Census Bureau starts to craft program management contract for small businesses

The Census Bureau has embarked on initial market research efforts to inform its work in creating a program and project management support contract directly tied to the 2030 population tally.

The agency is setting aside this contract for small businesses capable of providing at least 10 full-time personnel for the requirement, and also scaling up to 70 people for the effort if required.

A sources sought notice published Oct. 8 describes how work will support the agency’s Decennial Census Management Division in efforts to help program offices carry out their projects and activities in planning, developing, executing monitoring and controlling the 2030 Census.

The Census Bureau is setting up the 2030 Decennial Program Management contract amid a separate effort to get final solicitations ready for $2.5 billion in tech-focused blanket purchase agreements.

The agency has previously relied on multiple contracts for program and project management support, but is setting up this new contract to be a flexible mechanism that can adapt to emerging needs.

The Census Bureau is specifically seeking an industry partner or partners with subject matter expertise in large-scale data operations to help in developing a crisis management plan and implementing an operational threat monitoring approach.

Natural disasters and pandemics are examples of events the agency needs to prepare for, as well as rapidly adapt and change projects as those events unfold.

The request for information breaks out contractor support as covering these eight areas:

• Program and project management
• Budget and cost management
• Earned value management
• Quality assurance and quality control
• Risk and issue management
• Performance metrics and data analytics
• Change and configuration management
• Lessons learned management and process improvement

Responses to the RFI are due by 3 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 22.