Attachment 11 - Virtual Attorney Visitation_2026AUG.pdf
PDF 158 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Turn-key Detention Facilities
- Solicitation number
- 70CDCR26R00000026
- Issued by
-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
About this file
This document is Attachment 11 to a federal contract solicitation detailing requirements for the Virtual Attorney Visitation (VAV) program to be implemented at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.
The VAV program must provide web conferencing and videoconferencing technology enabling legal representatives to meet virtually with detainees in private, secure booths during designated legal visitation hours (minimum 8 hours daily on weekdays, 4 hours on weekends and holidays). The service provider must establish soundproofed booths (minimum 30-35 decibel level) with closeable, windowed doors, detention-grade construction, seating, hardware-agnostic video mounts, HVAC/fire suppression access, and connectivity including two telephones, one FAX-compliant line, and a video-teleconference line per station. When not utilized for legal visitation, booths may serve asylum interviews, credible fear interviews, forensic competency evaluations, or immigration judge hearings. The VAV program must be fully operational within 3 months of contract award, including equipment purchase, installation, staff training, procedure implementation, and policy updates, with bi-weekly progress reports to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The vendor faces a 1% price reduction for each week of delay without excusable cause.
All procedural deliverables must be submitted to the COR within 2 months of award. Requirements include: written procedures for an online legal visit scheduling system (with option to enroll cost-free in ICE's Detention Facility Appointment Scheduler); appropriate staffing for timely scheduling; written procedures enabling confidential message exchange between detainees and legal representatives; written procedures for secure electronic document exchange; and monthly usage logs submitted in Microsoft Excel format containing detainee name/A-number, legal representative name, call length, wait time, and interpreter information. Service providers using the federal DFAS system are exempt from monthly log submissions. All procedures and manuals require annual COR review, and the service provider must provide advance notice of any scheduling process changes.
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Text version
AUGUST
Attachment 11, Virtual Attorney Visitation
The Virtual Attorney Visitation (VAV) program utilizes common web conferencing and videoconferencing applications to enable legal representatives to meet with their clients or prospective clients virtually using video technology in private rooms or booths to ensure confidentiality of communications during remote legal visits. VAV is not a substitute for in-person meetings, but it does provide an alternative for legal service providers to communicate with clients in a timely and efficient manner.
• The same guidelines in applicable ICE detention standards for in-person attorney/client visits will apply to virtual attorney client meetings and legal calls. Only legal representatives, legal assistants, and interpreters will be allowed; no family or friends of the clients are permitted. The attorney and/or his/her agents may contact outside interpretation services during the call or session. To ensure confidentiality of communication between detainees and legal representatives, the existing visitation officer shall maintain safety and security for all detainees/residents utilizing VAV. The officer shall be stationed outside of the confidential room, standing out of earshot, but within view to assist with any issues that may arise.
• Service provider shall identify private rooms or booths in the facility for VAV to be available in accordance with each facility’s legal visitation hours (but at least eight (8) hours per day on weekdays and four (4) hours per day on weekends and holidays in accordance with ICE detention standards). Phone booths should be soundproofed to at least the 30-35 decibel (dB) level to keep VAV conversations private.
• VAV rooms or booths must have closeable doors and the Service Provider should ensure visibility of detainees through windowed doors or other alternatives to ensure safety, while still maintaining confidentiality of the attorney-client communication booths should be detention grade. Features of a detention grade secure video visitation booth include seating (e.g. a stool, bench, chair, or desk integration [optional]), hardware-agnostic video mount and with access for HVAC and fire suppression where required by code.
• The Service Provider shall have at least two telephones and a network line per station, with one telephone jack, a FAX-compliant plain old telephone service line, and a video-teleconference line.
• When not being utilized for legal visitation, these booths may be used for asylum interviews, credible fear interviews, forensic competency evaluations, or immigration judge review hearings. VAV deliverables will not be apply in these situations.
The VAV program shall be operational within 3 months of contract award/modification to include purchase and installation of equipment, training of staff, implementation of VAV procedures, and policy updates. The vendor shall provide bi-weekly updates to the COR and CO until finalization of the project.
If additional time is needed for delivery, the vendor should immediately contact the CO to negotiate an updated delivery and price. Please note that if the vendor does not meet the agreed upon delivery date and fails to provide an excusable delay, ICE will reduce the overall price of the VAV Contract Line Item Number by 1% for each week the project is delayed.
Deliverables:
AUGUST
All deliverables listed below shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) within 2 months of contract award for review and approval:
• The service provider shall create and implement procedures, in writing, through which legal representatives can utilize an online scheduling system to verify legal representatives and schedule legal visits or confidential legal calls. The procedures shall be added to the posted Legal Visitation Rules for each facility and be made available to the COR for posting on the facility webpage on www.ICE.gov. Please note that service providers can enroll (at no cost to the contractor) in ICE’s ERO eFile Detention Facility Appointment Scheduler (DFAS), which is an online scheduling system for legal visits, or utilize their own internal online scheduling system.
• The service provider shall appropriately staff the online scheduling system to ensure timely scheduling and response to requests.
• The service provider shall create and implement procedures, in writing, through which detained individuals and legal representatives may exchange confidential and non-confidential messages (such as the use of a dedicated email box or electronic messaging platforms). The service provider shall send written procedures to the ERO COR for posting on the facility webpage on www.ICE.gov.
• The service provider shall create and implement procedures, in writing, through which detained individuals and legal representatives may exchange confidential documents, via electronic means (e.g., facsimile or email), such as to obtain signatures. The service provider shall send written procedures to the ERO COR for posting on the facility webpage on www.ICE.gov.
The service provider shall maintain a usage log of the VAV and provide this to the ERO COR and the VAV-Usage-Logs@ice.dhs.gov mailbox on a monthly basis. The usage log shall be provided using Microsoft Excel and include the following data elements:
• 1) Name of detainee and A#
• 2) Name of legal representative
• 3) Length of Call
• 4) Wait time (if applicable)
• 5) Interpreter Needed (if applicable)
• 6) Interpreter Language (if applicable)
Please note that service providers that manage the scheduling of virtual legal visits through DFAS do not have to submit monthly usage logs to the VAV-Usage-Logs@ice.dhs.gov mailbox as DFAS creates an electronic log that contains all of the required data elements noted above. DFAS is an online scheduling system that allows legal representatives, vetted and approved through ERO eFile, to schedule legal visits.
Service providers can request for their facilities to be enrolled by contacting the EROeFile.HelpDesk@ice.dhs.gov mailbox.
All procedures and or manuals shall be provided to the COR for review annually.
The service provider shall notify ICE if the scheduling process changes, in advance of the changes taking effect.
http://www.ice.gov/ http://www.ice.gov/ http://www.ice.gov/ mailto:VAV-Usage-Logs@ice.dhs.gov mailto:VAV-Usage-Logs@ice.dhs.gov mailto:EROeFile.HelpDesk@ice.dhs.gov
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