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FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF AUGUST 22, 2016 FBO #5386
DOCUMENT

R -- American Sign Language Interpreter Services - Attachment

Notice Date

8/20/2016
 

Notice Type

Attachment
 

NAICS

541930 — Translation and Interpretation Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Veterans Affairs;Veterans Benefits Administration;Office of Acquisition;1800 G. Street N.W.;Washington DC 20006
 

ZIP Code

20006
 

Solicitation Number

VA101V16N0404
 

Response Due

8/28/2016
 

Archive Date

9/27/2016
 

Point of Contact

Department of Veterans Affairs
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) INTRODUCTION THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing this Request for Information. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation; therefore, do not submit a quote. The information provided may be used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in developing its acquisition strategy. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information contained in their response. Only electronic responses to this RFI will be accepted. The Government will not pay for any time expended or information submitted in response to this RFI. Eligibility in participating in a future acquisition does not depend upon a response to this notice. BACKGROUND The Oakland VBA Regional Office, Oakland CA, has a requirement for a Contractor to provide American Sign Language Interpreter services. NAICS: 541930 QUESTIONS AND CRITICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERESTED CONTRACTORS Responses are solely treated as information for the Government to consider. Direct or Indirect costs incurred in response to this RFI are at the expense of the vendor, not the Government. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Any contract that may be awarded will not be based on information received or derived from this RFI, but rather on the outcome of a subsequent competitive process. It is requested that all vendors interested in participating in this effort note their interest by responding to the areas identified in the "Company Details" and "Capabilities Statement". COMPANY DETAILS The page limit for responses to this section is one page. 1.Provide company point(s) of contact information (name, email address, address, telephone, and fax numbers). 2.Identify if your company are any of the following business concern statuses (include all that apply): Small Business (SB); Certified Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) firm; Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB); Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB); Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB); Economically Disadvantage Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB); Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB); Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HubZone) Small Business; Large Business 3.Provide contracting vehicles your company holds, such as GSA schedules. CAPABILITIES STATEMENT The page limit for responses to this section is two pages. 1.Provide a brief overview of your business capabilities to provide American Sign Language Interpreter services in accordance with the statement of work. Please include organizational and staff capability and experience. RESPONSE SUBMISSION Please submit responses via email to (Ross.Byrne@va.gov) by 28 Aug 2016, 10:00 a.m. (ET). VA reserves the right to not reply to any emails, responses, and/or materials submitted. ***DRAFT STATEMMENT OF WORK*** 1. TITLE: American Sign Language Interpreter Services 2. BACKGROUND The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Oakland Regional Office (Oakland RO) requires onsite language services on an as-needed basis for meetings, training and other events to interpret spoken English into signed English and American Sign Language (ASL) or signed English back into spoken English. There is one hearing impaired employee with sign language interpretation needs. Any new Oakland RO employees that require sign language interpretation services will require services under this same contract. The frequency of services is estimated an average of 21 hours per month with a possible increase for non-scheduled training sessions, town hall meetings or employee one-on-ones with supervisors and/or union representatives. There could be a possibility of language services not needed for a month. This statement of work is designed to obtain the services, labor, materials, travel and equipment necessary for sign language interpretation services. 3. SCOPE Veterans Administration, Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) Oakland Regional Office located at Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building at 1300 Clay Street in Oakland, CA 94612 has a requirement for a Contractor to provide American sign language interpretation services to effectively facilitate the communication needs of Government hearing impaired employee across all levels of the organization, to include management. American Sign Language interpretation services will afford the hearing impaired employee the opportunity to participate in workforce development through cross training programs and process improvement initiatives. In-person interpreting settings may include team meetings, training, performance meetings, Supervisor/Employee communications, all-employee meetings, and special emphasis briefings. Assignments may vary in length from a one-hour minimum and up to an eight hour maximum in one day. Assignments shall be located at the Ron Dellums Federal Building, Veterans Administration, VBA Oakland Regional Office at 1301 Clay Street, Oakland California. However, if pre-arranged, a few assignments may be at other locations within the San Francisco or Oakland metropolitan area.The Government will not provide travel allowance for the few pre-arranged assignments at other locations within the bay area. 4. GENERAL CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS Contractor shall provide onsite sign language interpretation services for various meetings, training, etc. at Ron Dellums Federal Building,VBA Oakland Regional Office located at 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California, 94642 to include interpreting spoken/written English into signed English and American Sign Language (ASL), and interpreting ASL and signed English back into spoken English. The Contractor shall provide an onsite interpreter who shall perform the work identified in this Statement of Work (SOW). The number of Interpreters required is subject to the approval of the COR. In general, two Interpreters shall be required for assignments lasting more than two hours. A sample list of onsite interpretation events is provided below. This list is not inclusive and is subject to change dependent upon the requirements of Oakland VBA Regional Office: AN INTERPRETER IS NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING SERVICES: "Routine or special meetings with employee "Monthly Training Meetings "Safety meetings "Team Meetings "Committee meetings "Safety Reenactments, "On the Job Training (OJT) "Formal in person training and Online Training (mandatory computer training such as the Veterans Administration Talent Management System) "Project Teams/Process Improvement meetings "Performance/administrative support meetings "Special events (health fair, picnics, retirements) 5. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE The Contractor shall perform American Sign Language interpretation services for the Veterans Administration, Oakland VBA Regional Office throughout the facilities located at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building at 1301 Clay Street, North Tower in Oakland, California 94612. Services will generally be pre-scheduled to avoid the need to provide interpretation services in more than one location at any given time. Services will need to be performed in offices, VA Regional Office training rooms, hearing impaired employee work area and outside work areas. The conditions may be hot, cold, dirty, dusty, and involve the hazards of working around VBA sensitive veterans claims folders. 6. PERIOD OF SERVICE AND ADVANCED NOTIFICATION TO SCHEDULE SERVICE Contractor Interpreter employee shall be required for a minimum of 1 hour to maximum of 8 hours in any given day. For routine scheduled work, Contractor shall be notified at least 48 hours in advance of need for ASL Interpreter with no increase in hourly rate charged for work scheduled with at least a 48 hour notification prior to work. Contractor may have only 24 hour notification which will be considered as an urgent notification but no less than a 24 hour notification shall be given to schedule interpreter services. Contractor employee interpreter shall not be paid for any Federal Holiday. Federal holidays generally observed by Government hearing impaired government employee include: Observed Federal Holidays: New Year's Day ; Martin Luther King Day; Presidents Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day ; Veterans Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day In the event an Executive Order issued by the President of the United States declares Agencies of the Federal Government closed for a regularly scheduled workday, the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) will determine and advise the Contractor on whether services are required for that day. 7. CURRENT DUTY HOURS AND ACCESS TO THE HOST INSTALLATION The Contractor shall perform services required under this Statement of Work during the operating hours of the Government activity. The normal work hours of Government hearing impaired employee is 7:00A.M. To 3:30PM Monday through Friday with times subject to change for training needs, but the hours will not exceed eight hours. The contractor interpreter will be allowed a 30 minute lunch on days which require interpreting service for more than five hours a day.The Contractor interpreter employee must take lunch to coincide with the hearing impaired employee so that the contractor interpreter employee can provide interpreting service to government hearing impaired employee after lunch. Due to changing traffic requirements brought on by construction, changing missions, and security concerns within the VBA installation, access to the VBA installation is subject to change, sometimes with little or no warning. Inbound and outbound traffic restrictions exist. Contractor interpreter must present Government photo ID and pass through X-ray and security screening in order to enter the Oakland Federal Building. Oakland VA Regional Office will provide Contractor interpreter with a letter indicating appointment time to assist interpreter with expedited entry into the building. 1.1PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS 1.1.1Oakland VA Regional Office requires the interpreters to be a National Certified Interpreter with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). This level of interpreter is required to provide a higher quality and standard of service. Additionally, the Interpreter needs to be a good fit. For example, the Interpreter needs to have a general knowledge of office terminology and general knowledge of government type of work. (Without the RID certification, the level of interpreting service is diminished and will impact the employee's ability to perform.) 1.1.2Each interpreter will have a minimum of three years' experience as RID certified ASL interpreter. 1.1.3Contractor Interpreters shall not receive personal telephone calls or texts on their cell phone while performing interpreting services. 1.1.4Interpreters must have a familiarity with the culture and language of a VBA Regional Office Government installation, or familiarity with VBA Acronyms. (see attachment A). Knowledge of specific VBA Regional industry jargon and acronyms are essential to the quality of the interpretation. 1.1.5The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all necessary licenses and for complying with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws. The Contractor shall maintain updated copies of any applicable licenses and certifications for all Contractor interpreting employees and make available licenses and certification available to Government upon request. 1.1.6All Contractor Interpreters shall conduct themselves according to the RID Code of Ethics. 1.1.7Quotes should specify hourly rates. 1.1.8As part of this contract solicitation process, the Contractor shall submit a minimum of three resumes with a maximum of five resumes from Contractor Interpreters employees to be reviewed by Oakland RO. Each Interpreter's resume shall list following: "Three or more years of professional interpreting experience and types of work settings "Employment history "Education, Training, and Certifications "Knowledge of, and experience with, the Deaf community and Deaf culture "Additional qualifications of In-person interpreting services, upon request 1.1.9In addition to the resumes, each offeror may submit company references. 1.1.10A "qualified sign language interpreter" is someone that can competently, accurately, and impartially interpret, both receptively and expressively, using any specialized terminology necessary such that there is two-way communication in the employment setting. 1.1.11The Contractor employee Interpreters shall be considered a "qualified candidate " in accordance with the Federal Personnel Manual definition of Interpreter which states, "has completed an interpreting training program and/or certified by a recognized certifying body such as the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)." 1.2SAFEGUARDING INFORMATION 1.2.1The Contractor shall not allow access or disclosure of classified information or information regarding the operations of the VA Regional Office to any government agency, non-government agency, or individual unless specifically authorized by the COR. The Contractor shall provide documents and files requested by such parties to the COR within one hour of receipt of the authorized request. All files are the property of the Government and the Contractor shall turn all files over to the COR at the completion or termination of this contract 1.2.2The Contractor may be required to access data and information that is proprietary to a government agency or contractor or that is of such nature that its dissemination and use other than as specified in this contract would be adverse to the interests of the Government or others. The Contractor and its personnel shall not divulge or release data or information developed or obtained under performance of this contract except to government personnel who are authorized to receive the information or upon written approval of the COR. The Contractor shall not use, disclose, or reproduce proprietary data that bears a restrictive legend other than as specified in this contract. 1.2.3Contract Interpreter shall complete a SAC background investigation, to be paid by the Contractor. 2.0SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS 2.1Contractor Interpreters shall arrive at the VBA Regional Office 15 minutes prior to the start of the assignment. All Interpreters shall have a photo ID that is accepted by the Security Officers in order to enter the Ron Dellums Federal building. Interpreters reporting for interview and assignments for interpreting shall coordinate their time of arrival with Veterans Service Center Front Office (current VA Point of Contact: Quay Duong at 510-637-6388). Interpreters arriving at the VA Regional Office shall arrive 15 minutes before appointment or interview, and will be allowed expedited entry through the "appointment only" line, and report to Quay Duong, Veteran Service Center Scheduler of Interpreter at 510-637-6388. 2.2VA employee Quay Duong or designee shall coordinate each sign language interpretation assignment after consultation with Michael Rhoton, 510-637-6154, michael.rohoton@va.gov, the hearing impaired employee supervisor appointments may be arranged and confirmed via phone or email. Additional interpreters are permitted, but only after consulting with the COR, when the length of the appointment is such that a single interpreter cannot provide adequate service without frequent or lengthy breaks. The number of additional interpreters shall be kept to the minimum necessary to provide quality service. Quay Duong will email Zeferino Murillo with dates, times, hours, how many Interpreters are required for each assignment. 2.3Interpreter services, that require additional interpreters, beyond events which can be handled by the on-site interpreter, shall be coordinated at least 48 business hours in advance, Monday through Friday (0600 to 1800). If, however, the Government should require interpreters with less than 48 hours' notice, the Contractor shall attempt to provide an interpreter, but the Government understands that the Contractor may not always be able to comply with such a request. There will be a different schedule hourly price for interpreter with less than 24 hour urgent/emergency notice 2.4Routine interpretation services are considered those in which a 48 advance notification is provided. Urgent/Emergency interpretation services are those in which a notification is less than 48 hours is provided. 2.5The Government may cancel the services no less than 48 business hours in advance Monday through Friday, with no penalty or charges assessed. Contractor will be notified by email of cancellation of service with a 48 hour notice. If the Contractor is not notified of a cancellation 48 hours prior to the scheduled assignment, the Contractor may invoice for the number of hours scheduled for the assignment. If a Sign Language Interpreter appears for an assignment and the necessary parties fail to appear within 30 minutes of the assignment, the interpreter may leave and invoice for the minimum one hour allowed per assignment. If the Contractor cannot attend a scheduled event, the Contractor shall provide 48 hours' notice by email to Scheduler Quay Duong and Zeferino Murillo. The Government shall not incur any charges associated with Contractor cancellation. For kept appointments, chargeable time shall begin at the designated appointment time and end when the assignment is complete. All services that require additional interpreters shall be billed at a one (1) hour minimum. The Government shall only pay for interpreters providing service, and no one else. 3.0ADMINISTRATIVE 3.1BILLING 3.1.1The Contractor shall submit an invoice monthly by email to the following people: Zeferino.Murillo@va.gov, Lamberto.Tayag@va.gov AND Ross.Byrne@va.gov "Invoice Number "Reference the contract number "Obligation Number (Obligation Number shall be used for billing) "Date of Service "Service Start/Stop Time "Interpreter's Name "Total Weekly Hours of Service "Rate per Hour "Total Charge for each interpreter "Special Rate for Emergency/Urgent Request without 24 hour Notice "No special rates shall be used for requests placed with more than two business days' notice. 3.1.2For billing purposes the Contractor shall round up to the nearest half-hour. For example, if the Scheduler, coordinates and schedules a request for an assignment that is anticipated to last from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. but the assignment actually lasts from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the Contractor shall bill VA for three and one-half hours (3.5) of service (8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) 3.1.3The VA Regional Office shall not incur any charges for appointments cancelled by the Contractor. The COR will certify invoices for payment to Contractor. 3.1.4The Contractor shall bill the agency using the hourly rate established in the pricing schedule. There shall not be any overtime required of the Interpreter. Emergency Interpreter Service with Less than 24 hour notice shall be a different hourly rate than the 48 hour notification. Contractor shall submit two different rates a ROUTINE (48 hr + notice) and an URGENT (< 48 hr notice). 8.DELIVERABLES Deliverable - Due Date Monthly Status Report (MSR) - Last business day of the each month Quality Control Plan (QCP) - Draft due 5 days after contract award 9.0MONTHLY STATUS REPORT 9.1The Contractor shall submit a monthly status report to the COR no later than the COB on the last work day of each month. The monthly status report shall identify an accurate record of all events that requested sign language interpretation services completed for month, name of Interpreter(s), location of completed service, the number of interpreters required, and the length of service time. This monthly status report shall also include the amount of administrative time utilized for the scheduling of services and the hours associated with the training program, as well as any progress issues, concerns, etc. for all work performed in the month. 10.0QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (QCP) 10.1The Contractor's quality system shall demonstrate its prevention-based outlook by meeting the objectives stated in the SOW throughout all areas of performance (e.g., all functional areas and all performance standards). The QCP shall be developed to specify the Contractor's responsibility for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. Within 24 hours of completion, the Contractor shall provide to the COR, all reports generated as a result of the Contractor's quality control efforts. This shall include any summary information used to track quality control, including any charts/graphs. 10.2The Contractor's QCP shall be incorporated into and become part of this purchase order after the plan has been accepted by the Government. Changes made after CO or designee approval shall be submitted in writing to the CO or designee for review and acceptance. The Contractor's QCP shall be maintained throughout the life of the purchase order and shall include the Contractor's procedures to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the plan to ensure the Contractor is meeting the performance standards and requirements of the contract. 11.0PERFORMACE METRICS TASK - PERFORMANCE THRESHOLD - GRADING SCALE - METHOD OF SURVEILLANCE -Scheduling Interpretation Services for each event from Contractor -Interpreters are scheduled and perform at 99% of the required events -Pass/Fail -COR review/verification; inspections; COR visual inspections; monitoring; record keeping -Qualified Contractor Interpreter employee are performing sign language interpretation services -The Contractor shall provide qualified staffing to operate and manage the Interpretation Services at VBA Regional Office in Oakland California -Pass/Fail -The COR attend random interpreting sessions for inspection of interpreters during interpreting sessions while reviewing contractor Interpreting qualification documentation. -The Contractor Interpreter employee shall attend scheduled and unscheduled meetings to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the interpretation program. -The Contractor shall attend regularly scheduled meetings and other meetings determined necessary by the COR. -Pass/Fail -The COR will monitor meeting attendance. -Provide accurate and current interpretation tailored to the individual needs of the employee and to agency requirements. -Receive no more than 1 valid complaint about service during a month. -Pass/Fail -Employee feedback -The Contractor shall provide all documentation properly formatted, accurate and submitted by due date. -97% reports completed accurately and on time; 1 day grace period -Pass/Fail -100% inspections
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/VA/WDCVARO372/WDCVARO372/VA101V16N0404/listing.html)
 

Document(s)

Attachment
 

File Name: VA101V-16-N-0404 VA101V-16-N-0404.docx (https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=2957424&FileName=VA101V-16-N-0404-000.docx)

Link: https://www.vendorportal.ecms.va.gov/FBODocumentServer/DocumentServer.aspx?DocumentId=2957424&FileName=VA101V-16-N-0404-000.docx

 

Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
 

Place of Performance

Address: Department of Veterans Affairs;Veterans Benefits Administration;1300 Clay Street;Oakland, CA

Zip Code: 94612
 

Record

SN04233664-W 20160822/160820233139-99885d543ae4c02842a38d57eeedd310 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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