This is a solicitation for services. The announcement constitutes the only solicitation; and a written solicitation will not be issued. This solicitation is being issued as an Intent to Award To PROF. SUOJIN WANG, Department of Statistics, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843-3148 in accordance with FAR Part 13, NTE $100,000 Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement by submitting quotations. All quotes received within ten (10) days after the publication of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. The purchasing activity is not responsible for locating or securing any information which is not identified in the quotation and reasonably available to the purchasing activity. Delivery shall be 45 days ARO. FOB Destination - Washington, D.C. -- All Quotes shall be submitted to BLS, Room 1830, 2 MASS. AVE. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20212 no later 3:00pm EDT, January 30, 2002, and be clearly marked with RFQ#BLS-02-19. The point of contact for all information is -Etihun Hailemichael, Purchasing Agent, at the address and phone number listed above. If your response is not received by the date/time and at the location specified in the announcement, it will not be considered. No hand carried quotes will be accepted. Offerors may download the RFQ by accessing the FedBizopps website at :www.fedbizopps.gov. All future information about this acquisition, including solicitation amendments, will also be distributed through the FBO site. Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the FBO site to ensure that they have the most up-to-date information about this acquisition. Fax proposals are encouraged and must state name, address and solicitation number. An original copy of the proposal shall follow by mail. Quotations may also be submitted electronically provided that all the necessary documentation requested in this RFQ is included. Variance Estimation Procedures for the National Compensation Survey (NCS)and the Employment Cost Index (ECI) Description of Work Services are needed to give BLS the ability to provide satisfactory variance estimates for the NCS and ECI. Research will be carried out to develop and assess the properties of new techniques tailor-made for these surveys. Supporting Statement I. Introduction Until recently the ECI was a broad national survey. It is now in transition to being based on a sub-sample of the NCS, so that it is now PSU based. Within industrial strata, there are on average less than one establishment per stratum, even when strata are merged to contain two PSUs. This creates serious complications for variance estimation. In particular in forming variance strata, the choice of units (establishments) from distinct PSUs is not independent, as generally assumed for standard variance estimation procedures. Thus there is a need for a variance estimation methodology that can be shown to accommodate this fact. II. Objectives The objective of the project is to complete development of variance estimation procedures that take into account recent changes in the sample design for NCS and ECI, the theory that justifies them, and empirical work that shows their feasibility and effectiveness. III. Description of Project The project will retain the services of Professor Suojin Wang of Texas A&M University, the contractor, to collaborate with OSMR and OCWC-SMD in carrying out research into variance estimation under the conditions of the NCS sample design, with special regard to the special problems of the ECI sample design. IV. Scope of Work The services rendered will consist of research by Professor Wang into variance estimation methodology, which allows for imputation of data, with special attention to methods of imputation that have been suggested by the OCWC Imputation Team. Additionally, attention will be paid to the ECI, which under recent changes in sample design poses unusual complications for

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