Fill and Sign the Agreement to Conduct Public Service Opinion and Attitude Survey Form

Agreement to Conduct Public Service Opinion and Attitude Survey Agreement made on the ______________ (date) , between _________________ (Name of Agency) , a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of ______________, with its principal office located at ____________________________ _______________________________ (street address, city, state, zip code) , referred to herein as Agency , and ____________________ (Name of Consultant) , a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of ______________, with its principal office located at _______________________________________________ (street address, city, state, zip code) , referred to herein as Consultant . Whereas, Agency is a manager of a public utility service; and Whereas, Agency desires to contract for a survey of public attitudes toward an expansion and modification of the public utility services; and Whereas, Agency desires that a marketing research firm conduct the survey; and Whereas, Consultant desires to conduct the survey as marketing research firm for Agency; Now, therefore, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows: 1. Project Agency has determined there is an urgent need at this time for an exchange of information and ideas between private citizens and those responsible for public utility services planning in _________________ (name of utility district) service expansion and modifications. This communication link is a vital step and must be undertaken prior to completing additional substantive work on a long range, area-wide, public utility service plan. The objective of this project shall be to accomplish the following: A. Formulation of several alternative solutions to the escalating area-wide services problem. The basic problems, as foreseen by Agency, are summarized briefly in a document entitled ____________________ (title) , attached to this document as Exhibit A . Some of the important actions taken to date in the field by Agency are explained and identified in that document. The document also depicts fundamental concepts of system development for the geographical area in the context of implications for the area's future style of life. The concepts are intended to depict different possibilities rather than a specific and recommended plan. B. Communication of the problem and alternative solutions to the public at large, which shall be the responsibility of an Associate Consultant. C. Receipt and analysis of the public's reaction to the alternatives, which shall be the responsibility of Consultant executing this document. Although Consultant and Associate Consultant shall each negotiate separate contracts with Agency, they will naturally cooperate fully during the various phases of the project. 2. Research Objectives The research objectives to be obtained by Consultant shall be: A. To develop a bank of data on current opinions and attitudes regarding public utility services in the area, with emphasis on perceived needs and wants of prospective users of public utility services, and B. To obtain measures of public reaction to the alternatives advanced as possible solutions to the problems faced, and provide feedback to Agency for overall communications network changes in methods of reaching the public with proposed service changes. 3. Test Design To meet the objectives of this marketing research study, a three-phase program shall be conducted. Phase One shall consist of a basic area-wide study of awareness and attitude among residents toward public utility services. Phase Two shall consist of a study among potential users of public utility services to obtain reactions to selected concepts and proposals. Phase Three, conducted at or near the close of the overall program, shall consist of a second study among potential users of the service to obtain reactions to selected concepts and proposals. 4. Basic Area-Wide Study A. Prior to the conduct of the basic study, test research of a qualitative nature shall be conducted. This research shall take the form of a series of focus-group interviews. _____ (Number) persons shall participate in each session. Although the moderator will use some type of outline, an unstructured approach will be employed. In a sense, these will be brain-storming sessions, designed to ferret out thoughts, feelings, attitudes, reactions, and opinions as they might relate to the research problem. These sessions shall be particularly helpful in insuring that all pertinent areas of inquiry are included in the later studies, and in developing the structured questionnaires. B. Following conduct of this qualitative research, a structured questionnaire designed to elicit both qualitative and quantitative information shall be developed and pretested. Once chosen, the questionnaire would be administered to a representative sample of households within the area. Half of the respondents shall be male, and half shall be female. Each respondent shall act as speaker for respondent's entire household. Areas of inquiry shall include, but will not necessarily be limited to, the following: 1. Attitudes toward the area and the problems it faces; 2. Public utility services presently used by the respondent; 3. Respondent's life style relative to public utility service usage; 4. Specific public utility service problems envisioned by the respondent. 5. Awareness of long-range plans for providing public utility services by Agency. 6. Perception of a need for an improved system for public utility services. 7. Reaction to various methods of solving public utility service problems. 8. Demography of the population interviewed. C. In this basic study, Agency shall use a sample large enough to permit statistical analysis by geographic region, life-style, attitude toward public utility services, and pertinent demographic subgroups. A sample size of (number) households is recommended, to be randomly selected from voting lists. The results of the basic study shall generate a data bank of information relating to present attitudes of area residents. These data shall be used as follows: 1. As a basis for decisions that must be made by Associate Consultant relating to the public information and communications portion of the project; 2. Dividing potential user and nonuser groups within the total sample of households, with the intent of identifying potential users; and 3. Providing a common basis of information for reference in future phases of the program. 5. Public Reaction Survey A. Associate Consultant shall formulate a communications program having reference to the results of the basic study and to public utility service planning work already completed. Consultant shall work with Associate Consultant in selecting the aspects of the communications package to be measured. The aspects that are to be measured shall be the salient ideas of the major concepts that are presented to the public in the communications program. These points shall have been part of either print or broadcast messages or will have been elements of other phases of the communications program. While the wording may not be identical in every case, the substance of the idea shall be the same. In many respects, this research will resemble the familiar copy point recall test and other measures of advertising effectiveness. However, since a base period measurement shall not have been made, Consultant shall not be measuring change. B. If awareness of the program is found to be at a very low level at the time of the second survey, the opportunity to make a detailed analysis of the ways that the public views one idea contrasted with other ideas may not be open to Consultant. The very fact that public awareness is lacking shall be of overriding importance and shall have major impact on future study planning. C. Sample size and technique employed on the public reaction survey shall be largely dependent on what is found on the basic study and the content of the communications program that Consultant is investigating. If, because of the subject matter of the study, it is necessary to have face-to-face interviews, the number of interviews conducted would be approximately _____ (number) . If it is feasible to use the telephone interviewing approach, it would then become possible to increase the size of the sample, and approximately _____ (number) households would be contacted. 6. Final Study A. The final study shall represent the final expression of the opinions of the people of the area. In undertaking to determine the issues of greatest importance to the public and the support and opposition generated for specific proposals, Consultant shall have recourse to all of the information generated in the earlier studies. The specific content of the final study questionnaire may repeat parts of the basic survey or the people reaction survey, but it is anticipated that additional, fresh, issues will have arisen to which the final survey shall be addressed. B. Sample size and technique will again depend heavily on what is determined from the previous study but shall not be less than ______ (number) households. The end result of the final study shall be calculated to maximize the information of most use to the planners of the public utility service system in the area. 7. Timing and Costs A tentative projected time schedule for commencing and completing each of the three study phases by Consultant is as follows: ________________________________ __________________ (projected time schedule) . The tasks outlined in this document shall be completed by Consultant for a cost not to exceed $_____________. 8. Severability The invalidity of any portion of this Agreement will not and shall not be deemed to affect the validity of any other provision. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, the parties agree that the remaining provisions shall be deemed to be in full force and effect as if they had been executed by both parties subsequent to the expungement of the invalid provision. 9. No Waiver The failure of either party to this Agreement to insist upon the performance of any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, or the waiver of any breach of any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, shall not be construed as subsequently waiving any such terms and conditions, but the same shall continue and remain in full force and effect as if no such forbearance or waiver had occurred. 10. Governing Law This Agreement shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of __________. 11. Notices Unless provided herein to the contrary, any notice provided for or concerning this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed sufficiently given when sent by certified or registered mail if sent to the respective address of each party as set forth at the beginning of this Agreement. 12 . Mandatory Arbitration Any dispute under this Agreement shall be required to be resolved by binding arbitration of the parties hereto. If the parties cannot agree on an arbitrator, each party shall select one arbitrator and both arbitrators shall then select a third. The third arbitrator so selected shall arbitrate said dispute. The arbitration shall be governed by the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in force and effect. 13. Entire Agreement This Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties and any prior understanding or representation of any kind preceding the date of this Agreement shall not be binding upon either party except to the extent incorporated in this Agreement. 14. Modification of Agreement Any modification of this Agreement or additional obligation assumed by either party in connection with this Agreement shall be binding only if placed in writing and signed by each party or an authorized representative of each party. 15. Assignment of Rights The rights of each party under this Agreement are personal to that party and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person, firm, corporation, or other entity without the prior, express, and written consent of the other party. 16. Counterparts This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together shall constitute but one and the same instrument. 17. Compliance with Laws In performing under this Agreement, all applicable governmental laws, regulations, orders, and other rules of duly-constituted authority will be followed and complied with in all respects by both parties. WITNESS our signatures as of the day and date first above stated. ______________________ ______________________ (Name of Agency) (Name of Consultant) By: ___________________________ By: ______________________________ _______________________ ________________________ (P rinted Name & Office in Corporation) (P rinted Name & Office in Corporation) _______________________ ________________________ (Signature of Officer) (Signature of Officer) Attach Exhibit