ALS_Renewal PWS_July 2023_DRAFT.docx

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Service

1.0 INTRODUCTION

It is the policy of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to establish procedures to facilitate the provision of reasonable accommodations to employees and job applicants with disabilities. The purpose of reasonable accommodations is to provide employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities who otherwise would not be able to perform the essential functions of their job, and to allow employees with disabilities to perform or be more productive. One form of reasonable accommodation that is commonly used is that of a sign language interpreter for those who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) and require those services.

1.1 The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform interpreter service in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) except for those items specified as Government Furnished Property and Services. The Contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Recognized Holidays: Weekend and non-business hours work is not required, unless it’s a scheduled Agency event. Work will normally not be performed on Federal holidays. The days specified below are legal Federal holidays during, which non-essential work shall not be required of the Contractor. If the holiday falls on a Saturday, it is observed on Friday; if the holiday falls on Sunday, it is observed on Monday.

2.0 BACKGROUND

The Agency has a requirement for a vendor (hereinafter referred to as “Contractor” to provide qualified personnel certified in ASL, English interpretation, contact sign/Pidgin Signed English (PSE), and oral transliteration at various locations within the contiguous United States (CONUS).

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires that the Agency provide a means to communicate, which ensures that the Agency is compliant with the ADA. ASL allows the D/HH employee to fully participate in day-to-day duties or events.

3.0 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE

The contractor shall:

3.1 Interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.

3.2 Utilize interpreting services as a means to translate speeches, presentations, conversations, and other spoken languages into the native or preferred language of a given audience.

3.3 Translates messages from one language to another so that various groups of people can understand the message and communicate with one another.

3.4 Have active listening skills and the ability to understand the spoken words and their meanings. They should be able to pick up every word being said and interpret them correctly and effectively into another language.

4.0 OBJECTIVE

DCMA has an obligation to provide an interpreter to allow D/HH people equal access to information and interactions.

5.0 SCOPE OF WORK

5.1 The Contractor shall provide certified personnel for the services required to perform work under this PWS. The Contractor shall furnish all labor as required to provide sign language and/or other recognized modes of interpreting services for the D/HH.

5.2 The Contractor shall provide interpreter services for D/HH employees and applicants on an as needed basis. Current requirements for services and the primary locations are:

Headquarters Region: Fort Gregg-Adams/Petersburg, VA - Eastern Region: Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Garden City/Long Island, NY; Hanscom, MA; Hartford, CT; Marietta, GA Central Region: St. Louis, MO.

Western Region: Bellevue, WA; Littleton, CO; Ontario, CA; San Diego, CA; Tukwila, WA Aircraft Integrated Maintenance Operations (AIMO): Greenville, SC Special Programs: Redstone Arsenal, AL

The aforementioned location list is not all-inclusive and is subject to change. Locations will be specified in the PWS for each regional Call. All Calls will be competed amongst Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) holders, per event.

5.3 Interpreters shall be required to provide clear and accurate interpretation of information in a variety of settings allowing DCMA’s D/HH employees to fully engage in work activities (including the Agency picnic’s, retirement luncheons, Christmas parties etc.) and obtain equal benefits and privileges of employment. Interpreters shall maintain professional conduct as specified in the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct. Interpreters shall be capable of providing interpreting services through various modes of sign language as reflected in para 2.0 and adapt to language preferences of DCMAs D/HH employees. The contractor shall keep a schedule for “ALL” interpreting requests for regularly scheduled meetings and any on-call requests. This schedule, and any updates to the schedule, shall be email or electronically accessible to the Regional Ordering Officer (ROO), the Contracting Officer, and Contract Specialist.

5.4 The contractor shall provide an interpreter as required for the needs of each D/HH individuals. The contractor may be required to provide more than one interpreter to meet this requirement. Any meeting/event in excess over two hours may require additional interpreters, depending on the type of meeting/event.

5.5 The contractor shall provide interpreter services for meetings, briefings, training, discussions, performance meetings, performance reviews, on-boarding, recruitment and hiring events, interviews, seminars, conferences, inspections, work related exams, videos, and/or a variety of other work related situations and platforms scheduled by the Command within 72 hours’ notice. The Government will notify the contractor orally or in writing for the cancellation of assignments. The Government will provide the contractor with a 24 hours’ notice for cancellations of an interpreter assignment. Any assignments cancelled by the Government after this time frame may be invoiced by the Contractor for scheduled performance time.

5.6 The Contractor is responsible for ensuring qualified interpreter services are provided for all Calls issued against the BPA and IAW the PWS. In the event that a previously scheduled interpreter is unavailable, the Contractor is responsible for ensuring that another qualified interpreter is provided to execute the services IAW the specific Call. In the event of the unavailability of interpreter services, the Contractor is responsible for notifying the ROO a minimum of 48 hours in advance. The Contractor is responsible for coordinating all interpreter services as well as ensuring the replacement of interpreters who are unable to report as scheduled. The Contractor shall inform the ROO whenever the interpreter will be late and provide the estimated time of arrival. The interpreter shall be present at the scheduled meetings/events at least 30 minutes prior to the start time.

5.7 The Contractor shall be given a 12 hour notice in the event of a possible Government Shutdown/Furlough. Any previously scheduled assignments that are cancelled due to the Government Shutdown/Furlough are not billable.

5.8 Under no circumstances will the Contractor perform work outside the scope of this PWS without a properly executed modification to the contract by the Contracting Officer (KO).

5.9 The Contractor shall attend scheduled and unscheduled meetings to furnish input concerning the operation and management of the interpretation program.

6.0 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT

The Contractor shall provide qualified people and perform the following at the start of the contract, unless previously negotiated by the KO:

6.1 Maintain a stable workforce with less than 5% lapse rate across all contracted positions.

6.2 Vacancies must be filled with qualified personnel within seven business days of vacancy, unless approved in writing or otherwise directed in advance by the KO with no mission impacted due to position vacancies or unqualified personnel.

6.3 Performance is acceptable when 100% of deliverable requirements are met, accurate and received on time.

7.0 CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATION

7.1 Minimum Level of Knowledge and Experience for Sign Language Interpreters:

· Personnel assigned to this requirement must meet all common industry certification standards and must have a minimum of two years of paid professional experience as an interpreter. Minimum of one year professional experience interpreting in formal corporate or government meeting, training and/or classroom settings. Paid professional experience is defined as providing interpreting services on a full-time or part-time basis in a professional capacity for purposes of gainful employment.

· Must be certified in ASL-to English and English-ASL interpreting/transliteration. Certification refers to the minimum national requirements.

· Must possess communication skill sets to work in variety of communication modes such as ASL, English interpretation, transliteration, contact sign/PSE, and oral transliteration.

· National Certifications: Interpreters providing service that possess, at minimum, one certificate for the following and maintain their membership in good standing:

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) - Registry of Interpreters for Deaf (RID) National Interpreter Certifications (NIC, NIC-Advanced, NIC-Master) RID National Interpreter Certification (CI, CTC, CSC, MCSC, SC:L) NAD National Interpreter Certifications (NAD V)

· State Screenings/Assessments: State specific Quality Assurance Screening (QAS) or licensure may be used in lieu and be equivalent to the National Certification requirements. If a State requires an interpreter to possess a license for professional work, then this requirement prevails. If an interpreter possesses a QAS, the level of a QAS must be the highest level or the second highest level. For example, if there are 4 levels of a State QAS, then the interpreter must have either the Level 4 or the Level 3. If there are 5 levels, then the Levels must be 5 or 4. If a State QAS has 3 levels, then only the top level (Level 3) is applicable.

7.2 Verification: The contractor and its affiliates shall follow the standards set forth by the RID and the NAD, and the issuing State Screening Programs. The Contractor shall provide to the Contracting Officer’s Representative each individual interpreter’s current credentialed status in accordance with the awarding entities’ upon request.

8.0 DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall submit:

8.1 The Contractor shall submit a monthly status report to the ROO no later than close of business (COB) on the first workday of the following month. The monthly status report shall identify an accurate record of all requested sign language interpretation services and shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

· Whether the sign language interpretation event occurred or was cancelled.

· The name of the interpreter(s).

· Date(s) and start and stop times for the sign language interpretation event.

· Description of the sign language interpretation event.

· Location of the sign language interpretation event.

This status report shall also address any progress issues, concerns, etc. for all work performed in the previous week.

8.2 Provide an itemized invoice to the ROO NLT seven business days of the completed service. At a minimum, the invoice should include the POC name and contact information, invoice number and associated contract line item numbers, number of hours, and the dollar amount.

9.0 HOURS OF PERFORMANCE

9.1 Interpreting services shall be provided by an on-site interpreter between the flexible Command business hours of 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday except on Federal holidays, or when the Government facility is closed due to local or National emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government-directed facility closings. The Government shall not be liable for any schedule delays as a result of the contractor’s inability to meet work hour requirements. The contractor must, at all times, maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this specification when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential. All references to days within this specification will be calculated as workdays.

9.2 These times/hours depend on the Region and types of services required. Interpreter’s work hours will be determined based on needs of the D/HH employees. In the event of a situation requiring personnel to shift to an alternate work place/site/tele-work (TW) due to naturally occurring events, such as a pandemic, contractor personnel with a Computer Access Card may provide services using an approved system, Microsoft Teams (MS).

9.3 D/HH employees will schedule as many regular scheduled meetings/events in advance as possible for the on-site interpreter. In the event of unforeseen circumstances requiring the interpreter services to exceed the schedule time frame, the Contractor shall notify the ROO, obtain approval to proceed, and will include the additional hours on the monthly invoice.

10.0 CONTRACTOR TRAVEL

10.1 Travel to and from location of required services will not be reimbursed by the Government for this requirement. The Contractor will be responsible for any travel cost incurred during the required services.

10.2 Only Contractor costs for Government authorized travel are reimbursable. All travel shall be in accordance with Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 31.205-46 and applicable travel regulations (Joint, Federal, or Standardized). Contractor payment claims shall include applicable documentation to support actual costs incurred (e.g., airfare and hotel/lodging receipts). Failure to provide appropriate documentation may result in loss of reimbursement of travel expenses. All travel requires Government approval/authorization and notification to the COR with the concurrence of the Contracting Officer prior to any contractor travel.

11.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE

11.1 The Government reserves the right to perform inspections and surveillance to evaluate the Contractor’s compliance to the contract terms and performance of the requirements in the PWS.

11.2 Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR). In the event of unsatisfactory Contractor performance, the COR or KO will issue a CDR that will explain the circumstances and findings concerning the incomplete or unsatisfactory service. The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CDR and respond in writing as to how he/she shall correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The Government will review the Contractor’s corrective action response to determine acceptability and will use any completed CDR as part of an overall evaluation of Contractor performance when determining present or future contractual actions.

12.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY (PRS)

12.1 Purpose. The PRS lists performance objectives for the required services the Government will surveil. The absence of any contract requirement from the PRS shall not detract from its enforceability nor limit the rights or remedies of the Government under any other provision of the contract including the clauses entitled “Inspection of Services” or “Inspection” or “Default” in Section E and Section I of the contract.

12.2 Components. The PRS states the performance objective (required service), and threshold (performance standard, accept and reject points (if applicable)) in either a qualitative or quantitative fashion for each critical success factor

12.3 The chart below provides performance standards for specific requirements already stated in the PWS.

12.4 Performance Measures: Performance Measures will be assessed on a Pass and Fail Grading System as defined below:

Rating

Definitions

Performance Requirements Summary

Performance Objective

PWS

Paragraph

Performance Standard/ Acceptable Quality Level

Surveillance Method

AQL

Grading Scale (Pass/Fail)

13.0 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

13.1 Security Requirements. This section shall be considered in lieu of the U.S. Government provided Defense Department (DD) Form 254, Contract Classification Specification. The security requirements below shall apply to this contract.

13.1.1 References.

13.1.2 Industrial Security.

· Executive Order 12829, “National Industrial Security Program;” as amended by Executive Orders

· 12885 and 13691

· 32 CFR, Part 117, “National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM)”

· FAR, Part 4 ‐ “Administrative and Information Matters, Subpart 4.4 (402,403,404)”

· FAR, Part 52.204‐2, “Security Requirements (clause)”

· DFAR, 252.204-7000, “Disclosure of Information

· DFAR, 252.204-7003, “Control of Government Personnel Work Product

· DFAR, 252.204-7008, “Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls”

· DFAR, 252.204-7012, “Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting”

· DoDI 5220.22, “National Industrial Security Program (NISP)”

13.1.3 Information Security.

· Executive Order 13526, “National Security Classified Information”

· Executive Order 13556, “Controlled Unclassified Information”

· 32 CFR, Parts 2001 and 2003, “Classified National Security Information”

· 32 CFR, Part 2002, “Controlled Unclassified Information”

· DoDI 5200.48, “Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)”

· DoDI 5230.24, “Distribution Statements on Technical Documents”

· DoDM 5200.01, Volume 1: “DoD Information Security Program: Overview, Classification, and Declassification”

· DoDM 5200.01, Volume 2: “DoD Information Security Program: Marking Of Information” DoDM 5200.01, Volume 3: “DoD Information Security Program: Protection of Classified Information”

· DCMA Manual (DCMA-MAN) 3301-08, “Information Security

13.1.4 Operations Security

· National Security Presidential Memorandum‐28 (NSPM‐28) [13 January 2021]

· DoDD 3600.01, “Information Operations (IO)”

· DoDD 5205.02E, “DoD Operations Security (OPSEC) Program”

· DoDI 5230.09, “Clearance of DoD Information for Public Release”

· DoDI 5230.29, “Security and Policy Review of DoD Information for Public Release”

· DoD 5205.02‐M, “DoD Operations Security (OPSEC) Program Manual”

· DCMA-MAN 3301-06, “Operations Security”

13.1.5 Personnel Security.

· Executive Order 12968, “Access to Classified Information”

· Code of Federal Regulation, Title 5, Part 1400. “National Security Positions”, as amended

· DoD Instruction 5200.02, “DoD Personnel Security Program”

· DoD Manual 5200.02, “Procedures for the DoD Personnel Security Program”

· Security Executive Agent Directive 4, “National Security Adjudicative Guidelines,”

· Under Secretary of Defense Memorandum, “Single Scope Background Investigation- Periodic Reinvestigations (SSBI-PR)”

· DCMA-MAN 4201-07, Personnel Security

13.2 Facility Security Clearance. This contract requires no access to classified information. All work is considered unclassified and a facility clearance (FCL) is not necessary.

13.3 Traditional Security. All personnel performing on or supporting this contract in any way will be U.S. citizens. Contractor personnel performing work under this contract must have a favorably adjudicated Tier (T) 3 or equivalent background investigation. A security investigation (within scope) must be completed or a current up to date investigation must be in progress prior to commencing work on the contract and must maintain the level of security required for the life of the contract. Contractor employees with an incident report in Defense Information System for Security (DISS) who have had their access to classified information suspended will not be permitted to fill positions on this contract. DCMA retains the right to request removal of contractor personnel regardless of prior clearance or adjudication status, whose actions, while assigned to this contract, clearly conflict with the interest of the U.S. Government.

Personnel must have favorable adjudication as stated in DoDM 5200.02 and in accordance with the Revised Federal Investigative Standards. The Contractor will provide sufficient documentation through their Security Office to the DCMA Security Office to show existing favorable adjudication of required investigations. DCMA security personnel will validate proof of existing investigations and adjudications.

DCMA Security uses the DISS or an equivalent system to verify investigations. DCMA Security will make every effort to verify investigations contractor employees using DISS. Delays are common and will not be considered a reason for a U.S. Government caused delay.

New investigative requirements will be processed by the DCMA Security Office (Attn: Personnel Security), 3901 Adams Avenue, Building 10500, Fort Gregg-Adams, VA 23801-1809. The Contractor will ensure contractor support personnel submit the appropriate security forms in a timely manner to meet performance requirements.

The appropriate security investigation (within scope) must have been completed, or a current up to date investigation must be in process. Listed below are the categories and associated required investigations:

- Tier Three (T3) investigation equivalent (ADP/IT-II)

13.4 Visit Authorization Letters (VAL). Visit requests shall be processed and verified through the DISS. DISS visits for contracts are identified as “Other” or “TAD/TDY” and will include the contract number in the Additional Information section. Contractors without access to DISS may submit visit authorizations by e-mail in a password protected Portable Document Format (PDF) file, to the COR or Alternate (ALT) COR.

The VAL must contain the following information on company letterhead

· Company name, address, telephone number, assigned Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, facility security clearance

· Contract Number

· Name, SSN, date and place of birth, and citizenship of the employee intending to visit

· Certification of personnel security clearance and any special access authorizations required for the visit (type of investigation & date, adjudication date & agency, and IT access level)

· Name of COR/Alt COR

· Dates or period the VAL is to be valid

13.5 U.S. Government Facility and IT Systems Access. The contractor will not require access to US Government spaces or IT systems. During the life of this contract, should contractor employees require access to US Government Facilities, the contractor employees are required to be escorted by US Government personnel. Contractor employees are required to comply with all U.S. Government security regulations and requirements. Initial and periodic safety and security training or briefings will be provided by U.S. Government. Failure to comply with U.S. Government security regulations and requirements shall require the company to provide the U.S. Government with a written remediation/corrective action plan; furthermore, failure to comply with such requirements can be cause for removal and the contractor will not be able to provide service on this contract. As applicable, contractor personnel shall comply with all local security requirements including entry and exit control for personnel and property at U.S. Government facilities. When in U.S. Government-owned or controlled buildings or other facilities, contractor personnel shall display U.S. Government-issued identification badges in accordance with local policy. Lost or misplaced keys, key cards, or badging credentials must be reported to the COR on the first duty day after the loss is detected.

13.6 Data Access and Retention. Access To and Use of U.S. Government Information. If the Contractor, in the performance of this contract, obtains access to U.S. Government information, to include controlled unclassified information (CUI), contained in plans, policies, reports, studies, financial plans, or other products; or data which has not been released or otherwise made available to the public, the Contractor agrees that without prior written approval of the Contracting Officer, it shall not:

(a) use such information for any private purpose unless the information has been released or otherwise made available to the public;

(b) compete for work based on such information until such information is released or otherwise made available to the public;

(c) submit an unsolicited proposal to the U.S. Government which is based on such information until such information is released or otherwise made available to the public; and

(d) release such information unless such information has previously been released or otherwise made available to the public by the U.S. Government.

Access To and Protection of CUI. If contractor personnel receive or otherwise access CUI, as defined in 32 CFR, Part 2002, the contractor shall protect CUI to the standards identified in the applicable laws, regulations, and government-wide policies. The contractor shall immediately notify the COR should receipt or access to CUI occur. Unauthorized Disclosures or violations associated with CUI must be reported to the COR within 24 hours of the occurrence.

Data Retention: At the end of the period of performance of this contract, the contractor shall ensure all items containing data will be returned to the COR.

14.0 ACRONYMNS

ADA - Americans with Disabilities ACT (ADA); 1990 ALS – American Sign Language ALT - Alternate BPA – Blanket Purchase Order CAGE - Commercial and Government Entity CDR- Contract Discrepancy Report CFR - Code of Federal Regulation CFR – Cod of Federal Regulation COB - close of business CONUS – Contiguous United States COR Contracting Officer Representative CUI - Controlled unclassified information KO - Contracting Officer DCMA - Defense Contract Management Agency DCMA Manual – DCMA-MAN D/HH – Deaf/Hard of Hearing DD – Defense Department DISS - Defense Information System for Security DoD - Department of Defense DoDM - Department of Defense Manual DISS - Defense Information System for Security DoDI - Department of Defense Instruction FCL - facility clearance FAR - Federal Travel Regulation IAW - In Accordance With IO – Information Operations KO – Contracting Officer MS - Microsoft Teams NIC - National Interpreter Certifications NAD - National Association of the Deaf NADC - National Interpreter Certifications NISP - National Industrial Security Program NISPOM - National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual NSPM - National Security Presidential Memorandum OPSEC - Operations Security PDF - Portable Document Format PSE - Pidgin Signed English PWS - Performance Work Statement QAS - Quality Assurance Screening RID - Registry of Interpreters for Deaf ROO – Regional Ordering Officer SSBI-PR - Single Scope Background Investigation-Periodic Reinvestigations T – Tier VAL - Visit Authorization Letter