U.S. Information Agency, Office of Contracts, 301 4TH STREET SW, Room M27, Washington, DC 20547

B -- NATIONAL AUDIENCE SURVEY IN TURKEY POC Technical Point Contact: Robert Goehrig, Phone: (202) 205-5422; Contracting Officer: Lorraine Mullen, Phone: (202) 260-2933 B -- This is a Request for Quotation 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's International Bureau of Broadcasting has a requirement, subject to availability of funds, for a contractor to (1) obtain quantitative data on the size, composition, and media habits of the audience for Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts, and rebroadcasts, in Turkey; and (2) conduct qualitative evaluations of VOA's broadcasts by listeners in Turkey. Vendors are requested to submit quotes for conducting a national survey and focus groups in Turkey as outlined below. Vendors may submit bids for both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of this project or for one phase only. QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH 1) Nature of Survey. Audience data shall be obtained through a national survey of Turkey that is designed to obtain the most accurate possible information about: the number of regular (i.e. weekly) and occasional listeners to VOA; the demographic characteristics and geographical distribution of the audience; the size of the regular and occasional listening audience for other international and domestic broadcasters; program interests; and general patterns of media use. The interviewing is to be face-to-face and conducted in the home of the respondent by a trained interviewer. VOA will require demographic information on each respondent including, gender, age, native language, education, occupation, and area of residence. 2) General Responsibilities of Contractor. The contractor will be responsible for the project design, translation, formatting, pretesting, adaptation, and printing of VOA supplied questionnaires; developing the sampling plan; training interviewers; organizing and supervising fieldwork; cleaning and encoding survey responses; entering and processing the data; ascertaining the representativeness of the sample and weighting the data, if necessary; preparing cross-tabulations in data books; submitting data on diskette; and communicating all necessary information and results to VOA in a timely manner. 3) Sample Design. VOA will require an achieved sample of at least 1500 adults, age 15 or older, representative by ethnicity, gender, region (urban vs rural), age, and education of the adult population. Approximately 50% of the interviews shall take place in urban areas to ensure capture of a sufficient number of foreign radio listeners to permit detailed analysis. Weighting shall be applied by the contractor to the data thus obtained to correct this imbalance for purposes of analyzing the national sample. A detailed sampling plan, including stratification criteria, description of the sampling frame, listing of anticipated Primary Sampling Units (PSUs), approximate number of interviews in each, procedures for selecting households within PSUs, and procedures for selecting individual respondents at the household level, shall be submitted to VOA prior to commencement of fieldwork. The plan shall also include a description of the training and instructions to be provided to the fieldwork team. 4) Questionnaire. VOA will supply a set of questions for an interview of approximately 1 hour consisting of approximately 80 questions (in English), up to 5 of which may be open-ended. Questionnaire will be provided in draft form for suggestions and comments by contractor based on contractor's knowledge of local cultural or political sensitivities. Contractor shall prepare translations of the questionnaire in Turkish which shall be submitted to VOA for approval. The contractor shall be responsible for compiling a comprehensive list of media available in the local environment (i.e., name of TV and radio stations that respondents are likely to listen/watch; frequency/channel; cable/satellite availability) in each of the major areas to be surveyed. This information shall be used to compile a precoded list of stations on the survey. Following VOA's review of any contractor comments and final approval of translations of questionnaires, contractor shall prepare field versions in Turkish suitable for use by interviewers. The questionnaire shall be pre-tested prior to the commencement of the fieldwork. At least 30 pre-test interviews shall be conducted. Contractor shall advise VOA of the results of the pre-test, along with details of any problems encountered and suggested remedies, prior to the commencement of fieldwork. 5) Fieldwork. Interviews shall be conducted by experienced field workers who shall be thoroughly briefed by contractor prior to commencement of work. Contractor shall ensure that interviewers are thoroughly familiar with household and respondent selection procedures, call back procedures, and the structure of the questionnaire, including routing and filtering. Interviewer training shall include practice sessions in administering the questionnaire. A minimum of 10% of interviews shall be back checked and 5% shall be accompanied by a team supervisor. 6) Data Processing. Contractor is responsible for data entry, cleaning, and processing. Contractor shall provide printed tabulations of results, including percentage responses to all questions broken down by gender, age group, education level, and urban/rural status. Tabulations will show weighted and unweighted bases for each question. Contractor shall supply data to VOA as an SPSS portable (*.por) or SPSS for Windows (*.sav -- version 6.1 or lower) file with a complete data dictionary of variable names. Contractor shall also supply raw data on computer diskettes in ASCII fixed format with accompanying codebook identifying location of all variables and coding scheme. There shall be one data record for each respondent and records shall be of fixed length. Weighting factors shall be in the same position on each record, with location specified in the codebook. Each record shall include a unique respondent ID number, interviewer ID number, PSU ID number, and codes for precise location and date of interview and whether interview location was categorized as urban or rural. Each record shall include demographic information about the respondent, including: gender, exact age, education level, occupation, and ethnicity. 7) Technical report. When delivering printed tabulations and raw data, contractor shall provide a technical report which will include the following: -a complete sampling plan, including list and maps of PSUs and individual sampling points and number of interviews conducted in each -details of response rates -interviewer instructions -brief report on survey operations including any practical difficulties encountered in carrying out the survey -estimated sampling error -weighting scheme including details of how weighting factors were developed and applied, as well as the demographic data on which weights were based. 8) Summary of deliverables See preceding paragraphs for detailed description of requirements for each deliverable. a. Raw data on computer diskette b. Printed tabulations of results c. Technical report 9) Delivery Schedule a. Provision of detailed sampling plan to IBB within 4 weeks of contractor receiving contract. b. Submission of translated questionnaires within 2 weeks following contractor's receipt of VOA draft. c. Following USIA approval of the final questionnaire, pretesting should begin within 2 weeks. d. After pretesting and USIA approval of the final questionnaire, interviewing should begin within 2 weeks and be completed within an additional 4 weeks. e. Cleaned, verified data and technical report must be delivered to USIA no later than 4 weeks after conclusion of the work. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH 1) Purpose of Study Qualitative evaluations of VOA's broadcasts shall be obtained through the use of focus groups. The study will provide VOA management with (a) audience reaction to and suggestions for improving VOA Turkish programs and (b) provide in-depth analysis of audience attitudes toward VOA programs, in particular, and international radio programs in general. The study will also focus on attitudes toward and use of different media, both foreign and domestic. It is anticipated that each discussion should last approximately 2 hours. 2) General Specifications Focus groups shall be comprised of 7-10 people and approximately equal numbers of men and women, where possible. If mixed groups are not possible or advisable in the professional judgement of the contractor, single sex groups may be substituted, contingent upon VOA approval. All discussants should have at least a secondary education, be fluent in Turkish, and be citizens of Turkey. Except where otherwise indicated below, at least three representatives from each of the following age groups should be chosen: 18 -- 35, 35 -- 60. Other recruitment criteria shall be established by mutual agreement of the contractor and VOA. The contractor and VOA shall 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. 3) Number and Location of Groups Vendors are requested to submit quotes for two different options: A) A total of 4 focus groups; 2 conducted in Istanbul and 2 conducted in Ankara, as follows; One group in each city comprised of international radio listeners -- This group 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. One group in each city comprised of lapsed listeners -- This group shall contain individuals who have listened to the Voice of America at some time in the past but who are not regular (weekly) listeners at present. B) A total of 6 focus groups; 3 conducted in Istanbul and 3 conducted in Ankara, as follows; One group in each city comprised of international radio listeners -- This group 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. One group in each city comprised of lapsed listeners, age 18-35. This group shall contain individuals who have listened to the Voice of America at some time in the past but who are not regular (weekly) listeners at present. One group in each city comprised of lapsed listeners, age 35 -- 60. This group will contain individuals who have listened to the Voice of America at some time in the past but who are not regular (weekly) listeners at present. 4) 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, or both. 5) 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 focus groups in each city. The sessions shall be conducted in Turkish; Provide a brief report on the media environment, with particular emphasis on factors that may bear on listening to foreign radio broadcasts; For each city, 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 VOA Turkish programs. -Comparison of the views of regular and lapsed listeners. -Comparison of the viewsof listeners in the different cities. -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. -- Analysis of topics of interest to listeners. -- Reasons for listening (and not listening) to VOA in particular and international radio stations in general. -Suggestions, based on group discussions, of possible strategies for strengthening the competitive position of VOA in each market. 6) Summary of 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 shall contain appropriate direct quotations from focus groups to illustrate points made in the report. The final report will contain the points described above. The final report must pay particular attention to the differences/similarities of participants in the different cities; the differences/similarities of regular and lapsed listeners; and to programming preferences and suggestions for improving VOA programs. The final questioning route shall 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 Turkish. 7) Proposed Time Schedule Focus groups shall be conducted within 4 weeks of final award. Final reports will be due no later than 4 weeks after conclusion of the final focus group. If a single contractor is selected to handle both the quantitative and qualitative phases of this project, and if the survey is used to recruit participants for the focus groups, groups will be conducted within three weeks of the conclusion of the survey. SELECTION CRITERIA In addition to total project cost and ability to meet the proposed schedule, proposals will be evaluated and vendor selected on the basis of the following equally important technical criteria: -- demonstrated experience in conducting quantitative and/or qualitative research on broadcast media; -- demonstrated experience in conducting survey research and/or focus groups in Turkey; -- quality of the proposed sampling technique (survey bids only); -- quality of the proposed procedures for data collection, entry, and verification (survey bids only); and -- ability to complete the project in a timely manner. Each offeror's proposal shall include: -- detailed description of the proposed research methodology, including specific listing of organizations the offeror will use for fieldwork; -- current information on the qualifications of offeror's office and field staff; -- specific information on offeror's past experience in conducting media research and survey research in Turkey; -- detailed description of the proposed fieldwork plan, including sampling plan and procedures, number and type of sampling points and manner in which interviews will be allocated across the population of the cities included in the survey; and -- a schedule showing the time required for each phase of the project. For vendors interested in bidding on the survey, this would include (1) translation, pretest, reporting of pretest results and printing of final questionnaire, (2) completion of fieldwork, (3) completion of data verification, data entry, and codebook, (4) delivery of data files and media environment/methodological report Submission of Quotations and Due Date: Quotes should be submitted no later than February 9, 1998 and shall reference this RFQ No. B/PA-98-5. In addition to addressing the points above, submissions should also provide details on any subcontractors who would be engaged to work on these projects. Omission of any of the points of information requested will weigh against a proposal. Please submit any questions concerning technical requirements to Mr. Robert Goehrig, Office of Research, USIA/IBB at (202) 205-5422 or Fax at (202) 205-3766. Proposal and price quotation should be faxed to Lorraine Mullen, Contracting Officer, at (202) 205-1921. Price quote must be on a separate page from the proposal. (0030)

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