36C24718Q0480-00001001.docx

Questions and Answers RFQ 36C24718Q0480

1. Q: It is common industry practice to pay the court reporter a cancellation fee when a client cancels a job within 24-hours. Will the Government modify the Price/Cost Schedule and add a CLIN to include a cancellation fee?

A: No

2. Q: Reference RFQ pg. 5-6, (PWS ¶ 1.3.3): Please clarify and expand about the types of jobs contemplated for the "Other" category, e.g., depositions, arbitrations, etc.

A: At the discretion of an Facility Executive Leader, a Formal Fact Finding may require the services of a court reporter; quantity per year – 2 per year (less or more).

3. Q: Reference RFQ pg. 6 (PWS ¶ 1.3.4), please advise how much notice will be given to the contractor of the need for a court reporter for the "short notice" required for an AIB.

A: Administrative Investigation Boards are scheduled in advance; on rare occasions transcription services may be needed within 48-72 hours.

4. Q: Reference RFQ pg. 8-9 (PWS ¶ 1.4.9): We request the Government remove this requirement or modify the RFQ to include pricing in the Price/Cost Schedule for jobs in locations outside of the VA Medical Center.

A: Most services will be provided at the VA Medical Center main campuses in Montgomery, AL and/or Tuskegee, AL. in a conference room setting. Only on a rare occasion, if it is necessary for an investigation or hearing be held at a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) or another location as determined by the Government.

5. Q: The VA Medical Center is more than 90 miles and one-hour and thirty-minutes from the CBOCs listed. Moreover, one CBOC is located in Georgia. In addition, the Government does not include Wage Determinations (WD) for the CBOC locations or provide a CLIN for the contractor to recover costs, i.e., travel costs and appearance fees, if necessary. We request the Government to remove this requirement or modify it and the RFQ to include WD and other FAR provisions.

A; Solicitation revised to state Tuskegee/Montgomery Al areas only.

6. Q: Under what authority can the Government reserve the right to add additional CBOCs to this RFQ without an ability for the contractor to recover costs? Would the Government consider clarifying this requirement and include commensurate responsibilities for the Government?

A: Solicitation revised to state Tuskegee/Montgomery Al areas only.

7. Q: This restriction appears to be overly restrictive and open the contractor to liability for discriminatory hiring practices. Does this RFQ include recording national security information? If not, under what authority can the Government restrict the contractor from employing certified court reporters who may not be "American Citizens," but able to work lawfully in the United States?

A: It appears to address the Veterans Administration security regulations which apply to all employees, permanent, part-time, contract, student, etc. Security regulations does not discriminate against age, race, gender, or ethnicity.

8. Q: Does the Government require certified final transcripts within 3-5 business days in order to meet the deliverables timeline, or will draft transcripts suffice in this timeframe, with final electronic versions delivered within the industry standard of 10 days of the proceeding, and receipt of the final hard copy as soon as possible, with standard shipping?

A; The Government requires the certified final transcripts (hard copy and electronic copy) to be returned within 5 business days in order to meet the deliverables timeline; no draft will suffice for the timeframe.

Revised PWS ¶ 5.7.1-3

5.7.1. The Administrative Investigation Boards have an established timeframe for completion of 45 calendar days of the date the AIB is convened; whereby sworn or affirmed testimony is obtained by a team charged with investigating a particular issue or event. Transcribed testimony must be returned to the Team Leader within 5 business days of each testimony in order for the deadline to be met.

5.7.2. EEO Hearings are conducted by a judge. Transcribed testimony must be returned to the Team Leader within 5 business days of each testimony in order for the deadline to be met.

5.7.3. MSPB processes rarely exceed 5 days. Transcribed testimony must be returned to the Team Leader within 5 business days of each testimony in order for the deadline to be met.

9. Q: To comply with Federal privacy laws and VA regulations, our Government clients Q: require delivery of electronic transcripts via HIPAA-certified, secure web portal. Email delivery is less secure. For this contract, would the Government consider requiring the contractor to deliver the transcripts via secure web portal?

A: Defer to SOW 10.

Q: Can the Government provide an estimate as to how many proceedings or days of testimony would be required at each of the listed CBOC locations?

A: With is the past year, only one investigation required the proceeding to be performed at a CBOC location for two days of testimony.

11. Q: The Price/Cost Schedule (RFQ B.3) does not provide the contractor a line number by which to recover expenses to scan, print, and process exhibits. Would the Government consider modifying the Price/Cost Schedule to allow offerors to recover these costs? If not, would the Government explain its decision not to separate these costs typical to the court reporting industry?

A: Court reporter transcription services for the Government usually only require transcribing testimonies and providing the Government a hard copy (print) paper format transcript and an electronic word document transcript. The VA appointed investigation team members are responsible to compiling and processing exhibits; this is not an expected responsibility of the court reporter/transcription service. For the interested bidder, at what point is scanning necessary; printing is the per page cost for each transcript.

12. Q: Please clarify what is meant by "transcribed paper copies and electronic via e-mail upon request (no digital, etc.)..." when the Government's Price/Cost schedule specifically requires one hard copy transcript and one electronic copy per interviewee.

A: Transcribed one hard paper copy of each transcript and transcribed one electronic word document of each transcript (no thumb drive or disc stored documents)” are delivered as stated in paragraph 5.7

13. Q: To develop pricing for the additional WDs, would the Government consider extending the deadline for receipt of quotations for one week.

A: Montgomery/Tuskegee Area only.