Amendment 3 #2024-11-14 Copy Editor.pdf

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WASHINGTON STATE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS (AOC)

#2024-11-14

INFORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

AMENDMENT #3

DATE: November 22, 2024 TO: Copy Editor Informal RFP #2024-11-14 FROM: Robin Toth, Solicitation Coordinator SUBJECT: Amendment No. 03:

Questions and Answers Attachment C – Edit Document – Example of Work

Question 1. The RFP doesn't give much indication of how much work there will be. Do you have any further information on that? An estimate on words per month, or documents per month with an average word count of each document would be very helpful.

Answer 1. At the outset it will be lower and variable an estimate of 10K words per month in 2 documents growing to perhaps 50K words per month across 5 or 6 documents.

Question 2. Our editors tend to be academic (PhDs) in various fields such as biology, medicine, physics, etc. Does that fit the profile of editors that you're looking for? Or are you looking for more generalist or law-focused editors?

Answer 2. AOC products are written for general audiences, court professionals, members of the legislature, social scientists, judges and attorneys. Accuracy, clarity, accessibility is always required. Occasionally, required are precision in social science writing (mainly in footnotes and/or appendices) and precise citation of laws, bills, etc.

Question 3. Would it be possible to do a sample edit of something of your choosing?

We could provide sample work, but we are limited in that area due to our confidentiality agreements with other customers.

Answer 3: Yes, we can provide a document that is accurate but that need help in terms of organization, clarity, and accessibility.

Question 4. I'm not familiar with the customary structure and content of proposals.

Could you post or send out a sample of a successful proposal for a similar RFP to give me an idea of what you are looking for? If not, I'd appreciate any advice or links you can give. I haven't come up with any shining examples through online searching thus far.

Answer 4: Regrettably, we are unable to do so. The instructions on how and what documents to submit are posted on page 6, Section 3.1.

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Question 5: Is copy-pasting the proposal letter and filling in my company-specific information what you have in mind for that part?

Answer 5: Yes, it is meant to be used as a template.

Amendment #3 includes a sample edit document. Please use this as your Example of Work Product.

Question 6: I am accustomed to sending out my résumé to summarize my experience.

Is that not appropriate to include in a proposal?

Answer 6: The instructions on how and what documents to submit are posted on page 6, Section 3.1.

Question 7: For work product, are you looking for excerpts of marked-up Word documents from prior editing projects?

Answer 7: No, we will be satisfied with examples of finished, final versions. We will regard that as the standard to which you should be expected to perform.

Included in Amendment #3 is a document for Bidders to use as an example of your work.

Question 8: I have noticed some errors in the RFP. Would pointing them out be considered offensive, or would it be considered helpful and a good demonstration of my skill?

Answer 8: We have provided an editable document for the example work product, Attachment C.

Question 9: Do you have a sense of the length of and turnaround times for the documents you will need edited? I'm wondering if including a category for rush fees in the fee schedule might be necessary/appropriate.

Answer 9: We will generally avoid last minute requests. We should be able to provide you, as we go along, at least one-month advance notice of upcoming requests.

Question 10: I was curious how many hours a week you would guess this would average. Do you expect it to be full-time? Half? I also wondered if in-person meetings would be necessary, as I travel often and work remotely much of the time.

Answer 10: At the outset it will be lower and variable an estimate of 10K words per month in 2 documents growing to perhaps 50K words per month across 5 or 6 documents. The work would be done remotely.

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Question 11: Is a fax number required to satisfy the requirements of the Solicitation?

The bottom of page 4 of the Informal Solicitation document states that "email shall be considered an official method of communication," so I wanted to see if that was a requirement. I can easily get a fax number, but I don't have one currently.

Answer 11: Page 4, Section 2.2 states “email shall be considered an official method of communication".

Question 12: I do not know the maximum hours for the contract, so have listed 'no maximum number of hours'. Does that work for this initial step?

Answer 12: If you are refencing Attachment B Sample Contract. This is a sample of the contract and if you are the ASB (Apparent Successful Bidder) your hourly rate and maximum dollar amount AOC has budgeted for the year will be added here based on your proposal. Your hourly rate and/or rate per word count should be in your proposal as Attachment C – Bidders Proposed Fee Schedule.

Question 13: Is it accurate to assume that the PCSXXXX number is not created until the contract is executed?

Answer 13: This number will be generated once an ASB (Apparent Successful Bidder) has been identified and will be the contract number.

Question 14: As this is my first response to any government RFP, it was not apparent where to add my work experience to demonstrate my competence in providing the work.

I read the materials and decided the best place to add it was under the Contract under the STATEMENT OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES heading.

Is that an appropriate location, or would you rather that be a separate attachment, one of my 5 pages?

Answer 14: You are referencing a Sample Contract. There is nothing for you to edit on this document. Your proposal should be based off the instructions in section 3.1.

With this amendment you will find Attachment C – Edit Document to show your work.

Question 15: In addition to submitting Attachment A (Proposal Submission Letter), Attachment B (Proposal), and Attachment C (Proposed Fee Schedule), would it be acceptable for bidders to include a client/project list as a fourth attachment?

Answer 15: Please include the client/project list in Attachment B Proposal.

Question 16: The RFP requires bidders to propose a schedule to accomplish the SOW, but it also states that "The SOW will be finalized after ASB has been determined."

Should bidders base their proposed schedule on the qualifications listed in Section 1, 2.

Scope (A. Proofread, fact-check, and edit content to ensure correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation; B. Improve readability by ensuring coherent and cohesive language

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Answer 16: Bidders should base their proposed fee schedule on the qualifications listed in Section 1, 2. Scope/SOW (A. Proofread, fact-check, and edit content to ensure correct grammar, syntax, and punctuation; B. Improve readability by ensuring coherent and cohesive language and tone; and C. Check for misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and consistency in typography, words, and style).

Question 17: In Attachment A - Sample Informal Proposal Submission Letter, there is a paragraph stating, "I am authorized to submit this Response on behalf of Bidder, to make representations on behalf of Bidder and to commit Bidder contractually." If I, as the bidder, am not using an authorized representative, can I exclude this paragraph?

Answer 17: Yes, if you are submitting the Submission Letter on behalf of yourself, exclude that paragraph.

Attachment C: Edit Document – Example of Work Instructions: Edit content in the document with the exception of the graphs and/or illustrations. (in some cases, the figures in the graph do not align with the document)

All other terms and conditions in this Informal Request for Proposal remain the same.