Attachment E - QA (AMD 0001)_20JAN2023.pdf

19JAN2023

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# Question Answer Revision Ref.

1. Are letters of commitment required for Key

Personnel? LOCs are listed as “excluded from page count” but are not listed as a requirement anywhere in the RFP?

p.61 of 66 (A. Proposal Organization)

Letters of commitment are not required for the Key Personnel requirement referenced in the PWS. The Key Personnel section is removed from the PWS. Should an offeror include LOCs, the LOCs will be excluded from the page count.

PWS –

Removed Key Personnel Section

2. Are Offerors required to submit two (2) projects being performed OCONUS as an Experience requirement of the Technical Volume? (NCF:1 Experience. Paragraph 1 page 62 of 63)

Based on the government’s market research, Sections L & M have been revised to remove the requirement to provide OCONUS projects. Demonstrating OCONUS efforts through experience is not necessarily required; however, it is necessary to demonstrate your most relevant experiences.

Instructions to Offerors; and Evaluation Instructions

3. Is a Program Manager a key personnel that could be added to oversee the scheduling coordination and deliverables for this contract. (Key Personnel page 8)

No. The Government retains oversight and scheduling.

The DOS has a Sign Language Interpreting team consisting of experts in Interpreting and a designated sign language interpreting scheduler.

N/A

4. There are specialized IS interpreters outlined in the RFP. Attachment D only requires pricing for SLI services in general. Can Attachment D be modified to include the specializations that some DOS will require which is offered at a premium rate structure for those professionals?

The Offeror should consider the base rate for interpreting services based on the regions indicated. Any pricing deviation should be calculated in the proposed cost for each CLIN.

N/A

5. Please clarify the pricing CLINS 0010, 0011, 0012 the “Interpreted Event Daily: Event Lasting 2-4 hours, Event lasting 4-8 hours and Run of Show/Walkthroughs”. Is the government seeking fixed hourly rates for events lasting for those durations or a fixed total amount for those specific durations?

We have removed the Category “Interpreted Event Daily” (0010, 0011, and 0012). Services will be invoiced by CLIN for the actual hours delivered. Be sure to use the amended price schedule.

Price Schedule

6. TDY CLINS – is the travel from the provider’s starting location to the TDY location accounted for in these CLINs? i.e. CLIN 0015 is the travel hourly rate for interpreters

The price schedule has been restructured. CLINs for TDYs are for Fixed Hourly Rates when services are rendered.

Transportation from a lodging to location to the worksite are reimbursable for the travel expense (with receipt) under ODC

Price Schedule has been updated to reflect fixed hourly rates.

Page - 2 traveling for a TDY assignment. Then their work at TDY site is billed at 0016?

and will be calculated in the cost construct prior to TDY.

Please reference updated CLINs.

7. What is the GOV process for distributing task orders? Will DOS distribute task orders to all awardees? (P 33-34)

The Government will compete each task order under the multiple award IDIQ.

N/A

8. How will task orders be evaluated? Will they be best value, LPTA, or a combination?

(p. 33 -34)

At the task order level, the government requirement will be specified and will provide fair opportunity to the IDIQ holders The government reserves the right to determine the method of competition at the task order level.

N/A

9. Will each task order require a technical response or a pricing submittal only? (p. 33- 34)

See response to Q&A number 8 of this set. N/A

10. How long will contractors have to submit task order responses? (p. 33-34) 52.216-18

At the task order level, the contracting officer will provide reasonable time, which is dependent on the government’s requirement.

N/A

11. Do all awardees have to bid on all task orders? (p34) 52.246-19

No, however if an IDIQ holder declines to respond repetitively, the IDIQ holder may be removed from the IDIQ holder pool by termination.

N/A

12. What will be the scope and duration of the task orders released? Will they cover one assignment, one month, one year, one location, etc.?

The scope and duration of each task order will be identified by the program office on an as-needed basis when specific services are defined and identified.

N/A

13. The Government has requested classified CART services onsite. Will the government be providing GFE for these services since they will need to be performed in a secure location? (P. 6-7)

The government is working with Diplomatic Security who states they can clear equipment quickly for access into a classified setting. If this is possible then we allow the time for clearance to be built into the request. The government anticipates procuring equipment in the future.

N/A

14. The Solicitation states “The contractor must have SLI available as full-time equivalent (FTE) employees dedicating to servicing this contract.” If the DOS is issuing requests as task orders on a Multiple Award contract, how does DOS expect contractors to make

Yes, the government intends to issue task orders with extended performance periods (base year, plus up to four option year periods). The purpose of this section is to demonstrate that the Offeror has capability beyond a registry of names of interpreters to contact for assignments.

Page - 3 available FTEs dedicated to servicing this contract? Does DOS intend to award task orders for multiple FTEs for an extended period of time (for example, 6 months to a year of full-time support), therefore allowing contractors to reserve FTEs for contract performance? (p. 8 SOW)

15. If DOS requires that interpreters provide services both on site and remotely on the same day, is it DOS’s intention to provide GFE in a hybrid work environment that would allow the interpreter to toggle between an onsite and remote environment in the same day? Is each contractor expected to create their own permanent, on-site hybrid setup to accommodate these requests? (Page 9 Remote, page 23 Government Furnished Equipment and Space)

The government is currently creating a Hybrid Interpreting Space equipped for oncall interpreters to work onsite and be able to also provide remote interpreting. Until the hybrid workspace is ready, oncall assignments will be remote or onsite, not a hybrid.

For assignments where an interpreter is assigned to a customer daily and the customer needs to switch from a remote to onsite presence, the referenced 24 hours’ notice is in effect.

PWS Remote Interpreting

16. For assignments in areas with low numbers of certified interpreters, will DOS approve travel costs to bring in qualified interpreters from other locations to fill these assignments? (p5 Travel Costs)

The government does recognize extraneous circumstances where interpreters are not available for certain areas. Each case will be analyzed based on the efforts that have been exhausted to secure services. The COR will determine if a TDY is a feasible solution.

N/A

17. For assignments with less than 24 hours’ notice will DOS allow for last-minute assignment rate? (p.8 SOW)

Yes, see amended price schedule and PWS. Price Schedule

& PWS

18. Are letters of intent or letters of commitment required along with resumes for providers? (NCF 3 Staffing Approach)

Resumes are sufficient. Instructions to Offerors

19. Is DOS only accepting one rate for all five years, or can we escalate our rates per contract year? (p. 63 Volume III)

Price escalation is allowable. See amended price schedule. Price Schedule

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20. Do Contractors have to bid on all regions and/or all CLINS? (p.63 Price Proposal)

The offeror shall propose pricing for all CLINs and regions in accordance with Sections L and M.

21. For CLINS 10,11,12 what is the location for services?

The cost should be calculated based on DC rates. N/A

22. For CLIN 9 what is the location for services? It is a category not a location.

The International Sign CLINs (0033 – 0036) have been updated to include Classified and Unclassified as well as services requested with less than 24 hours’ notice. The rate is not locational and is one fixed price for all IS services.

Price Schedule

23. Will DOS allow for rush rate for requests with less than 24 hours’ notice?

We will add one category for interpreting requests with less than 24 hours’ notice to the price schedule

PWS Invoicing and Price Schedule

24. On page 10 of the PWS, in the section titled “Reassignment for Domestic Requests” it states, If an assignment becomes canceled with less than 72 hours’ notice, the program office may reassign the Contractor’s designated interpreter or CART writer to provide the same mode of service within a ten (10) mile radius from the original assignment.

If the contractor personnel (designated interpreter or CART writer) is not a good fit for the reassigned assignment, will the Department of State take suitability for the reassignment into consideration?

Yes, the SLI Program will consider suitability for reassignment.

The PWS has been updated to reflect suitability.

25. On page 10 of the PWS in the section titled “Meal Breaks” it states, If the Contractor’s designated interpreter does not provide services during a meal break, the contractor cannot invoice for the 30-minute or 45-minute meal period.

All designated meal breaks when the

No. The CLIN must reflect the time the services are provided.

The invoice may not include the meal breaks. This cost should be considered when Offeror’s establish CLIN rates.

PWS Meal Breaks.

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Contractor’s designated interpreter is needed to provide interpretation shall be invoiced. In the event that a contractor is needed to provide services through their designated meal-break, they shall notify the program office within 24 hours of the occurrence so adjustments can be documented for invoicing. Could requiring an interpreter to still be available and on-call, even if they are not providing actual interpreting services for the meal break still be considered “providing services”? Would the Department of State be willing to consider amending this requirement, especially since it will disincentivize interpreters from taking all-day on-site on-call assignments if paid meal breaks are not included?

26. On page 8 of the PWS it states Some common work situations include entry level positions, case management, applied forensic sciences, law-enforcement, foreign services, and legal consultations. Certain situations that are specialized in nature, such as scientific-related, legal-related, technical, or that are broadcasted may require interpreters with specialized knowledge and experience who are paid at a higher, “specialized” rate. Would the Department of State accept a separate pricing line item for these specialized services?

Would the Department accept additional line items designated for short-notice, The Department is paying one rate for interpreting and Offeror’s should consider that when establishing their rate.

The Government will add an additional CLIN for requests with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Price Schedule

– adjusted to include less than 24 hours’ notice.

PWS– Invoicing

Page - 6 emergency, non-business hour or cleared interpreter rates?

27. On page 16 of the PWS the requirements of communication are outlined. Would the Department of State consider waiving the requirement for all scheduling communication to be conducted on the @state.gov email address issued to the Contractor for said purpose if the Contractor provides an alternative and acceptable in-house scheduling software or platform that sends automated email communications or allows the DOS to check scheduling on an online portal in real time? This waiver may be necessary if the DOS-issued @state.gov email address cannot be integrated with the online scheduling portal.

The government will consider proposed approaches in lieu of the requirement to utilize the state.gov email address based on the Offeror’s demonstration of the ability to safeguard and identify communications as containing Personal Identifiable Information (PII).

The PWS has been amended

28. Attachment C states Contractor personnel assigned to this contract shall possess a TOP SECRET or SECRET personnel security clearance issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) prior to contract performance. Is this required of all personnel? Would the DOS be willing to sponsor personnel for security clearance?

DOS will sponsor a contracting firm for a facility security clearance (FCL) commensurate with the level of access required by the task order. The contracting firm must obtain the FCL prior to task order performance.

Revised DD Form 254

PWS Revision

29. All companies that specialize in sign language interpreting are small businesses, providing a sufficient pool of small businesses capable of doing the work. Can

No, the solicitation is approved as unrestricted. N/A http://state.gov/ http://state.gov/

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State change this solicitation to a small business set aside.

30. Who is the incumbent? The incumbent contractor for these services and their information is publicly available. The incumbent contractor and award number is provided below:

SAQMMA17C0289

MID-ATLANTIC INTERPRETING GROUP, INC.

8174 Lark Brown RD Suite 202 Elkridge, Maryland 21075-6426 United States

UEI LCYFBNAT8EY4

N/A

31. Historically, what has been the State Department’s biggest challenge in covering assignments?

The number one challenge to providing services at DOS is the requirement for services with high visibility and for high-ranking positions The employees utilizing our services are in highly visible and sometimes highly technical settings.

Challenges also include 1) The demand for expert ASL to English using varying registers and 2) Professionalism and service providers who have strong critical thinking and diplomacy skills.

N/A

32. Can the State Department provide historical data from the past year on:

a. The number of all-day on-call assignments (interpreters scheduled 7 or more hours per day on the same days each week)

b. The number of assignments not covered by an on-call that were 3 hours or less

c. The number of assignments not covered by an on-call that were 7 hours or more

d. The number of hours of evening/weekend work

e. The number of short-notice assignments

a. We have 6 regular on call interpreters scheduled daily

4 are 8.5 hours daily 1 is 9 hours daily 1 is 9.5 hours daily We have one additional that is 6 hours daily

b. 551 total assignments for 2022 that were 3 hours or less and covered by an oncall.

c. Ad-Hoc Assignments (7+ hours) – 264 not covered by oncall.

d. Evening/Weekend assignments 2022 – 36

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(less than 5 business days’ notice) not covered by an on-call

f. The number of short-notice assignments (less than 1 business days’ notice) not covered by an on-call

g. How many requests were outside of the main location?

h. How many requests required interpreters with up to a Top Secret Clearance?

i. How many requests did not require interpreters with security clearance?

j. The total number of hours of interpreter services (CONUS & OCONUS)

e. We only track less than 48 hours’ notice – Total for FY2022 278 (534.50 hours)

f. See e.

g. The main location is considered the Harry S. Truman building. 272 requests were in other buildings. There are still many buildings within a 5-minute radius that comprise the 272 requests.

h. Currently with remote work our numbers of TS and TS/SCI are low. In FY2022 we had 0 Top Secret, 0 SCI and 72 Secret.

i. Unclassified Interpreting for FY2022 – 2,983 requests.

j. Hours of Interpreter services CONUS/OCONUS –

Approximately 19,000 hours.

This information is not an exact representation of the forecasted requirements, but is provided to assist in gauging the IDIQs magnitude of effort only.

33. Can the State Department provide historical data from the past year on:

The total number of hours of video relay interpreter (VRI) services (CONUS &

OCONUS?)

a. The number of all-day on-call assignments (interpreters scheduled 7 or more hours per day on the same days each week)

b. The number of assignments that were 3 hours or less

c. The number of assignments that were 7 hours or more

d. The number of hours of evening/weekend work

e. The number of short-notice assignments (less than 5 business days’ notice)

f. The number of short-notice assignments

The Department doesn’t use VRI services that are billed by the minute. The interpreting services are provided remotely or in person as is stated in the PWS.

In FY2022 we provided a total number of 20843 hours of interpreting. 15,500 hours of that was provided using remote interpreters.

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(less than 1 business days’ notice)

g. How many requests were outside of the main location?

h. How many requests not covered by an on-call required interpreters with up to a Top Secret Clearance?

i. How many requests not covered by an on-call did not require interpreters with security clearance?

34. Can the State Department provide historical data from the past year on:

The total number of hours of CART services

(CONUS &

OCONUS?)

b. The number of CART assignments that were 3 hours or less

c. The number of CART assignments that were 7 hours or more

d. The number of hours of evening/weekend CART work

e. The number of short-notice CART assignments (less than 5 business days’ notice)

f. The number of short-notice CART assignments (less than 1 business days’ notice)

g. How many CART requests were outside of the main location?

h. How many CART requests required writers with up to a Top Secret Clearance?

i. How many CART requests did not require writers with security clearance?

In FY 2022 we provided a total of 4 CART requests. Zero were for classified CART.

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35. The State Department has stated in Section Contractors Cancellation Policy, page 18 -that there is a two business-day cancellation policy. In Section Reassignment for Domestic Requests, page 10 that if the assignment cancels with less than 72 hours, an interpreter can be reassigned. These two policies seem to conflict. Can the State Department clarify?

The policy is 48 hours – two business-day cancellation. We will deconflict the information in the PWS.

36. If requests move from remote to onsite, will State give 2 business days’ notice, in order for the vendor to not be within the billable cancellation period and obligated to pay interpreters who cannot go to the alternate site ?

No, this will need to be built into the Offeror’s calculated cost.

37. Can State Department provide a percentage they anticipate will be remote work?

Approximately 80 percent of the interpreting provided in FY 2021 was remote.

N/A

38. Can the State Department clarify if there will be a regular or set schedule for interpreting services? 12. It is also unclear if the State Department is asking for daily on-call interpreters to be on-site from 8am-5pm daily, or if it simply saying that they may request daily on-call interpreters for any time during this timeframe. Can the State Department please clarify if daily on-call interpreters will be required? If so, how many interpreters are required to be on-call each day?

A. Currently we have one oncall daily that is 9 hours that requires onsite services.

B. Additionally, we have one 8.5 oncall is onsite once or twice weekly and requires a Secret clearance.

Answered Previously: We currently have 6 regular oncall interpreters scheduled daily

a. 4 are 8.5 hours daily

b. 1 is 9 hours daily

c. 1 is 9.5 hours daily

d. We have one additional that is 6 hours daily

• The majority of the oncalls are providing remote services.

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39. Will the State Department confirm they will allow time for the processing of these interpreters and/or writers, in order to obtain the required VAR, after the award?

The current requirement for Classified interpreters is low.

The Department will work with the incoming contractors to obtain VARs.

N/A

40. Can State Department clarify if the term "Dedicated Sign Language Interpreters" refers to on-call interpreters?

Dedicated Sign Language interpreters is not related to assigned interpreters. The goal is for the Offeror to prove they have interpreters they can dedicate to services on this contract.

PWS

41. Designated Interpreters are usually interpreters assigned ongoing to one specific consumer. Can State clarify if this is the meaning of Designated Interpreter being used in this solicitation?

(key personnel p.9)

The PWS’s Key Personnel and the PWS has been updated to state – “To maximize the effectiveness of the interpreted work product, the contractor shall secure a pool of interpreters to work with specific customers so that they can learn the specific demands of the customer’s work (linguistic, diplomatic, cultural, technical, etc.).

PWS

42. Do all contractors require Public Trust or can remote interpreters providing services via video provide services without requiring moderate risk public trust. (Technical p. 25)

Remote interpreters are only able to provide unclassified and Sensitive But Unclassified Interpreting. There is no requirement for Public Trust on remote services.

If the Department shifts our posture to requiring onsite services, more interpreters will need to obtain a DOS badge which will require a pre-screening (fingerprinting, etc) to obtain a badge. That process takes two weeks. This is when the public trust requirement would be initiated.

There is no requirement at the onset to have a public trust.

N/A

43. Will the State Department confirm that a team will be provided when there will be 1.5 hours or more of continuous interpreting?

The DOS Sign Language Interpreting team are experts in Interpreting and scheduling. Requests will be submitted with the required number of interpreters taking into consideration length of assignment, complexity and other environmental factors that would determine if a team is required.

N/A

44. Industry standard is that an interpreter’s time is billed for the full amount of time, from start to finish of the assignment. Not following industry standards will make it

The policy of the government is to only pay for services rendered. The Offeror may adjust the CLIN cost to facilitate the overhead of a meal break.

Page - 12 extremely difficult for vendors to find interpreters with the appropriate clearance willing to accept the work. Will the government remove the reference to unpaid time in the solicitation?

45. We assume this means the interpreters can take a shorter lunch break if desired. Can State verify?

Meal breaks are a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes. Standing assignments may limit the meal break to 30 minutes.

N/A

46. Can the government provide clarification on the number of years’ experience required for sign language interpreters to work on the State Department contract?

(7-8 #7, & 13.)

Interpreters are required to have four (4) years of Sign Language Interpreting experience with three (3) years of Federal Government Experience.

PWS – Minimum Qualifications of ASL/English Interpreters corrected to state equivalent of 4 years of experience.

PWS

47. Will the State Department also accept CI and/or CT, and NAD-IV who have also been screened to verify their skill level meets the needs of State Department?

No. The certifications accepted are listed. N/A

48. Can the State Department remove the requirement that administrative tasks will be assigned to the contractor when they have been hired, assigned, and are billed to interpret only. (Technical p. 11)

Yes, this has been eliminated from the PWS. PWS

49. Will State Department clarify what is meant by this? If a vendor has no assumptions to state, will this be counted against the vendor?

“Failure to explicitly state price assumptions may result in removal from the competition.”

The government intends to award without discussions.

However, if through discussions the government discovers pricing assumptions were made but not submitted in initial proposals, the offeror may be removed from the competition.

N/A

50. This is the first time we have seen this requirement in a solicitation for sign language interpreting services. Can State

Non-Cost Factor 4 addresses how the Offeror ensures quality by setting and managing execution of the contract. The deficiency plan requires the offeror to describe their approach

Section M – Evaluation Instructions

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Department clarify what is meant by a deficiency plan?

NCF 4 QC 3 Deficiency Plan.

to addressing deficiencies in service to ensure there is no break in service. This could be contingencies in place to ensure a backup when a confirmed interpreter becomes available to fulfill the requirement. This could also include a mentoring opportunity that was provided to ensure interpreters have the skills to be available for a specific customer. The demonstration should come from three experiences of how the Offeror has implemented a plan during previous work to ensure effective services. We have removed the requirement to provide a previous plan. Provide a deficiency plan that addresses how the Offeror will address deficiencies that ensures there are no breaks in service.

51. The solicitation states that the State Department intends to award up to 3 vendors. How does the State Department plan to divide the work? Will the award vendors have to compete for calls?

(Technical p. 64)

See response to Q&A number 8 of this set.

52. Vendors will need to have an idea of the number of hours of work they will be doing in order to provide the best possible volume pricing. Can the State Department clarify the volume of work that will be provided to each vendor? (Technical 64)

The forecast cannot be provided, however the past statistics are provided in other responses to this Q&A set.

N/A

53. With the economy being in the current state of inflation, will State Dept allow for annual escalators?

(Attachment D – Price Schedule)

Price escalation is allowable if necessary. See amended price schedule.

Price Schedule

54. There are CLINs for each area/region in which the interpreter services may be needed. The solicitation (Requirements, page 8, subsection number 5.) makes reference to requests that may be made

The Price Schedule is updated. PWS Invoicing addresses Appendix D and the revised Price Schedule.

Page - 14 with less than 24 hours’ notice. However, we do not see any CLINs for last-minute or late notice interpreter requests. Will the government allow vendors to modify the Attachment D spreadsheet to reflect last-minute or late notice rates?

55. Will the government allow vendors to modify the Attachment D spreadsheet to reflect last-minute or late notice CART rates?

(Pricing p.8)

We will add the line item for less than 24 hour requests to the Attachment D spreadsheet.

Price Schedule

56. There are CLINs for interpreters who can perform International Sign (IS) Language. In the solicitation there is reference made to IS interpreters. Will the government allow vendors to modify the Attachment D spreadsheet to reflect last-minute or late notice IS language rates?

We will add the CLIN for less than 24-hour requests to the Attachment D spreadsheet.

Price Schedule

57. In the solicitation, it appears there is a need for CART internationally. However, there are no CLINs for CART internationally as well as for late-notice requests for CART while on TDY. Will the government allow vendors to modify the Attachment D spreadsheet to reflect CART internationally provided as well as for any last-minute or late notice CART requests provided internationally?

Attachment D is revised. Price Schedule

58. Are vendors to multiply the full number of hours by the unclassified rate and then again by the classified rate?

The Price Schedule is amended. The formulas are pre-populated. Complete the price schedule without editing the formula in accordance with Section L.

Price Schedule

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59. Who is the incumbent provider, if there is one, please provide contract number and total contract value?

See Q&A response number 30 of this set. N/A

60. Were there any problems with the incumbent provider?

Performance Assessments are documented by the Government in CPARS.

N/A

61. Will it definitely be multiple award? If so, how will the work be divided?

The intent is multiple award. Also, see Q&A response number 51 of this set.

N/A

62. Page 10 (under Hours): “The program office will consider interpreting teams in accordance with the Teaming Practices section.” Industry standard is to provide two interpreters for assignments lasting more than 1.5-2 hours. Will this standard be observed by DOS?

The DOS Sign Language Interpreting team are experts in Interpreting and scheduling. Requests will be submitted with the required number of interpreters taking into consideration length of assignment, complexity and other environmental factors that would determine if a team is required.

N/A

63. Will cleared CDIs be needed? We have not yet experienced any requirement for cleared CDIs.

N/A

64. To confirm: Time & Attendance files are only required for OCONUS assignments?

Time and Attendance files are not required at all. The invoice will serve as the time and attendance.

N/A

65. Is the monthly progress report (pg. 19) separate from the monthly performance report (pg. 16-17)?

Monthly performance reports reflect the work that has been rendered as directed on PWS p. 14.

Section F-003 – Monthly Progress report is removed.

Specifications are in PWS page 14.

Section F-003 is removed.

66. The On-Ramping section indicates that each task order will be competed under this contract.

How are these task orders going to be divided?

Is pricing the biggest or only factor for individual task orders?

See response to Q&A number 8 of this set.