AG-3144-S-14-0011_QA_as_of_4_4_14.xlsx

XLSX spreadsheet 16 KB Posted Apr 4, 2014

Attached to: USDA-Wide Multiple Award Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services
Solicitation number: AG-3144-S-14-0011
Issued by: Department of Agriculture Office of Procurement and Property Management

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Questions and Answers as of April 4 2014

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Other files

File	Type	Posted
AG-3144-S-14-0011_QA_as_of_4_9_14.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Apr 10, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach1_-_Pricing_Tables_4_9_14.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Apr 10, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_RFQ_4_9_14.doc	DOC document	Apr 10, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach4_-_USDA_Past_Performance_Questionnaire_4_4_14.docx	DOCX document	Apr 4, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach2_-_PWS_v1.4.docx	DOCX document	Apr 4, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach1_-_Pricing_Tables_3_27_14.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Mar 27, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_QA_as_of_3_27_14.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Mar 27, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach4_-_USDA_Past_Performance_Questionnaire_3_14_14.docx	DOCX document	Mar 14, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach2_-_PWS_v1.3.docx	DOCX document	Mar 14, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_RFQ_3_14_14.doc	DOC document	Mar 14, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach3_-_Question_format.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Mar 14, 2014
AG-3144-S-14-0011_Attach1_-_Pricing_Tables_3_7_14.xlsx	XLSX spreadsheet	Mar 14, 2014

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Questions

AG-3144-S-14-0011 - Attachment 3

QUESTION AND ANSWER DOCUMENT

As of Amendment 1, 3/27/2014

ID	Solicitation Document Reference	Question	Answer
1	General	Could you please provide incumbent information on this requirement, including vendor name(s) and contract number(s)?	There are no incumbents, This requirement was never formally contracted in the past.

Previous services were procured via purchase card on a rotating basis amongst a small pool of vendors with known and accepted interpreters in the National Capital Regsion There is one current vendor, Trusted Translations, who will participate in the competition for task orders. Their contract was set up under the 8(a) direct award program via the Small Business administration in September of 2013 in order to meet USDA requirements at that time.

Since that time the USDA decided to move to a multple-award format.

Trusted Translation's may be contacted via performing an internet search, their information will not be provided as part of this solicitation.

2 PWS Have the services described in the USDA’s Performance Work Statement been previously contracted? If so, can the USDA provide detail on past utilization by type of service and/or location? Refer to the answer to Q1 Past Utilization is contained in responses below, all historical information is gathered from the National Capital Region, no other regional data has been completed and as a result it is unavailable.

3 General If there is an incumbent, at what rates are services currently being offered? See Response to Q1 The rate question is NOT answerable due to procurement sensitive information protection rules.

4	RFQ	The USDA’s Performance Work Statement specifies that any resulting contract will be awarded to multiple vendors. Given the multi-vendor nature of this RFP, will it be possible for offerors to bid on only one portion of the contract? For example, could an offeror bid only on the sign language interpreting portion, and not on CART or TypeWell services?	No, your firm must be able to provide all services in all areas. This could be accomplished by subcontractors; your firm will be responsible as the Prime for all aspects of those services regardless of who actually performs.
5	RFQ	In Section 3.0 of the USDA’s Performance Work Statement, numerous “types of interpreting situations” are listed, including American Sign Language, Transliteration and Tactile Interpreting. Will the USDA revise their pricing information so that line-item pricing can be furnished for each of these services?	Yes, this has been updated, if additional requirements arise during administration CLINS could be added to the contract if unforeseen now but in scope.
6	PWS	Section 3.0 of the Performance Work Statement specifies that interpreting services must be provided on a full-time, on-call and by-request basis. In Sections 4.1.6 through 4.1.7, the Performance Work Statement specifies that the Contractor shall provide interpreting services based on a framework of Full-Time, Scheduled and Short Notice scheduling. Can the USDA specify which of these scheduling plans should be utilized by the Contractor?	The USDA has 22 agencies, each agency will procure services as required via a task order. The agencies will define the scheduling plan most suitable for their requirements when the need arises.
7	PWS	Section 4.0 of the USDA’s Performance Work Statement specifies that interpreters shall “acquire and maintain extensive knowledge of the USDA culture and terminology.” Will the USDA provide contractors with any of this pertinent background information before interpreting assignments commence?	Yes, contractors can request for the terminology and acronym. To obtain more information on Structure and Organization, look up the USDA Agencies and Services at this link: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=AGENCIES_OFFICES_C

It is also expected that the vendor based on the continued experience with the USDA take efforts to ensure interpreters new to the agency are given appropriate training before attending an assignment.

8	PWS	Section 6.1.2.1 of the Performance Work Statement states that “[s]ign language interpreters…shall arrive at scheduled assignments thirty (30) minutes prior to the beginning of the assignment.” The Performance Work Statement also states that CART providers must arrive 60 minutes in advance of services. Given this requirement, are we correct in assuming that the USDA will pay for these respective 30 and 60 minute waiting periods?	Yes
9	RFQ	Industry standard pricing for interpreting services incorporates a two-hour minimum. Will the USDA permit offerors to submit pricing for interpreting with provisions for two-hour minimums?	Yes
10	RFQ	Can we separate Typewell remote and Cart remote - they have vastly different pricing?	Yes, this has been amended
11	General	Will a cancellation fee be accepted?	A fee above the normal bill rate and minimums is not allowed, however a stipulation is already present in the contract accomplishing a similar goal by allowing charges for the planned work if canceled less than 2 business days in advance.
12	General	Is travel reimbursement permitted where necessary?	This will be handled at the individual Task Order basis given Agency requirements.
13	General	Will minimums for each service be permitted?	Yes, if your firm has "standard minimums" please contact the Contracting Officer via e-mail immediately to propose minimum so they may be evaluated and a standard can be applied to the RFQ before it closes.
14	General	Any quantity of usage statistics available for each area? service?	Hours per year historically in the national capital region:

Interpreting Svcs, 7926.50.

CART, 36.75.

TypeWell, 58.50.

15	General	How did USDA determine interpreting regions? For example, do certain regions require more or less services than another?	This was gained from existing contracts for these types of services found during market research. The DC region is the only area we have historical information regarding services currently.
16	General	Since Deaf/Hard of Hearing consumers needs and styles vary greatly per geographic area, has USDA considered awarding more than 3 resulting contracts?	No, the multiple award construct is intended to provide nation-wide competition, we are not accepting vendors not able to provide services in all regions.
17	General	A great deal of the effort will be performed in the DC area, but approximately how many hours are anticipated in the other regions? It would be ideal to have the hours separated per region, in order to determine the approximate amount of effort required.	This is unknown at this time.
18	General	TypeWell is not a service that is accessible in all parts of our geographic region; however, CART is accessible. Since they are similar in nature, would one, or the other, be sufficient to fulfill this requirement?	This will be handled at the individual Task Order basis given Agency requirements.
19	General	If CART cannot be a alternative substitute, is USDA able to cover the cost of travel for a qualified TypeWell Provider to the desired location?	This will be handled at the individual Task Order basis given Agency requirements.
20	General	In certain parts of our geographic region it is possible that a Provider, meeting USDA qualifications, will unable to be located in a prescreening process. In that case, is USDA able to cover the cost of travel in order to receive a qualified Provider at the desired location?	This would be a decision made at the Task Order level given specific agency requirements.
21	General	Will Interpreters and Transcribers be compensated for the additional 30 minutes that they will be required to be on site? If not, how do you suggest we compensate them for their time?	Compensation of employees is a corporate decision. Billing starts when the person arrives at the location of the service.
22	General	Will CART Providers/Captioners be compensated for the additional hour that they are required to be on site? If not, how do you suggest we compensate them for their time?	They should be compensated if they are needed to work additional time if the ending time in the original request has extended.
23	General	Does "fail to arrive for an assignment" refer to a Provider who does not show up, or to a last minute emergency (ie: illness) Provider cancellation, or any and all instances of "fail to arrive"?	Yes, it is simplly "fail to arrive" without regard to circumstances. If a "force majuere" type event occurred it would be up to the Task Order Contracting Officer to determine if an exception will be made. The USDA expects the contractor to find a replacement as a back up to avoid "fail to arrive" in most circumstances.
24	General	In our geographic area CART Providers charge additional time to complete transcripts. If charges cannot be assessed for the additional time, will they be permitted to complete this task on-site? If not, how do you suggest we compensate Providers for this service?	The vendor needs to include additional expenses to properly complete tasks within the standard pricing at the on-site hourly rate.
25	General	In order to determine the level of effort, what is USDA's estimate of legal interpreting services per region?	The USDA is not able to estimate this with currently available information.
26	PWS	Some states require/encourage certifications other than a national certification (ie: BEI or state established certifications). Is the state certification requirement satisfactory, or does USDA additionally require a national certification as stated under 4.2.3.4.2 Criteria Statement 1i?	This would be a decision made at the Task Order level given specific agency requirements and the Task Order contracting officer should note that the qualification standards in the base contract are being augmented or lower qualification accepted.
27	RFQ	Are email submission of the proposal acceptable?	Unfortunately e-mail proposasl are not allowed. We will have a team of evaluators reviewing all proposals so we need an appropriate number of copies to provide them.
28	PWS section 4.3	Can the USDA estimate the percentage of CART and TypeWell services that will be required in the Washington, DC Metro area?	Will be answered shortly
29	PWS section 4.3	Will CART services be provided for an individual user? If so, to which kind of device (laptop, iPad, etc.) will CART services need to be supplied?	Will be answered shortly
30	PWS section 4.3	Can the USDA estimate the amount of remote captioning that will need to be provided compared to the amount of in-person captioning?	Will be answered shortly
31	PWS section 4.3	How does the USDA anticipate a remote captioner will receive the information that will need to be transcribed?	Will be answered shortly
32	PWS section 4.3	Will any portion of this contract entail transcription of recorded audio?	Will be answered shortly
33	PWS	CART "transcripts" are provided within 7- 10 days after a session. They take several hours to develop, and include a professional editor as well. Most of our customers request a "rough draft," which arrives within 24-48 hours. Is this what USDA means when it is requesting a "transcript?"	Will be answered shortly
34	RFQ	Due to the large scale of this proposal (every city and state in the US), and the unknown factors of where or how many services will be required, can subcontractor relationships be developed over time? Or must they be submitted with the original Past Performance Proposal?	Yes, subcontractor relationships may be developed over time in response to actual requirements being requested under the multiple award construct
35	Questionnaire	We are wondering why TypeWell and CART were not identified on the form?

How can we ensure TypeWell and CART services will be captured? We would like to respectfully ask that USDA amend the questionnaire to include all categories.

These questions have been added to the questionnaire in Qs 19 and 20.

If a client has already submitted a PPQ please have them submit a revised version only if CART and Typewell were part of the performance in question.

36 Questionnaire the bulk of our past performance is linked to BPAs as opposed to contracts. Thus, how will our references fill out the information under "project identification"?

A BPA is a contract vehicle and for all intents and purpose is the same as a contract in this forum.
37	RFQ	I hope that we could add the day rate clin-line as the Agency could find itself in a better cost savings predicament.	Will be answered shortly
38	RFQ	Will the USDA accept remote CART services as well as on-site CART services as part of this contract?	Will be answered shortly
39	RFQ	If remote CART services are acceptable, will TypeWell services still be necessary?	Will be answered shortly
40	RFQ	By what time increments shall offerors charge for services for assignments that exceed their scheduled time frame? Will offerors be able to charge the hourly rate, or should pricing be furnished by the half hour?
Pricing should be furnished by 15 minute increments.

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated Nov 14, 2017.