R -- VERBATIM REPORTING SERVICES

Notice Date

June 14, 2001

Contracting Office

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Administration, Division of Contracts and Property Management, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 20852-2738

ZIP Code

20852-2738

Solicitation Number

ASL-01-309

Response Due

July 6, 2001

Point of Contact

Yvette Brown, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 415-6507, Fax (301) 415-8157, Email yrb@nrc.gov

Description

(i)This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-26. All referenced FAR clauses may be obtained via the Internet at URL http://www.arnet.gov/far/ All referenced NRC Acquisition clauses (NRCAR) may be obtained at http://www.nrc.gov/ADM/CONTRACT/contract.html. FAR clauses will be indicated by "FAR" followed by the section number. NRCAR clauses will be indicated by "NRCAR" followed by the section number. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation/Request for Proposal (RFP). Proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. ASL-01-309 herein is the RFP. Just as the RFP is electronically posted, so will any amendments to the RFP. Consequently, it is the offeror's responsibility to view this site for any amendments. (ii) The RFP and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 97-26. (iii) This RFP is being conducted as a 100% small business set aside. The associated code under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 561492. (iv) A potential offeror may identify = suitable multi-agency contracts it holds with another Federal agency which may be used to procure the requested goods or services. The NRC may explore the feasibility of using any such multi-agency contract to meet the NRC's requirement and reserves the right to cancel the procurement should NRC locate an appropriate multi-agency contract. (v)The NRC anticipates entering into a contract with a one-year base period and two one-year options. The anticipated award date is August 1, 2001. The NRC contemplates award of a firm-fixed price, indefinite quantity, task order contract resulting from this solicitation. The hourly rate for service is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the Contractor's cost experience in performing the contract. The contract will provide for an indefinite quantity of services to be furnished during a fixed period, with performance of tasks to be scheduled by placing orders with the Contractor. The tasks to be ordered are so integrally related that only a single Contractor can reasonably perform the work. Therefore, the NRC intends to award a single contract. The contract line item numbers, description, unit of measure and quantity are located in Attachment 1. Definitions are included in Attachment 2. (vi) DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS: Court reporting services for a variety of depositions, hearings, investigations, meetings and oral arguments throughout the United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, Guam, any U.S. protectorate and the countries of Canada and Mexico for the NRC Headquarter's and regional offices. Services which the Contractor is required to provide include, but are not limited to, those described herein. The services described or specified shall not be deemed to constitute a comprehensive specification having the effect of excluding services not specifically mentioned. The Contractor is required to furnish all other services necessary to fulfill the undertakings set out in the contract. Background: In keeping with NRC's mission to protect the public health and safety in the Nuclear Reactor, Materials, Waste, and Management and support arenas, many public meetings, adjudicatory proceedings, and depositions are held as part of the decision making process in licensing nuclear facilities. These activities are an extremely important and closely scrutinized part of the Commission's daily operations. The nature of the services are such that delays, errors and other forms of unsatisfactory or poor performance will jeopardize the interests of the Commission and adversely impact its regulatory review process. The subject matter, to be recorded at public meetings before the Office of the Commission, adjudicatory hearings and oral arguments before the Atomic Safety and = Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP) and at meetings of the Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and other meetings, is very complex and of a highly technical nature primarily in the field of nuclear reactors and nuclear energy. At ACRS meetings, there are frequent changes of speakers and, on many occasions, more than one speaker talking at a time. Some meetings are less technical but equally demanding, often extremely informal, portions of which may be highly sensitive or of a confidential nature. Personnel security interviews conducted by the Office of Administration's Division of Security are sensitive and shall always be recorded and handled with the utmost confidentiality. Sensitive investigators which the Offices of Investigations and Inspector General choose to record shall also be handled and treated with the utmost confidentiality. Meetings and investigations conducted by NRC offices are held in various locations throughout the country and sometimes require multiple, simultaneous reporting. Most of the hearings are conducted at various locations throughout the contiguous United States. Requirement: State-of-the-art verbatim reporting services is required. The types of efforts included are listed below: (1) Provide professional personnel competent in the technique of court reporting and equipment as necessary for the furnishing of satisfactory transcripts, diskettes, and copies; (2) Provide full and complete transcribed verbatim record, which encompasses a record verbatim of everything spoken or presented during a session and incorporate it into the transcript unless otherwise directed by the Presiding Official. A record of appearances and exhibits, with the names and identification of the parties who actually testify or speak at the proceedings or who request the entering of their appearance, together with such other matters shall be included, as directed by the Presiding Officer; (3) Furnish complete transcripts, electronic files, and video tapes, as ordered to accurately reflect the full and complete verbatim record of the hearings; (4) Provide duly authorized notaries and reporters who are empowered to administer oaths in the state in which the proceeding is being held. As well as, the original authenticated transcript certification page. Provide clearly legible original transcript and copies; (5) Transcribe standard audio cassette tapes or video tapes furnished by the NRC; (6) As required, furnish an identical paginated and content of the original printed transcript (see Attachment 4 regarding floppy diskette of the official transcripts); (7) Provide Real Time court reporting translation services for NRC meetings or hearings inside or outside the Washington Area. Real Time translation is the process of having a reporter produce the spoken word on stenographic equipment in a real-time mode which is connected to a computer and monitor. The stenographic strokes are simultaneously generated and translated into English for instant viewing and provides an on-line written text version of the proceeding. Real Time is generated by means of special automated information processing equipment (computer hardware, software and cabling). (vii) POSTPONEMENTS -- If an adjudicatory proceeding has been noticed for hearing and is called but not held at the time and place indicated in the notice, a record shall nevertheless be written with the title page and list of the persons desiring to record their appearances, together with a memorandum of the date, hour, and place at which the hearing was called and a statement showing the action taken. If the Presiding Officer or other official is present and an official reason is stated why the hearing was not held as scheduled, such reason shall be included in the record. If no official reason is stated, the reporter shall, before transcription of a record, ascertain from the Presiding Officer, other hearing official, or the Counsel for the Commission or its staff, the reason why such hearing was not held as scheduled and insert such statement and identify the individual source in the record to be transcribed. The Contractor shall be paid for each page involving a postponement in accordance with the contract schedule for the type of = delivery ordered. (viii) CANCELLATION OF HEARINGS -- In the event a hearing is canceled, the NRC will notify the Contractor as soon as the cancellation becomes known. Within the Washington, DC metropolitan area, if less than two hours notice is given or if less than 24-hours notice outside the Washington DC metropolitan area, the contractor will be paid in accordance with the contract schedule for the type of delivery ordered. (ix) EQUIPMENT IN THE ASLBP HEARING ROOM: This room, located in Headquarters, is equipped w/a voice activated video camera system that captures the audio and video of the individual speaking in the course of adjudicatory hearings. The hearing room is also equipped with State-of-the-Art computer interface that allows parties to submit testimony or exhibits in electronic form. Initial coordination between the Clerk of the Court and Court Reporter in handling either video transcripts or electronic documents will be necessary, (x) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: This contract will be effective August 1, 2001-July 31, 2002, with provisions to unilaterally exercise two one-year options. The clause at 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract, is applicable to this acquisition and is incorporated herein. The option(s) shall be exercised upon written notification (mailed or otherwise furnished) to the Contractor at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to expiration of the contract. (xi) REDUCTION SCHEDULE: Failure to make delivery within the times required, to furnish transcripts or other services in accordance with the provisions of the contract, to promptly correct deliverables upon notice, and/or correct material deemed by the NRC Project Officer to be illegible or defective will result in a reduction in payment, as specified in Attachment 3. (xii) QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN: All deliverables provided under this contract will be inspected in accordance with FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items. Thus, NRC will evaluate the Contractor's performance by reviewing all deliverables to ensure quality, quantity, and timeliness. NRC personnel will record all surveillance observations, i.e., number of deliverables that have to be returned for correction/completion, late deliverables, late arrivals, and no-shows. Any action taken by the Contracting Officer as a result of deficiencies identified by NRC's quality assurance surveillance plan will be in accordance with the terms of the contract. (xiii) Provisions at FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items, 52.212-2 Evaluation-Commercial Items, and 52.217-5 Evaluations of Options apply to this acquisition. (xiv) The NRC will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered. The following factor will be used to evaluate offers: past performance. The Contractor will be evaluated on how well its proposal demonstrates successful performance on contracts of similar size and scope. Specifically, NRC is interested in the Contractor's ability to provide quality and timely documents, as the nat= ure of the services are such that delays, errors and other forms of unsatisfactory or poor performance will jeopardize the interests of the Commission and adversely impact its regulatory review process. Offerors shall provide past performance information that includes recent and relevant information for all contracts over the last two years for efforts accomplished similar in size and scope to this effort, including contract numbers, dollar values, points of contact with telephone numbers (including fax numbers), and other relevant information. Offeror may provide past performance information on work = for State and local Governments and private sector clients. Offerors shall provide information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the corrective actions taken. The NRC will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for this requirement. The NRC may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer without negotiations, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party unless the proposal is withdrawn prior to award. (xv) Offerors shall complete and provide a completed copy of the provisions at FAR 52.212-3, Offer Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items with its offer. (xvi) FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items applies to this acquisition. (xvii) FAR 52.212-5 Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items is applicable to this acquisition. The FAR clauses cited in the clause that are applicable to this acquisition are those at (b) 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 23 and (c) 1, 2, and 3. (xv) In addition, the following FAR clauses are applicable to this acquisition: 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by Reference, 52.204-6 Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number, 52.216-19 Order Limitations, 52.216-22 Indefinite Quantity, 52.218-18 Ordering, 52.219-22 Small Disadvantaged Business Status, and 52.252-1 Solicitation Provisions Incorporated by Reference. (xviii) The NRCAR clauses applicable to this acquisition by reference are as follows: 2052.204-70 Security, 2052.204-71 Site Access Badge Requirements, 2052.209-72 Organizational Conflicts of Interest, and 2052.215-71 Project Officer Authority. Two full-text NRCAR clauses (Seat Belts and Packaging and Marking), requirements regarding Computer Floppy Diskette of Hearings and Indexing of Transcripts, and Billing Instructions are = in Attachment 4. (xix) Direct all questions or inquiries referencing this RFP to Yvette Brown, Contract Specialist (301) 415-6507 or yrb@nrc.gov. (xx) Proposals are expected to conform to the RFP provisions and be prepared in accordance with information provided therein. Sealed offers, consisting of one completed original and three copies of both Attachment 1 and the technical proposal (to include past performance information) shall be received at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Division of Contracts and Property Management, T-7-I-2, Washington, DC 20555, by 3:00 p.m. on July 6, 2001. Offers shall be properly marked with the solicitation number displayed on the outside of the sealed package. Please Note: A price is required for all line items specified in Attachment 1 for offers to be = considered responsive. Those offers that do not specify a price for each line item on Attachment 1 will be considered nonresponsive and will not be evaluated. All hand-carried proposals including those delivered by private delivery services shall be delivered to the loading dock security station located at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 and received in the depository located in Room T-7-I-2 by the designated closing. All offerors shall allow extra time for internal mail distribution. NRC is a secure facility with perimeter access control and NRC personnel are only available to receive hand-carried proposals between 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays.

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/NRC/OA/DCPM/ASL-01-309/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010618/RSOL013.HTM (D-165 SN50O9R2)