HHS ACF Sources Sought: Equitable Approaches to Research and Evaluation

Notice ID: ACF-GCS-RFI-EARE

The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is twofold:

To identify contractors who have capabilities and experience in using equitable approaches to research, evaluation, related data practices, and evaluation technical assistance.

To learn if there are aspects of OPRE’s typical procurement processes or practices that have unintentionally created challenges to small businesses in responding to OPRE solicitations and gather recommendations to overcome these challenges

Capability statement requirements

Experience in conducting equitable evaluations, equitable analyses, or incorporating data equity throughout the data lifecycle.

Human centered designed, or other approaches that center the end-user or perspective of those affected by the program and/or research.

Providing staffing that includes staff with lived expertise of ACF (or other federal benefit) programs and/or staff who are culturally competent in working with communities served by ACF programs.

Taking into account how structural racism (or other inequities) has affected populations of interest as well as the services and programs with which they interact (for example, histories of residential segregation or historical provision of adequate public resources).

Designing research efforts to permit disaggregating data in ways that are meaningful to the research questions being addressed, do not harm marginalized communities (e.g., reinforce stereotypes, violate privacy), and help develop a better understanding of different populations’ experiences and outcomes – enabling identification of which groups are benefitting the most, which are benefitting the least, and which may experience unintended consequences.

Involving, throughout the entirety of a process, members of groups most impacted by the programs or issues being studied and doing so in ways that acknowledge past harms, build trust, recognize and elevate group members’ expertise, and ensure accountability…

More here.

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