotation No. B/PA-97-27 using Simplified Acquisition Procedures in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Quotes that exceed the simplified acquisition threshold will not be considered. The United States information Agency (USIA), International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), has a requirement for a contractor to conduct focus groups to evaluate the Voice of America's (VOA) br oadcasts by listeners in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. This requirement is subject to the availability of funds. Scope of Work: Vendors are requested to submit quotes for conducting four (4) focus groups in each of the following countries: Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The exact target cities and/or provinces within these four countries are yet to be determined. Based on cost and availability of resources, IBB reserves the right to conduct focus groups in fewercountries than indicated here. Therefore, prospective vendors are asked to submit a quotation showing the total cost with the cost for ea ch country enumerated separately. The contractor and VOA will mutually agree on the means for focus group participants to listen to VOA programming whether it be by asking participants to tune into specific programming prior to the discussion or by providing the contractor with sample tapes to play during the discussion. Focus Groups Selection Criteria: Groups shall be comprised of 7-10 people and approximately equal numbers of men and women, where possible. Where mixed groups are not possible or advisable in the professional judgement of the contractor, all-male groups may be substituted, contingent upon VOA approval. All discussants should have at least a complete secondary education and be fluent in Arabic, and all should be citizens of the countries in which the focus groups are held. At least three representatives from each of the following age groups should be chosen: 18 -- 30, 31 -- 45. For each country, 2 groups will be comprised of individuals who have listened to the Voice of America at some time in the past but who are not regular (weekly) listeners at present (a.k.a. lapsed listeners). The other 2 groups shall be comprised of individuals who listen regularly (at least once a week) to at least one international radio station and at least half should be regular VOA listeners. Other recruitment criteria shall be established by mutual agreement of the contractor and VOA. At the conclusion of each group, each participant will receive an incentive payment to be agreed upon by the contractor and IBB. IBB Responsibilities: The IBB shall perform the following tasks: Provide the discussion guide, in English, which will include the basic questions of interest and suggested sequencing. Provide either a sample cassette tape to be played for participants during the focus group or a schedule of VOA programming for participants to listen to prior to the group's meeting. Contractor Responsibilities: The contractor shall perform the following tasks: Review VOA supplied discussion guide and submit recommendations for changes based on the contractor's knowledge of local conditions and sensitivities; Translate and reproduce focus group discussion guides; Secure appropriate facilities in which to conduct the sessions; Identify and recruit appropriate participants, according to the criteria outlined in this RFQ; Provide an experienced, professional focus group moderator(s); -- Ensure that moderator(s) is/are thoroughly familiar with the discussion guide and the material to be reviewed. Conduct four (4) focus groups in each countries. The sessions will be conducted in Arabic; For each country, provide a brief report on the media environment, with particular emphasis on factors that may bear on listening to foreign radio broadcasts; For each country, provide a summary and analysis, in English, of the groups' views on issues of interest to VOA. Such issues will include but not be limited to: -Evaluations of the production style, presentation quality, and content of specific programs. -Compare and contrast the views of regular and lapsed listeners. -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. Deliverables: Submit a final report, in English, to VOA. The report shall be delivered in hard copy and on 3.5 inch computer diskette in WordPerfect 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1 format. The report will contain appropriate direct quotations from focus groups to illustrate points made in the report. The final report will differ from the country summaries described above in that the final report will serve as an overview and summary of all the country summaries. The final report will compare and contrast the views of listeners in different countries paying particular attention to any differences between the participants from North Africa and those from the Gulf region. Programming preferences will also be captured in the final report. The final questioning route will be included as an appendix to the report; Provide complete audio cassettes of each focus group session. Provide complete transcripts of each focus group session in English and Arabic. Proposed Time Schedule and Due Dates: Focus groups shall be conducted within 4 weeks of final award. Final reports will be due no later than 8 weeks after conclusion of the final focus group Selection Criteria: The 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 Arab world; -Ability to complete the project in a timely manner (see Proposed Time Schedule and Due Dates). Submission of Quotations and Due Date: Quotes should be submitted no later than August 28, 1997 and shall reference this RFQ No. B/PA-97-27. In addition to addressing the points noted above, proposals should also provide details on any subcontractors who would be engaged to work on these projects. Please submit any questions concerning technical requirements to: Mr. Robert Goehrig, USIA/IBB at (202) 205-5422 or Fax at (202) 401-1494. Proposal and price quotation should be faxed to Lesley D. Isaac, Contr acting Officer, at (202) 205-1921. Price quote must be on a separate page from the proposal. (0223)

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