Action Code: Sources Sought
PSC Code: R410 Support- Professional: Program Evaluation/Review/Development
Solicitation: 693JJ924RQ000498
Agency/Office: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Location: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration HQ
NAICS Code: 541611 – Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business and Program Management Services $24.5 Million
Point of Contract: Vincent Lynch, Contracting Officer, ph (202) 366-9568
Title: Click It or Ticket Evaluation
Description(s):
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is issuing this Sources Sought Notice to identify potential qualified Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns that may be interested in and capable of performing the work described herein to provide Click It or Ticket Evaluation support to NHTSA.
NHTSA welcomes all qualified Small Business concerns, with the appropriate NAICS Code and past experience to submit their Corporate Capability Statements that demonstrate their ability to successfully accomplish the goals of the project as listed in the attached draft SOW. NHTSA does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this notice or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made; no formal evaluation of the information received will be conducted by NHTSA. NHTSA may; however later on issue a Request for Proposals (RFP). However, should such a requirement fail to materialize, no basis for claims against NHTSA shall arise as a result of a response to this notice.
Background:
Seatbelts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45%, and to light-truck (such as pick-up trucks, sports utility vehicles, and minivans) occupants by 60%. While seatbelts are a lifesaving countermeasure, they only work when used. In 2021, 90.4% of front seat occupants observed during the daytime for the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) were belted; however, among those who were killed for whom seatbelt use was known, only half were belted. For this reason, it is important for the Department to work to increase seatbelt use.
Each year, Congress requires NHTSA to conduct high visibility enforcement (HVE) campaigns that include paid media. One of these required campaigns is the May/June Click It or Ticket (CIOT) campaign. HVE operates under the principle of general deterrence, in which many individuals share the expectation that a behavioral transgression (in this case, not wearing a seat belt) is likely to result in swift and sure repercussions (in this case, a citation). HVE generally uses pre- and post-enforcement communications in addition to the paid advertising during the time of focused enforcement activity to enhance the visibility of the efforts and thus the deterrent effect. While prior evaluations of seat belt HVE have shown a 3.5% increase in seat belt use, these evaluations date from the early 2000s, and there may be ceiling effects or other methodological limitations to these previous evaluations. The national seat belt use rate as measured in the NOPUS has consistently been above 90% for daytime front occupants since 2019, though that rate is lower for nighttime front occupants, rear seat occupants, pickup truck occupants, and occupants in rural areas. It is possible that the current model of CIOT has reached its capacity of influencing seat belt use among occupants in every seating position. It is also possible that refinements to the CIOT model can be made that increase belt use among occupants that may be at increased risk of being killed or injured in crashes while unbelted. Understanding the current effectiveness of CIOT is important for NHTSA to make improvements that can change behavior and save lives.
This project would evaluate Click It or Ticket (CIOT), which has for years served as NHTSA’s signature seat belt campaign and a prime example of high-visibility enforcement (HVE). CIOT was subject to regular evaluations up until the early 2010s; these demonstrated the effectiveness of CIOT in increasing adult seat belt use. However, seat belt use rates in many states in the past decade have plateaued in the high 80% to low 90% range. The goal of this project, then, would be to evaluate CIOT in its current state. It is generally understood that CIOT has historically been successful in increasing seatbelt use, however, its current continued effectiveness is an open question. In evaluating CIOT, the following main research questions should be addressed:
- Does CIOT affect seat belt use? If so, how much, in which direction, for how long, and over what area?
- Do the public’s perceptions, awareness of, and intended behaviors change as a result of the CIOT campaign? If so, how much, in which direction, and for how long?
- To what extent does the amount of enforcement influence seat belt use during the CIOT campaign?
- Do responses to CIOT’s enforcement and messaging vary across different locations and demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and race or ethnicity?
Objective:
The primary objective of this project is to conduct an evaluation of the Click It or Ticket program as currently implemented. That is, the objective is not to evaluate an ideal implementation of CIOT, or high-visibility enforcement more generally, but rather to ascertain if CIOT in its current state is effective, where and for how long, and for whom. The evaluation should include both a nationally representative survey and a quasi-experiment comparing seat belt use at sites with varying levels of CIOT-related law enforcement participation and media exposure. To this end, the following should be collected or obtained: seat belt observations; surveys of program awareness, perceived risk of ticketing, and self-reported behavior change; locations of media placements and estimated or actual impressions; census data on demographic and other potentially relevant factors; citation data, including times and locations of violations, and demographic information on offenders, if available; number of participating law enforcement agencies; law enforcement hours contributed; and, locations and times of related law enforcement activity. A secondary objective of this project is to disaggregate and attribute, to the extent they are found to exist, observed effects of CIOT on seat belt use rates to the program’s enforcement and messaging components. Data collected should support the use of time series analysis, spatial analysis, and other novel techniques as needed and appropriate to determine the temporal and geographical extent of CIOT-related effects on seat belt use, should any exist. Therefore, collecting before / after waves of seat belt use observations will likely not be sufficient; observations should be conducted with a frequency conducive to analyzing how, if at all, seat belt use tracks CIOT-related law enforcement and messaging activity.
Capabilities:
The corporate capability statement must address the capabilities necessary to accomplish the scope outlined above as well as the additional tasks and characteristics given in the attached draft SOW.
Format of Corporate Capabilities Statement:
Any interested qualified Small Business firms, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns should submit their Corporate Capability Statement, which demonstrates the firm’s ability and past experience in no more than 10 pages to perform the key requirements described above to the identified NHTSA point of contact listed herein.
Any proprietary information should be marked as such. All respondents are asked to certify the type and size of their business organization is in-line with the requirements of this Sources Sought Notice, and must be received no later than the closing date for responses to this notice.
