Attachment 1 - Statement of Work.pdf

Attachment A

STATEMENT OF WORK

Human Resources Task in Support of the

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Research Education & Economics Mission Area

A.1 PURPOSE

To provide support in the areas of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters; Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) services; and/or transcriber services to meet the needs of USDA employees, applicants, visitors and for departmental-sponsored events.

Qualified interpreters are skilled professionals who adhere to a strict code of ethics and facilitate communication between two parties that do not share the same language. American Sign Language (ASL) has a linguistic structure quite different from English, therefore a skilled interpreter must be able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both expressively (voice-to-sign) and receptively (sign-to voice) in any given communication situation.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as other state and federal laws require the provision of auxiliary aids and services (i.e., interpreting services) necessary to ensure effective communication with deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind individuals. An interpreter should be certified by either the Registry of the Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) or the American Consortium of Certified Interpreters (ACCI) or possess the other suitability qualifications as stated in criteria section 4.2.3.4.2.

Each individual that requires interpreting services is unique with differing communication needs.

Interpreters are assigned to clients based on these needs, certification level, experience and other factors.

Specialized credentials are available for educational and legal settings.

�Interpreting� involves translating the spoken word into sign language and vice versa to enable deaf persons to communicate with hearing persons. The terms �signing� and �interpreting� are often used interchangeably; however, �interpreting� requires a high degree of skill which many persons who have sign language abilities do not possess. An interpreter is one who has completed an interpreting training program and/or is certified by a recognized certifying body such as the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. (Chapter 306, Federal Personnel Manual, Subchapter 5, Section 5-3(a).)

B.1 BACKGROUND

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Research, Education & Economics (REE), Human Resources Division (HRD), requires contractor support for a range of HR services. The REE Mission Area is comprised of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Economics Research Service (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The REE Mission Area Agencies are responsible for promoting the well-being of American agriculture, consumers, and rural residents.

REE has approximately 75 employees nationwide who have self-identified as deaf or having serious difficulty hearing. As a result, interpreters may be needed at any time and/or at various geographic locations to assist these employees while performing their job duties. Please note, this number may increase or decrease throughout the year. Not all 75 employees who've self-identified as deaf or having serious difficulty hearing will need these services. Additionally, the REE Reasonable Accommodations (RA) staff may request services for other individuals or groups on an as needed basis, including, but not limited to, job applicants, volunteers, special guests, Departmental programs, public meetings or other activities.

C.1 SCOPE

Contractor will deliver interpreting services Nationwide, in all locations throughout the United States.

Due to the scientific and agricultural nature of the REE mission area, many needs under this contract will be in person and located in rural areas. Locations include, but are not limited to: Albany, CA, Ames, IA, Athens, GA, Booneville, AR, Burns, OR, Bushland, TX, Cheyenne, WY, College Station, TX, Columbia, MO, Columbus, OH, Corvallis, OR, Davis, CA, East Lansing, MI, Edgewood, MD, Fargo, ND, Florence, SC, Fort Collins, CO, Holt, FL, Ithaca, NY, Leetown, WV, Lincoln, NE, Logan, UT, Madison, WI, Manhattan, KS, Mayaguez, PR, Starkville, MS, Oxford, MS, Pendleton, OR, Peoria, IL, Riesel, TX, Salinas, CA, Sidney, MT, Saint Paul, MN, Stoneville, MS, Stuttgart, AR, Tallahassee, FL, Temple, TX, Woodward, OK, and Wyndmoor, PA.

Services to be provided:

� Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpretation

Full-Time On-call By Request

� Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) � TypeWell

There are numerous types of interpreting situations, such as:

� American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreter (translation between ASL and spoken

English), Signed Exact English (SEE), Contact Sign (formerly known as PSE), close vision, and sign supported speech.

� Transliterator (translation between English-based sign language and spoken English).

� Oral Interpreter (words are silently mouthed, and gestures are used to convey spoken

English).

� Tactile Interpreter (translation for deaf-blind individuals where the client places his/her hands on the interpreter�s to feel the formation of signs).

� Low Vision Interpreter (for individuals with vision impairments that can only read signs at close range).

� Deaf Interpreter (using a deaf person as an intermediary between a hearing person and another deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing person).

� Trilingual Interpreter (translating from English to ASL to Spanish - or some other language).

� Video Interpreter (providing services from a remote location, through video conferencing technology).

D.1 REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor is responsible for providing qualified and vetted interpreting services upon request for short and long-term engagements supporting USDA deaf and hard of hearing employees.

The contractor shall be responsible for all coordination of services from receipt of request through fulfillment of the request.

The quality of the provided interpreter�s performance is particularly important and critical when the USDA selects a firm�s suitability for future orders.

It is incumbent on the prime vendor to verify each interpreter�s capabilities and take corrective action if performance problems arise.

The contractor is responsible for the following:

� Provide qualified and vetted interpreters with the qualifications as stated in this work statement.

� Schedule and manage service requests ensuring all requests are fulfilled.

� Ensure all services are provided in a quality manner in compliance with this work statement via a sound quality control program.

D.1.1 Management / Scheduling of Services

Online Portal - The Contractor shall provide an online scheduling portal for scheduling, managing, and confirming requests. This online portal must be operating properly and be available during normal business hours 98% of the time.

Vendor Point of Contact - The Contractor shall also provide the phone number and email of the point of contact (POC) who will be responsible for coordinating and scheduling interpreting services if the online portal is unavailable or if the COR or his/her designee has questions about an assignment. The POC(s) shall be available Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

Administrative Support - The Contractor shall perform all administrative support tasks including:

� Maintaining a profile for each consumer that minimally includes each person�s communication preferences, description of workplace terminology, and contact information;

� Maintaining an appointment schedule, taking all incoming requests for interpreting services;

� Determining how and who will cover these services;

� Scheduling appointments;

� Resolving scheduling conflicts for interpreting services;

� Originating invoices, � Obtaining client/employee receipts for services rendered;

� Forwarding documents to appropriate billing address which will be provided by the COR;

� Verifying with the COR, the hours worked against all invoices and submitted receipts.

� Monthly invoicing through IPP

Vendor Responsiveness - The Contractor must be able to receive and respond to requests for services within 48 hours via the online portal.

Hard to Fill In-Person Assignments �Sometimes it is difficult to find quality interpreters for assignments in rural areas. Therefore, if Contractor is unable to fill a request due to the rural nature of the assignment, Contractor is to contact the COR or his/her designee as soon as the problem is identified, or at minimum 72 hours prior. The Contractor and COR or his/her designee with work together to find a solution, including but not limited to, paying travel hours and/or travel costs in order to fill the assignment.

Escorts on USDA Premises - When an escort is required for building access, the person requesting services is expected to address those needs. The Contractor is expected to notify the requestor in the confirmation notice if an escort is required. The Contractor is required to obtain primary and alternate contact information as part of the request and to confirm as necessary. The Contractor is also expected to arrive sufficiently early to clear security prior to the start time of the request.

Short Notice Scheduling - The Contractor may provide additional scheduled services on a per-request basis as authorized by the COR or his/her designee. Additional service requests may be submitted with short notice. If interpreters become available as a result of a last minute cancellation and are requested on another request, the Contractor may not charge a cancellation fee.

D.1.2 Interpreter Qualifications and Expectations Receptive and expressive skills are equally important. A variety of interpreting services are required including, American Sign Language (ASL), Signed Exact English (SEE), Contact Sign (formerly known as PSE), close vision, sign supported speech, and tactile.

The following skills and abilities are required (for receptive and expressive interpreting) of all Sign Language Interpreters under this contract:

� Ability to keep pace with normal conversation in conferences, meetings, seminars, training courses, interviews, and public speaking events;

� Ability to voice interpret, � Ability to accurately indicate nuances, tone, intonation, inflection and the spirit of the speaker�s voice to enable the consumer to fully receive messages;

� Skills to cover special events (e.g., anthem);

� Ability to interpret personal sessions of a sensitive nature;

� Comprehensive knowledge of the use of the English vocabulary including the ability to read well and articulate clearly;

� Interpreting assignments will include technical and non-technical content and may involve computers, scientific equipment, finance, science, engineering, legislative matters, human resources, civil rights, meetings, training, and other Job related functions;

� Interpreting assignments may be inside buildings or outside in an agricultural setting (e.g., crop fields, animal pastures);

� Ability to select, highlight and abstract with context when dealing with complicated concepts, idioms, etc.

� Comprehensive knowledge of the use of ASL vocabulary and grammar.

The Contractor shall provide interpreters who possess the following qualifications:

All interpreters provided on this contract shall be qualified to interpret within the state where services are delivered. States have differing requirements which may include certification. Contractors are expected to identify and conform to any applicable state requirements for sign language interpreters.

In addition, interpreters provided on this contract are required to fully meet one of the following criteria statements:

Criteria Statement 1 for Certified Interpreters:

1. Interpreters shall hold an active national certification (e.g., RID, NAD); and

2. Interpreters shall have a minimum of three years professional experience; and

3. At least one of the three years of professional experience shall be in a professional office environment (e.g., government, legislative, accounting, finance, human capital, legal).

Criteria Statement 2 for Non-Certified Interpreters:

1. Interpreters shall have a minimum of 6 years of professional experience; and

1. At least three of those years shall be in a professional office environment (e.g., government, accounting, finance, legal); and

2. Experience shall not include time when the interpreter was in training, mentoring, or fulfilling an internship requirement.

3. Interpreters must have substantive experience transliterating ASL and Contact Sign.

4. Interpreters must be equally proficient in sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign transliteration.

5. Additional modes of communications that can be required include the following: SEE, cued, tactile, close vision, oral transliteration, and other appropriate modes of communication to the Deaf, deaf/blind, Hard of Hearing and hearing individuals.

6. The interpreters must also be aware of and sensitive to ethnic/cultural and linguistic concerns regarding the Deaf community and culture.

7. The interpreters must comply with the Code of Professional Conduct established by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).

D.1.3 RealTime Translation (CART) Service

The contractor shall provide Communication Access RealTime Translation (CART) services according to industry best practices upon request.

The contractor shall provide NCRA certified captioners with a Certified CART Provider (CCP), Certified RealTime Reporter (CRR), Certified Broadcast Captioners (CBC), Registered Professional Reporter, or other NCRA certifications.

The contractor shall ensure that transcripts are provided to customers within one (1) business day of receipt of a transcript request. The contractor shall not assess charges for requested transcripts.

D.1.4 TypeWell Transcription Requests

The contractor shall provide TypeWell Transcription services according to industry best practices upon request.

The contractor shall provide qualified TypeWell transcribers, with at least three years of experience.

The contractor shall ensure that transcripts are provided to customers within one (1) business day of receipt of a transcript request. The contractor shall not assess charges for requested transcripts.

E.1 DELIVERABLES

Within five (5) business days after the effective date of the contract, the contractor shall schedule a Contract Kick-Off meeting, and submit electronic copies of the vendor�s management plan, and Quality Control Plan to the COR and Contracting Officer (CO).

Within five (5) business days after the end of the prior month, the contractor shall provide the COR with a monthly activity report, summarizing the activities, usage, resolved and unresolved issues, and recommendations for the reporting period. This should summarize all activities on all task orders with the goal of providing an overall picture of contract activities from a management, quality assurance and task execution perspective. Reporting may evolve over time as operations normalize and continuous improvement occurs.

F1. PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Scheduling of Services - The contractor shall ensure at least 98% of all requests are accurately confirmed, based on information provided by the customer request.

Fulfillment of Requests - The contractor shall ensure 98% of all requests received 10 days in advance shall be filled. Periodically, the contractor shall be expected to provide on-call sign language interpreters, captioners, or transcribers to provide last minute, urgent requests.

Sign language interpreters and transcribers shall arrive at scheduled assignments thirty (30) minutes prior to the beginning of the assignment and contact the onsite USDA POC to be escorted, at least 95% of the time. If the USDA POC, or designee, has not arrived within the prescribed timeframe, Sign language interpreters shall immediately contact the Contractor for guidance. Captioners shall arrive at scheduled assignments one (1) hour prior to the beginning of the assignment and contact the onsite USDA POC to be escorted, at least 95% of the time. If the USDA POC, or designee, has not arrived within the prescribed timeframe, Sign language interpreters shall immediately contact the Contractor for guidance.

There shall be no more than four (4) instances in the past 12 months where interpreters, transcribers, or captioners fail to arrive for an assignment.

Interpreting Skills - Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall demonstrate receptive voice translation and technical expression as they relate to the requirements of the deaf or hard of hearing employee, 98% of the time.

The contractor shall ensure customer preferences and expectations related to the selection of sign language interpreters are met, 95% of the time. This will be measured via client surveys.

There shall be no more than six (6) instances each in the past 12 months where feedback received from customers indicate customer dissatisfaction pertaining to the preferred mode of communication and/or code of ethics.

Professionalism - The contractor shall ensure that 98% of all sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers demonstrate professionalism in business attire, attitude, and behavior.

Business attire - Business attire shall not be distracting to the eyes of the customers (e.g., jewelry, buttons, bright-colored tops and nail polish, and visual tattoos) and will not be permitted.

Professional Neutrality - Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall not attempt to influence USDA policy when performing services.

Contractual or Other Matters Relating to the Contract at Hand - Interpreters shall not discuss contract or other business related issues such as employment, pay, etc. with end-users.

Confidentiality - Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall not disclose any information obtained during assignments.

Reporting - At least 90% of all reports must be submitted within the deadlines outlined in the scope of work.

Monthly Meetings - The COR and the contractor shall meet every month to discuss the results of a quality review of services provided by the contractor.

Vendor Quality Surveys - The Contractor will conduct surveys of quality assurance and maintain records of customer feedback. Surveys are to be conducted a minimum of yearly and results reported to

COR.

USDA Quality Surveys - USDA users of the contract interpreting services may, if they desire, provide the COR with written feedback on the services that were provided. The COR will maintain and evaluate the records of customer feedback. Problems, if any, will be identified by the COR and communicated to the CO, who will take action as necessary with the vendor.

G.1 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

welve months from date of award Based on past performance, REE requires approximately hours of sign language interpreting services on an annual basis, however, the volume of such requests may exceed this requirement. Work will be completed on as needed bases.

H.1 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work under this contract will be performed in various locations throughout the United States, both remotely and in person.