U.S. Information Agency, Office of Contracts, 330 C ST, SW, Room 1611, Washington, DC 20547

B -- FOCUS GROUPS TO EVALUATE THE VOA BROADCASTS IN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA POC William Bell Tele.: (202) 205-5422, Fax.: (202) 401-1494 B -- FOCUS GROUPS TO EVALUATE THE VOA MANDARIN SERVICE PROGRAMMING. This is a Request for Quotation No. B/PA-97-28 using Simplified Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Quotes that exceed the simplified acquisition threshold will not be considered. The United States Information Agency's International Bureau of Broadcasting (IBB) has a requirement for a contractor to conduct focus groups to evaluate the Voice of America's (VOA) broadcasts by listeners in the People's Republic of China. 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 either Shanghai or Beijing, with final choice of location to be determined by mutual agreement of IBB and contractor. Contractor shall recruit participants according to the criteria laid out below, secure appropriate facilities, provide a professional focus group moderator, and communicate all results to IBB as specified in this Request for Quotation. Focus Groups Selection Criteria: Groups shall be comprised of 7-10 people and approximately equal numbers of men and women, where possible. Screening factors shall be as follows: Group1: All discussants should have at least a complete secondary education and must have listened to VOA at some time in the past 12 months.At least three (3) representatives from each of the following age groups should be chosen: 18 -- 30, 31 -- 45. Groups 2 and 3: All discussants should have at least a complete secondary education and must be regular (i.e. weekly) listeners to at least one international radio station (i.e. VOA, BBC, Radio Australia, etc.). At least three (3) representatives from each of the following age groups should be chosen: 18 -- 30, 31 -- 45. Group 4: All discussants shall be current university students and shall be regular listeners to at least one international radio station. 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 a sample cassette tape to be played for participants during the focus group to elicit listener reaction. Contractor Responsibilities: The contractor shall perform the following tasks: Review IBB-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 thoroughly familiar with the discussion guide and the material to be reviewed. Conduct four (4) focus groups. (All sessions will be conducted in Mandarin, and are expected to last approximately 2 hours.) 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 the program selected for analysis by VOA. -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 China. -Suggestions, based on group discussions, of possible strategies for improving the usefulness of VOA programs for the Chinese listener. Deliverables: Submit a final report, in English, to IBB. 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 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 Mandarin. Proposed Time Lines 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 Critera: The following will be the principal critera used in selecting the vendor(s) for this project: -Demonstrated experience in conducting qualitative research on broadcast media; -Demonstrated experience in conducting research in China; -Ability to complete the project in a timely manner (see Proposed Time Lines and Due Dates). Submission of Quotations and Due Date: Quotes should be submitted no later than September 2, 1997 and shall reference this RFQ No. B/PA-97-28. In addition to addressing the points noted above, bids 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, USIA/IBB at (202) 205-5422 or Fax at (202) 401-1494. Proposal and price quotation should be faxed to Lesley D. Isaac, Contracting Officer, at (202) 205-1921. Price quote must be on a separate page from the proposal. (0226)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0013 19970818\B-0005.SOL)