36C24818Q9859-005.docx

36C24818Q9859 Section A COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION RFQ 36C24818Q9859

A.1 General Information

A.2 Contracting Office Address

NCO 8

ATTN: Steven P. Scharlow 10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Bldg. 2 RM 324 Bay Pines, FL 33744

A.3 Description This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 12.6, “Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items,” as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested, and a written solicitation document will not be issued.

This solicitation is a request for quotations (RFQ). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-100 effective 8-22-2018.

The Network Contracting Office 8-SAO East intends to award a fixed-price requirements contract to provide commercial services, providing for all labor, equipment, materials, services, supervision, management and transportation necessary to provide American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation services for the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) in accordance with the below Performance Work Statement (PWS) and attached Price Schedule.

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 541930 - Translation and Interpretation Services, with a small business size standard of $7.5 million.

Set-Aside Requirement: The Government reserves the right to make no award from this solicitation.

A.4 VENDOR QUESTIONS: All questions regarding this RFQ must be in writing and may be sent by e‐mail to steven.scharlow@va.gov. Questions must be received no later than Wednesday 9/19/2018 by 4:00 PM Eastern.

A.5 ANSWERS TO VENDOR QUESTIONS: Answers to vendor questions will be posted on FBO no later than Thursday 9/20/2018 by 4:00 PM Eastern.

A.6 QUOTE SUBMISSION: Offers are due on/or before Wednesday 9/26/2018 by 4:00 PM Eastern. Quotes shall be sent by e‐mail “only” to the Contract Officer (Steven Scharlow) at steven.scharlow@va.gov. The Government will award a Fixed-Price Requirements Contract to provide commercial services resulting from this RFQ to the responsible vendor whose quote is the Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) offer. Please see section E.9 52.212-2 EVALUATION - COMMERCIAL ITEMS (OCT 2014) on page 40 for instructions on Quote Submission.

Table of Contents

A.1 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

Vendors shall complete the attached Price Schedule and submit it with their proposal.

B.2 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

1. General: Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) uses on-site American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services to facilitate communication at events and meetings such as work-related meetings, training sessions, safety talks, discussions on work related procedures, policies and assignments, human resources actions, conferences, team building events and any other event attended by deaf or hard of hearing persons. Additionally, ASL interpreting services shall be provided to patients, their families, and visitors for the offices and agencies associated with the Bay Pines VAHCS. The assignments are primarily performed at the various Bay Pines VAHCS locations outlined below in this Performance Work Statement (PWS).

1.1 Description of Assignments: This is a non-personal service to provide ASL Interpreters for our deaf and hard of hearing employees, patients and their families, along with visitors for the offices and agencies associated with the Bay Pines VAHCS. The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract assignment providers performing the assignments described herein. As employees of the Contractor, such contract assignment providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn shall be responsible to the Government. These services shall be available upon request 365 days a year, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for the Bay Pines VAHCS.

1.2 Locations:

C.W. Bill Young VAMC 10000 Bay Pines Blvd Bay Pines, FL 33744 Bradenton Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 5520 S.R. 64 Bradenton, FL 34208 Palm Harbor Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 35209 US Highway 19 North Palm Harbor, FL 34684 Sarasota Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 5682 Bee Ridge Road, Suite 100 Sarasota, FL 34233 St. Petersburg Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 840 Dr. MLK Jr. Street N St. Petersburg, FL 33705 Lee County VA Healthcare Center 2489 Diplomat Parkway East Cape Coral, FL 33909 Naples Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 800 Goodlette-Frank Road North, Suite 120 Naples, FL 34102 Sebring Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 5901 US Highway 27 South Sebring, FL 33870 Port Charlotte Community-Based Outpatient Clinic 4161 Tamiami Trail, Suite 401 Port Charlotte, FL 33952 Largo Business Office 8550 Ulmerton Road Largo, FL 33771 **Additional facilities may be added based on Bay Pines VA Healthcare System requirements.

2. Objectives: The contractor shall provide on-site coverage for Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees and visitors at various locations on an “as needed” basis during normal working hours, which shall be defined as between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays as well as occasional after-hours work. This will be a requirements type contract.

3. Scope:

3.1. Interpreter Assignment Scheduling

3.1.1. The appointed Contracting Officer Representative (COR) is the main point of contact and deciding authority for all sign language assignments. If the COR, or appointed Alternate COR is out of the office or otherwise not available, then an official representative of the Human Resources (HR) office shall be contacted. Additionally, the assigned Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer will be the succession of personnel that the Contractor may contact for actions concerning the scheduled assignments for the contract.

3.1.2. For all non-urgent business: If the COR and Alternate COR are unavailable, the Contractor shall contact and inform the HR office staff of anything pertaining to sign language interpreting assignments. For urgent business, the Contractor may contact the other personnel designated. All points of contact will be provided at time of award.

3.1.3. Primary means for assignment arrangements is an email generated by the Bay Pines VAHCS SharePoint support request system; however, telephone coordination is also acceptable. All telephone arrangements will be followed up by an email within 2 hours.

3.1.4. When possible, all interpreter assignments will be coordinated a minimum of two (2) business days in advance of assignment request date and time. In order to allow the Contractor maximum opportunity to fill the assignments, all requested assignments known well in advance will be submitted to the Contractor as soon as the COR has determined that contract support will be required.

3.1.5. Prior to 5:00 PM EST the Contractor will provide at least one email acknowledging the receipt of all proposed assignment(s) from the COR that were issued prior to 4:00 PM EST of that same day. Any proposed assignment(s) that were issued after 4:00 PM shall be acknowledged via an e-mail from the Contractor to the COR no later than 10:00 AM the following business day. For clarity, a Contractor may “roll up” multiple requests in one confirmation e-mail at the end of the day. This roll up shall include the number of requests received by the Contractor. It is not necessary to reply to each individual request separately.

3.1.6. If the Contractor does not respond with acknowledgement of receipt of the proposed assignment within allotted time expressed in para 3.1.5, the Government reserves the right to direct the proposed assignment to another Contractor. Note that the Contractor shall provide 50% or more of the services, but shall use fully qualified/pre-approved subcontractors when needed to ensure all assignments are filled. COR shall approve sub-contractors prior to performance of services.

3.1.7. If the Government should submit a request for interpreters with less than two (2) business days advanced notice, the Contractor shall attempt to provide an interpreter from their staff, but the Government understands that the Contractor may not always be able to comply with such requests. The Contractor must notify the Government of its inability to provide a staff interpreter via email as soon as possible, but shall offer fully qualified/pre-approved subcontractors when needed to ensure all assignments are filled. If acceptance of these types of assignments is not made by mutual agreement, the Government reserves the right to pursue alternate means to fulfill the assignment.

3.1.8. If an interpreter assignment is for one and a half hour (1.5) assignment or less in duration, one (1) interpreter for such assignments shall be provided. Interpreters shall receive a 15-minute break after every 45 minutes of interpreting.

3.1.9. Unless it is specifically requested by the COR, all assignments scheduled for longer than one and half hours (1.5), shall have two (2) interpreters assigned to ensure quality and effective communication over the entire duration of the assignment.

3.1.10. If the Contractor believes due to the circumstances surrounding the assignment that more than the number of interpreters authorized above are required to provide adequate interpreter assignment, additional interpreters may be assigned, but only after the Contractor has consulted with and obtained prior approval by email from the COR. The number of additional interpreters provided for any assignment or event shall be kept to the minimum necessary to provide quality and effective assignment.

3.1.11. Contractor shall have a working knowledge of and daily access to email and telephones, and shall be staffed sufficiency during business hours identified in paragraph 3.1.12 below to assign interpreters, and handle scheduling issues as they arise by telephone or email during the day.

3.1.12. Contractor shall be staffed adequately enough between the hours of 8:00 AM thru 5:00 PM of each business working day to receive and answer calls and e-mails for future and short notice interpreter assignments. To facilitate short notice assignment requests within two business days, the Contractor shall provide the COR with one or more of the following: a 24-hour on-call pager(s), cell number(s), e-mail(s), and/or phone number(s) that the Contractor shall either answer immediately or respond to within two hours. Because it is for short notice request(s), if the Contractor chooses to not respond within the two-hour requirement, then the COR may contact another Contractor to attempt to fill the assignment.

3.1.14. Each Wednesday, by 3:00 PM EST, the Contractor shall provide to the COR, via email, verification of assigned interpreters for the upcoming week’s scheduled assignments (The following Monday thru Friday). All requests that were submitted within the last two business days (current week’s Monday and Tuesday) would not have to be included if Contractor is still working those open assignments. However, the Contractor must notify the COR immediately upon knowledge of inability to fill an assignment request; the Contractor shall not wait until 3:00 PM on Wednesdays to inform the COR of such instances so as to allow the COR to attempt to fill the assignment via other options. If any additional assignment requests are added for the following week after the initial report on Wednesday, the Contractor shall provide an updated schedule not later than 1:00 PM) on Friday of the current week. If Contractor scheduling of assignments is not confirmed within the listed time constraints, the Government reserves the right to pursue alternate means to fulfill the assignment.

3.1.15. If more than two weeks advanced notice provided to the Contractor for request for assignments, the Contractor shall include the confirmation of all scheduled interpreters for future assignments in the weekly Wednesday report, not just the following week’s assignments.

Example: If the Contractor is given a request six (6) weeks in advance, the Contractor shall include the “assigned” interpreter for that future assignment in every Wednesday report as a confirmed scheduled interpreter. As stated above, the COR will make a determination for required contract support and provide as much advanced notice to the Contractor as is feasible. Note that session pricing accounts for the time in which notice has been provided to the contractor.

3.2. Business Protocol

3.2.1. The Contractor shall provide their professional portfolio of their services to the COR. The portfolio shall include the names of interpreters that meet the Government’s requirements, a copy of their Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) card. Before any interpreter works at a Bay Pines VAHCS event their professional folio must be sent and reviewed by the COR.

3.2.2. The sign language interpreter(s) certification information shall be kept up to date and current copies of all applicable documents including, but not limited to updated/renewed credentials shall be on file with the Contractor and if needed made available upon request to the Government COR to become part of the official file.

3.2.3. The Contractor and the sign language interpreter(s) shall not act as agents or employees of the Federal Government.

3.2.4. The Contractor and the sign language interpreter(s) shall not discuss personal business; distribute personal business cards or promote themselves or the Contractor while on assignment in order to develop clientele from assignment(s) originating from the Federal Government. This is a conflict of interest and is cause for termination of the agreement.

3.3. Interpreter Qualifications and Requirements

3.3.1. Interpreters provided by the Contractor shall have a minimum of 5 years’ experience proficiently interpreting for Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing employees, customers, or applicants. Contractor shall have interpreters on staff that can use American Sign Language (ASL), Signed English (SE), and Manually Coded English (MCE) to perform interpreting for Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing employees and applicants.

3.3.2. 3.3.2. Certifications for all Contractor supplied interpreters must be obtained from a recognized certifying organization. Contractor will insure all Interpreters are certified and must hold at least one or more of the certifications issued by the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and/or the National Association of the Deaf (NAD).

Certifications for all Contractor supplied interpreters must be obtained from a recognized certifying organization. Certification for interpreters must be RID’s National Interpreter Certification [NIC].

The Contractor’s employeesContractor’s employees and sub-contractors shall abide by all state and local laws, current and future, in regard to certification of all interpreters. From time to time Bay Pines VAHCS will require interpreters that are qualified to interpret in a legal setting. Upon request, the contractor shall provide a legally qualified ASL interpreter with a minimum of 5 years’ legal interpretation experience.

3.3.3. The Contractor shall provide quality assignments of Nationally Certified sign language interpreter(s) that practice the knowledge of and adherence to the tenets of the National Association of the Deaf’s (NAD) NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. The complete version of the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct may be found at the following web address: http://www.rid.org/ethics/code-of-professional-conduct/

3.3.4. All parties involved agree that all information obtained while on assignment(s) shall be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used or disclosed to others after completed assignment(s). All interpreters shall be required to sign non-disclosure agreements and turn it in to the COR prior to performing any assignment under this contract at any location.

3.3.5. Sign language interpreters must possess fluency of sign language on the entire sign language continuum to effectively facilitate communication between Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees and hearing employees.

3.3.6. Many of the services in the Bay Pines VAHCS deal with language and acronyms that are technical in nature, relate to complex medical issues, or are unique to the Government. If requested by the Contractor, the COR will provide a written list of standard acronyms or language specifically used by the department or program office that is the subject of a request for an interpreter. The Contractor must take this unique environment into consideration when providing interpreters.

When possible, the Contractor should supply interpreters with professional backgrounds through education or life experience (such as military assignment, or technical degrees) that enhance their capacity to communicate technical information in a Government or medical setting.

3.3.7. Sign language interpreter(s) supplied under this contract shall have the ability to accurately interpret in a variety of settings, have the ability to keep pace with communications in conferences, meetings, seminars, training classes, etc., and have the ability to abstract, select and highlight information within context when dealing with complicated concepts, idioms, etc.

3.3.8. The sign language interpreter(s) supplied under this contract shall have the ability to negotiate with speakers as “colleagues” to mediate pace of communication as necessary and appropriate; or voice interpret when a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person’s speech is not easily understood.

3.3.9. Sign language interpreter(s) supplied under this contract shall have the knowledge and diversity of culture and skill required to prepare for each interpreting assignment, including knowledge needed to assist in setting up an environment that is conducive to meeting the communication needs of both the hearing and Deaf or Hard of Hearing participants in an assigned event or assignment.

3.3.10. Sign language interpreters supplied under this contract shall have the ability to assess and adapt to the language needs of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing consumer and to apply analytical skills necessary to determine which communication modes the Deaf or Hard of Hearing consumer is using.

3.3.11. Sign language interpreter(s) supplied under this contract shall be professionally dressed. They shall be well groomed and dressed in an acceptable manner that is appropriate to the situation which usually involves business meetings or platform interpreting.

3.3.12. In certain circumstances color appropriate attire may be necessary. The COR will inform the Contractor on a case by case basis if this occurs. The Contractor shall be responsible for supplying appropriately attired interpreters with regard to color of clothing.

3.3.13. The Government COR will evaluate and rate the Contractor’s performance in meeting the requirements of this contract in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). If applicable, the ratings may include these areas: Quality, Schedule, Cost Control, Management, Regulatory, etc.

3.3.14. Each sign language interpreter supplied pursuant to this contract will be evaluated periodically and/or randomly by the COR and/or possibly by the Contract Specialist/Officer assigned to the contract to help ensure quality control of the interpreters supplied in accordance the PWS and contract. Additionally, the Government Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees served by an assigned interpreter may fill out evaluation forms upon completion of the assignment.

3.3.15. The Contractor shall be notified following any evaluation if there is something observed that is deemed not in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract, and given the opportunity to address the matter appropriately with a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) or other measure deemed appropriate by the Contracting Officer or COR, as an agent of the Contracting Officer.

3.4. Assignments

3.4.1. Assignments may be scheduled by the Government under this contract for any time or day in accordance with the contract and the appropriate CLINs.

3.4.2. All assignments shall begin at the scheduled start time.

3.4.3. Unless otherwise instructed by the COR, all sign language interpreter(s) provided under this contract shall stay on the assignment(s) for the indicated time; regardless of the length of an assignment. Prior to each scheduled event, the sign language interpreter(s) provided pursuant to this contract shall make personal contact with the supported employee. This can be done onsite prior to the commencement of the event. At the time of the scheduled event, the sign language interpreter(s) shall report to the Government contact person identified for the assignment to check in.

3.4.4. If the Government contact person for an assignment dismisses the sign language interpreter(s) more than 45 minutes prior to the end time originally contracted for with respect to the assignment, the Contractor and/or sign language interpreter(s) shall contact the COR by telephone for official dismissal or for reassignment to another Deaf employee’s meeting or event. If the Government COR is unavailable, the Contractor shall call the main Human Resources line at 727-398-6661, extension 15663.

3.4.5. In the event an interpreter supplied under this contract arrives to an assignment that has been canceled, the interpreter shall go to the HR Office, Building 37, 1st Floor, Room #109 to either be released or reassigned.

3.4.6. If an assignment(s) made under this contract goes over the contracted time, the sign language interpreter(s) shall be paid the rate applicable to assignments with less than 24-hour notice for the additional time (based on 15-minute increments-as per industry standard practice). Session labor rates shall be invoiced by rounding up to the nearest 15-minute increment using the following formula when the number of hours exceed the 2-hour minimum or exceed each additional 2-hour session needed to complete the assignment:

Regular Session: T = (Ns x S) + (ns x S x 0.125)

Emergency Session: Te = (NE x E) + (ne x E x 0.125)

Regular Session with Overtime: Tr = (Ns x S) + (NE x E) + (ne x E x 0.125)

The following procedures must be accomplished for extended time:

1. Prior to extending past the original contracted time, the interpreter, if a subcontractor, shall contact the Contractor for permission to the proposed time extension requested by the requiring department.

2. Simultaneously, the requiring department will contact the COR for approval of the proposed time extension.

3. Once the requiring department has obtained approval from the COR, and the interpreter, if a subcontractor, obtains permission from the Contractor; the Contractor shall then contact the COR with an initial verbal agreement to the agreed upon extension as per the Requesting Unit Representative’s proposed time extension.

4. The COR will then write a written approval to reflect said agreement. Without written approval from the COR or HR office representative, the Contractor assumes all the risk for any unapproved extension.

5. Upon the three parties’ agreement and approvals, then the extension can be executed.

6. After completion of the extension, and prior to leaving the installation, the interpreter shall notify the COR (and if necessary, the Contractor) of the time of completion.

7. The Contractor shall then submit via e-mail the adjusted time that the service was rendered.

8. The COR shall make any adjustments to the Assignment # for record keeping purposes and to validate the billing.

3.4.7. The sign language interpreter(s) provided pursuant to the contract must inform the Government COR by telephone or in person of all additional time required that was required to complete the assignment prior to leaving the site of the assignment. The additional time shall also be sent to the Government COR by email by COB of that day. The Contractor shall then invoice the Government for the total time worked with respect to the assignment, including the two-hour minimum initial assignment and each 15-minute increment required after the two-hour minimum to complete the assignment. Travel time and associated expenses are not billable.

3.4.8. Should an assignment under this contract extend beyond the contracted time and the interpreter assigned by the Contractor cannot stay, then the supplied interpreter shall be permitted to leave without any penalty imposed on the Contractor or any negative report issued with respect to the Contractor’s performance of this contract. The Contractor must inform the Government COR that they are unable to stay.

3.4.9. When multiple assignments are scheduled back to back (but still 1 to 2 hours each) under this contract using the same sign language interpreter(s), there shall be no separate billings by the Contractor for those assignment; e.g. if an interpreter is working three (3) separate assignments all 1 to 2 hour each or less (and all within walking distance of each other) and each individual assignment is basically right after the previous one, then the Contractor can just bill for a six (6) hour period. However, if the same interpreter is working multiple assignments that are only 1 hour each back to back, then the contractor cannot bill the two-hour minimum for each…only the last assignment could be billed for the two-hour minimum.

3.4.10. For any assignment(s) under this contract for six (6) or more hours in duration, the assigned interpreters shall follow the break schedule of the deaf person(s) they are assigned to work with.

3.4.11. If an interpreter(s) has a morning assignment and then a separate follow on afternoon assignment and there is a break in time between the assignment, the interpreter(s) may leave and come back to and from the assigned area(s) but may not bill for any additional mileage for that day.

3.5. Client Non-Attendance (“No Show”)

3.5.1. In the event a Government client (Deaf or Hard of Hearing employee) is late for a scheduled assignment, the interpreter assigned to the event may consider the client to be a “no show” if the client has not arrived within thirty (30) minutes after the scheduled start time.

3.5.2. In the event the client is a “No Show”, the interpreter(s) assigned shall report to the COR (or HR office in the absence of the COR) for either reassignment or release. The interpreter may not leave the assigned campus until the departure has been approved by the COR or HR office.

3.6. Interpreter Attendance and Non-Attendance (“No Show”)

3.6.1. Sign language interpreter(s) provided by the Contractor shall allow sufficient time to get through security and report to the site of the covered meeting or event on time. Multiple instances of unexcused tardiness shall not be tolerated. The Government reserves the right to rely on such instances of tardiness as the basis for placing interpreters on a “Not to Send” list. Only the Contracting Officer can make the determination to have a particular interpreter on said list, and will justify it in writing to the Contractor. If an instance of tardiness/delay by an interpreter is anticipated due to some known or reported circumstances (e.g. like they call because of an accident that has a road blocked), the Contractor must inform the COR of the anticipated delay so that the customer can be informed and possibly the meeting time adjusted to allow for the delay.

3.6.1.1. “Excusable Delay” is a delay that is beyond the Contractor’s (sub-contractor’s) control. Such as in instances when driving to an assignment, an interpreter gets stuck in traffic due to an accident that has the current route blocked and no alternates are available (such accidents can be verified). Instances of an interpreter just leaving too late in order to get to the assignment on time are not excusable. All instances will be evaluated on a case by case basis by the COR and or Contracting Officer.

3.6.2. If a sign language interpreter provided under this contract is late by more than fifteen (15) minutes for a scheduled meeting or event, the Government may treat the interpreter as a “no show” and be relieved of responsibility for payment if the Government cancels the meeting or event. If the Government elects to proceed with the meeting or event on a delayed basis due to the late arrival of the assigned interpreter, the sign language interpreter shall be required to interpret the meeting or event. The Contractor shall not bill for an amount payable to the Contractor under this contract for a time increment equal to the duration of the tardiness of the interpreter, regardless of the duration of the assignment to include the 2-hour minimum. The Contractor shall bill for the actual time of service provided for the assignment based on 15-minute increments.

3.6.3. Should the COR reassign a sign language interpreter provided by a Contractor during the originally scheduled time for the use of the interpreter and should the interpreter fail to attend the new assignment, the Contractor may not bill for the original assignment, as it will be treated as a “No Show”.

3.6.4. If there is a no show by a sign language interpreter provided under this contract, the Government will not pay any invoice submitted with respect to that assignment. Repeated offenses could result in termination of this contract for cause. All no shows by the contractor shall be reflected as a negative performance report in the monthly COR reports for this contract and in the annual CPARS for the assigned contractor.

3.6.5. The Contractor may replace a scheduled interpreter for an assignment if they have provided notice to the COR that the originally assigned interpreter will be unacceptably delayed or will not be able to make the assignment at all. As long as an approved (COR must approve in each instance) interpreter is provided in a timely manner for the assignment, the Contractor may bill as to the original assignment.

3.7. Cancellations

3.7.1. The Government will only deal directly with the Contractor and not with interpreters supplied by the Contractor for all cancellations whether Government or Contractor.

3.7.2. If a scheduled sign language interpreter(s) supplied by the Contractor is not available to cover the scheduled meeting or event, and the Contractor is unable to provide an acceptable replacement, the Contractor shall notify the COR of the situation as soon as the Contractor is made aware of the situation. Delivery of this notice does not relieve the Contractor of its obligation to provide the qualified personnel necessary to fulfill the assignment(s), and the scheduled event cancellation will be annotated in the monthly COR performance report for the assigned contractor.

3.7.3. All Contractor cancellations (and any potential cancellations) shall be submitted to the COR via email. Telephone calls are permitted for timely notification, but follow-up emails confirming assignment cancellations are required. Though not considered to be quite as severe as a blatant “No Show”, multiple cancellations will be reflected in a negative contractor performance report in the monthly COR report for the assigned contractor for this contract, and para 3.6.4. will apply.

3.7.4. Assignments to be performed under this contract may be cancelled by the COR or HR representative by email, not less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the scheduled start time for the meeting or event, Monday through Friday, with no penalty or charges for the cancelled assignments. If a previously scheduled assignment(s) is/are canceled by the COR, and the COR has given the Contractor the 24-hour notice herein described, no invoice for payment shall be submitted by the Contractor and the Government shall have no obligation to make any payment with respect to the cancelled assignment.

3.7.5. If the Government provides less than twenty-four (24) hours advance notice of a cancellation(s) of an assigned meeting or event, then the Contractor may submit an invoice for all labor charges incurred by the Contractor which shall not exceed the cost for the initial day of a meeting or event scheduled for multiple days.

3.7.6. Interpreters provided under this contract shall not report to work or to a scheduled meeting or event if the meeting or event is cancelled due to the closure of the assigned location because of inclement weather or an emergency. In such cases, due to official closure, the Contractor may not bill for any cancelled events.

3.8. Billing

3.8.1. The Contractor shall submit invoices for assignments completed under this contract monthly through the Austin Finance Center.

3.8.2. The monthly invoices submitted by the Contractor shall be submitted in a format that is a Microsoft Office compatible format and agreed to by the COR. The invoice shall contain the following:

1. Invoice Number

2. Date of assignment

3. Assignment start/stop time

4. Interpreter’s name

5. Name of Deaf or Hard of Hearing client

6. Location (Building and Room number when applicable)

7. If the assignment was canceled within 24 hours

8. Interpreter Fee

9. Total charge

3.8.3 The monthly invoices submitted by the Contractor shall follow the calendar and shall include the time from the first day of the month through the last day of the month, with each monthly invoice being due by the end of the first week of the following month.

3.9. Security Requirements

3.9.1. The Contractor is responsible for obtaining appropriate access badges for all staff interpreters and all sub-contractors in accordance with the security access policies and procedures for the Bay Pines VAHCS and other assigned areas. Contractor personnel shall not receive permanent badges for access to post.

3.9.2 Contractor personnel shall adhere to all local security policies and regulations while on Bay Pines VAHCS property.

3.10 Deliverables

001 – Interpreter Confirmation Email – As required 002 – Verification of Assigned Interpreters – Weekly 003 – Invoice Verification - Monthly

4. PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY STANDARDS

Performance Objective (The required service)

(This is the maximum error rate)

PRS #1

Interpreter arrives on time to scheduled events.

PRS #2

Interpreter services are provided. Additional interpreters are provided on short notice when requested.

90% fill rate for less than 5 days 85% fill rate for less than 24 hours

PRS #3

Sign language interpreters provide clear interpreting services.

PRS #4

Contractor shall send only qualified interpreters.

PRS #5

Contractor responds to emails in a timely fashion.

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SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. CONTRACTOR:

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer 36C248 Department of Veterans Affairs Network Contracting Office 8 (248) Room 317, Bldg. 2 10,000 Bay Pines Blvd Bay Pines FL 33744

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

Department of Veterans Affairs

FMS-VA-2(101)

Financial Services Center PO Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-9971

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows:

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SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 LIMITATIONS ON SUBCONTRACTING-- MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011)

This solicitation includes 52.219-6, Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include this clause. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) retained by VA to assist in assessing the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirements specified in the clause. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to contractor's offices where the contractor's business records or other proprietary data are retained and to review such business records regarding the contractor's compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor's compliance with the limitations on subcontracting or percentage of work performance requirement.

C.2 SUBCONTRACTING COMMITMENTS--MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE (JUN 2011)

This solicitation includes VAAR 852.215-70, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business Evaluation Factors, and VAAR 852.215-71, Evaluation Factor Commitments. Accordingly, any contract resulting from this solicitation will include these clauses. The contractor is advised in performing contract administration functions, the CO may use the services of a support contractor(s) to assist in assessing contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments incorporated into the contract. To that end, the support contractor(s) may require access to the contractor's business records or other proprietary data to review such business records regarding contract compliance with this requirement. All support contractors conducting this review on behalf of VA will be required to sign an “Information Protection and Non-Disclosure and Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest Agreement” to ensure the contractor's business records or other proprietary data reviewed or obtained in the course of assisting the CO in assessing the contractor for compliance are protected to ensure information or data is not improperly disclosed or other impropriety occurs. Furthermore, if VA determines any services the support contractor(s) will perform in assessing compliance are advisory and assistance services as defined in FAR 2.101, Definitions, the support contractor(s) must also enter into an agreement with the contractor to protect proprietary information as required by FAR 9.505-4, obtaining access to proprietary information, paragraph (b). The contractor is required to cooperate fully and make available any records as may be required to enable the CO to assess the contractor compliance with the subcontracting commitments.

C.3 52.216-18 ORDERING (OCT 1995)

(a) Any supplies and services to be furnished under this contract shall be ordered by issuance of delivery orders or task orders by the individuals or activities designated in the Schedule. Such orders may be issued from 10/1/2018 through 9/30/2023.

(b) All delivery orders or task orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this contract. In the event of conflict between a delivery order or task order and this contract, the contract shall control.

(c) If mailed, a delivery order or task order is considered "issued" when the Government deposits the order in the mail. Orders may be issued orally, by facsimile, or by electronic commerce methods only if authorized in the Schedule.

(End of Clause)

C.4 52.216-19 ORDER LIMITATIONS (OCT 1995)

(a) Minimum order. When the Government requires supplies or services covered by this contract in an amount of less than to be determined (TBD), Government is not obligated to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies or services under the contract.

(b) Maximum order. The Contractor is not obligated to honor—

(1) Any order for a single item in excess of TBD;

(2) Any order for a combination of items in excess of TBD; or

(3) A series of orders from the same ordering office within of TBD days that together call for quantities exceeding the limitation in paragraph (b)(1) or (2) of this section.

(c) If this is a requirements contract (i.e., includes the Requirements clause at subsection 52.216-21 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)), the Government is not required to order a part of any one requirement from the Contractor if that requirement exceeds the maximum-order limitations in paragraph (b) of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, the Contractor shall honor any order exceeding the maximum order limitations in paragraph (b), unless that order (or orders) is returned to the ordering office within of TBD days after issuance, with written notice stating the Contractor's intent not to ship the item (or items) called for and the reasons. Upon receiving this notice, the Government may acquire the supplies or services from another source.

(End of Clause)

C.5 52.216-21 REQUIREMENTS (OCT 1995)

(a) This is a requirements contract for the supplies or services specified, and effective for the period stated, in the Schedule. The quantities of supplies or services specified in the Schedule are estimates only and are not purchased by this contract. Except as this contract may otherwise provide, if the Government's requirements do not result in orders in the quantities described as "estimated" or "maximum" in the Schedule, that fact shall not constitute the basis for an equitable price adjustment.

(b) Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. Subject to any limitations in the Order Limitations clause or elsewhere in this contract, the Contractor shall furnish to the Government all supplies or services specified in the Schedule and called for by orders issued in accordance with the Ordering clause. The Government may issue orders requiring delivery to multiple destinations or performance at multiple locations.

(c) Except as this contract otherwise provides, the Government shall order from the Contractor all the supplies or services specified in the Schedule that are required to be purchased by the Government activity or activities specified in the Schedule.

(d) The Government is not required to purchase from the Contractor requirements in excess of any limit on total orders under this contract.

(e) If the Government urgently requires delivery of any quantity of an item before the earliest date that delivery may be specified under this contract, and if the Contractor will not accept an order providing for the accelerated delivery, the Government may acquire the urgently required goods or services from another source.

(f) Any order issued during the effective period of this contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by the Contractor within the time specified in the order. The contract shall govern the Contractor's and Government's rights and obligations with respect to that order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the contract's effective period; provided, that the Contractor shall not be required to make any deliveries under this contract after 9/30/2023.

(End of Clause)

C.6 52.217-5 EVALUATION OF OPTIONS (JUL 1990)

Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government's best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(End of Provision)

C.7 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 15 days prior to contract expiration.

(End of Clause)

C.8 52.217-9 OPTION TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE CONTRACT (MAR 2000)

(a) The Government may extend the term of this contract by written notice to the Contractor within 15 days prior to contract expiration; provided that the Government gives the Contractor a preliminary written notice of its intent to extend at least 30 days before the contract expires. The preliminary notice does not commit the Government to an extension.

(b) If the Government exercises this option, the extended contract shall be considered to include this option clause.

(c) The total duration of this contract, including the exercise of any options under this clause, shall not exceed five (5) years.

(End of Clause)

C.9 VAAR 852.203-70 COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING (MAY 2018)

The Contractor shall not make reference in its commercial advertising to Department of Veterans Affairs contracts in a manner that states or implies the Department of Veterans Affairs approves or endorses the…