U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Administrative and Financial Management, Procurement and Property Branch, 14th & Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 1310 South Building, Washington, D.C. 20250

B -- FOOD ASSISTANCE AND NUTRITION RESEARCH POC Linda Fischer, Contract Specialist, (202) 720-7684 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Economic Research Service (ERS) is seeking capability statements from qualified small business firms with high-level research and data-analysis capabilities, adequate to support the research and policy analysis needs important to the USDA's food assistance and nutrition programs. To be considered capable of adequately performing this work, firms must demonstrate documented expertise and experience in each one of the following six areas of skill and knowledge essential to the analyses required: (1) expertise and experience in conducting and publishing research in the area of food assistance, food security, nutrition education, diet quality, program targeting and delivery, and program interactions; (2) expertise and experience in applying statistical analyses to data series, including but not limited to econometric modeling and trend analysis; (3) expertise and experience in analyzing complex household and individual-level data from large national data sets; (4)skill and experience in writing reports conveying complex scientific and technical material in a clear, understandable, and authoritative manner to general public audiences; (5) detailed and comprehensive familiarity with extant research literature in research and policy needs important to USDA's food assistance and nutrition program; and (6) expertise and experience relevant to designing a study to assess the cost containement practices used by states which limit branded products sold in the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) food package, other than infant formula. Capability statements must include material that is explicity reponsive to each of the six skill and knowledge area requirements listed above. Four copies of the capability statement should be sent to the point of contact indentified in item number 11. Capability statements are due by December 1, 1998. Posted 10/14/98 (W-SN261693). (0287)

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