36C10D24Q0112 0002.docx
DOCX document 27 KB Posted
- Attached to
- R499--508 Compliant RFI
- Solicitation number
- 36C10D24Q0112
About this file
This document is a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for 508 Compliant Services. The VA is seeking industry input on the viability of a solution to provide 508 compliant correspondence for all VA communications.
The key requirements include: providing a contractor-developed software solution to receive or retrieve letters from the VA's systems, converting the documents to 508 compliant formats such as text or audio, and routing both the original and 508 compliant versions back to the VA's systems for printing, mailing, and other compliant delivery. The VA anticipates processing an estimated 75 letters per day during the base period, with the potential to increase to 75-100 letters per day in subsequent option periods. Responses to the RFI are due by April 22, 2024. The VA is open to any and all available solutions, including those based on generative AI, custom software, or proprietary products.
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| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 36C10D24Q0112 0001.docx | DOCX document | |
| 36C10D24Q0112.docx | DOCX document |
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Text version
Modification to a Previous Notice Modification to a Previous Notice
| SUBJECT* |
| 508 Compliant RFI |
GENERAL INFORMATION
| CONTRACTING OFFICE’S ZIP CODE* |
| 20006 |
| SOLICITATION NUMBER* |
| 36C10D24Q0112 |
BASE NOTICE TYPE
| RESPONSE DATE/TIME/ZONE |
| 04-22-2024 5:00 EASTERN TIME, NEW YORK, USA |
| ARCHIVE |
| 10 DAYS AFTER THE RESPONSE DATE |
| RECOVERY ACT FUNDS |
| N |
SET-ASIDE
| PRODUCT SERVICE CODE* |
| R499 |
| NAICS CODE* |
| 541990 |
| CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS |
| Department of Veterans Affairs |
Veterans Benefits Administration Acquisition Directorate 1800 G Street NW Washington DC 20006
POINT OF CONTACT*
Contract Specialist Lisa Winkler lisa.winkler@va.gov
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
| ADDRESS |
| Department of Veterans Affairs |
Veterans Benefits Administration
Acquisition Division
1800 G Street NW
Washington DC
| POSTAL CODE |
| 20006 |
| COUNTRY |
| US |
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AGENCY’S URL
URL DESCRIPTION
AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS
EMAIL DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
Amendment 0002 to the RFI 36C10D-24-Q-0112 is hereby issued to answer the questions received from the RFI. The submittal date for questions has now closed.
Questions Asked are in Black Font and Government Responses are in Red Font.
| # |
| Reference |
| Question |
| 1 |
| General |
| When does the Government anticipate award of this contract? This RFI is for market research to determine if a solution would fit our needs |
| 2 |
| General |
| Because of the mention of CBCM and VBMS, is the scope limited to Compensation and Pension Letters only? Or will other VBA business lines be included into the scope? No, The are numerous lines of business that use Package Manger to send correspondence some include BVA, VR&E, Comp Svcs. etc… |
| 3 |
| General |
| Is VBMS the only source of documents for 508 Compliance? If not, what are other sources? VBMS and CBCM will only be used for 508 at this time |
| 4 |
| General |
| Would the solution need to convert correspondence to machine readable format? VA is open to any and all available solutions |
| 5 |
| General |
| If legacy documents are in scope, how old are the oldest documents in scope? 10 years, 20+ years? N/A Only relevant going forward |
| 6 |
| General |
| Would correspondence include images (drawings, medical images, diagrams)? Possibly it would be just pay tables |
| 7 |
| General |
| If there are images of text, what portion/percentage of the source documents contain images of text rather than readable text? |
Are images of text static content or could they contain variable content? Correspondence/letters contain static and variable content
| 8 |
| General |
| Can the Government provide a decomposition (number or % percentage) for the anticipated 508 Compliant outputs? For example: |
· What percentage of the 75-100 letters per day will be audio, large print or braille?
· What percentage of the 75-100 letters per day will be WCAG remediated content?
VA can not provide at this time. Braille is irrelevant. Composition would depend on disability whether it is hearing or visual impairment of the individual veteran needing the compliant material
Requirement Section, Page 1, Paragraph 2
Please clarify the metric the Government will use to determine 5% error measure. Vendors technical solution will need to account for measuring, tracking, and reporting to the same metric the Government will use for evaluating compliance to this requirement. VA will use 3rd party vendor to verify errors
| 10 |
| Requirement Section, Page 1, Paragraph 2 |
Paragraph specifies Vendors will need to “maintaining as much of the original formatting integrity of the letter”. How will original integrity be measured or evaluated? VA will use 3rd party vendor to verify content and formatting
| 11 |
| Requirement Section, Page 1, Paragraph 2 |
The RFI references 5-7 calendar days for the conversion of the PDF to a 508 compliant document. What are the various inputs the solution needs to address (digitized, non-digitized, structured, non-structured inputs) VA is exploring all solutions to make things 508 complaint for Veterans needing this service
| 12 |
| Requirement Section, Page 1, Paragraph 2 |
Last sentence states: “Transmit original version and 508 compliant versions back to VBMS/CBCM within 5-7 calendar days following receipt of source letter for printing and mailing, audio conversion, or other process.”
Please clarify what categories of 508 compliant documents might be covered by “other process”. VA is exploring all solutions to make things 508 complaint for Veterans needing this service
13. I was wondering if there was an updated PWS/RFI document that you were able to provide?
No, This is for gathering information to possibly develop a PWS/SOW for a contract
14. The attachment to the subject RFI appears to be blank. Can the Government please provide an updated document?
The document is pulled from our contracts system. All the information pertaining to the RFI is described in the initial post, under Description.
15. Is the Government open to custom software developed specifically for the VA?
The VA is open to any and all available solutions for the RFI.
16. Could you inform me if this is a new requirement or a follow-on to an existing contract? If the latter, could you provide me with the Contractor Name and Contract #?
The RFI is for gathering information for a possible acquisition.
17. Can you tell me if these services are currently being performed by a contractor? If so, could you please provide the incumbents’ name as well as the contract number?
No, We are researching and requesting information on what is available in industry for 508.
18. Who is the current incumbent (if any) related to the sources sought?; What is the incumbent's current project/job/contract number?; Is the agency open to placing the prospective requirement into the 8(a) program?
No incumbent. Not open at this time to placing into an 8(a) program.
19. What file formats, other than PDF, can be retrieved/received from CBCM or VBMS (ex: .pdf, .rtf, .csv, .xml, etc..)? Please list all that apply if I missed any available file format.
PDF is the only available format.
| *= Required Field |
| Modification to a Previous Notice |
Modification to a Previous Notice
File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .