REQUEST FOR INFORMATION AND MARKET RESEARCH RELATED TO YOUTH TOBACCO SURVEY This announcement constitutes a Request for Information synopsis and market research. Information obtained as a result of this synopsis is for planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for Proposals, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Department of Health and Human Services has an interest in effectively implementing and maintaining an annual national household-based Youth Tobacco Survey among a nationally representative sample of youths aged 12-17 years, with baseline data to be collected in calendar year 1999. Annual surveys will be conducted in calender year 2000 and beyond which will be identical in survey design and the collection of prevalence of tobacco use data as collected in the baseline. The purpose of this survey is to monitor tobacco use among youth 12-17 years of age. The survey will collect information on up to six tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigars, pipe, and roll-your-own tobacco): use in the past 30 days, usual brand smoked or used, and other tobacco related information. The Department will develop a draft of the questionnaire and the OMB and IRB packages prior to the date the contract is awarded. It is the intention of the Department to award a contract to a single, responsible contractor to perform the following requirements: 1) Develop the procedures for administering the questionnaire. Given the sensitive nature of the data to be collected and the need for privacy, accuracy and efficiency, the Department is interested in pursuing state-of-the-art technologies for data collection -- e.g., Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI), Computer-Assisted Self Interview (CASI), or Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (A-CASI); 2) Conduct cognitive testing of the questionnaire; 3) Develop sampling plan, sampling frame, and select sample. Use a sample design which consists of households in all 50 states and the District of Columbia as the sample frame for selecting the households. It is estimated that a sample size of at least 20,000 completed interviews will be needed to meet the specified precision requirements (e.g., a 95% confidence interval of plus or minus, less than 1% for an estimated population prevalence of tobacco product use); 4) Conduct training of supervisors and interviewers; 5) Conduct fieldwork for the baseline survey with all field data collection completed within calendar year 1999; 6) Conduct subsequent annual surveys in calender years 2000-2003. The fieldwork in calender years 2000-2003 will be conducted during the same months as the baseline for each respective year (with methods that can be replicated in calender year 2004 and beyond); 7) Development and implementation of estimation plans for production of survey estimates; 8) Design, development and implementation of quality control procedures; 9) Preparation of verified and edited data files; and 10) Preparation of field and methodological reports. The Department requests that interested contractors provide answers to the following questionsby June 1, 1998: 1) Do you have the capability to conduct and evaluate cognitive laboratory tests of a questionnaire of this magnitude (the questionnaire will focus on the collection of tobacco data, including information on: types of tobacco, usual brand, use of tobacco products in the past 30 days, and other tobacco related issues)? If so, please describe your capability/experience, as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 2) Do you have the capability to develop, program, and test a CASI, CAPI, and A-CASI system for a survey of this magnitude for use among respondents as young as 12 years old? If so, please describe your capability/experience as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. In your discussion, please specifically address (at a minimum) your capability/experience with (1) training interviewers in the use of laptop computers with CASI, CAPI, and A-CASI technology, (2) system testing and evaluation of data output prior to fieldwork, (3) evaluating procedures once you are in the field, and (4) correcting instrument/fieldwork problems during the course of conducting a survey. 3) Assuming an August 31, 1998 award date, can you meet the time line of baseline data collection in calendar year 1999 which includes at least 20,000 completed interviews of youths age 12-17 years? Please describe your experience with time lines of similar complexity. Please also provide any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 4) Assuming an August 31, 1998 award date, what is the earliest feasible start date for fieldwork? Please describe your experience with meeting such a tight time line. Please describe your plans for pilot testing the survey within this tight timeline. Please also provide any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 5) Do you have the capability to achieve a household response rate of 95% and a youth respondent response rate of at least 80%? Do you have the capability to achieve a youth respondent response rate of 85% or higher? Please describe your capability and experience, as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 6) Assuming an August 31, 1998 award date, can you deliver the final, verified and edited data file in a form suitable for producing national estimates and standard errors in the first quarter of the year following fieldwork? If so, please describe your experience in meeting such a time line. Please also provide any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 7) Do you have the capability to design a nationally representative household survey of youths 12-17 years with a sample frame including all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the calender year 1999 and at a minimum the next 4 calender years to meet specified precision requirements? At a minimum, this survey would need at least 20,000 interviewed youth annually, for at least a 5 calender-year period. The survey would require highlevels of estimated precision, e.g., a 95% confidence interval of plus or minus less than 1% for an estimated population prevalence of tobacco product use. If so, please describe your capability/experience, as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 8) Do you have the capability to develop and implement quality control procedures for this survey? If so, please describe your capability/experience, as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 9) Do you have either adequate staff or the capability to hire the necessary supervisors and interviewers to complete the baseline interviewing in calender year 1999? If so, please describe your capability/experience, as well as any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. Please provide a description of staff experience and capabilities as it relates to doing such a survey and data collection. 10) Is your organization a large or small business? If large, would you anticipate any subcontracting opportunities? 11) The Department is considering either a cost plus award fee or a cost plus incentive fee type contract for this procurement. Please provide any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. 12) The Department anticipates issuing a request for proposal (RFP) within the next 30 days, with proposals due within 30 days of the publication date. Would you have the ability to meet this deadline? 13) Please provide any general comments you might have regarding this procurement which have not been addressed above. 14) The Department is considering placing a page limitation on technical proposals. Please provide any comments or suggestions you would like to make regarding this issue. Information will be accepted in hardcopy only (one original and two copies) and shall be submitted to the following point of contact and address: Office of Acquisition Management; Room 443H, Humphrey Building; 200 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20201; ATTN: Cheryl Howe. Please include the following information: the title of the project, your organization's name, point of contact, address, telephone number, facsimile number, and email address. The due date for submission of information is June 1, 1998, by 4:00 PM EDT.

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