Questions and Answers 15JA0523Q00000104.pdf

Questions and Answers

15JA0523Q00000104

Q1. What are the languages that needs to be translated?

A1. Please see Statement of Work, C.3, which states: “Translation and transcription linguist services will require Spanish-to-English conversions. Transcription may also be required for English to English.”

Q2. Would give us recorded tapes or upload them to a portal which we can develop for this opportunity?

A2. Please see Statement of Work, C.8, which states: “Use of the Department of Justice secure cloud-based file sharing platform USAFx is mandatory for uploads and transcript deliveries unless otherwise directed and authorized.”

Q3. Is this a first-time opportunity or a contract for the same services was awarded to someone in the past?

A3. There is no incumbent contract.

Q4. If awarded in the past then what was the total amount for which it was awarded?

A4. Not applicable.

Q5. Does it requires onsite visit/meetings or this can be managed from remote location ( we can manage this from remote location )

A5. Please see Statement of Work, H, Place of Performance, which states: “generally, the Contractor shall perform services at its own facilities by accessing medium(s) to be translated and/or transcribed from within USAFx, a secured platform hosted by the Department.”

Q6. Is there an incumbent?

A6. No.

Q7. If there is an incumbent, what pain points, if any, have you experienced leading you to re-contract these services?

A7. There is no incumbent.

Q8. What are the current contracted rates for translation and transcription?

A8. There is no incumbent.

Q9. Do you maintain a TMX, translation memory, and/or glossary file for translations?

A9. No.

Q10. I just wanted to confirm if this a new requirement or is there a contractor presently performing the same or similar work (incumbent contract)? If that’s the case, can you kindly provide me the contract number and name of the vendor?

A10. This is a new requirement.

Q11. We would like to know if this is a brand new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?

A11. This is a new requirement.

Q12. The SOW makes clear that transcription services will be required for English, and for

Spanish. However, the Schedule of Supplies does not contain a separate CLIN for each language. In other words, the Schedule of Supplies allows for the pricing of only 1 of these 2 services (since transcriptions in English have a different rate than transcriptions in Spanish, on a per minute basis). Will the government modify the schedule of supplies so that these 2 services can be priced correctly (i.e. separate CLINs for English transcriptions and Spanish transcriptions)?

A12. Vendors who choose to price English and Spanish transcription separately may do so on their proposed quote.

Q13. I see the minutes on the RFQ listed by individual job but was wondering if you had a summary of the volume to expect per month.

A13. Volume each month will vary based on case needs, however, District estimates volume is four (4) jobs per month.

Q14. About how many hours total of audio translated/transcribed per month do you expect, even roughly, per week? Per month? I'm wondering how many people I'd have to assign to this.

A14. Hours will vary based on case needs, however, District estimates four (4) hours per month.

Q15. And how many pages of written material/documents to translate?

A15. Pages of written material will vary depending on case needs, however, District estimates one (1) to two (2) pages per job when required.

Q16. Also, what is a typical turnaround time per average batch? 48 hours? A week?

A17. Please refer to the Statement of Work and Schedule of Service which define turn around times.

On average work is required within 24-48 hours.

Q18. In section H. Place of Performance of the RFP, it is mentioned that "See para C.8 – Deliverables; generally, the Contractor shall perform services at its own facilities by accessing medium(s) to be translated and/or transcribed from within USAFx, a secured platform hosted by the Department. Information housed within the USAFx shall remain in the platform at all times and may not be downloaded, transferred, printed or otherwise replicated outside the USAFx platform without the express written consent and authority of the Contracting Officer. Some of the sensitive content as described in para (5) – Sensitive Content is governed by internal control processes and authorities which require access to the content to be severely restrictive. The USAO shall provide any governing guidance to the Contractor at the time the work is identified and shall advise the Contractor on appropriate access protocols."

We understand that there will be no travel cost and we will be submitting the projects electronically, is it possible that on-site presence is required for sensitive projects?

A18. Travel is not authorized under this contract.

Q19. The cost of transcribing work in English is typically not the same as the cost of transcribing

Spanish. In the interest of securing the optimal pricing for the DOJ, we would like to provide separate pricing based on the language being transcribed. Will this alternative pricing model be acceptable?

A19. Yes. Vendors who choose to price English and Spanish transcription separately may do so on their proposed quote.

Q20. In section C #8 of the RFQ document, it discusses editorial or preference revisions. Can the

DOJ add CLINs in order to allow vendors to charge for these revisions? We recommend these CLINs be priced by labor hour, as the process of revision cannot accurately be priced on a per-word basis.

A20. Revisions based on preference should be billed under the transcription CLIN. Revisions required due to contractor error and/or incorrectness will not be reimbursed.

Q21. Can the DOJ confirm that the estimated amounts listed in each CLIN accurately reflect the volume that vendors can expect per year? For example, can vendors expect 195 minutes of routine transcription for the entire first year under this contract?

A21. The estimated amounts per CLIN are based on historical need, however, it may vary depending on case needs.

Q22. Can the DOJ provide estimated numbers of assignments for each CLIN? The shortest turnaround times have the largest proportion of usage, which may cause workflow issues depending on the size of each assignment, which in turn may affect the price. (For example, completing one 500-minute transcription in a single day requires a vastly different approach than 100 5-minute transcriptions spread across 100 days.)

A22. The estimated number of assignments will vary depending on case needs, however, the District estimates, on average, to have two jobs per CLIN each month.

Q23. Are there any incumbent(s) providing the requested services? If so, please advise on the name(s) of the incumbent(s) and the historical rates for any and all services provided.

A23. There is no incumbent.

Q24. Does the U.S. Attorneys Office, Eastern District of Texas (the USAO EDTX) intend to award this contract to one or multiple vendors? If multiple, please advise on the number of awards the USAO EDTX intends to make.

A24. The contract will be awarded to one (1) vendor.

Q25. Are prospective vendors required to bid on all the services requested, or are prospective vendors able to bid for one or more of the requested services?

A25. Prospective vendors must bid on the contract in its entirety. Partial quotes received will be deemed non-responsive and not accepted.

Q26. Are prospective vendors required to offer their GSA rates to the USAO EDTX? Given that the materials may require the use of specialized linguists for technical, legal, medical or other complex or specialized texts, it might be difficult for prospective vendors to offer GSA rates, which are typically priced lower than rates for complex materials. Additionally, GSA rates are often difficult to align with the varying deliverable schedule, such as the requirement for routine, premium, priority and urgent services. Requiring vendors to submit pricing that differs from their GSA schedule rates will allow prospective vendors to accurately price according to the scope of work requested.

A26. This is an open market solicitation.

Q27. This question concerns the transcription requirements. Will all the transcriptions be from English to English, or will there be a requirement for Spanish transcription and/or mixed language transcription? If the USAO EDTX is requiring Spanish and/or mixed language transcription, will translation into English be required as well?

A27. Per the Statement of Work, the original Spanish language transcripts, in addition to the English transcripts, will be required when translations are performed.

Q28. In addition to the requirement for Spanish to English translation, will there be any requirement for English to Spanish translation?

A28. No.

Q29. The RFQ, Page 40, Section 5, Solicitation Provisions, Item#8 states that offerors need to submit a copy of their Representations and Certifications. Does the Representations and Certifications document count toward the five-page Technical response?

A29. No. The Representations and Certifications do not count.

Q30. How frequently are non-digital formats used?

A30. Non-digital formats are rarely used.

Q31. Who is the incumbent for this work, and is there a reason you are exploring other options?

A31. There is no incumbent.

Q32. Can we include a limit on the number of words and numbers of minutes for each delivery schedule?

A32. No.

Q33. What is the total estimated volume annually?

A33. Please see the Schedule of Services for annual estimated quantities.

Q34. We understand that non-US citizens may not access any DOJ data. Are non-US citizens allowed to access our general systems under this contract, if they are limited from accessing DOJ data?

A34. Non-US citizens may not access DOJ information or systems hosting such.

Q35. Definition of a rush request (length of video/audio for an expected turnaround time-

TAT).

A35. The request turnaround times for the various types of need (urgent, priority, etc.) are defined in the Statement of Work and on the Schedule of Supplies. On average, the videos/audios that require 24-48 hour turn arounds are 5 minutes in length.

Q36. Historical share of each type of service as per the CLINs provided.

A36. Each CLIN quantity is based on historical usage data.

Q37. Incumbent Provided.

A37. None.

Q38. Sole Source of multiple award.

A38. The contract will be awarded to one (1) vendor.

Q39. Wiretapping, inmate interviews are part of the SOW?

A39. Yes.

Q40. Is this under GSA or is it an open market solicitation?

A40. This is an open market solicitation.