I. PROJECT TITLE



Support for NHTSA Three-Prong Youth Traffic Safety Strategy



II. STATEMENT OF WORK



A. Background



The leading cause of death for young people 15 to 20 years old is motor vehicle crashes. The teen motor vehicle crash fatality rate—more than 5,000 teen occupant deaths per year—is high no matter how it is calculated (per 100,000,000 vehicle miles traveled by teens; per 100,000 licensed teen drivers; or per 100,000 teens in the population). As the data shows, young drivers are substantially over-involved in crashes, more than any other single age group.



The high teen traffic fatality rate may be attributable to both inexperienced driving and a greater propensity for risk taking behaviors. For instance, while teens are learning the new skills needed for driving, many frequently engage in high-risk behaviors such as speeding and/or driving after using alcohol or other drugs, and not wearing their safety belts. National observation surveys consistently indicate that teens have the lowest belt use rate of any age group. Studies have also shown that teens are easily distracted while driving, especially by other teen passengers.



Adding to the severity of the teen traffic problem is this population’s rate of growth. The number of teens in the United States increased 12 percent since 1993 and is expected to continue to increase by several percent each year. Unless effective measures are implemented to reduce the teen traffic fatality rate, it can be expected that teen deaths will increase along with the population.



THE FACTS



• In 2006, 7,463 15-to-20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes, with 3,490 drivers ages 15 to 20 losing their lives, and an additional 272,000 injured.

• In 2006, 12.9 percent of all drivers in fatal crashes were between the ages of 15 and 20.

• Among the drivers ages 15 to 20 killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2006, 28 percent had been drinking

• More than 3 out of 5 teen (ages 16-20) passenger vehicle occupants killed were unrestrained. This compares to 54% unrestrained rate for adult fatalities (ages 21+).

Teens (ages 15-20) are at risk, and pose dangers to themselves and to other drivers. As an age group, they are overrepresented in fatal crashes and, more so than adults, tend not to be buckled up in fatal crashes. Their inexperience behind the wheel, combined with high speed and their propensity to undertake risky behaviors such as drinking and driving, is a frightening combination. The risks go beyond the teen themselves; nearly two of every three people killed in teen-driver crashes are people other than the teen driver. Unless a more comprehensive national youth strategy is undertaken, these trends will continue to take the lives of more than 5,000 teen lives per year.



The teen motor vehicle crash problem is multifaceted and requires a comprehensive strategy. Like other age groups, teens are influenced by many factors. They are unique, however, in their social and emotional development, decision-making capabilities, and their preferences for message content and delivery. Contributing to the complexity of developing teen strategies is recent research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that found the human brain continues to develop into the early 20’s, with the limbic system (emotions) developing first, followed by the frontal cortex, which affects self-control and moral development.

NHTSA’s youth traffic safety programs reflect the consensus among safety and behavioral experts that the most effective strategies for modifying youth behavior utilize approaches that affect individuals, their social situation and their environment. NHTSA efforts to reduce teen motor vehicle injuries and fatalities focus on these key strategies and are supported by research and evaluation.

• Environmental Countermeasures: Environmental restrictions provide a framework for teens to operate within that will protect them from often unfortunate choices. Examples of environmental countermeasures include State laws and policies regarding youth driving (e.g., graduated driver licensing (GDL) laws, zero tolerance laws), enforcement of traffic laws including speed laws, and regulatory actions (e.g., keg registration laws, fines for selling alcohol to minors).



Young drivers are subject to two traffic laws that apply only to them: GDL and the zero tolerance BAC laws. In addition, they are subject to all other traffic laws. Enforcement is critical if these laws are to have any effect. The law enforcement system faces two problems when dealing with young drivers. First, in some situations there may be a tendency for officers not to make arrests or for prosecutors to dismiss charges because the offender is “just a kid.” Second, the legal system imposes additional requirements for people under the age of legal adulthood (18 in most States). Third, it may be difficult for officers to determine age of the driver unless a stop is made. In this case, strongly enforced parental house rules are even more critical.



• Communication and Outreach to Teens: Teens are unique in how they absorb information and are bombarded by messaging in nearly every aspect of their lives. Even in the face of recent research suggesting the areas of a teen’s brain which affect self-control and moral development continue to develop into the early 20’s, teens have an uncanny ability (more so than any other previous generation of teens) to multi-task and filter out the clutter. Communication efforts to teens should work to lower a teen’s natural defense mechanism to messaging focused on safety, as these messages are typically perceived as being overly parental or authoritative. Campaign themes or concepts should strive to be unique, may incorporate humor or “edginess” as appropriate, but should still take into account teen preferences and core values. Teen-specific messages should also take advantage of the many new and constantly changing informational channels that exist with advances in technology. While communication and education alone rarely change youth behaviors, they are often effective in combination with other strategies; for instance, combining a media campaign on buckling up with high-visibility enforcement of safety belt laws.



• Communication and Outreach to Teens’ Social Network: Teen behavior can be influenced through key social contacts, including both parents and peers. In the younger teen years, teens tend to be more receptive to parental guidance and thus more amenable to parental influences, including the establishment of clear behavioral expectations and compliance monitoring (e.g., “Be home by 8:00.”, “You need to finish your homework.”). Communication efforts to parents of teen drivers and passengers may prove even more effective as they are the ones who can enforce house rules regarding teen driving. As teens develop, the need for acceptance within the peer group is an incredibly powerful force and the desire to “fit in” can sometimes outweigh the need for rationale, safe behavior. Creating exposure to social norming techniques, including the peer network, reinforces and validates the message(s) teens are hearing and helps to reinforce desirable behaviors.



Parental responsibility: Parents play a key role in their teenagers’ driving. In many States a parent or guardian must sign the driver’s license application for a teenager under 18 and parents can withdraw their approval at any time. Parents can set limits on their teenagers’ driving. Through their own driving, parents provide role models for good or bad driving practices. Parents can be involved explicitly and formally, through GDL requirements for a minimum number of hours of supervised driving practice under a learner’s permit. Or they can be involved voluntarily and informally. Several parent-teen driving guide programs can provide assistance. Parents can influence belt use through role modeling and house rules requiring their use. Parents can also play a significant role in limiting youth access to alcohol through positive role modeling, monitoring home activity, and checking on their teens when outside the home.



NHTSA uses this comprehensive array of approaches across a number of countermeasure areas that deal with specific risk behaviors. Teens are positively affected by many traffic safety initiatives that are not directed specifically at this age group – for example primary seat belt laws and sobriety checkpoints – as well as by youth-focused programs.



Over the next two years NHTSA will be developing a series of campaign materials focused on reaching the parents of teen drivers and passengers. These materials will be available on NHTSA’s website, but NHTSA has not yet developed plans for paid media placement of the materials or grassroots outreach. The purpose of this contract is to promote and distribute the NHTSA campaign through organizations that have direct contact with parents and teens to make sure the messages reach their intended audience. This results in more information being shared directly with the groups that will most benefit and with which NHTSA does not have direct contact. NHTSA’s website will have the materials, but the placement of materials by local groups through local media or using other communication tools is often more effective since there is a local connection that ensures delivery.



B. Purpose



The purpose of this effort is to solicit the services of a national non-profit youth serving organization that has an extensive history and experience with traffic safety issues for youth and has the ability to promote and coordinate the dissemination and marketing of NHTSA’s Three-Prong Approach to Youth Traffic Safety materials to a broad array of national organizations, including those that reach diverse and minority populations, that can more directly reach out to the population of parents and their teen drivers. The components to be promoted and distributed include, but are not limited to the following:



 Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)

 Teen Seat Belt Use

 Youth Access to Alcohol

 Overarching Theme: Parental Responsibility



C. Objective



The contractor shall complete the following overall contract objectives within 24 months from the date of award. These objectives shall be reported on quarterly during the course of this contract, which include the following:



1. Review all NHTSA youth traffic safety campaign materials as developed.

2. Develop a marketing plan for promotion and distribution of NHTSA materials addressing youth traffic safety that customizes communication by identifying the constituency of each organization to be involved, including those that reach diverse and minority populations, noting key meeting times, and developing effective methods of outreach to their members.

3. Disseminate materials as they are produced and made available.

4. Conduct an environmental scan of the organizations to provide feedback to NHTSA.



III. SCOPE OF WORK



For the period set forth as the “Performance Period”, NHTSA and the successful contractor shall cooperatively furnish the necessary personnel, equipment and facilities, and otherwise perform all tasks necessary for, or incidental to, the performance of work (the accomplishments of the specific tasks) as set forth below.



Specifically:



A. NHTSA will:



1. Provide the necessary technical support.

2. Provide youth traffic safety campaign materials needed while performing work under this contract.

3. Provide a Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) to participate in the planning and management of this contract and to coordinate the activities specified in this contract.

4. Provide information and technical assistance from government sources within available resources and as determined appropriate by the COTR.

5. Maintain on-going contact with the contractor to ensure work is progressing as scheduled.









B. The Contractor Shall:



1. Perform all activities and efforts as specified in the established contract.

2. Designate a project manager who shall coordinate the work under this contract, maintain on-going contact with the NHTSA COTR, and be responsible to NHTSA for meeting the requirements of this contract.

3. Project manager shall work with outside sources as appropriate to fulfill the objectives of this contract.

4. Perform the activities as describe below and do so in conjunction with NHTSA.



C. Specific Requirements and Tasks



C.1 Task 1: Select a Project Manager



The contractor shall select a project manager to oversee and manage the work outlined in this contract. The notification of the project manager shall be made to the NHTSA COTR in writing within ten (10) days of the date of the award. The contractor shall send the notification through e-mail or through express mail on agency letterhead.



C.2 Task 2: Develop Work Plan



The contractor shall develop a work plan indicating how they intend to accomplish the work outlined in Section III, SCOPE OF WORK, Subsection C, Specific Requirements and Tasks.



The work plan shall include timelines and schedules of accomplishments set on the deliverable and milestone chart included in this section of the contract. The work plan shall be completed in draft and submitted in electronic form to the NHTSA COTR no later than 15 days after the date of award of this contract.



The NHTSA COTR will review the work plan and either, suggests edits, comments, and/or concur within 10 days from the date of receipt from the contractor. This work plan shall be discussed in detail at the initial project meeting so that both NHTSA and the contractor fully understand the terms and conditions of the contracts expectations.



C.3 Task 3: Conduct Initial Project Meeting



The contractor shall meet with the COTR within in 30 days after award of contract to review and discuss the Contractor’s Draft Work Plan. The meeting will be conducted in Washington, DC at the Headquarters of the Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.



This meeting will ensure the contractor and COTR have an agreed understanding of the objectives of the project and how they will be met. If revisions to Draft Work Plan are needed, the contractor shall comply with the agreed upon revisions and resubmit to NHTSA COTR for review, comment, and approval.



Other than planning, the contractor shall not perform any substantive work or tasks prior to approval of the work plan by the COTR. The COTR will provide written comments and/or approval of the Work Plan within two weeks from the time NHTSA receives the Contractor’s revised work plan. If further revisions are needed, the Contractor shall resubmit the plan to the COTR within 5 days with the necessary revisions for final approval by the COTR.



C.4 Task 4: Obtain and review copies of all youth traffic safety media campaign materials.



The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining and reviewing a copy of each youth traffic safety media campaign materials being developed by NHTSA. These materials will be provided to the contractor by the NHTSA COTR. These materials will address the following areas:



1. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL)

2. Teen seat belt use

3. Youth access to alcohol

4. Parental responsibility



Most of the materials may only be available through an electronic format. The contractor shall be responsible for providing these electronic versions to the intended audience.



C.5 Task 5: Develop a marketing plan for the promotion of the NHTSA materials.



The contractor shall be responsible for the development of a marketing plan to distribute information to a broad array of organizations, including those that reach diverse and minority populations, whose primary audience includes parents and their teen drivers. Each of the three components of NHTSA’s youth strategy hold equal importance and must be addressed in the marketing plan. Identification of the audience each organization can reach shall be identified by the contractor to ensure broad distribution. The marketing plan shall customize communication by identifying the constituency of each organization to be involved, noting key meeting times, and developing effective methods of outreach to their members.



C.5 Task 6: Disseminate materials as they are produced and made available.



The contractor shall be responsible for disseminating NHTSA youth traffic safety campaign materials as they are produced and made available. Contact through the NHTSA COTR with the Office of Communications shall ensure a regular distribution schedule.



C.5 Task 7: Conduct an environmental scan of the organizations reached to provide feedback to NHTSA.



The contractor shall conduct an environmental scan of the organizations reached to provide feedback to NHTSA. This scan should be completed and a copy of the resulting report shall be sent to the NHTSA COTR. The scan should be detailed and provide information about how each organization intends to disseminate the information and promote the campaigns and an identification of the audience reached. Furthermore, the scan shall report how well each organization was able to utilize and disseminate the materials (e.g., which materials were used, how were they disseminated [and how many if applicable], who was reached, how many were reached, etc.) and any difficulties they may have encountered.



C.6 Task 8: Reporting Requirements



1. Progress Reports



The contractor shall furnish one (1) copy to the NHTSA Contracting Officer (CO) and one (1) original of the Progress Report to the NHTSA COTR by the 15th of the month following the end of each proceeding quarter (See Section III, Scope of Work, Subsection C, Performance Milestones and Deliverables). The NHTSA COTR will provide a template for the Contractor to use when submitting the Progress Report. The template shall be in Microsoft (MS) Word format and may be delivered by e-mail. At a minimum, the Progress Reports must include a narrative description of the following items:



a) Accomplishments made during the reporting period.



b) Problems or delays encountered while conducting services during the reporting period.



c) Specific actions that the contractor has taken to solve problems or delays encountered during the reporting period.



d) Plans for accomplishments in the next reporting period.



e) Technical assistance requests for the reporting period.



f) Preliminary or interim results, conclusions, trends or other items of information that the contractor believes are of timely interest to NHTSA.





2. Draft Final Report



The contractor shall submit a Draft Final Report (DFR) to the NHTSA COTR for review twenty three (23) months after award of the Contract. The Draft Final Report shall provide detailed results of the tasks listed in Section III, subsection C. The NHTSA COTR and other NHTSA staff will review the Draft Final Report for adequacy and return comments to the contractor within one (1) week from the COTR’s receipt of the Draft Final Report.



3. Final Report



The contractor shall provide a Final Report presenting the results from all tasks in Sections III, Subsection B, above, at the completion of the project. This report shall provide detailed results of the Tasks outlined in Section III, subsection B. The contractor shall provide this Final Report electronically to the NHTSA COTR, in addition to one (1) original (hard copy) to the NHTSA Contracting Officer and one (1) original (hard copy) to the NHTSA COTR via regular mail2



4. Required Format for Final Report



NHTSA is required by law to submit all products/publications to the Government Printing Office (GPO) for printing. GPO has established guidelines for the preparation of all print materials that can be found in the GPO, “Best Practices for Preparing and Submitting Electronic Design and Prepress Files (GPO Publication 300.6).”

This document is available at: www.gpo.gov/procurement/ditsg/



Acceptable formats for the submission of reports or publications include current desktop design and publication programs, such as:



• QuarkXpress

• Adobe PageMaker



Graphics files should be created in programs such as:



• Adobe Illustrator

• Adobe Photoshop

• Macromedia Freehand



Office graphics programs, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint are not acceptable for submittal to GPO.



Contractors/Contractors preparing publications for the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) shall submit them so that they can be posted onto the NHTSA’s website. All HTML deliverables rendered under this contract must comply with the accessibility standards found in 36 CFR 1194.22, which implements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. More information can be found at:

http://www.accessboard.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm



IV. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE



Base Period: The Base Period for this contract runs from the effective date of award through twenty-four (24) months thereafter (in two [2] consecutive twelve-month periods).























V. PERFORMANCE DELIVERABLES AND MILESTONES



A. Deliverables/Milestones



The following Deliverables (D) and Milestones (M) are significant in this project.



Item No. Task No. Milestone (M) / Deliverable (D) Due Date After Award No. of Copies

1 C.1 Select a project manager. (M) 10 Days after date of award N/A

2 C.1 Notify NHTSA of project manager. (M)(D) 10 Days after date of award 2

3 C.2 Develop a work plan to accomplish the Tasks outlined in the Section III, SCOPE OF WORK, Subsection C, Specific Requirements and Tasks. (M) 10 Days after date of award N/A

4 C.2 Submit an electronic copy of the work plan to the NHTSA COTR for review, edit, and/or comment. (M)(D) 15 Days after date of award 2

5 C.2 Submit an electronic copy of the final work plan encompassing the NHTSA COTR edits and comments. (M)(D) 25 Days after date of award 2

6 C.3 Coordinate Initial Project Meeting with NHTSA COTR (M) 30 Days after date of award N/A

7 C.3 Submit initial project meeting presentation to NHTSA COTR for review and concurrence. (M)(D) 30 Days after date of award 2

8 C.3 Meet at NHTSA in Washington, DC to conduct initial project meeting to NHTSA headquarter staff. (M)(D) 30 Days after date of award N/A

9 C.4 Obtain copies of all youth traffic safety campaign materials as produced and made available from NHTSA. (M) 45 days after and subsequently monthly (as available) after date of award 1

10 C.5 Develop draft marketing plan and submit to NHTSA COTR for review, edit, and/or concurrence. (M)(D) 60 days after date of award 1

11 C.5 Submit final marketing plan to the NHTSA COTR. (M)(D) 80 days after date of award 1

12 C.6 Disseminate materials as they are produced and made available. (M)(D) On-going N/A

13 C.7 Provide a draft environmental scan plan to the NHTSA COTR for review. (M)(D) 90 days after date of award N/A

14 C.7 Conduct an environmental scan of the organizations reached to provide feedback to NHTSA. (M)(D) On-going N/A

15 C.10 Provide a draft report to the NHTSA COTR for review, edit, and /or concurrence. (M)(D) 30 days prior to meeting 1

16 C.11 Submit quarterly progress reports including information stated in Section III. SCOPE OF WORK, Subsection C. (M)(D) 10th of the month following reporting period 2

17 C.11 Submit Draft Final Report. (M)(D) 23 Months after date of award 1

18 C.11 Submit Final Report. (M)(D) 24 Month after date of award 2



B. Place of Delivery and Number of Copies



All deliverable items shall be furnished to the following addresses in the number of copies specified.



Item # Address # of Copies

2, 4, 5, 7, 9-11, 15-18 Cheryl S Neverman

Highway Safety Specialist

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.

Washington, DC. 20590 1

2, 4, 5, 7, 9-11, 15-18 ______________________,Contract Specialist

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Office Contracts and Procurement,

NPO-200, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590 1

















VI. FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION



The total not-to-exceed amount of the Federal funding to be provided under this Contract $75,000.00 to defray the costs of performance from date of award through 2 years thereafter.





VII. NHTSA PROJECT OFFICERS



The NHTSA designated Project Officer for this Contract is Cheryl Neverman. While this list is not exhaustive, some of the major responsibilities of the NHTSA Project Officer are as follows. Specifically:



1. To provide information and technical assistance from available Government resources as determined appropriate by NHTSA.



2. To provide liaison with other Government/private agencies as appropriate; and



3. To stimulate the exchange of ideas and information among recipients of related projects through periodic meetings.



Cheryl Neverman’s contact business information is provided below:



Cheryl Neverman

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Impaired Driving Division, NTI-111

1200 New Jersey Avenue,

Washington, DC 20590

Phone: (202) 366-

Fax: (202) 366-

E-mail:



VIII. CONTRACTOR’S PROJECT OFFICER

The contractor’s designated Project Officer for this contracty is _____________. The responsibility for the contractor’s Project Officer is to perform the activities as described in this project order and do so in conjunction with NHTSA COTR technical direction.