Notice ID: 1333LB22AMRFIOCR To respond more effectively to increased workloads and reduced operation budgets, the United States Census Bureau and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (both are collectively hereunto referred to as “Agency”) aim to incorporate newer technologies into survey data capture logistics. Specifically, the Agencies are looking to build Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities into their data capture process for the Consumer Expenditure Diary (CED) Survey. The ability to leverage OCR from handwritten expense diary forms as self-reported from our CED survey respondents is vital in our efforts to perform mission critical data capture activities. These activities must be conducted in a timely and economical manner within the framework of the Census’ National Processing Center (NPC), producing data in a usable format as prescribed in the data processing requirements by the Agency. Whereas the Agency intends to incorporate an OCR platform into the CED data capture process by fiscal year 2024, the specific schedule, deliverables, and roles and responsibilities between the Agency and a potential software/hardware Vendor are yet to be determined. Vendors are encouraged to provide a “best practice” solution for the implementation of their software/hardware system(s) into the Agency’s workflow and logistical workspace. Read more here.