WIC PARTICIPANT AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS STUDY FOR APRIL 2000 The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) plans to award a sole source modification under contract 53-3198-7-005 for approximately two and a half years to continue work on the Study of Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Participant and Program Characteristics for April 2000 (PC2000). Data analyses for Participant Characteristics in April 2000 will build upon the WIC Minimum Data Set and Supplemental data items which are collected through ongoing management information systems of WIC State Agencies. It will incorporate changes by the WIC Program to each State system which address new coding of nutrition risks for WIC participants which began April 1, 1999. In addition to Y2K concerns, it will address food package code analysis for 88 WIC State Agencies, as well as data on breastfeeding initiation and duration. PC2000 will also include a local agency survey component. The local agency survey will collect information on local WIC program characteristics including operating features related to nutrition services, nutrition education and counseling, and referrals. The contractor shall examine patterns in the data and perform analyses which could reveal trends in Minimum Data set items when examined in conjunction with previous PC study data. Timely production is of the essence for achieving continuity for PC2000 with previous biennial PC studies. It requires experience in providing guidance to 88 different State agencies which exhibit differing administrative structures; differing data systems; differing levels of State staff data experience; and widely different volumes of data. Importantly, it requires the ability to process over 7 million detailed records coming from 88 different State agencies. An expert team is required who are immediately capable of beginning guidance to States; who can implement PC2000 data base construction and quality control of data with minimal planning and revision; and who have experience in communicating with technical staff of State and local agencies which operate the WIC Program. The work to be awarded on a sole source basis is modified from work previously awarded to Abt Associates in that it removes a considerable number of planning documents, and reduces State file testing activity. It builds on computer analysis systems previously developed by Abt Associates. PC2000 is expected to be more complex than previous biennial studies due to changes in WIC nutrition risk policy, in expanding WIC food package and breastfeeding analyses, as well as Y2K issues. Interested parties must demonstrate extensive experience in WIC management information systems and current ability to analyze extremely large streams of State data converting them to formats conforming to previous WIC Participant and Program Characteristics studies. No solicitation is available. Interested parties should identify their ability to meet the requirements. This is not a notice for competitive proposals. Any proposal received within 15 days after publication of this notice willbe considered by the Government. The Contract Specialist may be contacted by mail or facsimile at (703) 305-2071, Attention: Suzanne A. Pastura. Telephone requests or inquiries will not be accepted. Posted 09/01/99 (W-SN375209).

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0545 19990903\SP-0005.MSC)