NOT-HD-03-004: DESIGNING NEW MODELS FOR EXPLAINING FAMILY CHANGE AND VARIATION

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health^®

DESIGNING NEW MODELS FOR EXPLAINING FAMILY CHANGE AND VARIATION

RELEASE DATE:  December 30, 2002

NOTICE: NOT-HD-03-004

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
 (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/)

RFP AVAILABLE:  RFP NIH-NICHD-2003-03 
(http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NICHD/RFP-NICHD-2003-03/listing.html)

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is 
planning to award a contract for a program entitled, "Designing New Models 
for Explaining Family Change and Variation."   Based on a thorough 
interdisciplinary analysis and assessment of relevant research, theory, and 
scientific methods, NICHD seeks to develop a model (or models) for a 
coordinated research and data collection program reflecting an integrated 
approach to the study of family change and variation.  The model research and 
data collection program will integrate previously disparate streams within 
family research, including research on fertility, marriage and cohabitation, 
sexual behavior, and parenting, and will have the potential to significantly 
advance understanding of the factors and processes that drive family change 
at both the individual and societal levels.  The model(s) may have several 
components which together comprise a coordinated program of research capable 
of testing specific, theoretically driven hypotheses while also serving as a 
resource for researchers addressing a broad set of policy-relevant and 
scientific questions.  The model(s) should have the ability to expand and 
contract to respond to varying funding levels, and they should complement 
existing data and research resources related to family and fertility. 
 
The model research and data collection program will be developed under the 
direction of a Principal Investigator who is a noted expert in family, 
fertility, and research design, in conjunction with a core working group.  
The working group will devise and implement strategies to seek input from 
population and other scholars in performing reviews of research and theory, 
conducting original methodological and theory-development research, and 
shaping and refining the design for the model research and data collection 
program.  The working group will develop a theory or set of theories to 
explain family change that integrate and build upon major approaches in 
different disciplines.  The planning process and supporting research will be 
designed to consider theories from a wide variety of disciplines (e.g., 
anthropology, biology, demography, economics, family studies, policy, 
psychology, and sociology).  It will also consider methodologies drawn from a 
diverse set of disciplines and assess the potential of a variety of 
innovative research and data collection strategies.  The working group will 
articulate the compatibilities and contradictions across theories and 
formalize the theories to be tested and the research and data collection 
design for testing them.  The working group will conduct original research, 
such as meta-analytic research, qualitative studies, secondary data analyses, 
and methodological studies, as appropriate to review and integrate theory, 
review current scientific knowledge, conduct preliminary studies in un-
researched areas, evaluate potential methodologies, design alternative 
models, evaluate models, and prioritize the models and/or component parts.  
The working group will make substantial use of consultants, commissioned 
papers, working groups, committees and sub-committees, and workshops, as 
appropriate, to ensure that the model program reflects relevant expertise 
from the broadest possible set of disciplines and research areas.

The required service is defined as code 541990 under the North American 
Industry Classification System (NAICS).  The Request for Proposal (RFP) is 
available through the FedBizOpps website at  
http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NICHD/RFP-NICHD-2003-03/listing.html.  The 
NICHD does not intend to produce hard copies.  Fully electronic proposals 
will not be accepted, but portions of the proposal may be provided on disc.  
The reference number to be used for this announcement is:  RFP NICHD-2003-03.  
All correspondence must cite the reference number as provided.  All responses 
must be submitted on or before March 10, 2003 to:

Virginia A. DeSeau 
Contracting Officer
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 7A07, MSC 7510
Bethesda MD 20892-7510
Rockville, MD  20852 (for express/courier service 

OR

Charles W. Grewe, 
Deputy Chief Contracting Officer
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 7A07, MSC 7510
Bethesda MD 20892-7510
Rockville MD 20852 (for express/courier service 
Telephone:  (301) 435-6957
Fax:  (301) 402-3676
Email: [email protected]

INQUIRIES

For further information, contact:

Virginia DeSeau
Contracting Officer
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
6100 Executive Boulevard,Suite 7A07, MSC 7510
Bethesda MD 20892-7510
Telephone: (301) 496-6947
Fax: (301 402-3676
Email:  [email protected]
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