| 70SBUR26Q00000015 - Amendment 0002 - Vendor Q and A | | | | | | |
| # | Question | Part # | Section | Page # | USCIS Response | Change to Solicitation? |
| 1 | Is there an incumbent vendor for these services? If so, who and what rates do they provide? What is the past contract ID? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Purchase order 70SBUR23P00000047 was awarded to CLF Consultants. | No. |
| 2 | Is the current incumbent still under contract or pending optional extension? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Order 70SBUR23P00000047 expires on 3/28/2026. | No. |
| 3 | Have you exercised all renewal options with your existing providers? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes. | No. |
| 4 | What was the total outlay disbursed under the previously awarded contract? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Contract is still active; final numbers are not available. | No. |
| 5 | To ensure that potential vendors can submit competitive and comprehensive bids, we kindly request that you provide the most relevant and available data or information regarding the incumbent rates, services, and past performance percentages. We understand that this may be a new contract; however, if there are any existing contracts or historical data that could serve as a reference point or estimate, we would greatly appreciate receiving that information. This will help us better understand the scope of the opportunity and enable us to submit a more informed proposal. | N/A | N/A | N/A | The current order has been active since September 2023; data from the current contract does not accurately reflect total usage as a "roll out" approach was used in bringing regions onboard at strategic intervals. | No. |
| 6 | What has been the biggest challenge for fulfilling services under this contract, or if this is a new contract, are there any challenges you anticipate? | N/A | N/A | N/A | USCIS anticipates in-person interpreting services at some of the outlying offices to be the biggest challenge under the new award. | No. |
| 7 | What percentage of your interpreting rates are for emergency needs? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Approximately 5% of Field Office requests would be for emergency needs. | No |
| 8 | What percentage of your service requests are for after-business hours needs, i.e. 6 p.m. or later and weekends? | N/A | N/A | N/A | As this is a nationwide contract, "business hours" would be from 7 AM ET - 5 PM PT. Based on this parameter, approximately 5% of requests would be after hours or on weekends. | Yes- Attachment B- SOW 5(a) revised |
| 9 | How does the department plan to handle interpreting needs when onsite ASL interpreters are unavailable? Will the use of Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) be considered as an alternative during the contract period? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Virtual interpretation is the first consideration for fulfilling an appointment unless the applicant requests an in-person ASL or procedure dictates that the interpreter must be in-person. | No. |
| 10 | In years past, what were the weekly, monthly, or yearly averages of services supplied on-site? Averages of last-minute requests in the previous contract year? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Since the addition of VRI to the contract scope, in-person requests have decreased significantly and account for about 15% of requests. There were no requests for in person services November 1-30, 2025. | No. |
| 11 | Can the Government provide the level of typical request traffic (i.e. how many requests are onsite and/VRI)? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Please refer to Question# 10. | No. |
| 12 | Can the government provide an estimated breakdown between On Site and VRI services? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Please refer to Question# 10. | No. |
| 13 | Can the Government provide historical levels for the volume of CDI Services? | N/A | N/A | N/A | The Government does not have historical usage for CDI Interpreters. | No. |
| 14 | What is the allotted budget for this awarded contract? | N/A | N/A | N/A | USCIS budgetary information is for internal purposes only. | No. |
| 15 | Are authorized, original electronic signatures accepted? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Electronic signatures are acceptable on Contracting documents (award, modifications, etc.); however, some Office of Security and Integrity documents may require a wet signature. | No. |
| 16 | Historical usage data: * Total Hours used in the past 12-36 months *Average monthly or quarterly hours * Average number of requests per office * Any peak or seasonal trends | N/A | N/A | N/A | Please refer to "Estimates by Region" Tab at the bottom for anticipated usage by Districts and Regions. | No. |
| 17 | Breakdown by Field Office: * Total Hours per office *Number of in-person vs. VRI requests * Offices or regions with the highest demand | N/A | N/A | N/A | Please refer to "Estimates by Region" Tab at the bottom for anticipated usage by Districts and Regions. | No |
| 18 | Regional volume expectations: Are certain districts (i.e. New York, Houston, Los Angeles) expected to require significantly more coverage? | N/A | N/A | N/A | High volume areas include New York, Boston, Dallas, southern Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco | No |
| 19 | What areas have the highest requests for services? | N/A | N/A | N/A | Refer to previous question. | No. |
| 20 | Does the Department have any budget contstraints or funding limitations that the proposal should take into consideration? | N/A | N/A | N/A | No. | No. |
| 21 | On SAM.gov, the "Date Offer Due" is listed as 12/15/2020 at 1:00 PM ET, but we understand the actual due date to be 12.15.2025 at 1:00 PM ET. Could you please confirm that the correct submission deadline is December 15, 2025? | SAM.gov Posting | Solicitation Details, Date Offers Due | N/A | Amendment 1 was issued to correct the submission date to 12/15/2025. Amendment 2 extends the deadline for submissions to 4 PM ET, Friday, December 19, 2025. | Revised in Amendments 1 and 2 |
| 22 | While reviewing the documents, we noticed that Attachment D is labeled as Attachment C. Could you please provide the correct versions of both attachments to ensure we are working with the accurate files? | SAM.gov Posting | Attachments | N/A | Attachment C is Sensitive but Unclassified; Attachment D is the Statement of Work. Attachment D has been revised. | Yes, Attachment D - Information Technology Rev. |
| 23 | SAM.gov lists this procurement as a Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside, but the solicitation files contain no WOSB clauses and appear to be unrestricted. Would USCIS please confirm the correct competition type? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 11 | RFQ# 70SBUR26Q00000015 is set aside for WOSB. Attachment A has been revised to include FAR 52.219-30. | Yes, Attachment A - Terms and Conditions Rev |
| 24 | Did USCIS intend to release the #70SBUR26Q00000015 "Sign Language Interpretation for the Field Operations Directorate" soliciation with a WOSB set aside instread of a Small Business set aside? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions | 11 | RFQ# 70SBUR26Q00000015 is set aside for WOSB. | Yes, Attachment A - Terms and Conditions Rev |
| 25 | We note that this solicitation is designated as a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) set-aside. Our certification is currently pending approval; however, our business is listed in the SBA’s Small Business search database for verification. Will the agency consider bids from firms with pending WOSB certification at the time of submission, provided all documentation and eligibility requirements are otherwise met? Additionally, will the agency accept certification from a recognized non-federal entity, such as The Supplier Clearinghouse, as proof of eligibility until SBA Certification is finalized? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 11 | Per the Small Business Association, the following organizations are approved to provide third-party certification: - El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce -National Women Business Owners Corporation -U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce -Women's Business Enterprise National Council | No. |
| 26 | Terms & Conditions p. 15, sub c, states: “Contractor employees working on this contract must complete such forms as may be necessary for security or other reasons, including the conduct of background investigations to determine suitability. Completed forms shall be submitted as directed by the Contracting Officer. Upon the Contracting Officer's request, the Contractor's employees shall be fingerprinted or subject to other investigations as required. All Contractor employees requiring recurring access to government facilities or access to CUI or information resources are required to have a favorably adjudicated background investigation prior to commencing work on this contract unless this requirement is waived under departmental procedures.” | | | | | |
| Does the EOD process initiate the screening? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 15 | Background Investigations are conducted once an employee has been given an Entry on Duty (EOD) date to begin working on the contract. | No. | | |
| 27 | In order to give offerors time to incorporate the government’s responses to these questions, can the government please consider extending the submission due date by one week? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 41 | The Government has extended the deadline for submissions to 1 PM ET, Friday, December 19, 2025. | Yes, Attachment A, page 41 |
| 28 | How many vendors are expected to be awarded? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions, | 42 | Refer to FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Products and Services on page 42. | No. |
| 29 | How will the Department evaluate proposals and make a selection? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions, | 42 | Refer to FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Products and Services, pages 42-44. | No. |
| 30 | What additional documentation, if any, is required for this solicitation beyond the completed price schedule? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 42-44 | Please refer to Addendum to FAR 52.212-1, Section 2 - Quote Submission and FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation Factors. | No. |
| 31 | The proposal instructions in Attachment A do not note if each non-Price evaluation factor (i.e., Management Approach, Corporate Experience, and Past Performance) should be included in one file or if they should all be in separate files. Can the government please provide its preference? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 43-44 | The Government's preference is that the non-price factors (Management approach, Corporate Experience and Past Performance be combined in one file. | Yes, Attachment A, page 45 |
| 32 | The proposal instructions in Attachment A do not note page limits for any of the non-Price evaluation factors. Can the government please provide a page limit for each of these factors? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A- Terms and Conditions, Revised | 43-45 | The Government has revised Attachment A - Terms and Conditions to include a page limit of 15 pages for the non-price factors. | Yes, Attachment A, page 46 |
| 33 | Is the Department only interested in quotes that are comparable to the current incumbent rates or rates that will successfully complete contract requirements? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment A - Terms and Conditions, Basis of Award. | 44 | As stated in the "Basis for Award": Award will be made to the responsible offeror whose quotation represents the best value to the Government. The Government may select other than the lowest-priced quotation if identified advantages under the non-price factors are judged to outweigh the price difference. | No. |
| 34 | What is your current need and averages for supplying special interpreting services for the following modes of communication: TACTILE, PRO TACTILE, CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter- Deaf Interpreters assist hearing interpreters to increase the expression of a signed language for LEP individuals or those with other disabilities other than deafness.) Is the Department open to further advice with these specifications that may require a team of two interpreters to effectively provide communication? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B- SOW, Section 3 - Scope | 1 | Of the services referenced, Certified Deaf Interpreters are the only special services currently used by the Field Offices. A CDI will always be paired with an ASL interpreter to work in tandem. | No. |
| 35 | Currently, are there any known sign language user employees who need services? (e.g. any existing, consistent needs) | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - Statement of Work, 3. Scope | 1 | This requirement is solely for the support of applicants at USCIS Field Offices. | No. |
| 36 | Regarding the 2-hour minimum per assignment noted in the SOW: * Should offerors assume a 2-hour minimum per request only, or a 2-hour minimum per office for pricing purposes? *Since the SOW lists approximately 94 offices, please confirm whether USCIS anticipates 94 x 2 hours = 188 hours; significantly more than 2,035 hours or anther expected volume structure. | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - Statement of Work, 5(d) | 1 | Offerors should assume a 2-hour minimum per request. | No. |
| 37 | Regarding Base Access- What are the credentialing requirements for interpreters assigned to work on base or in secured USCIS facilities, and how are contractors accommodated when CAC or PIV credentials are still pending or have not yet been issued? Additionally, under what conditions does the agency permit escorted access for contractor personnel who do not yet hold these credentials? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - SOW, Section 5h. | 2 | Per the Statement of Work, Section 5h, Interpreters will not be provided with a PIV card, but will be provided an identifying badge when onsite at the Field Offices. Interpreters must be cleared and granted an Entry-on-Duty (EOD) date prior to working on the contract. | No. |
| 38 | Regarding the Cancellation Policy- The current cancellation provision states that when the contractor cancels a scheduled assignment, a $250 penalty will be applied to the contractor’s next invoice. However, there is no corresponding notation addressing situations in which the department cancels a scheduled request. | | | | | |
| To ensure balanced expectations and service continuity, we propose incorporating an industry-standard cancellation policy in which appointments canceled by the department with less than 48 hours’ notice are billed at 100% of the scheduled service hours. Is the department willing to accept this position on including a reciprocal cancellation provision that reflects this industry-standard 48-hour cancellation policy? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - Statement of Work, 5(m) | 2 | USCIS accepts the industry standard 48-hour cancellation policy with the exception of closure due to weather-related events. | Yes. Attachment B - SOW, Section 5n | | |
| 39 | Cancellation Clause - $250 Disincentive: Will the Government consider removing the clause that states a last-minute cancellation of a confirmed appointment (virtual or in-person) by the contractor will result in a $250 disincentive to be credited on the next invoice? Proposed Alternative: As an alternative, we respectfully propose eliminating the $250 disincentive. In the event the contractor is unable to cover the confirmed appointment, we will simply not bill the Government for that assignment. This provides a fair remedy without imposing a financial penalty while still ensuring accountability and service continuity. | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - Statement of Work, 5(m) | 2 | The Cancellation Clause is intended to ensure that interpreters that have been confirmed will attend their assigned appointment. Respectfully, not billing USCIS for services not rendered does not compensate the Field Office or the applicant when an appointment has to be rescheduled. If the Government is given | No. |
| 40 | What regions would be included for on site support? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B- SOW, Section 6. | Pages 3-6 | Refer to Attachment B, SOW, pages 3-6 for the locations of the Field Offices. | No. |
| 41 | Is pre-approval only required to charge travel for "long distance", or is it required any time there is travel compensation? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - SOW, Section 10 | 9 | Any unique event that requires non-local travel that involves parking, tolls or mileage reimbursement needs approval from the COR and the CO prior to any arrangements being made. | No |
| 42 | "Travel (more than a 50-mile radius) may be offered as reimbursable cost and may be billed against a Travel CLIN". Do we determine this rate/cost or is this only at the GSA mileage rate? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - SOW, Section 10 | 9 | Non-local travel will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations and current GSA per diem/mileage rates. | No |
| 43 | Does this mean that no travel is billable unless it is more than a 50-mile radius from the interpreter's office? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - SOW, Section 10 | 9 | Travel performed within a 50-mile radius of the interpreter's home or place of business is considered local and not billable under this order. | No |
| 44 | Can interpreters not initially included in the roster submitted by the awarded vendors be retroactively added to the contract if they are deemed suitable for servicing on a rolling basis? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B - SOW, Section 11c. | 10 | Refer to Attachment B - SOW, Section 11c., "Interpreter Roster Management" regarding roster changes/onboarding new interpreters. | No. |
| 45 | Optional Surge CLINs - can the Government clarify what this means? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment B- SOW, Section 11. | 10 | Optional Surge CLINs are for additional within-scope services (ASL or CDI). Refer to Attachment B SOW, Section 11D for further clarification. | No. |
| 46 | Since clearance is not a requirement - is there a specific screening process involved? Who owns that process? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment C - Security Requirements. | Pages 1-6 | Refer to Attachment C - Security Requirements for further clarification on the Office of Security and Integrity's clearance and EOD process. | No. |
| 47 | Can the government provide typical turnaround times for the EOD process? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment C - Security Requirements. | Pages 1-6 | A general timeframe for the EOD process is 30-60 days; however, factors such as recent clearance from a federal agency and employee response to requests for information can impact this timeframe. | No. |
| 48 | Security Requirements - Background Investigations, states: “The Contractor shall not submit security forms for Contractor employees that are not currently needed to perform services on the contract. The number of vetted Contractor employees should be limited to the number necessary to meet contractual obligations.” | | | | | |
| Can the government confirm this process only begins once we know someone is going to be assigned to the effort? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment C - Security Requirements. | 3 | Background Investigations are conducted once an employee has been given an Entry on Duty (EOD) date to begin working on the contract. | No. | | |
| 49 | While VRI can be provided based on a single cost structure since offerors can source from a single region, in-person support requires pricing based against each region. Are offerors allowed to modify the pricing sheet by adding rows and CLIN's to include pricing for each region as well as for On Site vs VRI services? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | The Government is requesting one hourly rate for either VRI or in-person services. Offerors should not add CLINs to the provided pricing sheet. | No. |
| 50 | Out of the 2036 hours noted on the price sheet, how many contract hours were actually used by the incumbent? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | Contract is still active; final numbers are not available. | No. |
| 51 | What does the agency’s pre-populated travel line item- listed as “Travel: $58,000 (1 lot)” represent in terms of anticipated usage, scope, and allowable expenses? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | Refer to Attachment B - SOW, Section 10. Travel for allowable expenses under this CLIN. | No. |
| 52 | What is the expected volume of this contract? What is the total number of hours for this contract? How will these hours be divided? | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | Refer to the pricing spreadsheet for the breakdown between ASL and CDI hours. The Government anticipates about 15% of appointments will be in-person. | No. |
| 53 | What is the anticipated total number of ASL and CDI interpreters hours for this requirement? Please provide projected hours for the base year and each option year. | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | The pricing spreadsheet provides a breakdown in anticipated ASL and CDI hours per period of performance. | No. |
| 54 | Minimum guaranteed hours: Should offerors assume any minimum or guaranteed hours per office per CLIN? If no minimum, please confirm. | Part III, Attachments | Attachment F - Pricing Spreadsheet | 1 | As these are ad hoc services, there are no guaranteed minimums per CLIN. | No. |