Attachment 14 - Questions and Answers.pdf

District of South Carolina Grand Jury Solicitation Questions

1. Are the attendance fees referenced on the wage determinations a minimum requirement?

Answer: Yes. Court Reporters must be paid the minimum wage determination as set forth by the Department of Labor.

2. Are the videographers required to be certified by the NCRA?

Answer: No. A Videographer certification is not required but is welcomed.

3. Are all reporters required to be real-time certified?

Answer: Yes. Court Reporters are required to have the same certifications as set forth by the State of South Carolina.

4. Are Dropbox and Sharefile approved for exhibit uploading and sharing?

Answer: No. File Sharing will be conducted via the Government’s USAfx.

5. Is Zoom an approved recording system? If so, do you know if we will be given a list of approved attendees at the time of scheduling?

Answer: No. Remote recording of Grand Jury Sessions are not authorized.

Depositions will be conducted via Teams or WebEx.

6. Are there limitations to size of the date being transferred?

Answer: Yes. USAfx currently limits individual file sizes to 15 GB. Large files are typically delivered via external media.

7. During recorded sessions requiring a separate monitor head, are we allowed to charge an appearance fee for the monitor?

Answer: Yes. This contract will be awarded as a time and material type contract. As such, court reporters will be paid for work performed. Time should be tracked in a minimum of 15 minute increments.

8. Can we provide the same reporters for several locations?

Answer: Yes. However, a minimum of two court reporters is required for each location.

A primary and a back up.

9. Is there a limit on how many support professionals (ie. proofreaders, office manager) we can provide for clearance to handle the contract documents?

Answer: No. There is no limit. All personnel that will review, process, or handle Grand Jury Information must complete a Public Trust Tier 4 High Risk background investigation.

10. Attachments 7-9: How should Attachments 7-9 be filled out for the bid submission, especially considering that some of the information might only be available after the contract is awarded?

Answer: Attachments 7 – 9 are for reference only. After award, these documents will be utilized and conducted accordingly.

11. Grand Jury Procedures: Can you provide a breakdown of the grand jury procedures mentioned in RFQ checklist solicitation #15JA0524Q00000001, attachment #6, volume 1, sub factor B, that we are expected to follow?

Alternatively, could you guide us on where to find this information to ensure compliance?

Answer: The type of recording method and equipment used is determined by the offeror. The government simply needs to know the proposed method and equipment to determine applicability with the district and court configurations and processes.

12. Changes to Personnel List: What is the process if the list of court reporters and other personnel we have now changes over the next four years? Is there a specific timeframe within which we must notify you if the list we submit now differs or changes by the time a job comes up?

Answer: Changes to the approved court reporters must be communicated to the Contracting Officer and the District ASAP. Once notified, the district will begin the process of completing the new background investigation and conduct the required physical security inspection of the new court reporters location where Grand Jury material will be reviewed, processed, and stored.