36C25226Q0382.docx

36C25226Q0382

PAGE 1 OF

1. REQUISITION NO.

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE

4. ORDER NO.

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

a. NAME

b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls)

8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

TIME

9. ISSUED BY

CODE

10. THIS ACQUISITION IS

UNRESTRICTED OR

SET ASIDE:

% FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ

IFB

RFP

15. DELIVER TO

CODE

16. ADMINISTERED BY

CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

CODE

FACILITY CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

CODE

TELEPHONE NO.

UEI:

EFT:

PHONE:

FAX:

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER 18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

ITEM NO.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

QUANTITY

UNIT

UNIT PRICE

AMOUNT

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only) 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND

DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION

DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

(BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED

SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER) 30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

(REV. NOV 2021)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

STANDARD FORM 1449

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

None

06-05-2026 Jerri Schuster 414-844-4800 X43244 06-22-2026

10:00AM

CDT

Department of Veterans Affairs 36C252 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101

Milwaukee WI 53214-1476

X

561492 $19 Million

N/A

Department of Veterans Affairs 36C252 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101

Milwaukee WI 53214-1476

Department of Veterans Affairs 36C252 Great Lakes Acquisition Center - HC 115 South 84th Street, Suite 101 Milwaukee WI 53214-1476

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center PO Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-9971

See CONTINUATION Page Court Reporter services virtually and/or in-person for locations outlined herein within WI, IL, and MI, and Veteran Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) designated locations (listed below) upon request in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW).

See CONTINUATION Page

Jerri Schuster Contracting Officer

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA (continuation from Standard Form 1449)

OFFERORS MUST COMPLETE AND RETURN ALL INFORMATION DESIGNATED HEREIN PRIOR TO THE TIME SPECIFIED IN BLOCK 8 OF SF 1449 IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARD.

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

1. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. CONTRACTOR:

CONTRACTOR NAME _____________________________________

ADDRESS ________________________________________________

CITY-STATE-ZIP __________________________________________

POINT OF CONTACT/TITLE ________________________________

SAM UEI NO. ____________________________________________

CAGE CODE _____________________________________________

CONTRACTOR’S PAST PERFORMANCE POINT OF CONTACT

(IF DIFFERENT THAN ABOVE):

NAME: __________________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS:_________________________________

b. GOVERNMENT:

CONTRACTING OFFICE CODE: 36C252

MILWAUKEE WI 53214

2. ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL ITEMS:

This Request for Quote (RFQ) solicitation is issued under the authority of FAR Part 13.5 Simplified Procedures for Certain Commercial Items in which simplified acquisition procedures in FAR Part 13 will be used. FAR Part 14 and 15 will not be used. From this RFQ, the Government intends to award an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) fixed unit price contract where the contractor provides a price that is not subject to any adjustment on the basis of the contractor’s cost experience in performing the contract. (Note: The terms “offeror” and “quoter” are both used in this Solicitation. For the purposes of this Solicitation, these terms are interchangeable; there is no difference in meaning between the two.)

All orders including those that exceed the ceiling limits must be coordinated through the Contracting Officer before larger valued orders can be issued and prior to commencement of work. All unauthorized work, regardless of amount, will be processed through the ratification process.

3. SET-ASIDE (If any): See box 10 of STANDARD FORM 1449

4. SOLICITATION TIMELINE SUMMARY:

A. RFQ QUESTIONS:

In order to maintain integrity of this solicitation and subsequent award date, all offerors are advised that any question and answer requests must be submitted in a written form via e-mail to the Contracting Officer JERRI.SCHUSTER@va.gov no later than THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2026, AT NOON LOCAL TIME. Contracting will issue a consolidated response via solicitation amendment to https://sam.gov Contract Opportunities within 2 business days to all parties

B. SOLICITATION CLOSES/QUOTES DUE:

See box 8 of STANDARD FORM 1449 or most recent Amendment.

C. SUBMISSION OF QUOTE:

See 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Products and Commercial Services and addendum for specific instructions to offerors.

5. CONTRACTING OFFICER AUTHORITY:

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes or modify any of the requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall communicate with the Contracting Officer on all matters pertaining to contract administration. Only the Contracting Officer is authorized to make commitment or issue changes that will affect price, quantity or quality of performance of this contract. In the event the Contractor effects any such change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change shall be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in cost incurred thereof.

6. INVOICES:

a. All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with: FAR 52.232-33 PAYMENT BY ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER – SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (OCT 2018)

b. Invoices shall be submitted monthly in arrears in accordance with: 852.232-72 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS (NOV 2018)

c. Payments shall be made in arrears upon receipt of a properly prepared invoice

d. Facsimile, e-mail, and scanned documents are not acceptable forms of submission for payment requests.

e. The VA has mandated electronic invoice submission to the Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VAFSC). VAFSC has partnered with Tungsten Network e-Invoicing network, for submissions of all electronic invoices to VA. Tungsten Network electronic invoicing is free to all VA vendors. In order to submit electronic invoices, all VA vendors must register with Tungsten Network by submitting an email to VA.Registration@Tungsten-Network.com or calling 1-877-489-6135 for Enrollment.

f. Contractor shall submit an electronic invoice by the tenth (10th) of the following month services were performed to the Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VAFSC) e-Invoice through the website at https://portal.Tungsten-Network.com/Login.aspx. For questions regarding the submission of VA electronic invoices, Tungsten Network customer service may be contacted at 1-877-489-6135.

g. All invoices shall reference the vendor name and address, customer name, contract number, appropriate obligation/funding order number, description of services provided, quantity, unit price, and total invoice amount (any additional info). Invoices shall also include any payment discount terms.

h. VA’s Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment System – The Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center (VAFSC) uses a third-party contractor, Tungsten Network e-Invoice, to transition vendors from paper to electronic invoice submission. Please go to this website: http://www.tungsten-network.com/customer-campaigns/veteransaffairs/ to begin submitting electronic invoices, free of charge.

i. As of July 1, 2020, the VA10091 form has been eliminated and the VAFSC is requiring our vendors to update and add their information in the Customer Engagement Portal (CEP) at https://www.cep.fsc.va.gov/. This is for new vendors being added to FMS only.

j. For assistance setting up e-Invoice, the below information is provided:

* Tungsten Network e-Invoice Setup Information: 1-877-489-6135

* Tungsten Network e-Invoice email: VA.Registration@Tungsten-Network.com

* FSC e-Invoice Contact Information: 1-877-353-9791

* FSC e-invoice email: vafsccshd@va.gov

7. FACILITY REQUIREMENTS: In addition to any other requirements set forth in this Contract, the Contractor, including its employees, agents, and subcontractors (collectively “the Contractor”), shall comply with the following facility requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements shall be considered a material breach of this Contract and may be a violation of Federal law resulting in charges answerable in the United States District Court.

a. Contractor is responsible to follow all on site facility policies

b. All VA property is considered Federal property and all Federal laws are applicable.

c. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from the VA Police Section. The VA will not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions.

d. All VA facilities are drug free. Possession of drugs, to include Marijuana and all Marijuana bi-products are prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court.

e. All contractor personnel are required to adhere to all VA rules and regulations.

f. Smoking is prohibited on the entire campus, both inside and outside the VA Facility

g. Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court.

h. VHA DIRECTIVE 1192: This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directive establishes policy and provides guidance for the prevention of seasonal influenza in VHA facilities through the vaccination or masking of health care personnel (HCP). AUTHORITY: Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) 7301(b), 7318(b). Contractor is responsible in ensuring that all aspects of this directive are implemented, including providing face masks and influenza vaccines for all employees working at a VA facility.

8. SECURITY & PRIVACY CONTROL:

The Authorization & Accreditation (A&A) requirements of VHA Handbook 6500.6 do not apply to this requirement, therefore, a Security Accreditation Package is not required. No A&A or MOU/ISA is required. Sensitive information exposure as part of this contract involves applicable security controls within the facility as part of the VA Information Security If there are any questions related to privacy, please have a member of your staff contact the VA Privacy Service at (202) 461-6309. If there are any questions related to the information security, please have a member of your staff contact the Office of Cyber Security at (304) 262-7733.

B.2 Performance Work Statement: Court Reporting

1. GENERAL

a. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supplies, vehicles, certifications, supervision, and all other technologies and technical services to provide Court Reporter services virtually and/or in-person for locations outlined herein within WI, IL, and MI, and Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) designated locations (listed below) upon request.

b. The services shall be required for, but not limited to, Administrative Investigations; Disciplinary Appeals Boards (DAB); matters involving Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), and other agencies; Office of Resolution Management; other administrative hearings; Administrative Investigations (AI), including Administrative Investigation Boards (AIB), and Regional Counsel requirements. Services shall also be used for any other meetings that require official documentation.

2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE.

a. The period of performance for Court Reporting services shall be for one (1) base plus four (4) option years. Court reporting requirements shall occur intermittently through each fiscal year; the requirement may be an urgent need with only one (1) day in advance notice. However, the VAMC shall strive to inform the Contractor at least ten (10) business days in advance. It shall be for one (1) base and four (4) option years, which shall be exercised at the Government’s sole discretion and subject to availability of funds.

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

a. It is the intent of this document to establish a non-personal performance-based service contract for VA Medical Centers and locations outlined herein within WI, IL and MI.

b. Contractor shall email a copy of the invoices to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Point of Contacts (POC) for documentation purposes. Invoices shall include all necessary information, such as the “bill to” contact, the date and time of proceedings, case number, etc. Contractor shall provide one invoice per session that contains a break-out of the per-witness charges of that day. Witness names must not be included on the invoice to maintain anonymity, but should be noted using an appropriate naming convention, including case number and date.

c. The term “Administrative Investigation” (AI) refers to a systematic process for determining facts and documenting evidence about matters of significant interest to VA. AIs shall be conducted to collect and analyze evidence to determine what happened and why it happened, so that individual and systemic deficiencies shall be identified and effectively corrected. These investigations are governed by VA Directive 0700, Administrative Investigation Boards and Fact findings, and related VA Handbook 0700. These investigations shall be established by a Designated Senior Leadership Official as the convening authority.

d. EEO Hearings and/or arbitration hearings shall be similar processes and shall be established by a judge or other government source. EEO Hearings shall be scheduled a few weeks in advance; other hearings shall be scheduled several weeks to a month or more in advance.

e. The number of witnesses shall only be estimated in advance of the start of the process and may change during the course of the investigation or activity.

f. The contractor shall provide scheduling through email, website scheduling portal, and phone.

4. SCHEDULING

The VA will provide a specific date and time for the need of a court reporter and the Vendor will have 24 hours to respond to the requested date and time.

If cancelled 24 hours in advance of the start time of the court reporting need, the vendor will not charge the VA, but if within 24 hours in advance of the start time of the court reporting need, the contractor can collect a set cancellation fee.

5. PERSONNEL

a. The Contractor shall provide only qualified National Court Reports Association (NCRA) and Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certified Court Reporters to perform these services. Only one Court Reporter shall be assigned to each administrative process from beginning to end. If an unforeseen emergency shall occur that shall require absence of the assigned Court Reporter, the proposed substitute shall have comparable qualifications to those of the person being replaced.

b. The Contractor shall provide competent, efficient Court Reporters who shall be experienced and have the necessary training and education in Court Reporting with adequate and appropriate court reporting equipment, in order to produce accurate, timely, appropriately bound and indexed transcribed testimony from witnesses in these processes. Court Reporters shall have at least one year experience in court reporting. The Court Reporter shall hold the certification as a National Court Reports Association (NCRA) Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), or equivalent. Appropriate credentials shall be provided within one (1) week upon request. The Court Reporter shall be punctual and present at all proceedings, demonstrate a professional demeanor, and provide all the necessary equipment to perform their duties and accomplish the deliverables described below. Court Reporters requested to be in-person shall be provided seating and a work surface to perform their duties. Court Reporters requested to work virtually shall be in a single occupancy room where no-other person shall be within hearing range or shall cause interruptions. The court reporter shall be proficient in English and shall read portions of the transcript during the proceedings at the request of the board or other presiding body and ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements. Proceedings may occur over multiple days and the services of the Court Reporter shall be needed for varying lengths of time each day. Court Reporters who have experience with the Administrative Investigation Board (AIB) process, Equal Opportunity Hearing, Human Resources Management Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) or arbitration hearings shall be preferred in the performance of this contract.

c. OATHS AND NOTARY SERVICES - The Reporter shall be competent to administer oaths and notarize documents, such as affidavits and depositions. No separate fee shall be charged for notary services, administering oath, or affixing seal.

d. The parties agree that such personnel shall not be considered VA employees for any purpose and shall be considered employees of the contractor. Note: To be in compliance with Homeland Security standards, each Court Reporter assigned to work in-person shall be subject to the same rules and regulations as all contracted employees. Parking shall be allowed only in those areas not designated for patient use. All traffic laws and parking rules on the grounds shall be strictly enforced. Failure to follow these laws and regulations shall result in a citation being issued that shall have to be resolved through the Federal Court system. Prior to reporting to work, the contracted vendors employee shall need to contact the designated COR or designated VA Team Leader, who shall take him/her to the on-site badging department. A VA Staff member shall issue a temporary ID badge to the contracted employee, who in turn, shall properly display the badge while working at the locations outlined herein within WI, IL and MI. Upon completion of the assignment, the employee shall return the badge.

e. The contractor shall ensure that all assigned court reporters perform all work in a professional business-like manner and in accordance with the best standards of the reporting profession and the contractor.

f. Removing Employees for Misconduct or Security Reasons: The Government shall, at its sole discretion, direct the contractor to remove the contracted employee from the Medical Center or CBOC facilities for misconduct or for security reasons. Removal shall not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility to continue providing the services required under this contract. The Contracting Officer shall provide the contractor with a written explanation to support any request to remove an employee.

g. Conflict of Interest: The contractor shall not assign any Court Reporter with a known conflict of interest.

h. In any instance where the contractor has knowledge that any actual or potential situation shall delay or threaten to delay the timely performance of this contract, the contractor shall immediately notify the COR and the CO. This notice shall include all relevant information and corrective actions that shall be taken. The Government reserves the right to hold the contractor fully accountable for problems incurred because of such delays, including denial of delivery time extensions, if such notification is not provided.

i. If, after notice of a proposed hearing, the Contractor’s employee does not appear at the time and place specified for the hearing, the contractor shall be responsible for finding another equally qualified individual for the hearing.

6. Place of Performance: Most services shall be provided virtually. On a rare occasion, it shall be necessary for an investigation or hearing to be held at a location outlined herein within WI, IL, MI, VAMC, or at another location as determined by the Government.

7. SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

a. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance by its employees with the security regulations of Veteran’s Affairs where work shall be performed under this Contract. A Business Associate’s Agreement (BAA) shall be entered into by both parties. Contracted employees shall have to complete VA’s Cyber Security and Privacy Act Training annually and sign VA’s Rules of Behavior document. Note: All work associated with this contract shall be performed in the United States of America. Because this contract shall be funded with American appropriated tax dollars, all persons working under this contract shall be authorized to work in the United States.

b. Commitment to Protect Sensitive Information. The Contractor and its employees shall not release, publish, or disclose sensitive information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with provisions of 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records) and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of sensitive information.

c. In the performance of official duties, the Contractor's employees shall have access to information containing sensitive data, which shall be protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a); the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and E, the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (“Privacy Rule”); and 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and C, the Security Standard (“Security Rule”); Federal Regulations and statutes; and VAMC policies and standard operating procedures. The information obtained in the performance of this contract shall be confidential and shall not be revealed to anyone who shall not be authorized to know; therefore, all personnel assigned to this contract shall be required to take proper precautions to protect the information from disclosure.

d. The Contractor and Contractor's employees shall be responsible for:

· Protecting data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion.

· Completing annual privacy training that conforms to the requirements of VHA Privacy Training.

· Completing annual security awareness training that conforms to the requirement of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Cyber and Information Security Training.

· Within 24 hours of first becoming aware of a HIPAA Electronic Transaction and Code Set, Privacy, Security or Standard Identifier Incident, or use or Disclosure of PHI not provided for by this contract, notify the COR and CO, and promptly provide a report to the COR and CO.

· An incident shall be considered any attempted or successful unauthorized access to, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction of, or interference with PHI, or an event that causes the location outlined herein within WI, IL and MI to be considered non-compliance with the Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services.

· Use only contractors, subcontractors, or agents who are physically located within a jurisdiction subject to the laws of the United States. Ensure there is no use or disclosure of PHI received from the VAMC in any way that shall remove the PHI from such jurisdiction.

· Upon completion of the applicable contract(s), return to the COR all PHI gathered, created, received, or processed during the performance of the contract(s), and no data shall be retained by the Contractor, or any agents or subcontractors, unless retention is required by law or regulation or expressly permitted herein.

e. Computer Security is a vital part of patient rights and privacy. All computer information from locations outlined herein within WI, IL and MI is considered sensitive and shall not be disclosed to anyone by the Contractor or its employees. The Contractor and its employees shall follow all Department of Veteran Affairs computer security guidelines. Violation of this Policy could result in the Federal prosecution of the individual(s) involved.

f. Confidentiality. All Contractor personnel performing services under this contract shall complete a confidentiality certification.

8. QUALITY CONTROL.

a. The contractor shall provide the reviews and quality checks necessary to ensure that the reporting, recording, transcripts and photocopying conform to acceptable government standards. The final version shall have no spelling errors, no gaps or misattributions due to inaudible speakers or overlapping discussions. No transcripts shall be forwarded to the government until the quality checks reveal full format conformance and freedom from error.

b. The Contractor shall closely monitor its performance in meeting the requirements for timely delivery of hearing transcripts. The Contractor shall advise the COR in advance, by specific case number only (no names, SSNs, or any other personal identification data) when timely delivery cannot be made, and estimated time when correction of delivery shall be made.

9. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

(PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY or QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN)

a. The Government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract using the method of surveillance specified below. All surveillance observations shall be recorded by the government. When an observation indicates defective performance, the COR or CO shall provide the Contractor with a copy of the record of the observation.

c. The AIB team leader, team, or other designated VA staff member shall evaluate the quality and timeliness of the product and services and notify the COR and the Director of Quality & Safety, Office of Quality, Safety & Value, or other convening authority (i.e., EEO Manager, Human Resources Specialist, or other so designated official) of the acceptability of the product and services. However, only an appointed Contracting Officer Representative (COR) is authorized to monitor contract performance and only a Warranted Contracting Officer (CO) is authorized to make changes to the contract by way of written contract modifications.

10. HOURS OF OPERATION.

a. Normal Business Hours: The VA Medical Center’s normal business hours are 8:00AM to 4:30PM, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. Services required by this contract may extend outside normal business hours.

b. Federal Holidays: The eleven (11) federal holidays observed by the Federal Government are: New Year’s Day; Martin Luther King’s Birthday; President’s Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Juneteenth; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veterans’ Day; Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and any other day specifically declared by the President of the United States to be a national holiday. In the event a holiday falls on a weekend day (Saturday or Sunday), the normal observance is the connecting weekday.

c. The contractor shall maintain operating hours in Central Standard Time Zone to allow locations outlined herein within WI, IL and MI to take advantage of scheduling up to the end of the business day.

11. STANDARD DEFINITIONS:

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). The AQL is the maximum percent defective that, for purposes of sampling inspections shall be considered satisfactory.

Administrative Investigation (AI). A process of gathering evidence and ascertaining facts about particular matters, conducted primarily to enhance administrative effectiveness and efficiency.

Artificial Intelligence is defined as a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environment.

Administrative Investigation Board (AIB). A type of administrative investigation established under VA Directive 0700 and related Handbook for collecting and analyzing evidence, ascertaining facts, and documenting complete and accurate information regarding matters of interest to VA. Members of an AIB are the person or persons appointed by a Convening Authority to conduct an administrative investigation.

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) processes human speech into text.

Contracting Officer (CO). A sole individual appointed with the authority to enter into and administer contracts on behalf of the U.S. Government.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). An individual designated by the CO to act as his representative to assist in administering a contract. The source and authority for a COR are contained in the written letter of designation from the CO.

Convening Authority. The authority responsible for convening and supervising administrative investigations under VA Directive 0700. Convening Authorities include the Heads of VA Administrations and Staff Offices, Chief executives of VA facilities, and authorities senior to any of them in the VA organization.

Defective Service. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS).

Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). The laws governing Government contracting procedures.

Investigative Report (IR). The standard format for conveying the results of an AIB, designed to enhance clarity and to facilitate review and decision-making. The essential components of an investigative report are findings of fact, conclusions, and exhibits.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS). Identifies the key service outputs of the contract that shall be evaluated by the government to assure contract performance standards are met by the contractor.

Performance Work Statement (PWS). A statement that outlines the services needed for a Performance Based Service contract.

Quality Control. Those actions are taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of PWS.

12. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES.

a. The government shall provide the in-person contractor for contract performance at no cost a shared meeting location during which the contractor shall provide transcription services, electrical, lighting, and water and the use of a telephone (local calls only). Normally, the usage of cell phones within the Medical Center is permitted. However, there are some areas of the hospital where the usage of such devices is restricted because of their possible interference with operating medical equipment. Strict adherence to the rules concerning the usage of these devices must be observed throughout the Medical Center.

13. CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES.

Contractor shall provide all necessities needed to perform under this contract.

14. SPECIFIC TASKS.

a. Individuals authorized to place orders for services under this contract shall be identified at time of award. All personnel performing duties shall report to one of the designated individuals authorized to place orders for the duration of that order.

b. The contractor agrees that, at a minimum, all assigned court reporters shall:

i. Prior to the scheduled meeting time: In-Person Court Reporter shall arrive 30 minutes prior to the hearing and check-in with the presiding COR or designated VA Team Leader in order to obtain a Temporary Identification Badge from the appropriate VA Office. After receipt of badge, proceed to the designated hearing location and have all equipment set up and ready by the scheduled hearing time. In the case of Virtual Attendance, the Court Reporter shall be present online 15 minutes prior to the hearing.

ii. Adhere strictly to the instructions of the presiding official in matters affecting the composition of the record, adjourning to other times or places, the hours of hearing, and associated matters.

iii. Transcribe everything spoken while a hearing is in session unless the presiding official directs an off-the-record proceeding for which notes have been taken as required.

Create a written record (draft) in real-time, verbatim and contemporaneous with the testimonies.

iv. Use, if needed, artificial intelligence as a supplemental tool only. Artificial intelligence or Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technologies should not replace a trained, certified, impartial human court reporter in the creation, preservation, and certification of the official record. Human oversight is required to ensure accuracy, context, reliability, and ethical stewardship of the record.

c. Provide a final (digital) version with an index, a condensed copy, and a full-sized, official, certified version with an errata sheet. Hearings shall be properly recorded by Court Reporters using electronic recording devices. The Contractor shall provide a back-up system to whichever primary recording method is used. When proceedings are recorded by an electronic recording device, it shall at a minimum:

i. Be continuously monitored by a human operator.

ii. Have simultaneous playback, listening pre-amplification and speaker identification capabilities.

iii. Have an equipment malfunction indicator.

iv. Have technology that meets industry standards.

d. The Court Reporter shall maintain an audio recording of the testimony, available to the team leader or COR for the process as needed to clarify issues associated with testimony content.

e. A Court Reporter shall be visible on camera or present in the room when witnesses are interviewed, testimony is given and/or when witnesses are called back for additional testimony. The team leader or other designated VA staff member shall inform the Court Reporter of the anticipated duration of the process, and when the process has been completed.

f. When identified discrepancies in the transcribed testimony and the audio recording are identified and verified by the team leader or other designated point of contact, the Court Reporter shall produce a corrected version at no additional cost to the Government.

15. HEARING AND DELIVERABLES REQUIREMENTS AND TIMELINES:

a. Transcripts shall be delivered in accordance with the timeline identified in the Task Order, either 10-business day delivery, 3 to 5 business day, 2 business day delivery, or overnight delivery.

b. Administrative Investigation Boards require reports to be completed within 45 calendar days of the date the AIB is convened; whereby sworn or affirmed testimony is obtained by a team charged with investigating an issue or event. Transcribed testimony shall be returned to the Team Leader within 5 business days of each testimony in order for the deadline to be met. If an extension of time shall become necessary for completion beyond the initial 45-day period, the presiding official/Team Leader shall notify the Court Reporter of this change.

c. EEO, MSPB, FLRA and other federal agencies’ proceedings, including hearings and depositions, can occur multiple, at times non-consecutive, days usually lasting 2-10 calendar days. Unless extended by an administrative judge, transcribed testimony shall be returned to the Team Leader within 3 business days of each hearing. All depositions called for by the VA must have the transcribed testimony, and any exhibits (colored or black and white), returned to the Team Leader within 3 business days of each testimony in order to meet briefing deadlines. Hearings and depositions could include original and certified transcripts, reporter’s certificate, any exhibits (colored or black and white) and digitized bundle.

d. Disciplinary Appeals Boards shall occur multiple days, usually lasting 7 calendar days. Unless the board leader states otherwise, witness transcripts shall be available within 24 hours following the end of each hearing day.

c. Contractor shall have flexibility to accommodate any turn-around requested, in the event of an emergency request by the Government, even if less than the specified delivery times stated above, via phone call, email, or on-site. Turn-around times shall vary from same-day delivery of the final transcript to 7 business-day delivery.

16. TRANSCRIPT FORMAT:

a. The Court Reporter shall index each individual transcript and include, behind each bound testimony, a tabbed index stating, “WORD INDEX.” The evidence and information gathered during the investigation shall be organized in an appropriately indexed investigative file that includes a numerical or alphabetical list of each time a symbol, number or word was used and the page number and line number.

b. The transcribed testimony product must be accurate, double-spaced, printed, and bound in a satisfactory manner, per accepted standards for court reporting, which at a minimum includes one original and one copy of each witness’ testimony. All are to be securely fastened with metal prongs (not plastic binding). Line numbers must be listed in the left margin and the page number in the bottom right corner of each page. The court reporter shall include their signed, dated, and officially sealed certificate as the last page of the testimony.

c. An “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT” sheet shall be included as the last page of each testimony to include a certification statement at the top that the testimony is accurate to include blanks for a date to be filled in and a signature block for each. The second half of this acknowledgement sheet shall include a place for corrections, i.e., Page No. ____, Line No. ____, and a blank to write in the corrections.

17. VISIBLE BLACK CHARACTER.

a. A Visible Black Character is defined as strike-able and visible characters and includes any printed letter, number, symbol, and/or punctuation mark excluding any or all formatting (e.g., bold, underline, italics, table structure, formatting codes). All visible black characters shall be seen with the naked eye as a mark, regardless of whether viewed electronically or on a printed page.

b. Visual Black Character (VBC) Line or ASCII no Spaces Line. A VBC Line is defined as the total number of characters you shall see with the naked eye, divided by 65. It includes any character contained within a header or footer. Spaces, carriage returns, and hidden format instructions, such as bold, underline, text boxes, printer configurations, spell check, etc., which are not counted in the total character count. A VBC Line is calculated by counting all visual characters and simply dividing the total number of characters by 65 to arrive at the number of defined lines.

c. All documents shall be typed using black ink on white 20-pound rag paper or equivalent paper. Paper shall be 8 ½ by 11 inches with ruled margin of 1.5” at the left side and ruled margin of 0.5” at the right side, and a ruled margin of 1” at the top and bottom. A number indicating each line of the document upon each page, i.e., 1 to 25 inclusive, shall be printed at the left side of the left marginal line of the original and copies of the transcript.

d. EEO transcripts shall have a line spacing of 1.5. The font for the document shall be Times New Roman regular font size 12. The document shall include an errata sheet.

e. Typing shall be 10 letters to the inch, 25 lines to the page, exclusive of page number, with 2 single spaces between lines. Whenever testimony is continuous, requiring more than 1 line, the typing shall begin as close as possible to the left-ruled marginal line. Words shall be properly hyphenated when necessary.

f. Original and each copy of the transcript, outside the ruled margin, the cover page, and each subsequent page of the transcript (including the Certificate and Acknowledgement) shall show the name, address, and phone number of court reporting service centered at the bottom and the page number of the transcript in the bottom right corner.

g. The paging of the transcript shall be in a single series by consecutive numbers regardless of the number of days consumed in the investigation, hearing, etc.

h. The original transcript and (1) copy shall be authenticated by the Official Reporter by a certificate page in the following form, which shall be included before the Acknowledgement:

i. Retention of Notes and Transcripts: The Contractor agrees that all recordings, stenographic notes, or their equivalent, taken in connection with the services rendered under this contract, and typed plate made therefrom, shall be filed, and held by the contractor, subject to authority and control of the Department of Veterans Affairs for a period of one year.

j. Should the Contractor cause the Government to re-hear any case or hearing or other proceeding, the Contractor shall provide the reporting services at that re-hearing at no cost to the Government. In addition, the Contractor shall be liable for all Government expenses, claimant expenses and attorney’s fees incidental to the re-hearing.

1.1 VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Language

1. General:

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.

2. Access to VA Information and VA Information Systems:

a. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.

b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.

c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.

d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.

e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor’s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

3. VA Information Custodial Language:

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if…