Notice ID: 140P2124R0020
This Statement of Work (SOW) encompasses a broad spectrum of socioeconomic research and analysis. It was developed by the NPS Social Science Branch (SSB) with assistance from the NPS management units, regions, and programs.
The variation of temporal and geographic scales, political and stakeholder interests in NPS issues, and potential of management actions to affect various indirect and direct socioeconomic issues require the development of a broad array of social science research and analytical tools and products. The breadth of these studies will be outlined below and contextually refined within each Task Order placed against this IDIQ with the intent that this acquisition vehicle will allow easier access to skilled social scientists and economists to conduct research and associated analyses within the discipline.
The range of contracted studies will provide depth within the types of visitor use research available to the agency and also ensure consistency of general visitor use studies, dependent on parks’ needs. This ensures a balance between customization of studies and a degree of uniformity for issues of comparability within larger agency compilation and distillation. Understanding visitor use and social issues surrounding NPS planning and management through conducting research and analysis will be performed within tangible projects outlined in each Task Order.
Types of Research: The Contractor will be expected utilize the following types of exploration as applicable:
Primary research where the Contractor develops, implements, analyzes and reports upon the study.
Secondary research where the Contractor applies known and NPS identified existing data sources to conduct analyses and report results. Where NPS will be identifying existing data sources, those will be identified at the Task Order level.
Data mining where the Contractor explores applicable current academic and management body of research and associated data and may or may not be directed to conduct analyses as part of the effort.
Task Types
The types of socioeconomic efforts herein categorize various context-specific studies that can be selected per Task Order. Respondent universe and the agency issues of interest will be outlined specifically in each Task Order for the Contractor to formulate study approaches for agency review and acceptance.
Type 1: In-Park/Management Unit Visitor Studies
Understanding in-park visitors allows land managers to make better decisions on visitor experiences and the protection of resources. These studies can include, yet is not limited to, survey research, focus groups and semi-structure interviews that seek to understand visitor values and attitudes of a variety of different resource and experiential conditions. Notably but not exclusively, these studies include the VSP type studies that have been conducted historically under cooperative agreement by the NPS SSB (https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Collection/Profile/3738). Intercept methods could include road and pedestrian-based, web-hosted methods based on the details of the park travel system architecture and respondent universe.
Type 2: Personnel and Partner Studies
These studies are designed to investigate internal agency and department issues from Federal staff comprised within and with partners. These studies would provide valuable in-depth data on issues related but not limited to workforce management, empowerment and equity, management values and attitudes, personal values and attitudes, evaluations on agency culture and resource conditions, agency efficacy, etc.
Type 3: Regional Economic Impact and Economic Welfare Studies
Numerous economic welfare studies are needed regularly by the NPS SSB and park units. These analyses would include mostly existing data but may occasionally include primary …
The period of performance for this IDIQ is one five-year period effective from time of award of the contract.
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