Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the New York State Department of Health (NYS, State) and Health Research, Inc. (HRI) are seeking competitive proposals from any company or organization which meets the Mandatory Requirements to conduct the NYS Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) according to the standardization protocol developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HRI is a not-for-profit corporation affiliated with DOH whose mission is to independently assist DOH and to build a healthier future for New York State and beyond through the delivery of funding and program support to further public health and research programs.

The BRFSS is an annual phone survey conducted by all 50 states , the District of Columbia, and several territories in coordination with CDC. DOH/HRI has conducted the statewide BRFSS according to CDC protocol since 1985. The annual statewide telephone survey of adults is administered through DOH’s Bureau of Chronic Disease Evaluation and Research, Division of Chronic Disease Prevention. Data obtained from the BRFSS is vital and used by multiple DOH/HRI programs and partners around NYS for surveillance, planning, policy, and evaluation purposes. Information regarding the BRFSS, including the CDC protocol, may be found on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/ and for the NYS BRFSS on DOH website http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/brfss/ .

Th e State contract term is expected to be for a period of ? five (5) years and six (6) months ? commencing on the date shown on the Calendar of Events in Section 1.0 , subject to the availability of sufficient funding, successful contractor performance, and approvals from the New York State Attorney General (AG) and the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). The HRI contract term is one (1) year with 4 subsequent renewals totaling five (5) years.

The amount of ann ual fu ndi n g made available for the project will vary from year to year. The NYS BRFSS is financed through state, federal, and other funding sources. State BRFSS funds are administered under the terms of a state miscellaneous services contract (state contract). Federal and other funds to support the BRFSS will be administered under the terms of the HRI contract. Therefore, this RFP will be used to establish contracts with both DOH and HRI to conduct each year’s statewide survey. The contractor will work with DOH/HRI to manage and track payment through both contracts.

NYSDOH/HRI will accept proposals from organizations with the following types and levels of experiences as a prime contractor.

• Minimum of three (3) years of telephone-based survey experience administering dual-path phone surveys (conducted via both landline and cellphone) of at least 100 questions in length; and

• Minimum of three (3) years of experience using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) application software methodology for developing and administering telephone surveys in English and Spanish; and

• Must have a functional call center located and operating within the continental United States.

Experience acquired concurrently is considered acceptable.

For the purposes of this RFP, a prime contractor is defined as one who has the contract with the owner of a project or job and has full responsibility for its completion. A prime contractor undertakes to perform a complete contract and may employ (and manage) one or more subcontractors to carry out specific parts of the contract.

Failure to meet these Minimum Qualifications will result in a proposal being found non-responsive and eliminated from consideration.

Bidders that demonstrate experience with the following requirements are preferred:

• At least one (1) year of experience administering the BRFSS for a state or US Territory; and/or

• At least one (1) year of experience administering phone surveys requiring approximately 20,000 outgoing contacts (outgoing calls to distinct phone numbers) per month; and/or

• At least one (1) year of experience completing interviews for approximately 1,500 households/cellphones per month; and/or

• At least one (1) year of experience achieving Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) or American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) response rates of at least 25% for telephone surveys of at least 100 questions in length.

https://www.health.ny.gov/funding/