HHS CDC - Collection of Data from Commercial Online Survey Panels - MRAS

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with the General Services Administration (GSA), is conducting market research on behalf of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) to explore industry capabilities in the commercial online survey panel space. The primary goal of this Request for Information (RFI) is to gather insights into potential solutions for using these panels to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on a variety of health issues. This initiative forms part of NCHS's broader efforts to enhance data collection methodologies that inform public health policies and programs.

Historically, NCHS has leveraged nationally representative, probability-based commercial survey panels for various research endeavors. The Research and Development Surveys (RANDS), initiated in 2015, have been instrumental in conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys addressing national health concerns. More recently, the Rapid Surveys System was introduced in 2022 to expedite data collection processes for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other HHS partners. These systems aim to provide timely insights that are crucial for public health decision-making.

The scope of work outlined in this RFI involves assessing companies' capabilities to draw nationally representative samples capable of achieving at least 6,000 completed surveys per round with minimal overlap between rounds. Additionally, firms are asked to demonstrate their ability to target specific demographic subgroups using both probability-based panels and supplementary methods if necessary. This includes ensuring information security when utilizing external panels so that participant confidentiality is maintained.

Further areas of interest include understanding companies' processes for supporting survey completion across various devices and languages, as well as their timelines for instrument programming, testing, language translation, data processing, quality assurance activities, and file preparation. Respondents are encouraged to provide detailed descriptions of their methodologies along with any suggestions or recommendations that could help balance government needs with cost-effectiveness while ensuring high-quality data collection outcomes.