PWS,_SignLangInterpreterSvcs,_Rev_1,12272017.pdf

Forest Service

Arapaho Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grasslands

Performance Work Statement

Sign Language Interpreting Services

08 November 2017

Rev No. 1, 12/27/2017

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Table of Contents

1.0 General Scope of Work

2.0 Qualifications

3.0 Business Protocol

4.0 Assignment(s) Overview

5.0 Management / Scheduling of Services

6.0 Fulfilling Sign Language Interpreting Service Requests

7.0 Deliverables

8.0 Performance Measures

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1.0 General Scope of Work

The USDA Forest Service (FS) Arapaho Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grasslands (ARNFPNG) DLA DS) require contractor support for on demand sign language interpretation/oral transliteration services for deaf and hard of hearing personnel performing work for the Forests and Grasslands not to exceed 300 hours for each annual agreement year.

Assignments for the various interpreting situations shall be awarded on an as needed basis under the award of BPA Call Orders tracked and managed by the Contracting Officer. Upon official notification, the Contractor shall provide fully qualified and vetted Interpreters for short and long term engagements with the necessary licensing for the applicable location/state of assignment. Types of Interpreting Situations include but are not limited to:

- 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 so as 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).

This is a Forest Wide service agreement available for use by all ARNFPNG Ranger Districts. Locations are numerous. The applicable counties include: Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Larimer and Weld. Most Assignments will take place at 101 Highway 103, Idaho Springs, CO 80452.

The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Contracting Officer (CO) are the contacts and decision authorities for the parent BPA Call. The COR delegated authority, responsibilities and contact information will be defined on a delegation letter issued after agreement award. Each subsequent BPA Call will be assigned a COR upon award for sign language assignments. The BPA Call COR and contractor will communicate on all assignment(s) as needed. The contractor may deal with different CORs requiring these services.

1.1 Definitions

American Consortium of Certified Interpreters (ACCI): A test that certifies individuals as qualified interpreters in the area of Sign Language.

American Sign Language (ASL): A natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf Communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canada.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): an individual, including a contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR), designated and authorized in writing by the contracting officer to perform specific technical or administrative functions.

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Registry of the Interpreters for the Deaf (RID): A national membership organization that advocates excellence in the delivery of interpretation and transliteration services between people who use sign language and people who use spoken language.

Signed Exact English (SEE): A system of manual communication that strives to be an exact representation of English vocabulary and grammar. It is one of a number of such systems in use in English-speaking countries.

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2.0 Qualifications

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 501 (Employment) & 504 (Program) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title I (Employment), II (Public Entities) and Title III (Public Accommodations) 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 required by law.

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

Interpreters should be assigned to clients based on these needs, certification level, experience and other factors. Specialized credentials must be available for educational and legal settings.

2.1 Key Personnel

Contracts Manager - This person should have a minimum of 2 years of experience. A resume is required.

2.2 Interpreters

All interpreters shall have a minimum of 3 years of professional experience. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that personnel sent on assignment possess the appropriate licensing and certifications as required by law and as applicable to the state where work is performed. The Government may not actively track required license and certifications but the Contractor may be responsible to other entities outside of this agreement and should adhere according to the law.

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3.0 Business Protocol

The contractor shall provide proof of qualifications that are current and up to date for each sign language interpreter to the COR prior to assigning them a call order for required services. This will be required for all interpreters at the start of performance, and any new interpreters who are utilized throughout performance. The government will accept legible electronic copies of certifications sent via email.

The contractor shall ensure that all sign language interpreters adhere to the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct for all accepted assignments. Any sign language interpreter(s), whose professional conduct is questionable, warrants an immediate review at the discretion of the Contracting Officer or the COR. As warranted, on a case by case basis, the contractor employee may be required to execute a Non-disclosure agreement.

Upon assignment, the sign language interpreter(s) shall be well groomed and dressed in an appropriate manner with an emphasis on business casual attire. Some assignments may be held out in the field. The Contractor will be notified of the requirement and recommended attire with the assignment notification.

It is understood that the contractor or the sign language interpreter(s) will not act as an agent or employee of the Federal Government.

The contractor or the sign language interpreter(s) shall not discuss personal business; distribute personal business cards or promotion of personal “cause” while on assignment in order to develop clientele from assignment(s) originating from the Federal Government.

The COR or applicable POC will provide orientation to the sign language interpreter(s) regarding the Federal Government’s rules of protocol, ethics, procedures and professionalism while on assignment(s). The assignment information will be provided with each BPA call.

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4.0 Contractor Responsibilities

Work assignments include, but are not limited to agency events, training and meetings.

The contractor shall:

a. Provide qualified and vetted interpreters for the performance of details prior to sending them out for the assignment.

b. Be responsible for all coordination of services from receipt of request through fulfillment of the request, which includes providing/coordinating services outside of the ARNFPNG, in any of the 50 states where the employee(s) may need to conduct official business, participate in agency events or attend/conduct training.

c. It is required that a team of individuals be identified to provide the majority of interpreting services to USDA Forest employee at ARP. This will allow the interpreters to become familiar with the culture, terminology, and logistics of each work site while ensuring continuity and consistency of service for the employees who receive interpreting services.

d. Schedule and manage the individual or team of interpreters, which involves ensuring appropriate training, performance evaluation, assignment tracking, verification of his/her capabilities and any applicable licenses needed to perform on the assignment and take corrective action for issues.

e. The contractor is responsible for ensuring interpreters are provided with materials available from the COR and/or end-users such as acronyms, videos, briefing materials, mission statements, speeches and other relevant documentation. Interpreters should also be familiar with information on the employee’s agency website.

f. Document and take corrective action if performance problems arise.

g. Ensure all services follow the business protocols stated in 3.0 of this PWS and are provided in a quality manner in compliance with any requirements specified in this PWS or as required by individual call orders.

h. Bill the Government in accordance with the unit costs awarded under Section B of the BPA terms.

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

j. It is essential that all interpreters assigned to this contract acquire and maintain extensive knowledge of the USDA Forest Service culture and terminology that relates to the client’s/employee’s work.

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5.0 Management / Scheduling of Services

5.1 Overview of USDA Management Expectations

The Contractor shall perform all administrative support tasks associated with performance including:

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

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

c. Determining how and who will cover these services;

d. Scheduling appointments;

e. Resolving scheduling conflicts for interpreting services;

f. Originating invoices,

g. Obtaining client/employee receipts for services rendered;

h. Forwarding documents to appropriate billing address which will be provided by the CO;

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

5.2 Contractor Point of Contact

The Contractor shall provide a point of contact (POC) who will be responsible for coordinating and scheduling interpreting services. The POC shall work with the CO or COR for additional assignments.

5.3 Contractor Responsiveness

The Contractor must be able to receive and respond to requests for services by e-mail during normal business hours. E-mail including routing, receipts and time stamps, represents official records of service requests and shall be retained in accordance with documentation for billing and service delivery requirements.

The Contractor shall notify the USDA Forest Service (Agency) POC, the person requesting services, and other parties as identified in the email requesting services as follows:

The request for services has been received. This is an acknowledgement of the request and begins the process of identifying and scheduling resources. If any information is incomplete, the acknowledgement shall identify the missing information that will be required before the request can be confirmed. The acknowledgement is expected within one (1) business day of receipt (weekends and federal holidays are not considered business days).

The request for services has been confirmed. This is a commitment from the contractor to provide the requested resources at the date, time and location specified. A confirmation shall not be issued if required information (date, start time, end time, specific location including room number and minimum of 2 contacts) is missing. The confirmation shall be sent at least 3 business days prior to the day of the request and shall list the full name of the interpreter(s) assigned.

Unconfirmed requests: If the contractor is unable to confirm a request at least 3 business days prior to the day of the request, the contractor shall notify the USDA Agency POC that the request cannot be filled.

This notice should be sent to the interpreting coordinator with as much advance as the contractor can provide ahead of the day of the request.

In the case of late requests made with 3 or fewer business days’ notice to the contractor, the notice that the request is confirmed or unconfirmed shall be sent as early as possible, and by 4 p.m. the day of the request.

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5.4 Scheduling Assignments

BPA Calls will be issued via email or phone to the Contractor’s provided contact information. All official call orders will be formally awarded by the CO in writing. There may be multiple assignments included in a call order. When a call order is issued by telephone the Government will follow up with an email to the contractor delineating a complete reference of all pertinent facts contained in the telephone call order. The CO or COR are the only personnel authorized to contact the Contractor directly for assignment under awarded BPA Calls. CORs may vary so documentation of the BPA Call COR will provided upon award.

5.4.1 Paid Time. Paid time begins from the start of the assignment(s) or when the sign language interpreter(s) arrives on-site, (whichever is sooner). Paid time ends when the assignment(s) is completed or at the end of the two hour minimum, whichever is later. The designated Government COR or POC (signed off by COR) is responsible for recording time following the end of each work assignment. If the work assignment covers multiple days, the sign log, proved by the Government will reflect the hours worked each day. Acceptance is the COR or Designated POCs signature at the end of the shift of each work assignment period. Reference Attachment A.

A two hour minimum is paid at the agreed upon rate for all call orders. If the sign language interpreter leaves the site prior to being released by the COR aware of the situation, the two hour minimum shall not apply.

Sign language interpreter(s) shall report to the authorized Government point of contact at each assignment(s) for any situational information, and should remain at the assignment(s) for the indicated time. This includes all assignment(s) regardless of length.

5.5 Punctuality

Sign language interpreter(s) shall arrive no later than15 minutes before the actual time of the assignment. Tardiness or missed assignments shall not be tolerated except for true emergencies. The contractor shall notify the Disability Program POC or the EEO office if this occurs. If the interpreter(s) arrives 10 or more minutes late for an assignment, the Disability Program POC shall determine if services are still needed. If it is determined that services are needed, the government may take a deduction from the agreed upon rate commensurate of when the sign language interpreter(s) arrived to the servicing site in 15 minute increments. If it is determined that service is no longer needed, this will be recorded as a missed call order and the contractor shall not charge for service or mileage to the missed order.

Interpreters will identify themselves as contractor employees during all forms of communications such as: business meetings, telephone conversations, electronic mail, attendance sheets, coordination documentations, reports and the signature blocks utilized in all correspondence. Upon arrival at initial assignment, the interpreter will be required to provide the Government POC identification (in the form of a photo issued Government Identification Card).

The government retains the right to not accept a particular sign language interpreter for future assignments who is habitually late or misses assignments. A contractor employee may be removed where the continued employment of the contractor employee in connection with the Government work is deemed, in the Government's sole discretion, contrary to the public interest, inconsistent with the best interests of security, or a potential threat to the health, safety, security, general well-being or operational mission of the facility and its population. Where a contractor employee is granted a temporary suitability determination, and an unfavorable final suitability determination is later rendered, the Government may insist on the employee's removal from the work site and from other work in connection with the Contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing replacement employees in cases where contract employees are removed at no additional cost to the Government.

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5.6 Cancellations

24 hour notice for pre-arranged meetings, any meetings cancelled by the Government without adequate notice will be reimbursed for minimum rate and costs.

5.7 No Escort or Employee(s) Who Fail to Appear for Assignment(s) If the Government employee(s) fails to appear at the assignment or to escort the interpreter to the assignment, the sign language interpreter(s) will remain on-site at least one half hour from the start time of the assignment(s) or until notified to leave the site by an authorized government point of contact aware of the situation or the Disability Program POC (whichever is shorter). The contractor may invoice for the two hour minimum of labor and mileage (if applicable) charges as listed in the schedule of items

5.8 Multiple Assignments on the Same Day

The two hour minimum applies if there are multiple assignments that are concurrent to each other and less than two hours total. There is no separate billing when one or more assignments are scheduled together within the two hour minimum time frame using the same sign language interpreter(s) on the same day.

Sign language interpreter(s) shall be available for earlier or later time slots to complete the accepted assignment(s). The contractor may invoice for the total hours worked.

5.9 On-Site Modifications

If the assignment(s) goes over the specified time, the contractor shall notify the Contractor POC and the COR of the situation. The contractor shall then invoice the government for the total time worked, including the two hour minimum of the initial assignment, and in 15 minute increments after the two hour minimum.

If the authorized government point of contact dismisses the sign language interpreter(s) prior to the time originally specified on the call order, the contractor or sign language interpreter(s) shall contact the EEO Disability Program POC to inform them of the situation. The contractor may invoice for the two hour minimum rate plus mileage.

5.11 Federal Holidays are as listed:

New Year’s Day Memorial Day Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Independence Day Columbus Day Washington’s Birthday Thanksgiving Day Labor Day Christmas Day Veteran’s Day

*Specific days and/or dates for federal holidays please refer to the Office of Personnel Management website OPM.GOV.

On occasion the government may issue a call order for same day assignment(s) that is requested on short notice. When a call order is issued with less than a three hour notice, the contractor shall accept the assignment(s) provided that the sign language interpreter(s) dispatched to satisfy the call order arrives on or before the requested time.

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5.11 Safety

5.11.1. Accident Reporting. Maintain an accurate record of all work-related accidents resulting in death, injury, occupational disease, or damage to property, materials, supplies, or equipment.

5.11.2. Injury Notification. Injuries to workers will be reported promptly to the COR and appropriate contractor personnel. Emergency care for workers while on the job site is a contractor responsibility.

5.11.3. Fire Prevention and Control. The contractor shall, both independently and in cooperation with the Forest Service, take all reasonable and practicable action to prevent and suppress fires in the project area using all necessary personnel and equipment at Contractor’s disposal on the site.

5.11.4. Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA). Contractors are subject to all applicable State and Federal OSHA rules and regulations. Work sites are remote and advance planning with regards to safety is crucial. Assignments may be held in the field or in an office setting. COR or Government POC shall specify upon assignment notification.

5.12 Travel

5.12.1. Drive Time. Drive time is defined as the time it takes for the interpreter to get to the location of assignment. 101 Highway 103, Idaho Springs, CO 80452 is the primary location of work on most assignments. The contractor will establish a flat rate for round trip driving time and will submit this documentation at the time of invoice for approval.

5.12.2. Reserved.

5.12.3. Reimbursement. The government shall obligate an estimated amount of travel expenses with award of each BPA Call based upon the estimated requirements. Mileage will be reimbursed at a per hour flat rate for driving time for assignments to the primary office location at 101 Highway 103, Idaho Springs, CO 80452 and per round trip to assignments other than Idaho Springs, CO. The maximum reimbursable amount to Idaho Springs, CO is 2 hours per round trip and for other than Idaho Springs is 4 hours per round trip.

The Government shall reimburse the contractor for travel outside the state of Colorado, up to the limits of and in accordance with, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 31.205-46 Travel Costs, the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) and/or Federal Travel Regulation for per diem related to performance under this agreement.

5.13 Authority to Request Services

Only the CO or COR is authorized to request services and/or approve expenditure of funds within the total value of the current task order obligation, unless otherwise stated in the call order issued pursuant to this contract. All BPA calls will be awarded in writing.

End-users will work with the CO or COR to schedule services. If funds are not available the vendor must notify the CO or COR at time of scheduling and decline the request. The Contractor is responsible for monitoring the funding level. Once the balance reaches $2,499.00, the Contractor must notify the FS CO or COR to replenish funds to ensure the continuity of services.

5.14 Escorts on USDA Forest Service Premises

When an escort is required for building access, the Government point of contact requesting services is expected to address those needs. The Contractor is required to obtain primary and alternate contact information as part of the request and to confirm as necessary. The Contractor shall arrive 15 to 20 minutes prior to the start of the detail to clear security and receive detail instructions.

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5.15 Short Notice Scheduling

Short notice is defined as any call for assignment notification that gives less than 48-hours prior to the work start. The Contractor may provide additional scheduled services on a per-request basis as authorized by the COR, his/her designee, or end-users. 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.

5.16 USDA Forest Service (ARP) Requests

The Contractor and/or interpreter shall not initiate requests or modifications outside of the established processes. If an end-user requests additional services, they should be referred to the CO/COR or designee for scheduling. The USDA Forest Service (ARP) shall not be liable for requests made by individuals without the actual authority to do so.

The request shall include the following information:

Name of Agency, Location and Unit Name of Requestor Name of Customer Services Preference, (ASL, PSE, SEE, etc.)

Date of Assignment Assignment Name/Description/Topic Assignment Location Building Address Room/Office Number Start Time, End Time On-site USDA FS POC On-site USDA FS POC Phone/Email Agenda/Program/Documents/Acronyms Appropriate Attire (if needed) Customer’s Escort for the Vendor Employee

5.17 Contractor Right of Refusal for Last Minute Requests

If a request is received less than (3) three business days (72 hours) prior to the time of the assignment, the contractor may turn-down the request if it is unable to provide a contractor employee meeting minimum qualifications. The contractor should attempt to fill the request if able or notify the Agency POC and person requesting service as soon as possible, or within 48 hours prior to the assignment to attempt to fulfill the request in an alternative manner.

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6.0 Fulfilling Sign Language Interpreting Service Requests

The contractor shall provide qualified sign language interpreters upon request and monitor quality of services provided.

6.1 Provision of multiple Interpreters

Contractor shall provide sufficient interpreters to adequately perform the required services according to industry accepted best practices. The contractor has the responsibility of knowing the limitations of the interpreters assigned. It is the Government’s expectation that enough interpreters are assigned to cover the hours for the assignment.

For Example:

- One (1) interpreter may be sufficient for most assignment(s) of one and a half (1.5) hours or less.

- Two interpreters may be required for a special circumstances based on an individual’s needs.

- Two (2) or more interpreters may be needed for, but are not limited to, the following:

Any assignment exceeding one and a half (1.5) continuous hours;

Any assignment where a Deaf/Hard of Hearing individual has a prominent role in the scheduled activity and/or there are multiple Deaf/Hard of Hearing or Deaf/Blind participants;

Any assignment where more than one (1) mode of communication is preferred by the Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants; e.g., interpreting, transliterating, oral interpreting and/or tactile interpreting;

Any assignment where the material or subject matter being presented or discussed is extremely technical, complex or difficult for a lay person to understand;

Any assignment involving a panel discussion or large group meetings of any length.

Any assignment, based on the nature of the subject matter or the Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants’ needs, which requires extensive sign language interpreting services.

NOTE: It is incumbent on the USDA FS requestor to convey the information.

6.2 Qualifications and Expectations

Receptive and expressive skills are equally important.

There are numerous types of interpreting situations such as:

A variety of interpreting services are required including, American Sign Language (ASL), Signed Exact English (SEE), Contact Sign (formerly known as PSE)

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 so as to feel the formation of signs).

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

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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). **It is beneficial for the Contractor to have contractors that can translate to Spanish or some other language but it is not mandatory. However, if the Government requires this service, the Contractor should be able to provide it.

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, finance, science, engineering, legislative matters, human resources, civil rights, meetings, training, and other job-related functions;

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:

Criteria for Certified Interpreters:

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

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

iii. 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 for Non-Certified Interpreters:

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

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

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

Interpreters must have substantive experience transliterating ASL and Contact Sign.

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

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.

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

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

At times, interpreters may be required for legal proceedings. These services will be requested in advance. The Contractor must be able to fill requests with qualified/certified interpreters within the agreed upon advance scheduling requirements.

6.3 End-User Profile

The Government shall provide the CORs profile upon issuance of a BPA Call. If other end user(s) will require the service, the number of personnel and their profiles will be provided to the Contractor upon assignment. The end user profile should include:

The first and last name of the end user.

The individual preferences of the end user.

The specific type of work the end user will require the service for.

The location where the work will be performed.

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7.0 Deliverables

7.1 Bi-Annual Activity Report for Overall Contract

Within ten (10) business days after the end of the prior month, the contractor shall provide the COR with a bi-annual 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.

The Contractor shall send an electronic copy of the report to the COR, CO and Agency POC, including:

o All fulfilled assignments by:

USDA FS employee name using the service and the name of person requesting services, if different.

Interpreter name USDA administration (FS);

assignment/work date;

assignment/work type;

number of hours worked;

interpreting cost/fees per interpreter per event;

hours of interpreting per assignment;

number of interpreters;

number of cancellations and cost;

number of late requests.

o Scheduled assignments cancelled.

o Scheduled assignments not accepted due to late requests.

o Schedule assignments not fulfilled.

o Other identifying issues that require resolution such as double booking, last minute notices, quality issues, etc.

The report shall reflect the contract number on the cover or first page.

*Reporting may evolve over time as operations normalize and continuous improvement occurs.

7.2 Vendor Quality Survey

See 8.10 for details.

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8.0 Performance Measures

The following performance measures pertain to the overall contract and will be calculated as a culmination of all task order performance in the more recent 12 month period.

8.1 Scheduling of Services

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

The contractor shall ensure 98% of all requests are confirmed within one (1) business day (by 4:00 p.m.

the following business day from the request, on Fridays due by 4:00 the following Monday)

The contractor shall ensure 98% of all requests received 3 days in advance shall be filled. Periodically, the contractor shall be expected to provide on-call sign language interpreters to provide last minute, urgent requests.

8.2 Fulfillment of Requests

Sign language interpreters shall arrive at scheduled assignments at least fifteen (15) 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, designee, or end-user, has not arrived within the prescribed timeframe, Sign language interpreters shall immediately contact the Contractor for guidance.

There shall be no more than two (2) instances in the past 12 months where interpreters fail to arrive for an assignment.

8.3 Interpreting Skills

Sign language interpreters 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 twelve (12) instances each in the past 12 months where feedback received from customers indicates customer dissatisfaction pertaining to the preferred mode of communication and/or code of ethics.

8.4 Professionalism

The contractor shall ensure that 98% of all sign language interpreters demonstrate professionalism in, attitude, and behavior.

Business attire (optional, end-user may enforce this on a case-by-case basis) 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.

8.5 Professional Neutrality

Sign language interpreters shall not attempt to influence USDA policy when performing services.

8.6 Confidentiality

Sign language interpreters shall not disclose any information obtained during assignments.

8.7 Reporting

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

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8.7.1 Bi-Annual Meetings

The COR, Agency POC, End-Users, and the Contractor shall meet twice per BPA year to discuss the results of a quality review of services provided by the contractor.

8.7.2 Quality Control/Standards

The Contractor shall continually monitor the quality of interpreting services as outlined in their quality assurance plan, including internal methods for monitoring, identifying problems and deficiencies and effectively alleviating them to produce a quality level of services.

The Contractor shall propose to meet these stated quality standards and shall state how it will achieve and monitor them including any additional proposed quality standards.

8.7.3 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 and Agency POC.

8.7.4 USDA Quality Surveys

USDA Forest Service 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.