2017_2nd_set_Questions_and_Answers_Transcription_Services.docx

RFP 2017-N-18130 entitled "Transcription/Court Reporting Services": Questions and Answers #2

1. In view of the requirement that all verbatim transcripts delivered under this award must be in 508 compliance, what additional funding is provided to the performing vendor as compensation for the additional time and effort required in the production of this more advanced version of a typical court reporter transcript product? TK: 508 compliance should not consume significant time for text-based documents such as these Board transcripts, which do not contain any tables, graphs, or other non-text elements requiring textual translation/interpretation. CDC has not budgeted additional funds for meeting this requirement and will rely on offeror competition to render offers that reasonably reflect this condition.

1. With regard to travel to the locations where meeting sessions are anticipated to be held, is the travel cost amount CLIN entered by the bidder considered to be the maximum overall ceiling travel expense [year by year], or will CDC/NIOSH pay outright the full CLIN proposed amount, or will CDC/NIOSH allow for additional expense [consistent with the FTR] that a successful awardee/contractor actually incurs in the fulfillment of all assignments at all proposed locations? DF: As stated in Section C of RFP under Travel Requirement: All travel costs will be paid on a cost reimbursement basis for actual travel costs incurred.

1. With regard to travel, is authorized travel expense based on costs to-and-from CDC headquarters in Atlanta to proposed meeting sites, or from the actual home HQ of the successful/awardee contractor? DF: Travel cost should be based on where the reporters are traveling from.

1. In view of the high degree of scientific, technical and medical complexity of language and concepts covered in these meetings, to what extent will the award review process require demonstrable successful past performance experience for each reporter, transcriptionist and any other staff member involved in the production of these verbatim transcripts? The offerors demonstrated ability to accurately and reliably transcribe the technical content covered by this requirement will be a factor in the evaluation of offers.

1. In view of your reference in the last paragraph on page 14 of 53, regarding Health Physics, how critical is it that a prospective vendor demonstrate that all staff working on these transcripts possess experience and familiarity at a high level with the subject matter of health physics? The court reporters experience transcribing the technical content addressed in the RFP will be a factor in the evaluation of the offers.

1. If the transcript length produced for any meeting exceeds the amount anticipated as described in the footnote reference on page 11, Section B, what provision is there for a court reporter to be compensated for producing more work product than budgeted? Individual meetings vary substantially in length. Offerors are encouraged to review a sample of transcripts, all of which are posted on the NIOSH website under the meetings pages (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas/pubmtgs.html) to derive a reasonable estimate of average transcript length for full board in-person meetings, work group meeting, teleconferences, etc. Offerors should consider meetings within the past 2 years as reasonably representative of current meeting lengths, as meetings have generally become more efficient over the course of the Board’s history.

1. Is the total evaluated price for each bidder in the competitive process the sum total of ALL CLINS including BOTH primary as well as “optional” CLINS [0001-4006-01] for every year in the contract award? DF: Yes

1. What error rate, on a percentage basis, is permissible on these transcripts?

1. Are there penalties for the following errors:

0. Incorrect attribution or confused attribution of speakers?

0. Incorrect spellings of highly technical nuclear/medical/scientific terms?

0. The reporter mishears a highly scientific/technical term and puts down the incorrect word (e.g. nitrate instead of nitrite)?

0. Due to the length and complexity of these highly scientific sessions the transcript has not been adequately proofread and reviewed within the 30 day delivery period and therefore is delivered late?

There are no penalties applied to individual incidents of errors. However, if the contractor is unable to perform accurate and complete transcriptions within required timeframes per the requirement, the contract will be terminated after due process.

1. How important is it that during the final review process, in order to achieve the extremely high level of accuracy expected by the Agency, that more than one set of eyes reviews the material before it is delivered? This is a performance-based requirement. CDC has no process requirements for the generation of accurate and complete transcripts.

1. Is there a grace period after the initial award while the vendor learns all of the speakers, their voices and the large amount of highly technical terms used in the meetings? There is no grace period for performing to the requirement. The Board always endeavors with new court reporters to ensure speakers self-identify as necessary and it is incumbent on the court reporter to ensure she or he knows who is speaking and obtains the technical terms, names, etc., with which she or he is unfamiliar during the meeting or immediately following. It will not be acceptable to assign a court reporter clearly unfamiliar with the technical content addressed by the Board.

1. When meetings are held on over the phone is the vendor required to correctly identify all the speakers? Yes Speakers self-identify whenever necessary.

1. During face-to-face meetings are there also people participating by telephone? If so, is the vendor required to correctly identify all these speakers? Yes, speakers self-identify whenever necessary.

1. How should the reporter at the meeting handle instances of participants talking over one another? Can the reporter interrupt the meeting to clarify who is speaking? By requesting the participants to take turns speaking. Yes.

1. We understand that an audio system is provided at the various venues – what recourse does the reporter have when the quality of the audio system does not meet the level of performance required to ensure that the quality of the recording is sufficient to produce a transcript at the very high level of accuracy required by the Agency? If the audio system makes some discussion inaudible, this is recorded accordingly by the court reporter.

1. How should the reporter handle instances where people participating by telephone are difficult to hear/record and therefore their remarks may not be accurate and/or complete in the final transcript? See response to 15.

1. Will we be provided with contractor papers to enable us to get government hotel and airfare rates? DF: Yes, the Contracting office can provide a letter stating the vendor is performing services for the government.

1. Will we be able to use the services of a government travel agency contractor? DF: No