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Costs

The Office for Survey Research (OSR) at Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) has compiled the following cost information as an example of OSR cost factors, budgeting, and contracts. By no means is this information exhaustive. Because the cost of a survey depends on so many project-specific factors, prospective clients are encouraged to contact OSR staff directly to review the study specifications so an estimate can be developed.

Factors

Frequently, potential clients ask OSR staff how much it costs to conduct a survey. Since each survey is specifically geared to customer needs, there are rarely two projects alike in every respect. Factors which will impact cost are as follows:

• Type of Survey (Mail, Telephone, or Web)
• Sample Size
• Type of Sample (List or RDD)
• Client Supplied vs. OSR Produced Sample
• Length of Interview or Questionnaire
• Weight of Questionnaire
• Respondent Accessibility
• Number of Follow-up Mailings Needed
• Labor and Materials Utilized
• OSR Role in Interview or Questionnaire Design
• OSR Involvement in Data Analysis, Reports and Results Presentations

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Budgeting

OSR tries to work with each client to produce the optimal amount of data within the constraints of each client's budget. When OSR conducts the data collection, coding, and data entry on a project, budgets are constructed to reflect the expected actual work time to be spent on the project and the billing rates for the individuals involved. For all of these, OSR tries to budget conservatively. That is, budget estimates tend to be slightly higher than the study may end up costing. Should the actual costs be less than expected, the charges billed to the client or Principal Investigator reflect the savings.

Contracts

OSR contracts are often setup as contracts through the MSU Office of Contracts and Grants or as Letters of Agreement directly with OSR-IPPSR. Sometimes contracts are setup as fixed price projects, but more often they are setup as cost reimbursement contracts.

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