AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach2_-_PWS_v1.3.docx

Performance Work Statement

USDA-Wide

Deaf and

Hard of Hearing

Interpreting Services

AG-3144-S-14-0011

Version 1.3 March 13, 2014

Source Selection Sensitive

Solicitation AG-3144-S-14-0011 PWS – USDA-Wide Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services

23 of 24 Version 1.4 March 13, 2014 Source Selection Sensitive Revision History

Contents

PURPOSE

The TARGET Center is a division of the Office of Operations, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The TARGET Center operates the Interpreting Services Office (ISO).

USDA Agencies provide reasonable accommodations to USDA employees, applicants and visitors as required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Accommodations include certified Sign Language Interpreting services, certified Communication Access RealTime Translation (CART) services, and qualified Typewell transcriber services. Disciplined procurement practices, recordkeeping, and related analysis are essential to track expenditures, workload, and to ensure that accommodations are provided within established timeframes.

Services that are procured for USDA employees with disabilities require, and are handled with, the greatest of sensitivity and confidentiality.

The primary purpose of this contract is to acquire Sign Language Interpreting services CART and TypeWell for USDA employees, applicants, visitors and for departmental-sponsored events as approved by the Contract Officer’s Technical Representative (COR).

Qualified interpreters are skilled professionals who adhere to a strict code of ethics and facilitate communication between two parties that do not share the same language. American Sign Language (ASL) has a linguistic structure quite different from English, therefore a skilled interpreter must be able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially both expressively (voice-to-sign) and receptively (sign-to voice) in any given communication situation.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as other state and federal laws require the provision of auxiliary aids and services (i.e., interpreting services) necessary to ensure effective communication with deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind individuals. An interpreter should be certified by either the Registry of the Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) or the American Consortium of Certified Interpreters (ACCI) or possess the other suitability qualifications as stated in criteria section 4.2.3.4.2.

Each individual that requires interpreting services is unique with differing communication needs. Interpreters are assigned to clients based on these needs, certification level, experience and other factors. Specialized credentials are available for educational and legal settings.

“Interpreting” involves translating the spoken word into sign language and vice versa to enable deaf persons to communicate with hearing persons. The terms “signing” and “interpreting” are often used interchangeably; however, “interpreting” requires a high degree of skill which many persons who have sign language abilities do not possess. An interpreter is one who has completed an interpreting training program and/or is certified by a recognized certifying body such as the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. (Chapter 306, Federal Personnel Manual, Subchapter 5, Section 5-3(a).)

BACKGROUND

Under the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, in Title V, Section 501. Federal Agencies are required to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, barring undue hardship. Title V, Section 504, stipulates that an individual with disability, solely because of the disability, shall not be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of any Federal program or program receiving Federal financial assistance.

USDA employs 89,602 employees at sites within the National Capital Region (NCR) and nationwide. 8,189 employees currently identify themselves as an individual with disability. As of the date of this Performance Work Statement (PWS), 40 employees currently identify themselves as deaf or hard of hearing in the NCR. As a result, interpreters are needed by deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing employees to fulfill responsibilities throughout USDA.

USDA conducts numerous Departmental programs, public meetings, and activities where assemblies may vary in size. The Department facilitates communication access through the use of interpreting services, CART services, and transcriber services.

SCOPE OF EFFORT

This contract will be awarded to multiple vendors. Delivery orders issued pursuant to the base contracts will deliver interpreting services across the entire USDA enterprise nationwide, in all locations throughout the United States.

There is a high concentration of deaf and hard of hearing customers in the Washington, DC area when compared to other geographic locations. A majority of the services may be expected to be performed in the National Capital Region.

Services to be provided:

· Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpretation

· Full-Time

· On-call

· By Request

· Communication Access RealTime Translation (CART)

· TypeWell There are numerous types of interpreting situations, such as:

· American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreter (translation between ASL and spoken English), Signed Exact English (SEE), Contact Sign (formerly known as PSE), close vision, and sign supported speech.

· Transliterator (translation between English-based sign language and spoken English).

· Oral Interpreter (words are silently mouthed and gestures are used to convey spoken English).

· Tactile Interpreter (translation for deaf-blind individuals where the client places his/her hands on the interpreter’s so as to feel the formation of signs).

· Low Vision Interpreter (for individuals with vision impairments that can only read signs at close range).

· Deaf Interpreter (using a deaf person as an intermediary between a hearing person and another deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing person).

· Trilingual Interpreter (translating from English to ASL to Spanish - or some other language).

· Video Interpreter (providing services from a remote location, through video conferencing technology).

Level of Effort Across Entire Contract:

· Based on past experience, USDA requires approximately 8,000 hours of sign language interpreting services annually in the National Capital Region (NCR), however the volume of requests may exceed this requirement.

REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor is responsible for providing qualified and vetted interpreting services upon request for short and long-term engagements supporting USDA deaf and hard of hearing employees.

The contractor shall be responsible for all coordination of services from receipt of request through fulfillment of the request.

The quality of the provided interpreter’s performance is particularly important and critical when the USDA selects a firm’s suitability for future orders. All evaluations of delivery orders under this Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract shall be based on Past Performance and Price.

It is incumbent on the prime vendor to verify each interpreter’s capabilities and take corrective action if performance problems arise.

The contractor is responsible for the following:

· Provide qualified and vetted interpreters with the qualifications as stated in this work statement.

· Schedule and manage service requests ensuring all requests are fulfilled.

· Ensure all services are provided in a quality manner in compliance with this work statement via a sound quality control program.

It is essential that all interpreters assigned to this contract acquire and maintain extensive knowledge of the USDA culture and terminology that relates to the client’s/employee’s work.

It is required that a team of individuals be identified to provide the majority of interpreting services to USDA employees at each site. This will allow the interpreters to become familiar with the culture, terminology, and logistics of each work site while ensuring continuity and consistency of service for the employees who receive interpreting services.

The contractor is responsible for ensuring interpreters are provided with materials available from the COR such as videos, briefing materials, mission statements and speeches. Interpreters should also be familiar with information on the employee’s agency website.

TASK 1 – Management / Scheduling of Services

Overview of USDA Management Expectations

The Contractor shall perform all administrative support tasks associated with performance including:

· a) Maintaining a profile for each consumer that minimally includes each person’s communication preferences, description of workplace terminology, and contact information;

· b) Maintaining an appointment schedule, taking all incoming requests for interpreting services;

· c) Determining how and who will cover these services;

· d) Scheduling appointments;

· e) Resolving scheduling conflicts for interpreting services;

· f) Originating invoices,

· g) Obtaining client/employee receipts for services rendered;

· h) Forwarding documents to appropriate billing address which will be provided by the COR;

· i) Verifying with the COR, the hours worked against all invoices and submitted receipts.

Vendor Point of Contact

The Contractor shall provide a point of contact (POC) who will be responsible for coordinating and scheduling interpreting services. The POC(s) shall be available Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST (or as otherwise required in an individual task order). The POC shall work with the COR or his/her designee for additional assignments.

Assignment/Designation of Interpreting Coordinator if Different from POC Due to the number of employees, applicants or visitors who require services at USDA National Capital Region, the Contractor shall provide an interpreting coordinator. The interpreting coordinator is responsible for directing all requests for services, identifying those that will require additional resources and those that can be filled by on-site interpreters. The interpreting coordinator manages the schedule for on-site interpreters. In general, the schedule is finalized within three full business days in advance, considering the requests known at that time and the interpreters that will be available. Contractor staff that performs scheduling are expected to work closely with the ISO to ensure accuracy and that resources are used efficiently and effectively.

Vendor Responsiveness

The Contractor must be able to receive and respond to requests for services by e-mail during normal business hours. E-mail including routing, receipts and time stamps, represents official records of service requests and shall be retained in accordance with documentation for billing and service delivery requirements.

Authority to Request Services

Only the COR or his/her designee is authorized to request services and/or approve expenditure of funds within the total value of the current task order obligation, unless otherwise stated in the delivery order issued pursuant to this contract.

Escorts on USDA Premises When an escort is required for building access, the person requesting services is expected to address those needs. The Contractor is expected to notify the requestor in the confirmation notice if an escort is required. The Contractor is required to obtain primary and alternate contact information as part of the request and to confirm as necessary. The Contractor is also expected to arrive sufficiently early to clear security prior to the start time of the request.

Normal Service Hours The Contractor shall provide Interpreting Services during normal business hours at standard rates, Monday through Friday (except Federal Holidays) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the USDA employee’s assigned workplace/meeting room or at other locations approved by the COR.

Times outside of these hours must be approved by the COR or his/her designee in advance.

Full-Time Interpreting Services are defined as interpreters scheduled for the day at the government’s facility and assigned to requests by the government on an ad hoc basis.

Scheduled (additional) interpreting services are defined as interpreting provided for individual requests for a period of time. More than one interpreter may be required for a single request.

Short Notice Scheduling The Contractor may provide additional scheduled services on a per-request basis as authorized by the COR or his/her designee. Additional service requests may be submitted with short notice. If interpreters become available as a result of a last minute cancellation and are requested on another request, the Contractor may not charge a cancellation fee.

USDA Requests The USDA Agency point of contact (POC), designated at the task order level, shall contact the contractor POC to provide the request a minimum of three (3) business days prior to the date of the assignment.

The Contractor, interpreter, captioner, and transcriber shall not initiate requests or modifications outside of the established processes. If an end-user requests additional services, they should be referred to the COR or designee for scheduling. The USDA shall not be liable for requests made by individuals without the actual authority to do so.

The request shall include the following information:

· Name of Agency

· Name of Requestor

· Name of Customer

· Services Preference, (Signing, etc)

· Date of Assignment

· Assignment Name/Description/Topic

· Location

· Building Address

· Room/Office Number

· Start Time, End Time

· On-site USDA POC

· On-site USDA POC Phone/Email

· Agenda/Program/Documents/Acronyms

· Appropriate Attire

· Customer’s Escort for the Vendor Employee

Receipt and Acknowledgement of Requests

The Contractor shall notify the USDA ISO, USDA Agency POC, the person requesting services, and other parties as identified in the email requesting services as follows:

The request for services has been received. This is an acknowledgement of the request and begins the process of identifying and scheduling resources. If any information is incomplete, the acknowledgement shall identify the missing information that will be required before the request can be confirmed. The acknowledgement is expected within one (1) business day of receipt (weekends and federal holidays are not considered business days).

The request for services has been confirmed. This is a commitment from the contractor to provide the requested resources at the date, time and location specified. A confirmation shall not be issued if required information (date, start time, end time, specific location including room number and minimum of 2 contacts) is missing. The confirmation shall be sent at least 3 business days prior to the day of the request.

Unconfirmed requests: If the contractor is unable to confirm a request at least 3 business days prior to the day of the request, the contractor shall notify the USDA ISO and USDA Agency POC that the request cannot be filled. This notice should be sent to the interpreting coordinator with as much advance as the contractor can provide ahead of the day of the request.

In the case of late requests made with 3 or fewer business days’ notice to the contractor, the notice that the request is confirmed or unconfirmed shall be sent as early as possible, and by 4 p.m. the day of the request.

Contractor Right of Refusal for Last Minute Requests If a request is received less than (3) three business days prior to the assignment, the contractor may turn-down the request if it is unable to provide a contractor employee meeting minimum qualifications. The contractor should attempt to fill the request if able or notify the USDA ISO, and Agency POC as soon as possible, or within 48 hours prior to the assignment to attempt to fulfill the request in an alternative manner.

On-Call services The USDA may contract for on-call services. On-call services are not subject to the scheduling notification and refusal constraints outlined in this PWS.

Cancellation of Services Sign language interpreting services may be cancelled two (2) business days in advance of the scheduled interpreter assignment without penalty or charges for cancelled services.

The Contractor shall provide additional interpreters to assist at training, conferences, or meetings. The Contractor shall obtain advance authorization from the COR or designee and arrange for additional interpreters to fulfill these requirements.

Full Time Services On-Call/Ad Hoc Requests When Full-Time Services are Contracted USDA has sufficient need for interpreting services on a very frequent or full-time basis for the National Capital Region (NCR) and potentially other facilities.

The COR or designee may maintain an on-site schedule for interpreters who are assigned to various recurring and scheduled meetings, typically of 2 hours duration or less. The COR and contractor may collaborate to determine a mix of full-time, on-call, and by request interpreters providing the best price and service continuity for the government.

Services not scheduled in advance (on-call and/or ad hoc services) are provided only as full-time or on-call interpreters are available between other scheduled requests. A significant number of requests for services are met in this manner that would otherwise be considered late requests, or might not be filled. Late requests, emergency requests, or short notice fees may not be charged for these services when an interpreter is already on-site and is able to fulfill the assignment.

Change of Assignment On occasion, the COR or his/her designee may request a change of assignments between interpreters at the same time and at the same location in order to best meet the needs of particular consumers. Therefore, the COR or his/her designee requires information about the particular resources assigned to the schedule in advance.

TASK 2 – Fulfill Sign Language Interpreting Requests

The contractor shall provide qualified sign language interpreters upon request and monitor quality of services provided.

Provision of multiple Interpreters Contractor shall provide sufficient interpreters to adequately perform the required services according to industry accepted best practices. For Example: One (1) interpreter may be sufficient for most assignment(s) of one and a half (1.5) hours or less. Two interpreters may be required for a special circumstances based on an individual’s needs. Two (2) or more interpreters may be needed for, but are not limited to, the following:

Any assignment exceeding one and a half (1.5) continuous hours;

Any assignment where a Deaf/Hard of Hearing individual has a prominent role in the scheduled activity and/or there are multiple Deaf/Hard of Hearing or Deaf/Blind participants;

Any assignment where more than one (1) mode of communication is preferred by the Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants; e.g., interpreting, transliterating, oral interpreting and/or tactile interpreting;

Any assignment where the material or subject matter being presented or discussed is extremely technical, complex or difficult for a lay person to understand;

Any assignment involving a panel discussion or large group meetings of any length.

Any assignment, based on the nature of the subject matter or the Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants’ needs, which requires extensive sign language interpreting services.

NOTE: It is incumbent on the USDA requestor to convey the information.

Qualifications and Expectations

Receptive and expressive skills are equally important.

A variety of interpreting services are required including, American Sign Language (ASL), Signed Exact English (SEE), Contact Sign (formerly known as PSE), close vision, sign supported speech, and tactile.

The following skills and abilities are required (for receptive and expressive interpreting) of all Sign Language Interpreters under this contract:

Ability to keep pace with normal conversation in conferences, meetings, seminars, training courses, interviews, and public speaking events;

Ability to voice interpret;

Ability to accurately indicate nuances, tone, intonation, inflection and the spirit of the speaker’s voice to enable the consumer to fully receive messages;

Skills to cover special events (e.g., anthem);

Ability to interpret personal sessions of a sensitive nature;

Comprehensive knowledge of the use of the English vocabulary including the ability to read well and articulate clearly;

Interpreting assignments will include technical and non-technical content and may involve computers, finance, science, engineering, legislative matters, human resources, civil rights, meetings, training, and other job- related functions;

Ability to select, highlight and abstract with context when dealing with complicated concepts, idioms, etc.

Comprehensive knowledge of the use of ASL vocabulary and grammar.

The Contractor shall provide interpreters who possess the following qualifications:

All interpreters provided on this contract shall be qualified to interpret within the state where services are delivered. States have differing requirements which may include certification. Contractors are expected to identify and conform to any applicable state requirements for sign language interpreters.

In addition, interpreters provided on this contract are required to fully meet one of the following criteria statements:

Criteria Statement 1 for Certified Interpreters:

i. Interpreters shall hold an active national certification (e.g., RID, NAD); and

ii. Interpreters shall have a minimum of three years professional experience; and

iii. At least one of the three years of professional experience shall be in a professional office environment (e.g., government, legislative, accounting, finance, human capital, legal).

Criteria Statement 2 for Non-Certified Interpreters:

i. Interpreters shall have a minimum of 6 years of professional experience; and

ii. At least three of those years shall be in a professional office environment (e.g., government, accounting, finance, legal); and

Experience shall not include time when the interpreter was in training, mentoring, or fulfilling an internship requirement.

Interpreters must have substantive experience transliterating ASL and Contact Sign.

Interpreters must be equally proficient in sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign transliteration.

Additional modes of communications that can be required include the following: SEE, cued, tactile, close vision, oral transliteration, and other appropriate modes of communication to the Deaf, deaf/blind, Hard of Hearing and hearing individuals.

The interpreters must also be aware of and sensitive to ethnic/cultural and linguistic concerns regarding the Deaf community and culture.

The interpreters must comply with the Code of Professional Conduct established by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).

At times, interpreters may be required for legal proceedings. These services will be requested in advance. The Contractor must be able to fill requests with qualified/certified interpreters within the agreed upon advance scheduling requirements.

TASK 3 – Fulfill Communication Access RealTime Translation (CART) Service Requests

The contractor shall provide Communication Access RealTime Translation (CART) services according to industry best practices upon request.

The contractor shall provide NCRA certified captioners with a Certified CART Provider (CCP), Certified RealTime Reporter (CRR), Certified Broadcast Captioners (CBC), Registered Professional Reporter, or other NCRA certifications.

The contractor shall ensure that transcripts are provided to customers within two (2) business days of receipt of a transcript request. The contractor shall not assess charges for requested transcripts.

TASK 4 – Fulfill TypeWell Transcription Requests

The contractor shall provide TypeWell Transcription services according to industry best practices upon request.

The contractor shall provide qualified TypeWell transcribers, with at least three years of experience.

CONTRACT DELIVERABLES

Management Plan - Internal Procedures for Executing Requirements

Within five (5) business days after the effective date of the contract, the contractor shall submit electronic copies of the vendor’s management plan, to the COR and Contracting Officer (CO), detailing procedures used to complete the administrative tasks outlined in the Performance Work Statement.

Contract Kick-Off

Within five (5) business days after the effective date of the contract, the contractor shall meet with the CO and COR to clarify terms and conditions of the contract, review the contractor’s approach to fulfill tasks outlined in this Performance Work Statement, and review procedures when service requests are received, monitoring work performed, and timeliness of performance.

Quality Control Plan Within five (5) business days after the effective date of the contract, the contractor shall submit electronic copies of the proposed quality control plan to the COR.

This plan should include the actions the vendor will take to instill quality, monitor quality and resolve identified quality issues effectively and timely throughout the course of the contract.

Monthly Activity Report for Overall Contract

Within ten (10) business days after the end of the prior month, the contractor shall provide the COR with a monthly activity report, summarizing the activities, usage, resolved and unresolved issues, and recommendations for the reporting period. This should summarize all activities on all task orders with the goal of providing an overall picture of contract activities from a management, quality assurance and task execution perspective.

The Contractor shall send an electronic copy of the monthly performance report to the COR and CO, including:

· All fulfilled assignments by:

· USDA employee name using the service;

· and the name of person requesting services, if different.

· Interpreter name

· USDA administration (e.g. FAS, AMS, NFIS, etc.);

· assignment/work date;

· assignment/work type;

· number of hours worked;

· interpreting cost/fees per interpreter per event;

· hours of interpreting per assignment;

· number of interpreters;

· travel and mileage charges;

· number of cancellations and cost;

· number of late requests.

· Scheduled assignments cancelled.

· Scheduled assignments not accepted due to late requests.

· Schedule assignments not fulfilled.

· Other identifying issues that require resolution such as double booking, last minute notices, quality issues, etc.

The report shall reflect the contract number on the cover or first page.

Reporting may evolve over time as operations normalize and continuous improvement occurs.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The following performance measures pertain to the overall contract and will be calculated as a culmination of all task order performance in the more recent 12 month period.

Scheduling of Services The contractor shall ensure at least 98% of all requests are accurately confirmed, based on information provided by the customer request.

The contractor shall ensure 98% of all requests are confirmed within one (1) business day (by 4:00 p.m. the following business day from the request, on Fridays due by 4:00 the following Monday)

The contractor shall ensure 98% of all requests received 3 days in advance shall be filled. Periodically, the contractor shall be expected to provide on-call sign language interpreters, captioners, or transcribers to provide last minute, urgent requests.

Fulfillment of Requests Sign language interpreters and transcribers shall arrive at scheduled assignments thirty (30) minutes prior to the beginning of the assignment and contact the onsite USDA POC to be escorted, at least 95% of the time.. If the USDA POC, or designee, has not arrived within the prescribed timeframe, Sign language interpreters shall immediately contact the Contractor for guidance.

Captioners shall arrive at scheduled assignments one (1) hour prior to the beginning of the assignment and contact the onsite USDA POC to be escorted, at least 95% of the time. If the USDA POC, or designee, has not arrived within the prescribed timeframe, Sign language interpreters shall immediately contact the Contractor for guidance.

. There shall be no more than four (4) instances in the past 12 months where interpreters, transcribers, or captioners fail to arrive for an assignment.

Interpreting Skills Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall demonstrate receptive voice translation and technical expression as they relate to the requirements of the deaf or hard of hearing employee, 98% of the time.

The contractor shall ensure customer preferences and expectations related to the selection of sign language interpreters are met, 95% of the time. This will be measured via client surveys.

. There shall be no more than twelve (12) instances each in the past 12 months where feedback received from customers indicate customer dissatisfaction pertaining to the preferred mode of communication and/or code of ethics

Professionalism The contractor shall ensure that 98% of all sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers demonstrate professionalism in business attire, attitude, and behavior.

Business attire Business attire shall not be distracting to the eyes of the customers (e.g., jewelry, buttons, bright-colored tops and nail polish, and visual tattoos) and will not be permitted.

Professional Neutrality Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall not attempt to influence USDA policy when performing services.

Contractual or Other Matters Relating to the Contract at Hand.

Interpreters shall not discuss contract or other business related issues such as employment, pay, etc with end-users.

Confidentiality Sign language interpreters, captioners, and transcribers shall not disclose any information obtained during assignments.

Reporting At least 90% of all reports must be submitted within the deadlines outlined in the scope of work.

Monthly Meetings The COR and the contractor shall meet every month to discuss the results of a quality review of services provided by the contractor.

Quarterly Performance Reviews

USDA shall conduct quarterly surveys and/or obtain performance assessments from employees who have received sign language interpreting, CART, and TypeWell transcriber services. At least 90% of the completed surveys and performance assessments per quarter shall have an overall satisfaction rating for the services provided.

Quality Control/Standards

The Contractor shall continually monitor the quality of interpreting services as outlined in their quality assurance plan, including internal methods for monitoring, identifying problems and deficiencies and effectively alleviating them to produce a quality level of services.

The Contractor shall propose to meet these stated quality standards and shall state how it will achieve and monitor them including any additional proposed quality standards.

Vendor Quality Surveys The Contractor will conduct surveys of quality assurance and maintain records of customer feedback. Surveys are to be conducted a minimum of yearly and results reported to COR.

USDA Quality Surveys USDA users of the contract interpreting services may, if they desire, provide the COR with written feedback on the services that were provided. The COR will maintain and evaluate the records of customer feedback. Problems, if any, will be identified by the COR and communicated to the CO, who will take action as necessary with the vendor.