SOW for Braille Contract for 2012 w revisions for MSNs and On-Demand.docx

Statement of Work

Statement of Work for a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) performance-based contract to purchase Braille transcription services and materials during a period of performance beginning July 15, 2012 through July 14, 2013 base year with 4 option years thereafter.

Item 1 Contractor will transcribe two (2) specific Medicare publications into Braille – the Medicare & You handbook, and the Choosing a Medigap Policy booklet.

Item 2 Per month, CMS will send the contractor approximately two to five (2-5) publications to be converted to Braille. Publications may range in length from approximately two (2) pages to approximately sixty (60) pages. On-demand Braille publication requests are not likely to exceed 200 pages, total, within the 12-month period of performance.

Item 3 Contractor will transcribe, on-demand, a maximum of approximately 6,000 Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs), per year, for those beneficiaries who have a preference for Braille materials.

In regards to Items 1 through 3, purchased services will also include creating Braille plates, proofreading, packaging, and distribution of finished Braille products during a reasonable timeframe for lowest cost possible, to be approved by the CMS Project Officer for this contract. Each Medicare publication scheduled for Braille transcription during the 12-month period of performance will be e-mailed to the contractor for request of estimate and, ultimately, a request for printing.

Item 4

The following documents and files will be included in every task order:

· A link to the PDF file for the Medicare publication to be transcribed, and

· An Excel address file – if required. or

· A link to the Secure FTP data for each individual MSN, and

· The address of the corresponding beneficiary.

Sample publications selected for Braille transcription during this contract can be viewed on-line at www.medicare.gov.

Shipping Medicare publications cited in Item 1 will be shipped to a fulfillment center located at: 102 Overland Drive, North Aurora, IL 60542, Attn: Receiving office: 630-375-8551, and, the CMS warehouse in Baltimore, MD, and, only for the Medicare and You handbook, to an estimated number of partner organizations across the USA. Once translated into Braille, bulk copies are to be shipped using FedEx or UPS, where a tracking number can be issued.

Requests to the contractor for on-demand transcription of CMS publications, cited in Item 2, will occur when CMS receives a Braille request for a publication that has not previously been translated, or which has been updated and requires a new translation. Braille publications that have been transcribed and created on-demand will be mailed directly to the requesting beneficiary or organization. In these instances, CMS will provide the contractor with the mailing address. Individual Braille publications are to be mailed using the USPS.

Requests for Braille MSNs, cited in Item 3, will be sent as the need for each occurs. In order to protect the personally identifiable information of beneficiaries, the contractor will access the individual MSN data through a Secure FTP site. Braille MSNs will be mailed directly to the beneficiary, to the address provided for each individual MSN. MSNs are to be mailed using the USPS.

Note: To view the latest revision for the complete text for the specific Medicare publications selected for Braille transcription during the period of performance, go to www.medicare.gov and select “Resource Locator,” then "Publications and Podcasts."

Period of Performance:

July 15, 2012, through July 14, 2013 Base year July 15, 2013 through July 14, 2014 Option year (one) July 15, 2014 through July 14, 2015 Option year (two) July 15, 2015 through July 14, 2016 Option year (three) July 15, 2016 through July 14, 2017 Option year (four)

Description of Product & Service:

A.) Medicare publications and MSNs are to be transcribed into grade II English Braille, on suitable paper stock, in compliance with Library of Congress National Library Services production standards. Braille publications will be done in three- to four-volume sets with estimated page counts as high as approximately 350. They are to be printed, bound with the fold and stitch technique, and shrink-wrapped into a single package containing all volumes. Shipments of Braille publications sent to the CMS warehouse in Baltimore and the Vangent Fulfillment Center in North Aurora, IL, must be insured and sent by way of a traceable post/freight service (e.g., FedEx, UPS). MSNs and individual Braille publication requests are to be shipped via the USPS.

B.) Product Identification: Every Braille volume of a Medicare publication must display a black and white copy of the cover of the ink-print version of the publication. In addition, the CMS publication number and revision date must also be prominently displayed on the front cover of every Braille volume – in print and in Braille. The CMS product number and Inventory Control Number (ICN) must also appear, in print, on a label for each box in which the publication is packaged. Braille MSNs are exempt from these requirements.

Contractor Evaluation & Reporting:

Before the contractor can begin transcribing a Medicare publication or MSN into Braille, the contractor shall provide CMS with the actual cost for that item, including bulk shipping costs. Upon CMS approval, the contractor may begin work, but must also provide the ship date that the product will go to the address(es) indicated.

Government-Furnished Items:

A link to the PDF file of the Medicare publication to be transcribed into Braille; or a notification to access MSN data via a Secure FTP site.

Contractor Deliverables:

The required number of finished Braille products – at-destination on or before the agreed upon due date.

An invoice for goods and services submitted within 10 business days after product delivery.

Contractor is to provide weekly updates on the status of each job via email to Project Officer.

CMS Invoice Information:

Send invoice to: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division of Accounting P.O. Box 7520 Baltimore, MD 21207-0520

Project Officer:

Cynthia M. Dickerson DHHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Product Planning and Distribution (DPPD) Mailstop S1-13-05 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244-185

Phone: (410) 786-7410