00161 - Form 5500 Data Subscription

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to vendor questions regarding the PWS for an opportunity, clarifying requirements related to data, timelines, and technical approaches.

• POP Start Date: The Period of Performance (POP) start date needs to be soon after the award date, with the requested database ready for immediate use upon contract commencement. Contractors must already have access to financial datasets.
• Dataset Acceptability: EBSA will accept either a commercially licensed dataset or a contractor-built integration sourced from public data, provided the requirements are met.
• Analyst Interests: Key areas of analyst interest include plan investments (share classes, fees), plan costs, investment performance, service provider/plan linkages, plan design, historical trends, and specific investment types/vehicles.
• Filing Data Requirements: Must-have data includes 401(k) plans and the four most recent filing years. Nice-to-have data includes other defined contribution and defined benefit plans, and additional filing years beyond the most recent four (up to approximately 10 years).
• IARD/CRD Mapping: The ~9,000 entities represent both firms and individuals.
• Data Element Phasing: Main data elements must be available on Day 1; phasing in is not acceptable for core database functionality.
• Third-Party Datasets: Datasets like Morningstar/Lipper/Preqin are considered optional enhancements, not required for base evaluation.

These clarifications provide specific details on data requirements, acceptable technical solutions, and performance expectations, which bidders should consider when preparing their proposals.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

To provide the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) with a subscription to edited Form 5500 data and specialized analyst support for research, compliance assistance, and enforcement tasks.

• Provide a 12-month subscription for online, on-demand access to edited Form 5500 data, including Schedule of Assets, mapped with SEC, FINRA, investment performance, and state insurance data.

• The database must allow EBSA employees to independently query data on benefit plans, financial advisors, service providers, assets, and geographical locations.

• Specific data elements required include edited adviser names, matching Form 5500 data to IARD, Form ADV data, FINRA data, state insurance data, headquarters location, asset spread by geography, Taft-Hartley plan indicators, and audit level/trended fund data.

• Provide at least 50 hours of specialized analyst support per year for ad hoc data queries and analyses.

• The contractor must have the necessary data elements in place at the start of performance.

• Period of Performance: One (1) 12-month base period (September 19, 2026 – September 18, 2027) and four (4) 12-month option periods.

• Place of Performance: Contractor's facility.

• Key Personnel: A qualified Analyst with a minimum of five (5) years of experience with financial retirement data is required. A Contract Manager is also required.

• Data Availability: Database must be available 24/7, with scheduled maintenance communicated 24 hours in advance.

• Quality Control: Contractor must develop and maintain a quality control program.

• Security: No security clearance is required.

• Contract Type: Firm, fixed-price contract anticipated.

• Deliverables: Include initial project meeting summary, subscription access, user lists, training, technical support, subscription updates, custom analyses, and monthly analyst time reports.

Statement of Work (SOW) / Performance Work Statement (PWS)

The Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) requires access to Form 5500 data and specialized analyst support to aid in research, compliance assistance, and enforcement tasks related to employee benefit plans.

The contractor shall provide a subscription to an online database containing edited Form 5500 data. This data must be mapped with SEC, FINRA, investment performance, and state insurance data. Key data elements include:

• Edited Form 5500 adviser names, matched to IARD registered investment advisers.
• Form ADV firm and representative data.
• Aggregated FINRA and state insurance department data.
• Specific headquarter locations for multi-location companies.
• Asset spread by geographic location.
• Indicators for Taft-Hartley plans.
• Audit level and trended fund data.

The subscription must allow EBSA employees to independently query data on employer-sponsored benefit plans, financial advisors, service providers, assets, and locations. The contractor must also provide at least 50 hours of specialized analyst support per year for data queries on Defined Contribution (DC) retirement plans.

Additional data elements may include welfare plan information (fees, service providers, participant data) and supplemental financial data (e.g., from Preqin, Morningstar) for alternative assets.

• Base Period: September 19, 2026 – September 18, 2027

• Four (4) 12-month Option Periods

• The database must be available 24/7, with at least 24 hours' notice for scheduled maintenance.

• The contractor must provide initial training and semiannual refresher training for EBSA users.

• Technical support must be available during business hours.

• The contractor must provide monthly reports on analyst support hours used.

• The contractor must have all necessary data elements in place at the start of the performance period.

Form / Attachment / Pricing Sheet

This document is an Excel spreadsheet titled 'QA Log - Form 5500'. It appears to be a log for tracking questions and answers, potentially related to a Form 5500 filing or a similar administrative process. The specific purpose within the context of this SAM.gov opportunity is not detailed in the provided text.

The document contains columns for 'Section', 'Question', and 'Response'. However, the provided text shows no actual data populated within these columns, indicating the log is either empty or the content was not extracted.

As the log is empty, it currently provides no specific information or requirements for bidders. If this were a populated Q&A log, it would be crucial for understanding clarifications and potential impacts on the solicitation. Bidders should check if this attachment is intended to be populated or if it is a template for future use.