Evaluation of a prospective Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) intends to solicit proposals to evaluate a Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP). HIP will provide financial incentives to Special Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households to encourage their purchase and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (known as the Farm Bill), the Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) is expected to operate for 15 months in one site beginning in summer 2012. A separate cooperative agreement will be executed with a SNAP State Agency to implement and administer the Pilot. This announces FNS's intent to utilize the GSA Federal Supply Schedule- MOBIS for this requirement. FNS seeks qualified firms with the following experiences and capabilities. 1) Experience as the prime contractor with multiple, large-scale (contract awards of $5 million or greater) evaluations or research projects in the social sciences or related fields. 2) Experience managing large, complex data collection efforts. 3) Staff that have demonstrated expertise designing and executing randomized experiments in community settings; multistage, clustered, and stratified sampling; and multivariate data analysis. 4) Staff with expertise in collecting, measuring and analyzing micro and macronutrient components of foods consumed. 5) Demonstrated ability to maintain a continuity of staff with the skill levels specified above, for a minimum of three years. 6) Familiarity with programs serving low-income populations in the United States. FNS encourages the participation of Educational Institutions, Small Businesses (SBs), Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (SDBs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs). A Request for Proposal (RFP), including a complete statement of work, evaluation criteria, delivery schedule and proposal preparation instructions, should be available by 31 December 2009 at http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/hip. Please contact the Contracting Officer ([email protected]) if you have questions about the upcoming RFP or wish to receive these documents electronically via e-mail upon release.