AGUIRRE INTERNATIONAL - TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Aguirre International - What We Do
• Aguirre Staff
• Aguirre Services - GSA Schedule

SIN 874-1 Consulting Services
SIN 874-3 Survey Services

• Ordering Information
• Pricing Information

Aguirre International provides high quality social issues research, evaluation and technical assistance for government, business and nonprofit sectors. Founded in 1982 by Dr. Edward Aguirre, former U.S. Commissioner of Education, the company combines rigorous intellectual standards with cutting edge technology to create practical, real-world solutions to complex problems. We conduct research to identify "what works" and provide training and technical assistance based on these findings. Our services include strategic planning, staff training, organizational development, and systems design.

AGUIRRE INTERNATIONAL - WHAT WE DO

Research
Nationally recognized for our expertise, Aguirre International conducts thousands of research-related activities such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups per year. We efficiently and effectively identify what's working and not, and move swiftly to problem resolution.

Evaluation
We take an empowerment approach to evaluation. Evaluation results are useful, not only for reports to stakeholders, but also as a source of information for continuous program development and improvement. We provide tools and support for all evaluation needs, including evaluation plans, instrument development, and data collection, analysis, and reporting.

Technical Assistance
Our experts are by your side. We provide highly effective and customized development and management training many organizations. Using the combination of subject area expertise with winning technologies, your programs will become more responsive, competitive and cost-effective.

CLIENT LIST
Our clients include diverse government, business, education and nonprofit organizations. Here is a partial list of some of the clients we have served in the past five years:

· Bureau of Labor Statistics/U.S. Department of Labor · Bureau of the Census · California Human Development Corporation · California State University Institute · Comptroller of the Currency · Corporation for National & Community Service · County of Santa Clara/Department of Agriculture · Florida Rural Legal Services · Georgetown University · German Marshall Fund of the U.S. · Infoworld Magazine · Inter-American Development Bank · Letcher County Public Schools · National Academy of Sciences · National Urban League, Inc. · Save the Children Federation, Inc. · State of California, Department of Education

· State of California, Employment Development Department · State of Florida, Department of Children and Families · State University of New York - Research Foundation · U.S. Department of Commerce/Economic Development Admin. · U.S. Department of Education · U.S. Department of Energy · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · U.S. Department of Labor · U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · U.S. General Accounting Office · U.S. Postal Service · United States Information Agency · University of California/Berkeley · U.S. Agency for International Development · U.S. Dept. of Commerce/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Return to Table of Contents

AGUIRRE STAFF

Senior Research Associates

Susan Gabbard, Ph.D. in Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 1993. M.S. in Agriculture and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 1983. MA in Anthropology, Duke University, 1979. BA in Anthropology, Rutgers University, 1978. Dr. Gabbard is one of the foremost national authorities on conducting research and evaluation with multicultural, multilingual, low-literate, migrant, low-income and other difficult-to-study populations. She has served as Project Director of large federal contracts involving survey research, program evaluation and evaluation technical assistance at Aguirre International since 1988. She has an exemplary record of developing and implementing innovative designs involving ethnically appropriate techniques to obtain high quality research and evaluation data on difficult-to-study populations. Dr. Gabbard is proficient in the design and implementation of both quantitative and qualitative research. She has served as both an external evaluator conducting formative and summative evaluations as well as an internal evaluator using empowerment and utilization focused techniques including the provision of evaluation technical assistance.

Jo Ann Intili, Ph.D. in Design and Evaluation of Educational Programs, Stanford University. Dissertation: The Effects of Organizational Structure on Decision-Making, 1977. MA in Sociology, Stanford University, 1976. MA in Design of Training Programs for English as a Second Language, New York University, 1970. BA in English, Dickinson College, 1967. Dr. Intili's primary research focus is on examining and assessing effective program interventions related to adult education and training. A theme underlying Dr. Intili's work is focused on determining and reinforcing organizational support for reflective and effective decision-making processes. She specializes in designing and supporting effective technical assistance, training and development of organizational support for innovation, evaluation and analysis of educational and job training services and adult literacy and training. She has managed the design of web and CD ROM-based materials for information collection, tracking and reporting. In a project which combines evaluation, adult education, and technology, during 1999 and 2000 she also has been involved in the design and evaluation of adult literacy materials for web-TV and CD- ROM, for the Department of Education. She has a special emphasis on survey research, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, organizational development, program evaluation, and project management.

Edward Kissam, Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1973. Graduate work in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Magdalen College, Oxford University, 1966-1967. BA in Philosophy, Princeton University, 1965. Dr. Kissam is a leading expert in immigrant policy and the social integration of immigrants into U.S. Society. He has extensive experience as a farm labor researcher and as an adult education policy analyst working on issues affecting low wage populations in the United States. He is a co-author of the 1993 National Study of Adult Migrant Education conducted for the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) and is the co-author of the immigrant issues curriculum framework developed for the California Department of Education Adult Education Unit. Over the past five years he has also been active in California's adult education strategic planning initiatives - authoring policy option papers in several areas and developing a new statewide initiative for improving service to California's adult learners. Dr. Kissam has conducted a multitude of program evaluations, survey research, quantitative data analysis and ethnography. Dr. Kissam has published on many topics, including the importance of accurate demographic information for policy analysis and program planning. Much of his recent work has focused on how careful demographic analysis, coupled with ethnographic and survey research, can make programs in areas such as adult education, employment training, welfare-to-work, and early childhood development more effective.

Jorge Nakamoto, Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education, University of California, Los Angeles. MA in Spanish, San Jose State University, 1980. BA in Psychology and Spanish, San Jose State University, 1976. Primary research area is issues affecting hard-to-reach populations in the US and overseas with special emphasis on instrument development for ethnic groups, instrument and methodological translations from one language to another, and cross-language methods. Dr. Nakamoto is a national expert in Latino population research. He has extensive knowledge about migrant workers and other minorities in the United States and in cross-cultural research methods. His representative work activities include formulating research designs, implementing sampling plans, and collecting data via interviews and focus groups. Dr. Nakamoto has extensive experience in designing and pilot testing bi-lingual survey instruments, and in tailoring these instruments to the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic context of the respondents. From his extensive field experience, Dr. Nakamoto draws effective approaches for reaching resistant populations -- approaches which are passed on to field interviewers through training.

Roger Rasnake, Ph.D. in Anthropology and Latin American Studies. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1982. MA in Anthropology, Cornell University, 1977. BA "with distinction" in Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1972. Dr. Rasnake's primary research focus is participatory evaluation and the relationship between policy design and community level needs. His ongoing research interests lie in community-level and organizational participation in articulating improved approaches to training and human resource development. Dr. Rasnake has been the project director and principal investigator for numerous impact evaluations of human and economic development projects funded by USAID, the Economic Development Administration, and the Inter-American Development Bank. He has managed and carried out long-and short-term impact evaluations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa/Middle East, Russia, and the Central Asian Republics.

Ken Terao, MA Education, Guidance Counseling, California State University, San Jose, 1976. B.S., Aeronautical Operations Engineer, California State College, San Jose, 1971. Mr. Terao's research focus is on the identification of best practices in social service programs and providing evaluation assistance for improvement of activities and services. His primary research interest is on prevention issues, especially for youth, in the areas of juvenile justice and alternative education. Mr. Terao coordinates a nation-wide center to provide technical assistance in evaluation to community service programs. He has extensive experience working with community-based organizations, including immigrant organizations. He has developed and implemented several evaluations for prevention programs funded by federal and state agencies, involving the development of protocols for interviews and focus groups, data collection instruments (surveys and questionnaires), and pre-post tests. Mr. Terao has assisted program development for community-based organizations, including the development of clear and measurable objectives. Mr. Terao also has extensive experience in curriculum development and training.

Heide Spruck Wrigley, Ph.D. in Education (Specialization: Language, Literacy and Learning); School of Education, University of Southern California, 1994. MA in Linguistics, California State University, Long Beach, 1981. BA in Spanish, California State University, Long Beach, 1979. Dr. Wrigley manages a national study on adult ESL literacy, conducted jointly with the American Institutes for Research for the US Department of Education and serves as a consultant to a number of other statewide and national efforts. Her primary interests lie in issues related to the education and training of adults, including ESOL, citizenship, family literacy, and employment - focused literacy, with a special focus on technology, assessment, and evaluation. Dr. Wrigley has worked with various federal and state agencies to develop large scale assessments and evaluation designs, as well as self-assessments and group portfolios. She has been an outside evaluator for several workplace literacy programs, including projects supported by BP Chemical, Marriott Corporation, and First Virginia Bank, as well as for the Peace Corps and for the Department of Health and Human Services. Her experience includes developing negotiated evaluations and participatory assessments involving stakeholders.

Marilyn B. Silver, Ph.D. English, The Ohio State University, 1976; MA English, The Ohio State University, 1972; BA magna cum laude in English, Temple University, 1971. Dr. Silver's career experience and expertise is in workplace learning. Her current focus is on helping the US Department of Labor to modernize the nation's occupational information system by replacing the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) with a skills-based, On Line version of O*NET, the Occupational Information Network. Dr. Silver leads coordination efforts for the O*NET development team whose major goal is to broaden options and find alternative occupations for clients of the nation's one-stop workforce investment system and the general public. She has over 20 years experience designing, implementing, managing and evaluating complex, high-profile, multi-organizational projects for government, business associations and higher education. She previously served as Vice President for Youth and Education at the National Alliance of Business.

Nicole Vicinanza, Ph.D. Program Evaluation, University of Virginia, 1994; BA Philosophy, University of Delaware, 1989. Dr. Vicinanza's primary focus is program evaluation with community based and educational organizations, particularly organizations dealing with sensitive issues such as domestic and sexual violence, HIV/AIDS, and multi-culturalism. Her expertise focuses on instrument development, evaluation design, and conducting interviews and focus groups. Dr. Vicinanza oversees several national evaluation studies and has extensive experience in research and evaluation with education and health programs. Her expertise in qualitative methods includes study design and content analysis of data.

M. Justine Murray, MA Counselor Education, Arizona State University, 1963; BA Political Science, University of Colorado/Boulder. Ms. Murray has over 25 years experience in international and domestic program development, management and training. She has an excellent track record in coordinating large, complex projects, training multicultural staffs to perform as a team, and facilitating change efforts. Experience includes training design, implementation and evaluation; facilitation of small and large groups in problem solving and consensus building; program analysis, development and evaluation; and strategic planning.

James S. Powrie, BA/BFA, Sociology/Fine Arts, Kent State University, 1969. Mr. Powrie has over thirty years professional experience in the public and private sectors designing, developing, managing, monitoring, and evaluating human services, education and training programs. He is experienced in areas of social service planning and evaluation, employment training, curriculum development, economic development, community advocacy, educational multimedia design. Mr. Powrie is skilled in the use of technology for education and training (database development, desktop publishing, video, Internet) to support staff and clients and has extensive experience in key areas of program development, planning and evaluation, fund development, and management.

William "Tom" Judy, MA, Education, Catholic University of America, 1969. BA, English, University of Kentucky, 1960. Mr. Judy has extensive experience managing, monitoring, and evaluating training and human resource development programs oriented towards leadership and technical training. He is experienced in short- and long-range program planning, managing, and scheduling. Mr. Judy has extensive experience in assessing needs, coordinating resources and objectives, training and motivating others to attain goals. Writing experience includes newsletters, information memoranda, meeting minutes, pamphlets, research papers, newspaper articles, and reports. He is especially skilled at working with clients to develop policy and practice statements and lessons learned reports.

Return to Table of Contents

AGUIRRE SERVICES - GSA SCHEDULE

Aguirre International offers a range of business development services including organizational assessment, management consultation, strategic planning, business and action planning, and program evaluation planning. We specialize in assisting organizations to work effectively with ethnically and linguistically diverse populations, as staff and clients, conducting organizational performance evaluations, planning and implementing Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requirements. GSA's schedule has streamlined the process by which federal agencies and other authorized organizations can gain access to the services of pre-qualified vendors including Aguirre International and others who meet competition, pricing, and all other contracting requirements under GSA rules and regulations. Aguirre International is proud to be a GSA (General Services Administration) pre-qualified vendor in the MOBIS (Management, Organizational and Business Improvement Services) area. Specifically, services are available in the following categories:

Return to Table of Contents

SIN 874-1 CONSULTING SERVICES

Organizational Assessment: A first step in improving organizational and business services is to assess what, how, and why the organization is conducting business, and to identify critical factors that impact business improvement. A careful delineation of factors, including mandates, mission, external and internal environments, strategic issues and readiness for change lays the groundwork for strategic planning and new program implementation. Aguirre International provides skilled professionals to assist organizations to conduct an assessment, working closely with administrators and other stakeholders to ensure it meets the practical needs of the organization.

Strategic Planning, Development of Measurable Program Outcomes and Preparation of Annual Performance Plans and Program Performance Reports: The purpose of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 is to improve the performance of government programs through a set of integrated activities, including, strategic planning, setting annual performance targets, measuring progress made toward reaching the target, and reporting results. Aguirre International helps government agencies to develop and review a program logic model that identifies inputs, outputs, outcomes and performance indicators, and assists in preparation for the annual performance review.

Management Consultation: Aguirre International provides customized management consultation to assist in analyzing, planning, and evaluating organizational change particularly as it relates to establishing social mandates and working with diverse populations. Experienced staff help managers to think through problems and prepare practical implementation plans. Aguirre uses a national network of staff and consultants with a wide variety of specializations to create customized solutions to unique problems.

Subject Area Research and Consultation: Specific subject area research, report preparation and consultation for management decisions is an ongoing need in government agencies, though they may not have specially trained research personnel to conduct the research. Aguirre International provides subject area experts to research social, demographic, and educational issues, prepare reports and presentations, and consult with managers about how data relate to both short- and long-term decision-making. Company staff conduct multilingual research both domestically and internationally. Aguirre is adept at the preparation of linguistically and culturally appropriate surveys and other research materials.

Planning for New Program Implementation: Implementing new program initiatives is often an intermittent though high- intensity activity in government agencies, requiring staff to be diverted from ongoing activities to plan and implement new activities. Aguirre provides skilled development staff and subject area experts to assist in planning new program and preparing implementation plans, including staffing allocations, timetables and budgets.

RFP and SGA Planning and Preparation: A solicitation for proposals is often part of new program implementation. How the solicitation is designed impacts the quality of the proposals received and the likelihood that the solicitation will result in the best programs being selected for funding. Aguirre International provides consultation services in the design of funding solicitations and the proposal evaluation process. A special focus is on ensuring that the solicitations maximize participation by language and ethnic minorities and that the program designs address the needs of diverse populations. The goal is to ensure that quality programs, not simply quality proposals, result from a process that is fair, efficient, and effective.

Return to Table of Contents

SIN 874-3 SURVEY SERVICES

Research Design: Surveys are conducted in the context of a broader research effort. Aguirre provides assistance to government and private entities in the design of a wide variety of research relating to social policy and implementation issues. We help to identify central concepts of the study, considering attitudes, experiences, behaviors, social processes and possible reactions to research methodologies. We help assess the research participants, the activities in which they will participate, the places and times in which research will be done, accessibility and availability of material, individuals to be interviewed and other documentary sources. We assist in identifying the most appropriate methods to be used, including: baseline data collection and follow-up, survey research, interview-based studies, in-depth case studies, participant observation, textual analysis, conversational analysis and other forms of research. The specific research methods to be used in any research project are a function of the desired validity, available resources, and ultimate use of the research. Aguirre assists in identifying these and other issues to ensure valid and cost-effective research.

Conduct Literature Review and Synthesis: A review of relevant literature is generally one of the first activities in any research Aguirre project. It assists in formulating research issues and establishing a theoretical framework and methodological focus. Aguirre does not consider the literature review as an isolated event, rather it is integral to the overall work; and we prepare it for the benefit of the researchers. For example, Aguirre International's work with the Bureau of the Census requires substantial review of existing literature in order to better frame our study efforts. No single structure can accommodate the diversity of information for the range of potential research efforts. Nevertheless, our literature reviews will be arranged to isolate issues and highlight findings in a manner that is most useful for researchers. Possible structures will be discussed with other researchers prior to writing the reviews. The literature reviews will be written as part of a logical thread, typically starting from a general, wider view of the research and narrowing to focus on the specific subjects related to the overall research effort. Special attention will be placed on relevancy, validity and timeliness of information. Reports will be made available in print, database and, if desired, Web-accessible database formats, allowing easy search and classification. .

Determine Proper Survey Data Collection Methodology: Surveys are extensively used in academic disciplines such as sociology, social psychology, demography, political science, economics, education and public health. Numerous private and public institutions conduct surveys to determine consumer interests and concerns. Opinion polls measure public opinion on a wide variety of topical issues. Identifying appropriate survey methodologies and sampling methods requires a series of decisions related to the mode of data collection (face-to-face interview, self- completion form, telephone interview), the framing of the questions to be asked, sample design and the method of processing the data. Aguirre assists clients in identifying these issues to create a valid and cost-effective survey data collection methodology. We assist in identifying the "population" to be surveyed, specifying the "elements" to be analyzed. We help determine how large the "sample" will be and specify the "sampling frame." Aguirre will help determine how to frame the random sampling technique that is most appropriate in meeting the requirements of the overall research design. .

Develop Culturally Sensitive and Multilingual Survey Instruments and Questionnaires: To be effective, survey instruments must be specifically designed to reflect the cultural and language needs of the population to be surveyed. Aguirre International develops survey instruments and questionnaires that are culturally sensitive and translated in a wide variety of languages. Indeed, the key differentiator between Aguirre and many other organizations is that we have consistently focused on hard-to- reach populations, culturally diverse groups, and language minorities. We have developed survey instruments and questionnaires in over 15 languages and conducted studies in every state in the U.S., the 28 countries of Latin America, many African nations, all of Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Central Asian Republics. .

Develop and Administer Survey Databases: Aguirre has extensive experience in the development and administration of databases for research. These include basic databases that reside on a single computer, enterprise-wide SQL databases, and Web- accessible databases that can be accessed over the Internet using a standard browser. We specialize in the development of user-friendly databases that ease access to data by a wide variety of users. We also take care to develop appropriate and often innovative ways of actually collecting the data that goes into databases. .

Assess Reliability and Validity of Survey Data: Measurement in the social sciences is a process that links abstract concepts or theories to empirical indicators that can be reliably measured. The question of validity is based on whether the observable response is a reasonable indicator of an underlying and unobservable concept and whether it is appropriate to the use it is being put. The question of reliability relates to whether a measurement procedure yields the same or similar results on repeated trials or is based on a valid representative sample. Aguirre staff are experienced in creating and assessing reliability and validity of survey designs, instruments and data, and can assist at all levels of a research design. .

Conduct and Analyze Quantitative and Qualitative Surveys: Aguirre's staff and consultants are highly qualified in the design and conduct of quantitative and qualitative surveys in many languages, in urban and rural communities and in domestic and international settings. Aguirre is experienced in supporting staff in the field and working with local authorities to conduct a wide variety of surveys. We have substantial experience in recruiting; training and supervising surveyors who represent the target communities, often a critical need for hard to identify groups, such as farm workers, immigrants, language minorities, and innercity residents. In-house staff can prepare the research design, program databases, enter and analyze data, and prepare reports. .

Prepare Data Analysis Reports, Briefings, Multimedia Presentations and Recommendations: Aguirre staff are experienced in preparing data analysis reports for use by policy makers, program managers, and practitioners. We interpret and illustrate data to make them comprehensible to those who are not statisticians or have limited time to review datasets. Aguirre can also create a full range of multimedia presentations from basic overhead slides to animated data progressions to video and Web-based presentations that are linked to the underlying database. We present conclusions and recommendations related to further action or policy initiatives in a way that facilitates decision-making and action.

Return to Table of Contents

ORDERING INFORMATION

1. Table of Awarded Special Item Number(s) SIN's:
874-1: Consulting Services
874-3: Survey Services
2. Maximum Order Limitation: $1,000,000.00
3. Minimum Order: $300.00
4. Scope of Delivery - Worldwide: Domestic and Overseas Delivery
5. Point(s) of Performance: Per Individual delivery order
6. Discount from list prices or statement of net price: Government net prices (discounts already deducted).
7. Quantity discounts: N/A
8. Prompt payment terms: Net 30 Days
9a. Government purchase cards accepted up to the micropurchase threshold: Yes
9b. Government purchase cards are accepted or not acceptable above the micro-purchase threshold: Contact Contractor
10. Foreign items: None.
11a. Time of Delivery: Contact Contractor
11b. Expedited Delivery: Contact Contractor
11c. Overnight and 2-day delivery: Contact Contractor
11d. Urgent Requirements: Contact Contractor
12. FOB Point(s): Destination
13. Ordering Address(es): Fax (650) 348-0260, Mail: Aguirre International, 555 Airport Blvd, Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010
14. Payment address: Aguirre International, 555 Airport Blvd, Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010
15. Warranty provision: Commercial Standard Warranty
16. Export Packing Charges (if applicable): N/A
17. Terms and Conditions of Government Purchase card acceptance (any thresholds above the micro-purchase level): N/A
18. Terms and conditions of rental, maintenance, and repair: N/A
19. Terms and conditions of installation: N/A
20. Terms and conditions of repair parts indicating date of parts price list and any discounts from list prices: N/A
20a. Terms and conditions for any other services: N/A
21. List of service and distribution points: N/A
22. List of participating dealers: N/A
23. Preventive maintenance: N/A
24. Environmental Attributes, e.g., recycled content, energy efficiency, and/or reduced pollutants. N/A
25. Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number: 102962966
26. Uncompensated Overtime (indicate if used): N/A

Return to Table of Contents

PRICING INFORMATION (HOURLY RATES)

	Aug-03 Dec-03	Jan-04 Aug-04	Aug-04 Aug-05	Aug-05 Aug-06
Proj Dir/Sr Res Assoc	$149.88	$149.51	$155.49	$161.72
Sr Res Assoc II	$129.2	$128.88	$134.03	$139.39
Sr Res Assoc I	$113.19	$112.91	$117.43	$122.12
Res Assoc III	$86.82	$86.60	$90.06	$93.67
Res Assoc II	$73.52	$73.34	$76.27	$79.32
Res/Adm Assoc I	$58.16	$58.01	$60.34	$62.75
Res/Adm Asst III	$47.57	$47.45	$49.35	$51.32
Res/Adm Asst II	$39.17	$39.27	$40.84	$42.47
Res/Adm Asst I	$28.96	$28.89	$30.04	$31.24

Return to Table of Contents