Qs and As -Solicitation 19GE5026Q0075.pdf

Questions and Answers

19GE5026Q0075

Language Assistance Services for the US Embassy Jerusalem

Q1. Attachment 2 - Health and Immunizations:

Regarding the requirement for a monthly nine-panel drug test in Jericho, will the U.S. Government please clarify if both the specific panel composition and the monthly frequency are mandatory? Given the localized operational constraints in Jericho, please confirm whether a modified testing schedule or alternative screening method is acceptable to achieve the US Government's (USG) objectives. Furthermore, the SOW states that “All costs related to medical and dental examinations, drug tests, immunizations, and prevention measures are billable”, can the USG confirm which CLIN they are billable under and does this include the labor hours incurred by staff personnel?

A1. Regarding panel composition and monthly frequency of drug testing, yes, the testing is mandatory, with the panel composition is outlined in the SOW. The Government is willing to consider an alternative testing schedule, which is now set every 90 days. The cost shall be factored in the FFP CLIN for Equipment, Materials, and In-Country Operational Support. Hours involved with drug testing shall be considered labor hours for staff personnel.

Q2. Regarding Attachment 2, Section 4, which outlines the Place of Performance:

Could you please confirm whether an office space located in Ramallah would be considered an acceptable and compliant location for the proposed In- Country Office?

A2. Jericho is the location for the bulk of interpretation services demands for training, and many projects that this contract will support are located in Jericho.

Jericho also allows easier movement (compared to going into and leaving Ramallah) and a safer location (given the recent missiles barrages). INL’s concern is that an office in Ramallah will result in increased local transportation costs, notably staff travelling constantly between Ramallah and Jericho; whereas a Jericho office would alleviate those local transport costs. INL will consider a Ramallah office proposal, but the submitted quote shall have to demonstrate that a Ramallah office is as cost effective as a Jericho office that closer to the bulk of the language service demands.

Q3. Interpretation hours billing unit (Attachment 1, CLINs x001.1 and x001.5; SOW §5).

The SOW requires simultaneous interpretation to be delivered by teams of at least two, preferably three, interpreters. Please confirm whether the estimated quantities for Interpretation Services (7,200 hours) and Team Lead – Interpreters (1,440 hours) represent per-interpreter labor hours (i.e., a two-interpreter, four-hour event consumes eight billable hours) or per-event hours (the same event consumes four billable hours regardless of team size). This distinction materially affects the proposed hourly rates.

A3. The number of labor hours are calculated from all estimated personnel working a full-time, 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year in the defined positions, using the suggested number of interpreters identified within and for this solicitation (5 interpreters, 1 interpreter Team Lead). If demand is higher, the contract has the flexibility to add more staff as needed. The Government recommends a three-person simultaneous interpretation because interpreters doing simultaneous interpretation quickly tire and the interpretation quality goes down after 45-60 minutes. Moreover, the training courses often number 30 students, regularly break into small groups and several sessions have multiple instructors conducting practical instruction individually at the same time.

Q4. Office Support Staff basis (Attachment 1, CLIN x001.4; SOW §5).

The SOW lists Office Support Staff as "TBD." For bid purposes, should offerors price the monthly FFP unit assuming one (1) office support position, or does the Government intend a different headcount assumption?

A4. Existing, active INL projects generally have a support staff of three or four individuals, including an accountant, logistics coordinator, M&E assistant, and sometimes an office manager. For this solicitation, please use _three (3)_ support staff for submitted applications, including pricing proposal.

Q5. Team Lead relationship to linguist projection (SOW §5).

Please confirm whether the Team Leads (Interpreters and Translators) are drawn from within the projected six (6) interpreters and five (5) translators, or are in addition to those projections.

A5. The Team Lead positions shall be drawn from the solicitation’s projection of six (6) interpreters and five (5) translators.

Q6. Housing scope (Attachment 1, CLIN x003; SOW, Housing).

The SOW requires housing in Jericho for U.S. citizen and third-country national staff who are not residents of the West Bank. For bid purposes, may offerors whose staffing model recruits interpreters, translators, and support staff locally assume housing is priced only for non-resident key personnel (e.g., the In-Country Project Manager, if a TCN)?

A6. Yes, anticipated housing costs are only for U.S. citizen and third-country national staff who are not residents of the West Bank. The Housing section does not apply to locally recruited staff.

Q7. Interpretation and translation equipment (SOW §§1, 10; Property Management).

The SOW states that all items purchased under the contract are USG property. Please confirm whether interpretation equipment (booths, transmitters, headsets) and translation workstations must be purchased under the contract (becoming USG property), or whether contractor-owned or leased equipment is acceptable, with only consumables purchased under the contract.

A7. Contractor-owned property is acceptable. The Government has removed the referenced sentence from the SOW. The selected applicant shall provide all necessary equipment for successful, effective implementation of this project.

Q8. Past performance references (Solicitation, Volume II, Section 2).

The solicitation permits newly formed entities and joint ventures to provide past performance of predecessor companies or JV partners. Please confirm that an offeror may likewise submit the past performance of a proposed subcontractor/teaming partner toward the minimum of three comparable projects, provided the relationship is clearly identified.

A8. Yes, that is acceptable.

Q9. MRPT processing (SOW §§5, 8).

Please confirm that the Government sponsors and adjudicates Moderate Risk Public Trust certifications for contractor personnel after award, and that interim MRPT determinations are anticipated in time to support the September 2026 performance start.

A9. The Government has removed the MRPT requirement from Section 8 and posted a revised SOW.

Q10. IDIQ maximum ceiling (SOW §3).

The maximum cumulative value of all task orders is stated as "to be defined at time of award." To support responsible capacity and pricing decisions, can the Government share the anticipated ceiling value or range?

A10. The Government currently anticipates the ceiling to be roughly $5.0 million, but anticipated demands and regional dynamics make it difficult at this time to define with confidence a ceiling.

Q11. VAT exemption mechanics (SOW §3, VAT).

Please confirm the anticipated timeline after award for issuance of the INL– PA VAT exemption letter and advise whether any exemption mechanism exists for Israeli VAT on Israel-side purchases, or whether such amounts should be assumed unavoidable for CLIN x006 purposes.

A11. INL has an agreement with the Palestinian Authority for VAT exemption and provides contractors with a copy of the VAT exemption to facilitate their work and permit the issuance of zero VAT invoices. INL does not have a VAT agreement with Israel; however, the INL office at the Embassy can request VAT refund if the procurement of goods or services is done directly between the Embassy and the supplier in Israel.

Q12. Volume II format (Solicitation, Section VI).

Please confirm whether any page limits, font, or formatting constraints apply to Volume II – Technical Quotation, including key personnel resumes.

A12. Resumes shall not exceed 3 pages. The total package for Volume II – Technical Quotation shall not exceed 100 pages and shall include a Title Page, Table of Contents, and Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms. Resumes do not factor into the 100-page limit.

Regarding Pages, Fonts, and Formatting, a page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. When both sides of a sheet display printed material, it shall be counted as two pages. Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches, not including foldouts. Pages shall be single spaced between each line, with 1.5 spacing between each paragraph. The font type/text size shall be Times New Roman, no less than 12-point size. Tracking, kerning, and leading values shall not be changed from the default values of the word processing or page layout software.

Use at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom and ¾-inch side margins. Pages shall be numbered sequentially by volume. Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures shall be used wherever practical to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc. These displays shall be uncomplicated, legible, and shall not exceed 11 by 17 inches in size. Foldout pages shall fold entirely within the volume, and count as a single page. Foldout pages may only be used for large tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and schematics not for pages of text. For tables, charts, graphs and figures, the text shall be no smaller than 10-point size. Page numbering schemes that are difficult to track are not acceptable. The numbering scheme must be included in the footer of each page.

Include the following information on the header of each page: Name of the Offeror, proposal date, and solicitation number. Headers and footers are allowed in the margins, and their font size can be no smaller than 10-point size.

Q13. Dedication requirement vs. Labor-Hour billing (SOW §5).

The SOW requires all personnel except the U.S.-Based Program Manager and Financial Officer to work 100 percent of their time on this contract, yet interpreters and translators are compensated through Labor-Hour CLINs tied to tasked events and documents. Please confirm how offerors should reconcile these provisions: are the six interpreters and five translators required to be full-time dedicated employees (with non-billable time between events borne by the contractor), or may they be engaged and compensated only for hours actually ordered and worked?

A13. The Labor-Hour CLINs anticipate that all West Bank-based staff will be full-time dedicated employees working 40 hours per week.

Q14. Full staffing at performance start (SOW §5; Schedule D.2).

Please confirm whether all projected positions — six interpreters, five translators, Team Leads, and office support — must be recruited, vetted, and available at the September 2026 performance start, or whether linguist staffing may ramp in accordance with the scope and volume of issued task orders.

A14. All positions shall be recruited and available at performance start. The Government is willing to allow performance with an interim clearance, while vetting continues. Please note that RAM vetting generally takes two-three weeks.

Q15. Productive-hours basis for estimates (Attachment 1).

Do the estimated annual quantities (7,200 interpretation hours; 5,760 translation hours; 1,440 hours per Team Lead) reflect a Government assumption of productive hours per position per year (e.g., 1,920), or historical demand under the predecessor effort? If historical, can the Government share the prior year's actual interpretation and translation volumes?

A15. The estimated annual quantities reflect the Government’s assumption of productive hours per position per year. If demand for language services is higher, the contract allows for hiring of additional staff.

Q16. Anticipated event tempo and concurrency (SOW §§1, 4).

To size staffing and equipment correctly, can the Government provide planning factors for the anticipated level of support — e.g., the typical number of concurrent training courses or events per month, typical course duration and daily interpretation hours, and the expected distribution of events across West Bank venues (Jerusalem/Ramallah/Jericho/CTI) versus Jordan venues (JIPTC/KASOTC)?

A16. Over the past six (6) months, demand for interpretation and translation services has been the following. The numbers reflect the average number of requests in each category for a 30-day period.

o Documents – 20-25 docs 75-80% are multi-page (4-5) docs.

o Reports – 7 reports, most are 10 or more pages.

o Articles – 4-5 articles, most are scholarly or trade periodicals o Videos – 2-3 videos o Meetings – 30 -35 meetings, usually ranging from 45-90 minutes, with some being longer.

o 2 Training courses – each course runs for 8 weeks at 8 hours a day plus lunch and breaks. The courses run six (6) weeks in Jericho and two (2) weeks in Jordan. These courses often break into small groups and at times, separate into individualized training with multiple instructors handling a small set of trainees.

Q17. Hebrew and occasional-language staffing (SOW §§1, 5).

Given that Hebrew requests are described as rare and French/Italian as occasional, please confirm whether any of the six projected interpreter positions or five translator positions must be Hebrew-qualified as dedicated staff, or whether Hebrew, French, and Italian requirements may be satisfied through qualified on-call/surge linguists as requests arise.

A17. The Government has revised the Statement of Work to note that it needs Hebrew interpretation and translation services regularly. Given this regular frequency, the contractor shall plan a dedicated staff fluent in Hebrew for interpretation and translation skills. French and Italian, or other requested language requirements may be satisfied by qualified on-call / surge linguists.

Q18. U.S.-Based PM and Financial Officer level of effort (SOW §5).

The SOW designates the U.S.-Based Program Manager and Financial Officer as 50 percent positions but notes they "can be adjusted if necessary" after award. Please confirm that offerors should price both positions at a fixed 50 percent level of effort for all three periods, and that any post-award adjustment would be handled by contract modification.

A18. Offerors shall price the U.S.-Based Program Manager and Financial Officer positions at 50 percent time. Should it be determined that one or both positions should be three-quarters (75 percent) or full-time (100 percent), the Government will handled this by contract modification post-award.

Q19. After-hours and overtime treatment (SOW §5; FAR 52.212-4 Alt I).

The SOW anticipates occasional work outside regular business hours and on non-scheduled days. Please confirm whether such hours are billed at the same fixed fully burdened Labor-Hour rates, or whether offerors should propose separate overtime rates in Attachment 1.

A19. Offerors shall bill work outside regular business hours or on non-scheduled days at the same fixed fully-burdened Labor-Hour rates. Moreover, given that some work may result in overtime or occur on local and U.S. holidays, Offerors are reminded that, based on Article 71 and 72 of the Palestinian labor law #7, issues in 2000, the Overtime rate is calculated 150 percent of the regular rate, and according to the labor law, the employee cannot work more than 12 hours per day and total extra hours should not exceed 12 hours per week.

Q20. Resume Submission Requirements: Number of Required Resumes.

Volume II instructs offerors to identify Key Personnel and provide resumes demonstrating relevant experience, qualifications, and language proficiency.

The SOW states that all positions except Office Support Staff are Key Personnel and, for bid application purposes, instructs Offerors to project 6 interpreters and 5 translators. Please confirm that a compliant quotation must include resumes for the following 14 individuals: 1 In-Country Project Manager, 1 U.S.-Based Program Manager, 1 U.S.-Based Financial Officer, 6 Interpreters, and 5 Translators.

A20. Yes, the Offeror shall provide a resume for each of the defined Key Personnel in their submitted quotation.

Q21. Team Lead Resume Treatment.

Attachment 1 includes separate CLINs for Team Lead – Interpreters and Team Lead – Translators. May the Team Lead – Interpreters be one of the six proposed interpreter resumes and the Team Lead – Translators be one of the five proposed translator resumes, or must offerors submit separate additional resumes for the two Team Lead positions?

A21. The Team Leads may be one of the six (6) interpreters and one of the five

(5) translators. There is no need to separate additional resumes for the Team Lead positions.

Q22. Office Support Staff Resume.

The SOW states that Office Support Staff is not Key Personnel. Please confirm that a resume for Office Support Staff is not required at quotation submission, unless voluntarily provided by the offeror.

A22. Resumes for Office Support staff are not required, although they may be voluntarily provided by the Offeror.

Q23. Named Personnel Versus Position Descriptions.

If an offeror has not finalized all interpreter and translator candidates by the quotation due date, may the offeror submit representative position descriptions and a staffing/recruitment plan, or must all 6 interpreter and 5 translator resumes be for named individuals at the time of quotation submission?

A23. Offerors are not required to have all interpreter and translator position candidates finalized. It is strongly recommended that at least two (2) or (3) of the resumes for interpreters and at least two (2) of the resumes for translators be from named individuals. For the remaining positions, a staffing/recruitment plan with representative position descriptions is acceptable. The Government recommends that offeror submits resumes from named individuals for all or most Key Personnel may be rated higher than those with only a couple of resumes from named individuals.

Q24. Resume Format and Length.

Does the Government require a specific resume format, page limit, or qualification crosswalk for Key Personnel resumes?

A24. As noted in the Question 12’s Answer resumes shall be no longer than three pages. Experience and qualification shall directly crosswalk to the Key Personnel position. Format and font shall follow those defined in the Government’s response to Question 12 “Volume II Format.”

Q25. Substitution After Award.

If a proposed Key Personnel candidate becomes unavailable after quotation submission or before award, what substitution process will apply, and will substitutions before award affect evaluation?

A25. The Government recognizes that Key Personnel candidates accept other positions or make other choices in the period between quotation submission and award selection. The substitution process is the same as replacing Key Personnel members during the contract performance: 1) Notify the CO and COR within 48 hours of receipt of the resignation or decline of officer, and 2) submit a resume for the new candidate to replace that person. Substitutions before aware will not affect evaluation; however, if 50 percent or more of Key Personnel candidates are substituted before award, then it suggests the offeror may have misrepresented their ability to staff the contract and/or to staff with personnel of the required qualifications.

Q26. Key Personnel Qualifications and Vetting. Moderate Risk Public Trust Applicability.

The SOW includes vetting and suitability requirements. Please confirm which categories of personnel require Moderate Risk Public Trust versus local/RSO vetting, specifically for U.S. citizens, third-country nationals, Israeli nationals, and Palestinian local nationals.

A26. The Government has removed the MRPT requirement from Section 8 and posted a revised SOW. The Government notes that all contract staff, whether Key Personnel or not, must undergo RAM (counter-terrorism) vetting.

Q27. Timing of Vetting Completion.

Must Key Personnel have completed all required vetting prior to quotation submission, prior to award, or prior to performance?

A27. Key Personnel generally shall have all required vetting completed prior to performance. The Government shall allow those with an interim clearance to perform work.

Q28. Medical Certification Timing.

The SOW requires medical certifications and health-related readiness controls for Key Personnel. Are medical certifications required with the quotation, within a specified period after award, or prior to deployment/performance?

A28. Medical certifications are not required with the quotation. The selected Offeror shall begin arranging and conducting medical certification and health-related readiness controls for Key Personnel and other staff after the award is issued. The exception is U.S. or third-country citizens. As the Statement of Work notes in the Health and Immunization section, “[t]the Contractor shall ensure that none of the designated Key Personnel has any medical (including dental) condition that will require medical or specialized care that cannot be managed in the West Bank, such as conditions that require the frequent care of a medical specialist or the frequent provision of medical supplies. The Contractor shall also ensure that none of the designated Key Personnel has any medical condition that will require follow-up care more frequently than quarterly or that require constant and regular electricity (for storage of medications, operation of a machine, or similar purposes).”

Q29. Drug Testing Timing and Evidence.

The SOW requires monthly nine-panel drug testing for Key Personnel. Should offerors submit a drug testing plan only, or is any evidence of testing required with the quotation?

A29. The Offeror shall submit a drug-testing plan, but no evidence of drug testing is required with the quotation.

Q30. Language Proficiency Evidence.

Please confirm what documentation is acceptable to demonstrate language proficiency for interpreters and translators, including whether ATA certification, court interpreter/translator certification, university accreditation, FSI-equivalent testing, or other recognized language assessments are acceptable.

A30. The Minimum Qualifications sub-section of the Interpreters and Translators section outlines the requirements. ATA certification, court interpreter / translator certification, university accreditation, FSI-equivalent testing, or other recognized language assessments are acceptable. University accreditation for teaching a foreign language is very helpful. University credit for taking foreign language courses suggests a measure of proficiency but if listed as the sole demonstration of qualification in the proficiency of a certain language, university credits are a less effective demonstration of meeting the minimum qualifications.

Q31. Hebrew Capability.

The SOW identifies English/Arabic as the primary language pair and Hebrew as a rare request. Must offerors include dedicated Hebrew-capable personnel among the 6 interpreter and 5 translator resumes, or may Hebrew support be provided through reach-back/additional personnel when requested by the

COR?

A31. Please see the response to Question 17 “Hebrew and Occasional Language Staffing.”

Q32. 3. Staffing and Level of Effort:

Projected Interpreter and Translator Quantities. The SOW states that, for bid application purposes, offerors should project 6 interpreters and 5 translators.

Please confirm whether these quantities are evaluation assumptions only, minimum staffing levels, or required named personnel counts for quotation submission.

A32. The projected six (6) interpreters and five (5) translators is the anticipated staffing level for performance beginning in September 2026. Please see the Government’s response to Question 16 on current work demands. Also, please see the Government's response to Question 25 “Substitution After Award.”

Q33. Full-Time Requirement for Interpreters and Translators.

The SOW states that all personnel identified in the staffing table must work 100 percent of their time on the contract, except the U.S.-Based Program Manager and U.S.-Based Financial Officer. Please confirm whether all 6 interpreters and all 5 translators must be proposed as 100 percent dedicated personnel.

A33. Yes, it is anticipated that all six (6) interpreters and all five (5) translators will work 100 percent of their time on the contract. Please see the Government’s response to Question 13 “Dedication requirement vs. Labor-Hour billing.”

Q34. Additional Interpreters/Translators.

If demand increases, the SOW states that INL may request additional interpreters and/or translators. Should offerors include a bench or surge staffing plan in Volume II, and will propose surge depth be evaluated?

A34. Offerors are not/not required to include a bench or surge staffing plan. The technical review panel will not evaluate proposed surge depth.

Q35. Work Schedule Coverage.

Please confirm whether interpreter and translator staffing should be priced based on the estimated annual hours in Attachment 1 only, or whether offerors should assume full-time availability for the projected staff regardless of estimated usage.

A35. For the quotation, Offerors shall price interpreter and translator staffing on the estimated annual hours in Attachment 1. Please see the Government’s response for Question 19 “After Hours and Overtime Treatment.”

Q36. 4. Technical Approach and Local Operations. Jericho Office Timing.

The SOW requires the Contractor to establish an office in Jericho. Must the offeror have an existing Jericho office at quotation submission, or is a post-award mobilization plan acceptable?

A36. Establishing an office in Jericho as part of a post-award mobilization plan is acceptable. The offeror shall be able to clearly demonstrate his capability of establishing an office upon award as required in their Technical Offer.

Q37. Office and Housing Costs.

Please confirm that Jericho office costs, housing for U.S. citizen and third-country national staff, office equipment, utilities, communications, security, and local operational support should be included in the applicable FFP CLINs and not separately reimbursed unless otherwise authorized.

A37. Yes, that is correct. Housing for U.S. citizen and third-country national staff, office equipment, utilities, communications, security, and local operational support should be included in the applicable FFP CLINs and not separately reimbursed unless otherwise authorized.

Q38. Interpretation Equipment.

The SOW requires the Contractor to provide interpretation equipment, including headsets, microphones, booths, speakers, batteries, and technical support. Should offerors include a detailed equipment list in Volume II, and should all equipment costs be included under CLIN 0003/1003/2003?

A38. Yes, Offerors shall provide a detailed equipment list, and all Equipment costs shall be included under CLIN 003/1003/2003.

Q39. Government-Furnished Equipment or Space.

Will the Government provide any office space, interpretation equipment, vehicles, communications equipment, storage, or other Government-furnished property, or should offerors assume contractor-furnished resources for all such needs?

A39. No, the Government shall not provide any Government-furnished property.

Unless the SOW states otherwise, Offerors shall assume that they shall provide all resources for office space, interpretation equipment, vehicles, communications equipment, storage, or other needs.

Q40. 5. Pricing, DBA, VAT, and Travel. DBA Applicability.

The solicitation states that DBA is required for employees who are U.S.

citizens/residents or hired in the United States, and that offerors not subject to DBA shall enter $0.00 with an explanation. Please confirm that if an offeror proposes no U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, or U.S.-hired personnel for overseas performance, entering $0.00 for DBA CLINs with an explanation is compliant.

A40. Yes, if the Offeror proposes no U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, or U.S.-hired personnel for overseas performance, entering $0.00 for DBA CLINs is acceptable.

Q41. DBA for U.S.-Based Personnel.

Please clarify whether DBA applies to the U.S.-Based Program Manager and U.S.-Based Financial Officer if they perform from the United States and do not deploy overseas.

A41. No, DBA applies only for overseas employees.

Q42. VAT Treatment.

The solicitation references an INL agreement with the Palestinian Authority exempting INL from PA VAT. Please confirm whether offerors should enter $0.00 for VAT CLINs if they anticipate no unrecoverable VAT liability and provide a brief explanation in Volume I.

A42. Yes, Offerors should enter $0.00 for VAT CLINs. Please see the Government’s response to Question 11 “VAT Exemption Mechanics.”

Q43. Travel NTE Pricing.

The solicitation states that offerors are not required to propose travel costs and that travel will be evaluated at the stated NTE ceiling of $22,000 per year.

Please confirm that offerors should enter the stated NTE amount for CLINs 0004, 1004, and 2004 and should not propose a different amount.

A43. Yes, Offerors may enter the ceiling of $22,000 for CLINs 0004/1004/2004.

There is no need to propose a different amount. Entering the ceiling of $22,000 will not impact the evaluation.

Q44. Travel Cost Segregation.

Please confirm that authorized travel costs should not be included in LH rates or FFP CLINs, except for local daily commuting costs and travel/evacuation insurance where the SOW states those costs belong in the FFP CLINs.

A44. No, authorized travel costs should not be included in Labor Hour rates or FFP CLINs. Local daily commuting costs and travel/evacuation insurance shall be included where the SOW states those costs belong.

Q45. Currency and Exchange Rate.

Should all pricing be submitted in U.S. Dollars only, and should offerors assume no price adjustment for currency exchange fluctuations during performance?

A45. Yes, all pricing shall be in U.S. dollars. No price adjustments will be justified for currency exchange fluctuations in the quotations.

Q46. 6. Submission and Volume Compliance. File Naming Convention.

Does the Government have a required file naming convention for the quotation volumes, pricing workbook, resumes, and attachments?

A46. The vendor shall follow instructions for the submission of offers. The email subject line containing the offer must read “Quotation 19GE5026Q0075. Volume I and Volume II must be clearly identified and labeled.