16-IFB-00669_Q_and_As.pdf

16-IFB-00669

Questions and Answers

May 17, 2016

1. What is the reason for going to bid?

The current contract expires on 6/30/16.

2. Who is your current provider for your phone interpretation services at this time?

AVAZA Language Services Corp.

3. Who is the current DVBE being utilized on the current contract?

V Solutions, DVBE Reference No. 57190

4. What percentage of the contract has the current DVBE actually performed to date?

The intent of the Questions and Answers is to provide an opportunity for bidders to submit questions related to the services to be provided or requirements of the IFB.

5. Do you have any issues with your current provider(s)?

All questions asked should refer to the IFB. Questions regarding the incumbent’s performance are not applicable to this solicitation.

6. The CA webpage for finding a DVBE subcontractor indicates only one potential vendor that is state certified and recognizably performs language services. If that vendor chooses not to participate with our company, or, the vendor does not provide the level of services and security required to perform the work required, is there a process to show that our company reached out in good faith but was unable to find a DVBE vendor, yet we still want to be considered for the contract – and that the CA DSS will allow the review of our bid? (Note: several other DVBE vendors are listed, but none other than the one referenced above performs language services.)

A good faith effort does not meet the terms of the solicitation and will not be an accepted substitution for meeting the 3 percent DVBE requirement. Bids not meeting this requirement will be considered non-responsive.

7. What has the State budgeted for the upcoming contract?

The total amount of $22,500 is budgeted for the two- year term of the contract; $11,250 is budgeted for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2016/17 and $11,250 is budgeted for SFY 2017/18.

8. What are the most common languages called upon for interpretation?

Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bahasa, Burmese, Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin), Creole, Dari, Farsi, French, Hindi, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Nepali, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Punjabi, Vietnamese

9. In terms of telephone interpretation, what is your current volume of minutes of usage per month for all languages?

The CDSS does not track data for volume of minutes per language.

10. In terms of telephone interpretation, what is your current volume of minutes of usage per month for your most common languages?

The CDSS does not track data for volume of minutes per language.

11. What are your current charges for phone interpretation services from your provider?

For SFY 2014/15, there was a total charge of $ 9,128.88 to the contract. It is too early to disclose the charges for SFY 2015/16.

12. What are your current charges for interpretation services from your provider?

The scope of the agreement is limited to telephone services only. See response to question 11 for currently available expenditure detail.

13. How will you score the responses to this RFP? Better yet, what are the specific criteria needed for a contract award so we know best how to respond?

16-IFB-00669 is an Invitation for Bid, not a Request for Proposal (RFP). Please see IFB document page 6, Section C.6, Evaluation and Selection.

14. Is it your intention to award only one vendor for this contract?

Yes.

15. Given that the DSS has issued an IFB, there are no questions to address pertaining to a scope of work. Do you expect a vendor to provide anything else other than the requested documents in the checklist?

This is an IFB and should not be confused with the RFP process. There are no questions for a potential vendor to answer, except to provide a bid price and submit the appropriate documents required by the State. Please see Exhibit 2, Sample Agreement, for the Scope of Work that the contractor must be able to provide.

16. We reached out to the only DVBE language service provider that is certified by the State and listed on the State’s website. That company – Continental Interpreting – does not want to participate in this IFB because they do not provide telephone interpreters. What forms do we use to show that we made a good effort to have the DVBE participate but they chose not to?

Please refer to the answer to question 6.

17. What is the estimated value of this contract?

Please see response to question number 7 for related information.

18. Is there an incumbent vendor for these services? If yes, who is the vendor(s) and what rates do they provide for the services?

The incumbent vendor is AVAZA Language Services Corp. They perform the service at the all-inclusive rate of $0.62 per minute.

19. Is there a primary reason for this IFB? For example: existing quality concerns, reduction to current price, or general contract terms requiring renewal?

Please refer to the answer to question 1.

20. Is it your intention to award to multiple vendors or one vender providing all services?

Please refer to the answer to question 14.

21. If multiple vendors are selected, how will the work will divided and what does your current disbursement strategy looks like?

Please see response to questions 14 and 20.

22. The IFB states that the award will go to the lowest responsible bidder. Could California Department of HSS describe how responsible bidders will be evaluated or what constitutes as lowest responsible bidder?

Please see page 6, Section C.6 of the IFB package.

23. Will cost be evaluated on the base year or total years?

Costs will be evaluated per minute as identified in the contract terms and Attachment 2, Bid/Bidder Certification Sheet.

24. Will the unit cost be used or the unit cost times the quantities provided to come up with a total cost?

Costs will be evaluated per minute as identified in the contract terms and Attachment 2, Bid/Bidder Certification Sheet. No other measurers will be applied to the lowest cost evaluation criteria.

25. What percentage or weight does cost carry in the overall IFB?

Please see the answer to question 13.

26. Is there an evaluation template that will be used? If so, can it be provided?

Please see the answer to question 22.

27. The IFB states that this is a 2 year contract term. Will this service go to IFB again after 2 years or is there possibility of an extension or option years?

There is not an option to extend beyond two years. The contract will terminate 6/30/18. Please see IFB document page 3, Section C.2, Contract Term.

28. What are the estimated annual minutes anticipated for telephonic services?

There is no annual estimation of minutes.

29. What is the average length of a call for telephonic interpretation?

The CDSS does not track data for neither the average length of each call for the existing contract, nor does it estimate it for the contract to be awarded.

30. What are the volume estimates per language for telephonic interpretation?

The CDSS does not estimate this data.

31. Under pricing, the bidder sheet lists an all-inclusive per minute rate for telephonic interpretation. Would California Department of HHS accept alternative pricing formats such as Spanish and All others to allow for great value to California Department of HHS?

Please see IFB document, page 6, Section C.4 (q).

32. Under scope of work – the IFB states that interpretation to be provided will be simultaneous

Please refer to page 1 of Addendum 1, Section III. The call shall be conducted in consecutive mode.

33. American Sign Language is listed as a required language. Would California Department of HHS accept Video Remote Interpreting for fulfillment of ASL? Please refer to page 1 of Addendum 1, Section VI. American Sign Language will not be included in the Scope of Work.

34. In the invoicing and payment section, the IFB states that non travel is budgeted for the agreement. Please confirm this IFB is for telephonic services only.

This is confirmation that the services required under the Scope of Work in the IFB, Exhibit 2, The required services contained in the Scope of Work are for telephonic services only.

35. A minimum of 3% is required for DVBE participation. Will preference be given to vendors committing to more than 3%?

Please refer to Addendum 1, Section II regarding Exhibit 1 – California Disabled Veteran Enterprise Bid Incentive Instructions and also refer to page 12 at Section C.11 (j) of the original IFB package.

36. Upon searching the California Office of Small Business & Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services, we noticed that there are no DVBE suppliers that provide telephonic interpretation services. Can the CDSS please state how we should proceed to meet their DVBE requirement?

Please see answers to questions 3 and 6. The CDSS cannot advise prospective bidders for how the DVBE requirement can be met.