191T5225Q0002_ItalianLanguageLessons_QandA V2.pdf

1. SCOPE OF SERVICES

The Contractor shall perform Italian language services for the U.S. Consulate General in Milan, Italy.

The prices listed below shall include all labor, materials, direct and indirect costs, insurance (see FAR

52.228-4 and 52.228-5), overhead, and profit.

Classes shall be either in person ONLY or virtual ONLY. There will be NO hybrid mix of classes.

Offerors are welcome to bid on either method of delivery. The method of delivery of will be selected by the Government after review of all bids.

Q1: For online lessons, are instructors required to conduct sessions from the U.S. Embassy in Milan, or are they permitted to teach remotely from their respective academy locations? Please confirm the designated location requirements for online instruction.

Instructors are not required to be physically present at the USG facility. They may teach remotely, however there will be no consideration given to instructors in a different time zone. Classes will be taught during normal Milan business hours 08:00-18:00 Monday-Friday.

3.2 BASE YEAR PRICING

Italian Language Lessons – Applies to both, In Person Only and Virtual Only

The Contractor shall provide number 700 (estimated) hours of class(es) per year to be given at a firm fixed price of Euro _____ per session. Sessions shall be one hour in length and shall be scheduled between Monday and Friday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm CET. No more than 5 (five) students will be part of any class, unless mutually agreed upon by the Contractor and the Government. The minimum guarantee would be 100 sessions per year.

Q1: If the Contractor and the Government mutually agree to increase the class size beyond five (5) students, what is the method for adjusting the price per class?

Classes will be capped at 5 students.

Q2: Will the pricing be determined based on a fixed rate per additional student, a tiered pricing structure, or another adjustment mechanism?

Classes will be capped at 5 students.

Q3: Since this possible modification can’t be calculated in the original quote, please provide instructions on the on how the cost modifications will be calculated?

Classes will be capped at 5 students.

Q4: For virtual only lessons, will the US Embassy designate and provide the virtual platform, or the academy will use desired platform?

Classes will use a mutually agreed upon platform. Platform must be commercially available and provided at no cost to the Government.

Q5: Will there be at any moment more than one class at time? this is essential for the academy to permanently allocate a certain number of instructors only dedicated for this contract.

Classes will be limited to one class per hour, for a maximum of 10 classes per day.

Q6: Upon contract award, when will the U.S. Embassy require in-person instructors to undergo the vetting process? Additionally, what are the specific requirements and procedures for granting them access to the embassy location?

Vetting for in-person classes will be required to allow instructors access to the government buildings and facilities. The specific process will be shared, if appropriate, with the successful offeror.

5. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Class shall be given between Monday and Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m CET. at the U.S.

Consulate General Milan, Via Principe Amedeo, 2/10, 20121 Milan, Italy, the NCC/Accursio and/or virtually using a mutually agreed-upon platform. Schedules, including format (in-person vs. virtual), will be set every 90 days.

Q1: Instructor(s) calendar will be set in advanced. In the event of schedule modification by the client, will you notify at least 15 days in advance to ensure accountability?

Yes.

Q2: In case the lessons are cancelled by the student/group it is required to be rescheduled?

If the class is cancelled by the government or student, no rescheduling is necessary. If the Contractor cancels the class, either rescheduling or other consideration may be required.

6. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED PROPERTY

6.1 The Contractor shall provide all instructional materials including texts, class exercises, handouts, tests, and audio-visual media. These materials are subject to Government’s approval. The

Government shall reserve the right to suggest special instructional materials and provide them to the

Contractor at Government cost and care.

Q1: Will this requirement be identified/provided to the contractor before class starts to ensure compliance?

The government expects the contractor to present the materials they propose to use for consideration and approval. This will be done prior to the start of class or, in the event of a rapid start, the government will review and approve material as quickly as possible.

8. SPECIFIC TASKS

The Contractor shall provide instructional Foreign Language Training services at the firm fixed prices shown in this contract. The objective of each training module or lesson is to prepare all students as efficiently and effectively as possible to accomplish the goals of the training.

Context: To ensure the effectiveness of the instructional Foreign Language Training and to achieve the intended learning outcomes, it is crucial to determine the total number of contact hours assigned to each participant or group.

Without a clearly defined allocation of training hours, it becomes challenging to guarantee that students will reach the desired proficiency level. The structured progression of language acquisition requires enough instructional hours tailored to the participants’ needs.

Q1: Could you provide specific details on the number of contact hours planned for each participant or group?

The government guarantees a minimum of 100 contact hours per year. The number of hours per participant is generally considered to be one hour per week.

Q2: Is there a standardized framework or benchmark being used to define the required training hours for different proficiency levels?

No.

8.4. Student Testing

The Contractor shall use tests, including Computerized Adaptive Testing, which are approved by the

Foreign Service Institute, or the Defense Language Institute, or by recognized and accepted by national professional associations and organizations identified below:

-Modern Language Association of America

-American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

-Foreign Service Institute

-Foreign Language Center within Defense Language Institute

-Federal Interagency Language Round table

-or other nationally recognized foreign language bodies.

Please provide clarity on the testing framework, including the assessment frequency and the criteria used to determine official recognition for evaluation.

Q1: How many tests should be administered during each program installment to effectively evaluate language proficiency?

The number and frequency of tests is left to the Contractor. The government will not normally provide an exit test to students. Most students either already have a language score in Italian and are taking classes to maintain proficiency or are at a very basic level and are taking classes, commonly called survival classes, to be able to communicate at some level in a casual, non-professional setting (for example at a grocery store). Individual students will communicate to the instructor their end-goal.

Q2: Which specific tests are officially recognized for evaluation purposes by the approved institutions, such as the Foreign Service Institute, Defense Language Institute, or other nationally recognized foreign language bodies?

The government will provide the tests if required. If the student does require a test for official purposes, that test would need to be provided by the government and is outside the purview of the

Contractor.

Q3: Will the US Embassy provide the specific requirements for testing?

Yes, if required.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS - Received on March 27, 2025

Q: Contract Start Date: Could you confirm the anticipated start date for the contract, or if a specific timeline has been established?

A: As anticipated during the pre-proposal conference we hope to be able to observe the following

Milestones:

• February 14, 2025 – Pre-Solicitation Advertising on SAM.gov

• March 26, 2025 – Pre-Proposal Conference

• March 27, 2025 – Deadline for submission of questions.

• April 4, 2025 by 12:00 PM, local time – last time for submission of quote – Title:

“191T5225Q0002 – Italian Language Services + Company Name” – email: MILANGSO-

OFFERS@STATE.GOV .No offer shall be accepted after the above stated cut-off date and time.

• o/a April 7-15, 2025 – Evaluation Phase of the received quotes

• o/a Mid-April 2025 – Award (tentative)

• o/a Beginning of May 2025 – Begin Contract (tentative)

Q: Payment Structure: We would appreciate further insight into your preferred payment structure.

Would monthly payments be an option for consideration?

A: Monthly payments by ETF-Electronic Transfer of Funds, 30 days net from date of receipt of invoice just and correct, in accordance with Prompt Payment Act. Occasionally we might encounter some justifiable causes for payment delays due to if the administrative errors, unclear terms, unexpected financial issues, disputes over rendered services, invoice discrepancies, or unforeseen circumstances with the functionality of our Payment Service Centralized Unit/System

(PSU).

Q: Trial Class or Facility Visit: To provide a comprehensive understanding of the teaching approach and course materials, the vendor would be happy to arrange a trial class or a facility visit at your convenience. Please let us know if this would be of interest.

Thank you for the offer. This is not needed, especially since it might disadvantage vendors who were unable to participate.

Q: I just wanted to inform you that the Overseas Vetting Questionnaire - Form DS-7801 form is not part of the list of documents you posted in SAM.gov.

A: We didn’t post them on purpose, because OVS- Overseas Vetting Questionnaire will have to be filled in and submitted only by the awarded contractor.

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Q: I would like to collaborate with a school in Italy - is it possible for my company to act as prime and the school as sub-contract?

This is a business decision. The government cannot offer you business advice. Collaboration, if any, would require that the sub-contractor also be deemed acceptable by the government. However the performance of the Sub would still be the responsibility of the Prime, Q: Is it possible to submit "Certificato di attribuzione del codice fiscale rilasciato dall’Agenzia delle

Entrate" instead of “Visura della Camera di Commercio italiana”

A: They are two different documents showing different information.

Q: I want to ensure instructional compliance with the contract - can the school use CEFR as framework to deliver lessons and assess progress during course? Would the Office of Personnel

Management then be responsible for conducting the final assessment using the FSI test?

A: As outlined by the solicitation clauses there are limitations and restrictions on sub-contracting. See solicitation. Any sub-contractors shall be previously approved by the U.S. Government